Hey all,
I am sure folks with more experience will be able to offer me some insight.
a bit of background…I am 53 (soon 54) I have pretty good experience being athletic my whole life. I have been riding for the past 3 years all outside. I was unable to be consistent with weekly hours and even missing weeks/months. I would ramp up and get a few solid weeks then be burnt and not have the motivation to ramp up again. My best weeks I could put in 80-100 miles, never as consistently as I would have hoped and then too burnt to build off that. (all this using HR, cadence, speed, Wahoo bolt).
So looking to change things up, maybe attack this from a different angle, I recently upgraded my bike and shortly after bought a Kickr. Now i seem to be getting consistency down, ive recently completed the SYSTM intro, FF Prep, HM and FF, now i’m kicking off a series of building blocks…Threshold, AC/NM, MAP (all at a 2:1 ratio).
I love that now i am able to do structured training with data. training plans are such a great resource because they really structure the weeks so that you can get the hard efforts mixed with easy efforts, this should really help keep me from burning out. I am confident i am making improvements based simply on increased time on the bike and i know i am putting in solid work and solid recovery.
My question then is what is the best way to leverage the training plans and still get 2 or 3 days outside. I plan on a single side power meter in the near future so I am sure that will go a long way. Also the recent update should let me take individual workouts on the road. But in the mean time without a power meter on board what suggestions do you have for me?
Edit: I also have to be honest with myself that training every time i get in the saddle will probably burn me out as well. I still really love just free riding, playing with traffic, and farting along on country roads. It cant always be work work work.
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@pepperb Welcome! We are about the same age and I use indoor training for the same reasons - to be more consistent with training and also to better execute certain workouts that are harder to do outside.
I think the choice of 2:1 is solid. Plan on two high intensity workouts a week except during your recovery week and then you should be able to structure 3 other rides and have the option to do those outside. Most outdoor rides appear in the plans on the weekends but most of the inspirational rides can also be done outside as most of them are around 60% of FTP (with a few exceptions). If weekend outdoor rides work for you then keep your plan start date on a Monday. If not, you can experiment with changing the start date to another day.
I would also suggest some yoga and strength if you are not doing that already. I try to fit in a lot of core work and one or two days of strength and mobility a week and more in the offseason even if it means being on the bike less.
The building block plans are good but you will find those to be a bit higher in intensity. You may want to switch to something like all purpose at some point.
Good luck!
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Thanks for the reply and great feedback.
There are so many options it will take time to learn what works and your suggestions are a great start for me.
I dove into building blocks because they seem to be short plans with really clear focus areas. I assume nothing says i cant spice up my week indoors with 2 or 3 harder focused workouts from the library and then stretch things out on the weekend. I have to assume gains will come from dedication of any sort.
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I agree with everything @JSampson states above. Depending on life balance, for me during the work week it is way more efficient to do my key workouts on the bike trainer, and like @JSampson states this leaves for several opportunities to head outside for an enjoyable spin. And yes, also while the weather is still nice get out on the weekend to get your longer rides in! As the weather turns this winter, I like to hit another big session on the weekend, or sometimes I will substitute a smaller rider or no ride at all in exchange for skiing or snowshoeing.
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