# HELP on training program?



## BIGGNICK (Jul 13, 2006)

Hello there, i'm a cat 4-5 racer in Idaho and this is my second year of racing. To give my self an extra edge this year I did interval training for the first time. For 8 weeks, twice a week I did 10 t-max intervals. One day up a 7% grade hill and the other down a flat street going as fast as I could. IT SUCKED!! But now with the season starting I wonder if the program I use is the most benefitial. I only ride hard 2 times a week, Tuesday and Sunday, on these days it's full on from the get go, I always try to climb, go fast and sprint in the end. I also like to go more than 4 hours. As for the rest of the 5 days I do 2-3 hour easy pace rides where I don't raise my HR above like 130. Is this enough training days or not enough, or too much? please let me know. Thanks alot. Also I understand that switching things up is good for successful training but what do they mean?


----------



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

Time to look for a coach...


----------



## BIGGNICK (Jul 13, 2006)

aren't you a coach? give me alitle feedback, if it sounds like I'm not goona get anywhere doing that then tell me what to change. Please.


----------



## bill (Feb 5, 2004)

I've always thought that probably the most valuable use of any coach is to take responsibility for seeing the big picture and making sure you neither fall into ruts nor miss important skills. There really isn't a whole lot of magic to this stuff -- pretty much what you work on is what you get. You stress your body, and it adapts to the stress you applied. Very simple, really. The issue, though, is mixing it up enough to cover the spectrum in ways that work for you, in terms of your physiology, your motivations, and your available time.

Figure out what's not working by going to a training race or a hard group ride. Then practice doing that plus 25% (structured intervals are really just to keep you focused on the one stress for a finite period of time to focus your mind to push through when you otherwise might give up).

Or, get a coach. I say that with reservations; with all due respect for the many conscientious and skilled folks out there, it seems to me that there are more coaches than maybe there should be. Coaches are not all equal. I know some guys who definitely went backwards after starting with a coach. I also know some that shone. Most probably hit a level that they probably could have hit by paying attention.


----------



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

The idea is that you are asking for workouts and a "training program" to be successful.

A doctor doesn't treat a patient for free. An engineer doesn't design components for free. Otherwise, there would be no profession.

To answer your questions -- if you are doing well, keep at it. If you feel like something is wrong, work at fixing it. Start getting books and reading all the literature that you can. If you want personal help, search for a qualified coach.

http://usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=95


----------



## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Nick, getting a coach is not a requirement to get better, nor is it always the best option for a 4/5 racer to improve. Yes, it can be, and I doubt you'd bet bad advice or have a bad outcome from getting a coach, so you should definitely look into it and make your own choices.

Other options
- clubs / teams - join a local club (bigger is frequently better in this case) and participate. Ask questions, ride with the faster guys, talk training with them, understand the core concepts and methods.
- books - Joe Friel's book is well regarded. I'd recommend anything from roadbikereview.com as worthwhile. Heck, even hit a used bookstore and pick up an old Greg Lemond book or Eddy B's guide, or a Bicycling mag book. 
- and the glorious interwebs... well take this with a big grain of salt. There are lots of guys, me included, who think they know more than they actually do. Besides which, it's too easy to take a small tidbit out of context and lose much of its usefulness. I've seen some good advice here on rbr, but I've also seen pointless flame wars that I suspect left the OP wondering where the answer is. So, like you already know, be careful on the webs. Two sites with pretty good advice - cyclingnews.com has a reader Q&A section called form and fitness. Good stuff there. And a British site, pponline.uk has a great glossary of all the training terminology, and lots of good articles based on real science.

Good luck. And do mix it up a bit.


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

I agree on joining a club, great resource to have. 
Another place I learned a lot from was http://cyclingforums.com/f49-cycling-training.html . There's a hell of a lot of spam but once you get thru all that find the thread, "It's killing me but...", probably on page 4 or 5 by now. Read the first 30 or so pages and you'll be worlds ahead of where you are now.
Joe Friel or Dave Morris books are great also.
Lou.


----------



## BIGGNICK (Jul 13, 2006)

Now that's what I'm talking about! Thanks a lot for all the great feedback. It makes a lot of sense. I'm always the type of person to dwell on things and make them out to be more difficult than they need be. So I guess just focus on the fun for now and wait for the first race to see what I need to improve on. Sounds simple. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks, Nick


----------

