Cycling Workouts: Discussion/Encouragement/Sharing/Banter

[bobinski]

A frustrating series of incidents kept me off the bike today. All packed and prepped last night for my z2 ride. A slow ovenight puncture set the tone. The tubeless tyre was not flat and i couldnt find the hole. But just pumping it up didnt seem sensible. Then my partner came back from swimming and got her key stuck in front door. It seemed lock was broken. I took it apart to free the key and it started working again-just not for her key. Strange....
By this point i thought i would stick with the turbo but yesterday I had taken apart the old desk that the pc and everything sat and already started building one of those posh electric standing desks. Except there were screws and parts missing and no holes drilled into the desk top to connect to the frame. The upshot is all finally just built up and run out of time for the turbo. Oh and I have cooked pilao rice and a prawn curry. I am knackered. TSS must be through the roof And i cannot stop playing with the elctric motor on the desk

Well done all for putting in a ride today.

 

[Norry1]

Bouncing off the high risk zone, with form at -29 after today’s effort. Planned taper week next week to take me up to fresh for my audax event. Then after that I’ll likely be in high risk as that single audax ride will generate about 700 TSS. Recovery week after that, then back into the progressive overload.

View attachment 681366

Looks like you've nailed the prep. Just need to nail the event

 

[<Tommy>]

A frustrating series of incidents kept me off the bike today. All packed and prepped last night for my z2 ride. A slow ovenight puncture set the tone. The tubeless tyre was not flat and i couldnt find the hole. But just pumping it up didnt seem sensible. Then my partner came back from swimming and got her key stuck in front door. It seemed lock was broken. I took it apart to free the key and it started working again-just not for her key. Strange....
By this point i thought i would stick with the turbo but yesterday I had taken apart the old desk that the pc and everything sat and already started building one of those posh electric standing desks. Except there were screws and parts missing and no holes drilled into the desk top to connect to the frame. The upshot is all finally just built up and run out of time for the turbo. Oh and I have cooked pilao rice and a prawn curry. I am knackered. TSS must be through the roof And i cannot stop playing with the elctric motor on the desk

Well done all for putting in a ride today.

Serious question. Do things like that make you think twice about tubeless on raid Pyrenees? What’s the worst case scenario over there?

 

[<Tommy>]

I think my own training plan is more akin to Alan’s in the sense that it’s a bit of a mix and match. Hope you don’t take offence to that Al! I actually think your past results make a case for yours being one of the more effective. I just mean that I have a clear idea of my goals. But my plan is less programmed than others.

But I think I’ll take some recordings later in the week. And then the same in 3 months time. To see how effective my own regime has been in that time.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Pedal a big gear fast to go fast. Eddy Merckx on his rollers.


View: https://youtu.be/_BcHekNAfOo

 

[bobinski]

Serious question. Do things like that make you think twice about tubeless on raid Pyrenees? What’s the worst case scenario over there?

Good question. Not really. I think nearly everyone with tubes had a puncture on my French trip with Angus last year. One guy Mike had 3 including a blowout on a descent.
To be honest I have known there was a puncture but it kept sealing at about 40psi and I have been too lazy to fix it.

 

[BurningLegs]

I think my own training plan is more akin to Alan’s in the sense that it’s a bit of a mix and match. Hope you don’t take offence to that Al! I actually think your past results make a case for yours being one of the more effective. I just mean that I have a clear idea of my goals. But my plan is less programmed than others.

I think I know where you're coming from. I have neither a clear plan or very specific goals. My goals are:

• Enjoy a few events that I have in the calendar through spring/summer. No power or time targets, just don't want them to be a slog.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle/level of fitness. I have a sedentary job - without the turbo I will be a ticking timebomb for cardiovascular issues, diabetes, etc and frankly miserable on the day to day.

Family life means I can't easily commit a specific number of hours to training. I've gone down the structured plan route in the past and inevitably the wheels fall off due to outside influences (family life, basically!) - that makes me miserable, so I now avoid the structured/planned sessions so I don't miss one!

That means I tend to decide what sort of session I do on the day. Certainly not the way to get the best performance, but gives me flexibility and the ability to top up or scale back as life requires.

The one thing I can't see myself doing is long Z2 indoors. I just don't have the hours, and in a weird way I find it harder and more of an effort than high intensity stuff. Z2 I get bored even with TV or music on and notice things like my sit bones being uncomfortable. At higher intensity my legs/lungs are hurting but I enjoy it - it feels like it is benefitting me. Nothing enjoyable about a sore arse on the turbo after 45 mins!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Recovery day today. Just about to get a walk in, and since dry I’ll have a go on the outdoor gym.

 

[bobinski]

I think I know where you're coming from. I have neither a clear plan or very specific goals. My goals are:

• Enjoy a few events that I have in the calendar through spring/summer. No power or time targets, just don't want them to be a slog.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle/level of fitness. I have a sedentary job - without the turbo I will be a ticking timebomb for cardiovascular issues, diabetes, etc and frankly miserable on the day to day.

Family life means I can't easily commit a specific number of hours to training. I've gone down the structured plan route in the past and inevitably the wheels fall off due to outside influences (family life, basically!) - that makes me miserable, so I now avoid the structured/planned sessions so I don't miss one!

That means I tend to decide what sort of session I do on the day. Certainly not the way to get the best performance, but gives me flexibility and the ability to top up or scale back as life requires.

The one thing I can't see myself doing is long Z2 indoors. I just don't have the hours, and in a weird way I find it harder and more of an effort than high intensity stuff. Z2 I get bored even with TV or music on and notice things like my sit bones being uncomfortable. At higher intensity my legs/lungs are hurting but I enjoy it - it feels like it is benefitting me. Nothing enjoyable about a sore arse on the turbo after 45 mins!

FWIW Z2 work supposedly promotes physiological change eg. mitochondria etc but higher intensity has more of a chemical change. At least that is what some of the z2 proponents say. So best try and get some z2 in somehow to support the higher intensity work? Everyones butt is unique I can do 2hr plus on turbo but only if i wear good quality bibs with a good chamois and lots of cream.

I think i know what works for me. I am not training/riding to race, not even on zwift, but to complete 4 1/2 tough mountainous days. Like you its tricky for me to commit to a formal training plan mainly due to work.I know i have to avoid over doing things at first because its counter productive. But there always comes a point, pretty much now actually, where my body seems to crave an increase in intensity and so it starts today. I could add a race or 2 over a week but that might actually tip me over into fatigue in a way i wouldn't quickly recognise and the damage is done.

I hope to adapt Systmn one to include outside rides april and may as i drive up the training load in anticipation of the Pyrenees. By then i will be riding 10-12 hr a week , possibly more in the 3rd week of the 2 x 4 week blocks and see how the body responds.

 

[bobinski]

Back to back workouts today to try and kick start some training progress. Revolver and the mythical “15 “efforts is a tough one for me, 16 x1 min at 280-302w leaves the legs a tingling

 

[Norry1]

Back to back workouts today to try and kick start some training progress. Revolver and the mythical “15 “efforts is a tough one for me, 16 x1 min at 280-302w leaves the legs a tingling

View attachment 681546

View attachment 681547

Ouch

 

[Ming the Merciless]

FWIW Z2 work supposedly promotes physiological change eg. mitochondria

No supposed about it. I think the challenge mentally for many is that to see reasonable improvement from Z2 you need frequency, volume and time. Improvements from Z2 are measured in months and years. Improvements from high intensity are measured in weeks.

Thus you can get quick gains from high intensity, but they disappear just as fast. Need a quick boost for an event coming up, high intensity will get you there. Want to improve year after year after year, Z2 volume is where it is at.

The other element is that you get much bigger gains from Z2 than you do from high intensity. Z2 is like baking the cake and seeing it rise, with high intensity just being the icing on top. Making and baking the cake takes a while, adding the icing doesn’t take long.

Ideally you want a mix of both with a greater emphasis on the Z2. Low intensity and high intensity training train different parts of your physiology and resulting fitness. When you put them together you can build quite the engine.

There’s an interesting bit of data about world tour pros “The don’t do more high intensity than your average keen amateur, they just do a lot more Z2 volume”.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Now sleet has passed and sun out I’m heading out to do some tempo for an hour.

I don’t think others have said, but my training is pyramidal if you look at the distribution. Good volume of Z2, then smaller amount of tempo, then smaller amounts of threshold then VO2 max. Unlike previous years I didn’t completely slack off over winter. Thus haven’t reverted to previous years base as has happened previously. Coming from a stronger winter base this year.

Seem to be responding well to it.

 

[BurningLegs]

My favourite cake is a pancake. No extended bake required, just a couple of minutes on a high heat and plenty of delicious topping 😋🤣

 

[bobinski]

No supposed about it. I think the challenge mentally for many is that to see reasonable improvement from Z2 you need frequency, volume and time. Improvements from Z2 are measured in months and years. Improvements from high intensity are measured in weeks.

Thus you can get quick gains from high intensity, but they disappear just as fast. Need a quick boost for an event coming up, high intensity will get you there. Want to improve year after year after year, Z2 volume is where it is at.

The other element is that you get much bigger gains from Z2 than you do from high intensity. Z2 is like baking the cake and seeing it rise, with high intensity just being the icing on top. Making and baking the cake takes a while, adding the icing doesn’t take long.

Ideally you want a mix of both with a greater emphasis on the Z2. Low intensity and high intensity training train different parts of your physiology and resulting fitness. When you put them together you can build quite the engine.

There’s an interesting bit of data about world tour pros “The don’t do more high intensity than your average keen amateur, they just do a lot more Z2 volume”.

Yeah, to be clear I wasn’t questioning the physiological impact of Z2- I am a believer! It was more the assertion that higher intensity work leads to chemical change rather than physiological. I struggle with that. What does seem clear is that too much higher intensity eg z3 and above seems to be less productive and accelerates fatigue.