# help with winter training, please



## nomit (Jul 13, 2009)

some background: 24 year old male, 6'5, 180lbs, 10%bf. picked up singlespeed mountain biking spring of '08. i was already pretty darn fit from weight lifting (215+ at the time) and recreational basketball...so the transition wasn't too hard. loved going out on all day 50-100 mile epics, exploring, seeing how far i could push myself...etc. wrist surgery this spring kept me off the bike up until mid-july, and i lost quite a bit of strength/weight sitting on the couch (tried to do some indoor spinning, but it was out of the question for ~6 weeks post-op, and then i got sick a few times...so trying to maintain fitness didn't pan out well). got a road bike to get back out there sooner (july), and with an eye towards future training. been hitting that as well as my mountain bike a lot since (120+ miles/week? i haven't kept track until recently)

i've read friel's 'mountain bike training bible', i've read most of the articles at fas cat coaching, i've lurked here and gone through tons of threads trying to gain knowledge. i have a heart rate monitor, i don't have any problems training in the cold, have easy access to indoor bikes at the gym if it gets super cold, i think i have a good grasp of nutrition and my needs, and i think i may tend to overtrain a little easier than others...now just looking for some experienced help here to lay out what a basic week should look like for me through this winter.

goals to be competitive in the sport/ss mtb classes next season with an edge towards endurance, as well as hanging with the fast group rides on the road. friels books goes over periodization and zones to train in and such, and gives examples of exercises to do during base/build...etc, but after reading a bunch of stuff about 2x20's (which friel doesn't mention at all for winter training...it's mostly long slow base miles), and sweet spot training...i'm having trouble putting together what will maximize my gains this winter.

unfortunately i don't have a powertap, or the cash to even think about getting one. same goes for a coach or buying someone's plan. wrist surgery and physical therapy are not cheap.

fwiw...LTHR is 173 (as tested in a 1/2 hour uphill time trial, taking the average HR of the last 20 minutes). max HR i've seen is 185 (though i'm sure it'd go higher in a race setting). resting HR is 34.

so the rather subjective questions i've had running through my head this past week are stuff like...
should i do 2x20's through the winter? once a week? twice a week?
should i just focus on SST?
should i just focus on long rides at an endurance HR?
vary the 3? how many hours should i be trying to put in?

and more specific questions i can't seem to find the answers to, or just trying to clear some confusion up in my head...
what are the differences between the 'zones' in reference to power, and 'zones' in reference to heart rate? obviously they're both 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and either 6 or 5b/c. but theoretically is my HR at, for instance, the bottom of zone 3 going to be equal to my power at the bottom of zone 3? are they identical in that way?
i've seen the SST graph (https://www.fascatcoaching.com/site_images/pageimage_1060_34778_4_1.jpg), and if i were to go by my HR zones i'd be training in the mid/upper part of zone 3...which would put me around 157. but then i look at the bottom and it says SST is at 85%. and 85% of my LTHR is 147. so to actually do a true SST ride w/o power, i'm not even sure how hard i should be going.

to clarify...a 2x20 for me would have my HR near ~173 at the end of the first set, and perhaps a little higher in the second?

what's some other reading material i should look at? (either cheap books, a good blog, or some .pdfs)

thanks in advance for any help!

(sorry if i wrote too much)


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

nomit said:


> should i do 2x20's through the winter? once a week? twice a week?
> should i just focus on SST?
> should i just focus on long rides at an endurance HR?
> vary the 3? how many hours should i be trying to put in?
> ...


1. Depends. Sure. Maybe.
2. Depends, probably not.
3. No.
4. Yes. Depends.

Everyone has a different range for their zones. Carmichael, Friel, Coggan, and my grandmother all say you should use a certain definition for zone 1-10,000. Whatever it is, pick one and stick to it. I used Coggan's zones, as 1-7 is easier than 6a/b/(x^2*y^0.5). They are not identical, but do have overlap. If you are going to use the SST graph, use the Coggan zones.

Your HR for 2x20s should be 164-182ish, probably within the 2nd minute of the interval.

Also, average HR is based on FTP HR. You can probably use 173 is your "FTP" HR.
https://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/cycling/power-training-levels-by-andrew-coggan.aspx

Also, read https://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

iliveonnitro said:


> 1. Depends. Sure. Maybe.
> 2. Depends, probably not.
> 3. No.
> 4. Yes. Depends.
> ...


I also highly recommend reading Tudor Bompa's Periodization for Sport book. He invented it. http://www.amazon.com/Periodization-Training-Sports-Tudor-Bompa/dp/0736055592


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