Anyone Interested in Bike training program?

[sumitpal]

Not sure if I should start a separate thread for this, I was wondering what are the symptoms of overtraining? I pushed a bit last week and by the end of the week I had a cold and my usual sleeping pattern was disrupted. Is that a sign that I should back off a bit and build up more gradually? I rested for two days and now I think I am 'normal' again.

[deepakvrao]

Sleep pattern changing is I think a sign of over training, but not the cold business. I read somewhere that a trend of a rising resting HR along with a diminishing performance are some of the signs of over training. Say poorer timings on the same known route etc.

[sumitpal]

Ok, I'll start watching the resting HR. I am noting the average power output for a 20min effort every two weeks and it is not showing a decreasing trend, it was up by 35 watts last week. The cold/sleep pattern changes could be due to my allergies too, or maybe improper nutrition, I'll have to watch this more carefully.

[jace48]

Sleep pattern changing is I think a sign of over training, but not the cold business. I read somewhere that a trend of a rising resting HR along with a diminishing performance are some of the signs of over training. Say poorer timings on the same known route etc.

+1 and for that reason I maintain log of my BP/Resting HR/Mileage/Average HT/Body Temperature/and other things

[Pankaj_Chuladhara]

I was reading through some articles on interval training and understood the following.

1. Intervals should be done 2 days/week with a gap of one day in between. Tuesday and Thursday work out perfect if you are riding longer distance on weekend.
2. One day could be short intervals (higher intensity) - 5 X 60 sec with 2 min of recovery + 5 X 90 sec with 3 min of recovery. Planning to ride it on 39/16.
3. Other day could be longer intervals (lesser intensity) - 2 X 3 min with 3 min of recovery + 2 X 5 min with 5 min recovery. Plannig to do it on 39/17.
4. There should be 15-20 min of warming up and cooling down before and after the intervals.

link below.

http://www.cptips.com/intervl.htm

Please add on your suggestions/views to the above.
Now Rajesh, I was wondering when I will get to go to the 53 if intervals are also to be done on 39 .
In the form maintenance phase??? BTW I have rode twice on 53 before in race conditions, 45 kms and 28 kms, just FYI.

Cheers
Pankaj

[battery]

Pankaj/Deepak/Ullas,

I think that you guys should seriously consider offering a training program for the Bangalore cyclists once you are through with your training. I am sure many would be interested in joining in.

[RNair]

Pankaj, The training program that we have followed here is 3 months and it starts NOW for you after you are done with base building!! The 1st month is all Intervals on 39 and also hill repeats on 39. The 53 is in the second month.

As for intervals on 39, you can do it at 39 x 17 -15 for a min or 2 with high intensity output with recovery of the same in between. It starts off with a set ( 1 x 2/3 efforts) and then as the month progresses you can build on it by doing multiple sets. Pay close attention to the long aerobic ride on weekends and a recovery ride soon after. I will get into hill repeats 3rd week of the 1st month.

If you hurry with this program, you will not see too much improvement, but will feel more fatigue. Also whatever you form you managed to get will either disappear or hit a plateau sooner than you think.

[Pankaj_Chuladhara]

Pankaj, The training program that we have followed here is 3 months and it starts NOW for you after you are done with base building!! The 1st month is all Intervals on 39 and also hill repeats on 39. The 53 is in the second month.

Now that makes sense. I think I might have missed upon it while going through the discussion on this thread.
Thanks for the clarification. One more question though.

Do I do interval training on all days of a week? I generally ride 4 (weekdays) + 1 (weekend) days.
And for the first 3 weeks of first month (on 39) should I do the intervals on a flat terrain or a rolling one is fine?

Pankaj/Deepak/Ullas,

I think that you guys should seriously consider offering a training program for the Bangalore cyclists once you are through with your training. I am sure many would be interested in joining in.

I was looking for company myself when I started this training but in vain. The training and a lot more stuff is very nicely discussed in this thread. Maybe I can summarize it and pass it on to anybody who is interested. Or maybe put it up as a sticky here.

Cheers
Pankaj

[RNair]

Do I do interval training on all days of a week? I generally ride 4 (weekdays) + 1 (weekend) days.
And for the first 3 weeks of first month (on 39) should I do the intervals on a flat terrain or a rolling one is fine?

This is what I do! The program requires you to do atleast 4 rides a week.
Flat Intervals ( 35-50 kms)
Aerobic ride ( 35-50 kms)
Hill Repeats ( a small hill probably 1 km long is enough)
Long Aerobic ride (80-100km)
Rest day or Recovery Ride ( better to ride 25k easy)
As you progress thru the month increase kms and sets of Intervals. The entire month is on 39. Try to get that weekly mileage to 300km if you can by end of Nov.

[Pankaj_Chuladhara]

Thanks Rajesh, for the detailed info.

On a weekday it is difficult to find time for 35-50 kms and I am presently doing around 25 kms. I read somewhere that duration is not that important in interval training if you can maintain the intensity. So, is it fine if I do my intervals well within 25 kms daily?
Maybe I can compensate for the distance (lost on weekdays) on the weekend aerobic ride.

Finding a 1 km long hill is going to be a problem but let me not worry about it for the first 3 weeks.
Bangalore folks, any hill you know of other than Nandi within 25-30 kms from HSR Layout? ( I am sure there are none ).

Cheers
Pankaj

[sumitpal]

averaged upwards of 39kmph on the MTB

Amazing.............well done.

Just to set the record straight, I did the weekly TT on the MTB in the reverse direction this time which has a net elevation gain and so power/weight ratio would matter and the truth would come out. I averaged 33kmph on the 15km course and I was pretty satisfied with the effort. The bike matters when climbs are involved, one more reason to get the Kona 29er .

[deepakvrao]

averaged upwards of 39kmph on the MTB

Amazing.............well done.

Just to set the record straight, I did the weekly TT on the MTB in the reverse direction this time which has a net elevation gain and so power/weight ratio would matter and the truth would come out. I averaged 33kmph on the 15km course and I was pretty satisfied with the effort. The bike matters when climbs are involved, one more reason to get the Kona 29er .

Thats fantastic Sumit. Why have you not done this on your road bike?

[kk27]

surprises me.... may be he's weight training.

[prabuddhadg]

And then when he rides his Trek 1.5, he will straightaway do the TT in 40kmph. That's why.

[sumitpal]

Deepak, I commute to office on my MTB and sneak out once every week for this TT hence TT on MTB . The average is ordinary but I like the fact that now the power output stays somewhat constant for the TT duration, I used to blow myself earlier. My avg. wattage for a 20min effort is 215watts (identified in the comfort of the gym) and weight is 74kg so power/weight is quite ordinary, and this is what this TT reflected too.

I am still trying to figure out the TT discipline so I am not thinking about optimizing on the equipment side yet.