Training advice please...

[Bicycle]

My middle child is 15. He is about 5'9" and weighs about nothing (or less).

He is showing some mild interest in time trials or similar.

He played competitive football for six years, but that's gone by the wayside.

Now he runs a little and rides to stay in shape.

He uses two routes to work on his fitness:

1. A 20-minute blast (almost all climbing quite steeply) into a range of hills near our home. It's a real lung-burster and we just hydrate at the top then free-wheel back to town.

2. An 8-mile slightly hilly loop around our town. He's averaging just under 18.5 mph.

He'll shave a few seconds off here and there, but he does these things to stay fit rather than to be quick on a bicycle.

He's interested in joining a local club, but would like to be a little more 'in shape' before he does so.

I've never raced a bicycle in my life and I just ride for fun. I have no idea what he should be doing.

Any thoughts on a sort of 'juniors' training programme'? He has GCSEs and a hectic social life, so this is not something he wants to sell his soul to.

I get the impression he's up for rides (early morning or after school) that he can slot in around supper and homework.

We have a turbo, but he prefers to be out on the road - which may change now that the weather's gone all SNAFU.

Any thoughts on a varied but potentially productive programme would be most welcome.

Any thoughts on something interesting to do on a turbo also welcome. To date he's done the odd session of: gently for 3 mins, sprint for 1 min. He gets to about six repetitions before exhaustion and tedium kill it off for him.

Many thanks in advance if anyone has any thoughts.

 

[screenman]

Ge him in a club, no worry about needing to be fitter that is a myth.

 

[VamP]

My middle child is 15. He is about 5'9" and weighs about nothing (or less).

He is showing some mild interest in time trials or similar.

He played competitive football for six years, but that's gone by the wayside.

Now he runs a little and rides to stay in shape.

He uses two routes to work on his fitness:

1. A 20-minute blast (almost all climbing quite steeply) into a range of hills near our home. It's a real lung-burster and we just hydrate at the top then free-wheel back to town.

2. An 8-mile slightly hilly loop around our town. He's averaging just under 18.5 mph.

He'll shave a few seconds off here and there, but he does these things to stay fit rather than to be quick on a bicycle.

He's interested in joining a local club, but would like to be a little more 'in shape' before he does so.

I've never raced a bicycle in my life and I just ride for fun. I have no idea what he should be doing.

Any thoughts on a sort of 'juniors' training programme'? He has GCSEs and a hectic social life, so this is not something he wants to sell his soul to.

I get the impression he's up for rides (early morning or after school) that he can slot in around supper and homework.

We have a turbo, but he prefers to be out on the road - which may change now that the weather's gone all SNAFU.

Any thoughts on a varied but potentially productive programme would be most welcome.

Any thoughts on something interesting to do on a turbo also welcome. To date he's done the odd session of: gently for 3 mins, sprint for 1 min. He gets to about six repetitions before exhaustion and tedium kill it off for him.

Many thanks in advance if anyone has any thoughts.

He's kind of doing the right things. A few thoughts:


1) set goals - without specific goals much of training is hard to maintain, as you lack reference, and ultimately motivation
2) keep a training log - as above, helps with motivation, as well as recognising when goals are met, idfentifying plateau's, help with focusing on weaknesses.
3) decide how much time he wants to spend training weekly, and then build a training plan based on that.
4) get the excellent Arnie Baker training book to help him build the training plan. Had to look it up, Smart Cycling.

Judging from what you say, he doesn't seem to have any long, relatively gentle rides to build volume endurance, and it is difficult to judge how regular he is with his intervals and hill rides.

Finally, he is in good enough shape to go on club rides, don't let that hold him back. They will help him improve his riding skills, get used to riding in a group, and help with motivation as well. Also they will add the volume work, as it sounds like he may be getting bored with riding for hours on end.