# What do you think of my training plan?



## Peter Armstrong (23 Jun 2014)

Monday: Recovery <115 bmp Full rest day or 45 mins Zone 1
Tuesday: Hard Session >175 bmp. 6-8 5mins recovery 2mins or 4-6 8mins recovery 4mins or 3-4 12mins recovery 6min or 2-3 20mins recovery 10min
Wednesday: Zone 2 >140 bmp 1 hr
Thurday: Sprints
10x 5 secs sprint (all out effort every time) 30 secs rest in-between, 5 mins rest then 5x 10sec sprints 1min rest in-between. 5 mins rest then 3x 15sec sprints 1min-30 sec rest in-between. then cool down or if you have more in the tank turn it into a pyramid session.
Friday: Zone 2 >140 bmp 1 hr
Saturday: Tempo >160 bmp 1x90-120 min tempo ride ure heart rate must try to be above 85% of max hr most of ride
Sunday: Long ride, 3 hours Zone 2 <140 bmp


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## montage (23 Jun 2014)

What for?

For crits looks good, for road races you may struggle


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## jay clock (23 Jun 2014)

If i tried to do 3 hrs at 140+ I would die. I can do 180k in 6h25 though so not sure what that says


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## Rob3rt (23 Jun 2014)

Without knowing what the HR values are relative to your max HR, it is all meaningless.


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## screenman (23 Jun 2014)

Too hard, not enough rest. You will not keep it up for long. I am assuming that your max is in the 190 area.


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## Peter Armstrong (23 Jun 2014)

Rob3rt said:


> Without knowing what the HR values are relative to your max HR, it is all meaningless.


 Max hr 188
FTP 175


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## Peter Armstrong (23 Jun 2014)

montage said:


> What for?
> 
> For crits looks good, for road races you may struggle


 
That's good because all I'm doing at the mo is crits, but next year would like to try a road race. What would be the difference or changes required for road race training.


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## Peter Armstrong (23 Jun 2014)

jay clock said:


> If i tried to do 3 hrs at 140+ I would die. I can do 180k in 6h25 though so not sure what that says



Sorry it should be less than 140 not more than


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## Peter Armstrong (23 Jun 2014)

screenman said:


> Too hard, not enough rest. You will not keep it up for long. I am assuming that your max is in the 190 area.


 

I'm looking at a block of 4 week with the 5th a recovery week. Dropping the duration by more than half. Then repeat.


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## screenman (23 Jun 2014)

What is your MHR?


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## Peter Armstrong (23 Jun 2014)

188


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## Peter Armstrong (24 Jun 2014)




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## Rob3rt (24 Jun 2014)

Ultimately, that is one week's worth of a training plan, not a proper training plan, if you plan on doing that week after week, well....


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## Peter Armstrong (24 Jun 2014)

Carry on!


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## JasonHolder (24 Jun 2014)

Not enough rest. I would lose a day somewhere and have it off the bike or make it a 3 week cycle with the 4th recovery.

Though what I would really do is not have a recovery week and manage fatigue weekly. The 4 on1 off etc is very Pro and you haven't hit any stops to require such overload.
Take it steady because that is MUCH more riding than you are currently doing.

Its nice to have 3-4 weeks focused training BUT that^ is not focused on anything in particular at all


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## Peter Armstrong (24 Jun 2014)

It's not more than what I'm doing, infact the intensity has been turned down a lot. I was doing 4-5 hard sessions a week. This only has 3.


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## Peter Armstrong (24 Jun 2014)

It's basically 3 key sessions, vo2 max, thresh hold , and tempo, easy z2 in between days with an added long social ride and a full rest day. I honestly thought it was too easy. I guess I'm happy that people think its hard because if I fell tired at any point can just throw an extra rest day in.


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## Rob3rt (25 Jun 2014)

I dont see the point in the 1HR zone 2 rides tbh.

Also where do your races fit into this?

Do you have any books on training theory?


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## Peter Armstrong (25 Jun 2014)

Rob3rt said:


> I dont see the point in the 1HR zone 2 rides tbh.
> 
> Also where do your races fit into this?
> 
> Do you have any books on training theory?


 
What would you do instead or Z2 rides, just an easy one <80% max HR?

Well If im racing e.g Tuesday night crit it simply replaces the threshold session. Any other days I just have a rest day two days before, then a tune up the day before.

Tune up


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## Rob3rt (25 Jun 2014)

I wouldn't necessarily do anything instead of them, I am just kind of getting at the idea that a 1HR Z2 ride is not really long enough to elicit any gains, yet it is not easy enough to encourage recovery. So think about what you are achieving by doing them. Either get rid or re-structure so that those rides are longer.

Also, why have a Z2 ride between each session anyway?


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## Peter Armstrong (25 Jun 2014)

I have no idea


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## Peter Armstrong (25 Jun 2014)

Though I had a good plan, now im back to square one............


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## vickster (25 Jun 2014)

Why not pay for some coaching and get a training plan


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## Herzog (25 Jun 2014)

As Rob3rt wrote upthread, do you have a training manual/book of any sort? Perhaps Fiels _Bible _may help..


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## Peter Armstrong (25 Jun 2014)

Herzog said:


> As Rob3rt wrote upthread, do you have a training manual/book of any sort? Perhaps Fiels _Bible _may help..


 
Nope, have nothing of the sort.


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## Rob3rt (25 Jun 2014)

Maybe you would do well to invest. I'd offer to lend you a copy as you are fairly local, since myself and my partner have multiple copies, but atm I can't as all none annotated copies are out on loan already (and the annotated copy is for my eyes only, I might occasionally let my partner in on a trade secret without her realising, but that's as far as that goes ).


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## Peter Armstrong (25 Jun 2014)

So what do I need to buy?


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## Rob3rt (25 Jun 2014)

I would recommend Joe Friel "The Cyclist's Training Bible" as a good book to understand training periodization and help you design a training plan. 

Andrew Coggan and Hunter Allen "Training and Racing with a Power Meter" is also well worth reading even if you do not (and have no intention to purchase) a power meter.


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## Peter Armstrong (25 Jun 2014)

This one?


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## Rob3rt (25 Jun 2014)

That looks like the right book but an older revision, the one I have is this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyclists-Tr...708289&sr=1-1&keywords=cyclist+training+bible


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## JasonHolder (25 Jun 2014)

Peter Armstrong said:


> This one?
> 
> View attachment 48612


I don't mind loaning you my copy. 4th edition. Pm if you want it.
That said, they're only 20 bucks to buy


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## Peter Armstrong (25 Jun 2014)

JasonHolder said:


> I don't mind loaning you my copy. 4th edition. Pm if you want it.
> That said, they're only 20 bucks to buy



I've already acquired the 3rd edition, I will have a read.


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## Peter Armstrong (15 Jul 2014)

Well I did it, I went and got a cycling coach!


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## JasonHolder (15 Jul 2014)

Who/how much and what do you get?


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## jarlrmai (15 Jul 2014)

Yeah spill dem beans, it's not Robert is it


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## Rob3rt (16 Jul 2014)

jarlrmai said:


> Yeah spill dem beans, it's not Robert is it



I've had a few people ask but no not me. Not a qualified coach (in cycling, am in running though) and even so, wouldn't coach someone in crit racing as I have never even tried it so wouldn't have any confidence in my ability to advise. I'd just be repeating what I've read, which is not exactly good business


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## Joshua Plumtree (16 Jul 2014)

Although some people make a decent living by doing exactly that!


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## jarlrmai (16 Jul 2014)

What's the best way to work out FTP, is it warm up, 20 mins, warm down of effort as most of the books I'm reading suggest?

For your 1st time if you've never done a 20 minute do you guess and a pace to maintain or pick your best 20 minute power average from a longer ride and add a bit, or is it just one of those things that the more you give it a go the better at pacing it you become?

Is it best to do it on a trainer?


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## Rob3rt (16 Jul 2014)

If you want to use the 95% of a 20 minute test rather than testing it with a full, flat out one hour effort, then you should follow the protocol from which that approximation was derived. IIRC, you should warm up, then do 3x1 minute high cadence efforts, then rest, then do a maximal 5 minute effort, rest for 10 mins, then do a 20 minute maximal effort and cool down. You then approximate FTP from the 20 minute effort. Without the 5 minute maximal effort, you will probably over estimate your FTP, then when you try to pace to it later, in a real situation like a 25 mile time trial, you will blow up catastrophically.

You should test it in the context which you usually train. I historically tested mine on the turbo because I trained on the turbo exclusively, if you train mostly on the road, test on the road, train mostly on the turbo, test on the turbo. Just be aware there will most likely be a difference, in most cases, with power being higher on the road than the turbo. I have now managed to close the gap between turbo and road power and have split my training up with more on the road, so I just take my power from a 25 mile time trial.

There are other ways to estimate FTP too, such as from a MAP (maximal aerobic power) test, considering the data my partner got from a map test and what she is able to product on the road, the MAP test over estimated her FTP by a large amount. I've not done a MAP test but it basically involves increasing power every minute, until you blow, I do not see the point in blowing that hard if there is no prize money or pride at stake.


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## jarlrmai (16 Jul 2014)

Yeah that's exactly what the book suggests, I'm finding it hard to find a suitable road for FTP testing locally, the local TT routes go across roundabouts which have marshals when they are running events.

MAP sounds like something you want to do in a controlled environment.


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## Rob3rt (16 Jul 2014)

The RAB's shouldn't really pose a problem, the marshals on the RAB's are not stopping traffic during events, just directing riders, so riding it on your own is not really any different. Plus on your own, you can choose a time that will have minimal traffic if you want. Or find a TT course that isn't an out and back i.e. a circuit and ride round that.


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## Peter Armstrong (16 Jul 2014)

JasonHolder said:


> Who/how much and what do you get?


 
Transition Cycle Coaching

http://www.transitioncycle-coach.co.uk

Local to me


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## Peter Armstrong (16 Jul 2014)

jarlrmai said:


> Yeah spill dem beans, it's not Robert is it


 
No Robert just tells me what NOT to do


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## Peter Armstrong (16 Jul 2014)

I did a FPT test on the Saturday

266W
175bpm


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## JasonHolder (16 Jul 2014)

How old are you? Maybe I just need to push myself a bit more on the hr side...


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## Herzog (16 Jul 2014)

Not cheap, what plan did you go for?


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## Peter Armstrong (17 Jul 2014)

Bronze, and im 30


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## Herzog (17 Jul 2014)

What weight are you?


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## Peter Armstrong (17 Jul 2014)

12.2 stone 77 kg why?


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## jarlrmai (17 Jul 2014)

FTP is often divided by weight for a more comparable figure.

I'm 69kg so I might be able to generate less power but my power to weight ratio could be better,


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## Rob3rt (17 Jul 2014)

Herzog said:


> Not cheap, what plan did you go for?



Coaching isn't cheap. I know 2 riders coached by transition, they aren't cowboys


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## Peter Armstrong (17 Jul 2014)

jarlrmai said:


> FTP is often divided by weight for a more comparable figure.
> 
> I'm 69kg so I might be able to generate less power but my power to weight ratio could be better,


 
But that only counts up hill!


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## JasonHolder (17 Jul 2014)

Don't ride up hill then! Haha


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## Peter Armstrong (17 Jul 2014)

JasonHolder said:


> Don't ride up hill then! Haha



I don't... well don't race with hills in!


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## jarlrmai (30 Jul 2014)

Okay so I'm setting up my plan for my 1st FTP in Garmin connect.

Obviously I'll probably screw it up 1st time but would it be possible to use some of my solo rides with my power meter to give me some estimated power zones to aim for on my 1st attempt?


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## Herzog (30 Jul 2014)

jarlrmai said:


> Okay so I'm setting up my plan for my 1st FTP in Garmin connect.
> 
> Obviously I'll probably screw it up 1st time but would it be possible to use some of my solo rides with my power meter to give me some estimated power zones to aim for on my 1st attempt?



It would give you a very, very rough idea of what you could achieve (though likely to be heavily skewed by sprinting/coasting/going less than 100%). I'm not familiar with Garmin Connect - do you get NP and average power?


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