How much is too much training

[Dazshell]

Other methods to recover:

 

Power nap in the afternoon (20-30 mins)

Foam roller

Stretching

Light, low resistance spins

Especially like the Power Nap one!

[Pure Savage]

I am pretty much spot on where I was last year, Killarneys on Wednesday and race on weekend. Maybe some rides here and there in between. Around 230km a week. Last year it got me a sub 2:53.

 

Before DC this year I was not resting properly, not getting enough sleep. Only 3 hours a night, with work and training I just got run down. Just hung on in DC and Burger. After Dec break off road bike I am smashing some PB's from a month before DC.

 

Don't under estimate rest and recovery.

 

*fixed ^

Edited February 11, 2015 by Pure Savage

['Dale]

This is an important discussion as amateurs, managing all the other responsibilities and pressures in life, have to carefully dance between good solid training and recovery.

[Grease]

2 x 1hr 'opvok' sessions midweek (days rest in between)

2 x 30min core & upper body workouts midweek (alternating with riding days)

1 x 3hr+ ride on the weekend...done at solid pace.

 

If not a Pro - this is all you need in my opinion.  Been riding for 4yrs now and this has been my program in that time - still the gains keep coming.   

 

If stage race is coming do some back to back rides on the weekends leading up to the event - 3 to 4 weekends enough. 

[bcapostagno]

Hi Dazshell

In my opinion, there isn't anything wrong with the volume (time or distance) of your training, but you don't provide much information on the intensity of your rides. 

Training load, the stress that is applied to your body, will be dependent on volume and intensity of your training. 

Have you taken a rest or recovery week recently? A rest week does not mean full rest, but rather shorter less intense rides.

If not, that could explain your shattered legs.

My advice would be as follows:

• Don't change your volume at the moment
• Make Tuesday and Thursday VERY EASY rides
• Make Wednesday a more intense session
• I would make Saturday a second intensity session and Sunday a VERY EASY long ride (i.e. swop Saturday and Sunday's distances)
• The purpose of the taper is to increase freshness, while maintaining a moderate intensity to increase freshness, while preventing the loss of adaptation to training.
• Your choice to limit both carbohydrates and fats is probably not a good decision. Carbohydrates and fats provide our muscles with fuel during exercise.
• Limiting both of these will definitely affect your performance and could also explain your 'shattered legs'
• You may just be energy deficient

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Ben

 

 

 

[Wil6]

My problem is the other way around. How little is too little training

[TeebagAxis]

My problem is the other way around. How little is too little training

 

That shouldn't even be an option!

[Dazshell]

Hi Dazshell

In my opinion, there isn't anything wrong with the volume (time or distance) of your training, but you don't provide much information on the intensity of your rides. 

Training load, the stress that is applied to your body, will be dependent on volume and intensity of your training. 

Have you taken a rest or recovery week recently? A rest week does not mean full rest, but rather shorter less intense rides.

If not, that could explain your shattered legs.

My advice would be as follows:

• Don't change your volume at the moment
• Make Tuesday and Thursday VERY EASY rides
• Make Wednesday a more intense session
• I would make Saturday a second intensity session and Sunday a VERY EASY long ride (i.e. swop Saturday and Sunday's distances)
• The purpose of the taper is to increase freshness, while maintaining a moderate intensity to increase freshness, while preventing the loss of adaptation to training.
• Your choice to limit both carbohydrates and fats is probably not a good decision. Carbohydrates and fats provide our muscles with fuel during exercise.
• Limiting both of these will definitely affect your performance and could also explain your 'shattered legs'
• You may just be energy deficient

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Ben

Thanks for this.  I try and be sensible about not pushing too hard all the time.  Also too the recovery week 2 weeks ago so should have had time to rest.

 

Maybe it was just the big climb (2kms between 8 and 14%) that killed me today!

 

According to my brother it is not an energy deficiency but rather a cuckoo abundancy!

Edited February 11, 2015 by Dazshell

[rudi-h]

There's only one way of knowing and that is to take a whole week off.  As in literally do nothing but couch and sleep early.  If you feel significantly better next week, then you have established 2 things. a) that you were indeed over-trained and b) that one week is enough to recover, which means that you can put in at least 2 more big solid weeks from after your 1 week rest up to the CTCT.

 

If you feel the same afterwards, then you lost one week of training which is not the end of the world either.

[Dazshell]

There's only one way of knowing and that is to take a whole week off.  As in literally do nothing but couch and sleep early.  If you feel significantly better next week, then you have established 2 things. a) that you were indeed over-trained and b) that one week is enough to recover, which means that you can put in at least 2 more big solid weeks from after your 1 week rest up to the CTCT.

 

If you feel the same afterwards, then you lost one week of training which is not the end of the world either.

:eek:    Can we risk that?

[J∆kk∆ls]

:eek:    Can we risk that?

One week extra training wont make that much of a difference, but one weeks rest will 

[colin_h]

Your training plan does not look bad. The trick is before events you want to do well in take 2 to 3 days off the bike before that event! Depending on the person and what most people do is a short ride the day before the event with 1 or 2 short sprints / openers - then your rest would start 4 days before a big event! Note this is for your event you want to get top results in and cannot be done every week for every event!

The training plan might be ok generally but be bad for him depending on age, genetics, nutrition, health, stress, sleep etc and it does not seem to have a rest week (much reduced time on bike) after every two or three weeks full tap. If your legs feel shattered every time you ride you cannot train efficiently you need to take a rest week (or two ) ASAP like now don't wait for the week before Argus!. Reduce volume maybe to even less than half and possibly also intensity. Read Joe Friel's blogs on twitter or buy one of his books!

[HappyMartin]

:eek: Can we risk that?

You can't risk not. A well rested athlete is in a much better position to race than if they were fitter but exhausted

[Rotiringer]

2 x 1hr 'opvok' sessions midweek (days rest in between)

2 x 30min core & upper body workouts midweek (alternating with riding days)

1 x 3hr+ ride on the weekend...done at solid pace.

 

If not a Pro - this is all you need in my opinion.  Been riding for 4yrs now and this has been my program in that time - still the gains keep coming.   

 

If stage race is coming do some back to back rides on the weekends leading up to the event - 3 to 4 weekends enough.

 

Spot on I think. This schedule should keep you towards the front of A in road and MTB races. The only condition though is that the two opvok sessions must hurt.

[Dazshell]

Thanks for all the feedback and tips.  Seems like I am going to go for the "1 week off" suggestion.  3 weeks balls-to-the-wall and then 1 week of just chilling with 2 x 30km midweek rides and 1 x 60km on the weekend.  This will start from next week and then the wind down to CTCT.