Possible to make rapid improvements in fitness and speed?

[tyfius]

I've owned a bike for about 6 years now, but my overall fitness level stayed very poorly. I only went out when the sun was shining, which resulted in a low speed and high average heart rate.

In 2013 I made the pledge to climb the Ventoux in June 2014. This meant more and better training. So, I started in October, going out in cold weather (skipping the rainy days because that simply isn't fun) until I made nasty crash mid December. This meant I had to stay off the bike for most of December until the beginning of February. That's over 40 days I had to stay of the bike.

Due to bad weather conditions I mostly stayed indoors in February, riding on my trainer trying to follow a schedule. Mostly low intensity 1 to 1,5 hour rides.

But I feel it has not been enough. Yesterday I went out, did a 2 hour ride, with lot's of strong head winds, my speed wasn't as high as I hoped and after 40 km I was all out of energy. (I made the mistake of not bringing anything with me, but I don't know if it would have made a large impact.)

My main problem is my high heart rate. I averaged 180 BPM. I know that I have a relative high resting rate, but I feel like I'm not improving at all.

In two weeks I am scheduled to participate in an 80 km training sessions where they want to average a 25 km/h moving speed. Currently I don't feel I'm up to that. While my companions are doing 40, 50 km training sessions on their own with low hart rates and high speeds I keep struggling to get over the 40 km mark.

Is there a way to boost my fitness level and speed to an acceptable level within the next two weeks, or is that a hopeless thought and would it be better to skip the training session and keep my steady build up strategy until the next one?

 

[sciguy]

Two weeks is a pretty short period of time to make a quantum leap in your fitness. It does sound like you would benefit from adding some more intense workouts into your program. If you're only doing easy rides even if they are an hour or hour and a half you won't make much progress unless you're doing a substantial volume of these per week......say 8 or 10hours. If you're only doing 4 or 5 hours a week that is pretty much all easy effort then it's not surprising your fitness isn't progressing. Add in some intensity during your easy rides.....perhaps start with 10 minute segments as hard as you can manage without dropping the the effort before the end of the 10 minute effort. Over the next few weeks build these efforts to 15 then 20 minutes. If you're healthy and have no underlying health problems don't worry about your heart rate. Perhaps a physical is in order if you have concerns regarding your heart health.

I'm in my early 60s and do at least 40 to 60 minutes per day of relatively high intensity work 7 days per week in order to maintain and build fitness.

Consistency is definitely a key to progress with either a very high volume of easy work or a decent dose of high intensity added to a less amount of easy work.

Good luck, have fun and train safe.

Hugh

 

[veganrob]

high intensity

Hi Hugh,
Would you tell me what you consider a somewhat high intensity level. Would it be at tempo? Or threshhold zone. I am 59 and going crazy with one of the worst winters in history here and am running out of motivation on the rollers. I don't race anymore bit to fast group rides. Thanks

Rob

 

[sciguy]

Hi Hugh,
Would you tell me what you consider a somewhat high intensity level. Would it be at tempo? Or threshhold zone. I am 59 and going crazy with one of the worst winters in history here and am running out of motivation on the rollers. I don't race anymore bit to fast group rides. Thanks

Rob

Rob,

I seem to thrive on workouts at ~ 90% of my FTP. I can crank out day after day of 3 X 20 minutes of these and still recover nicely. I do a quick progressive warm up of ~ 5 minutes or so and then immediately launch into my first 20 minute segment. While I can do this pace for 60 minutes straight I find it a lot more fun to take 2 minutes easy every 20 minutes to drink, shift position, stretch ........... As things get easier I bump wattage up right now ~ 5 watts per week but this rate of improvement will decrease as my fitness gets back closer to my normal spring levels. Once improvement completely stagnates for a couple of weeks it's time to add some more intense shorter work bouts to the mix.

This has been the harshest February we've ever experienced upstate NY that I can recall. Here we are in March and it's still about zero F. and snowing right along this morning.

Hugh

 

[rhubroma]

There are no shortcuts, not even with doping. Just get back on your bike and ride consistently. First to reacquire some base and then start upping the intensity.

Remember that on group training rides if you aren't one of the "strong men" then just try to ride wheels and see where your progress is week by week. This week I got dropped at such and such a point, next week I'll try to hang in further, until I complete the ride with the front riders.

It just takes some time and dedication. If you don't go harder than you should at the beginning, and build up to fitness gradually, being able to deal with more intensity step by step, the body will do all the rest.

Think of it as a game and have fun. The more often you play, inevitably the better you get.

PS: As I write this I'm lying in bed with a fractured back, caused by a brutal incident I had riding last Weds. with a delivery truck. I was very fit and about to start racing in Italy, where I live. Now that all went up in smoke in an instant, an entire winter's preparation. Consequently, the advice I just gave you is what I will be doing when I'm able to get back on my bike.

PSS: Ventoux shouldn't be a problem this summer, your level of fitness will just determine how long it takes to get to the top. Have the right gearing though.

 

[Jspear]

There are no shortcuts, not even with doping. Just get back on your bike and ride consistently. First to reacquire some base and then start upping the intensity.

Remember that on group training rides if you aren't one of the "strong men" then just try to ride wheels and see where your progress is week by week. This week I got dropped at such and such a point, next week I'll try to hang in further, until I complete the ride with the front riders.

It just takes some time and dedication. If you don't go harder than you should at the beginning, and build up to fitness gradually, being able to deal with more intensity step by step, the body will do all the rest.

Think of it as a game and have fun. The more often you play, inevitably the better you get.

PS: As I write this I'm lying in bed with a fractured back, caused by a brutal incident I had riding last Weds. with a delivery truck. I was very fit and about to start racing in Italy, where I live. Now that all went up in smoke in an instant, an entire winter's preparation. Consequently, the advice I just gave you is what I will be doing when I'm able to get back on my bike.

PSS: Ventoux shouldn't be a problem this summer, your level of fitness will just determine how long it takes to get to the top. Have the right gearing though.

I got to say that(at times) I envy all of you who live in Europe. The cycling culture is so much bigger there than it is here in VA, USA. Everything is just bigger! Your mountains are bigger, and you talk about climbing this or that mountain today, and I'm thinking....man I only get to watch my favorite pro riders climb these things!

Rhubroma, I do hope you recover quickly from your incident.....I hate being off the bike because of injury(or for any reason).

 

[JayKosta]

....
Is there a way to boost my fitness level and speed to an acceptable level within the next two weeks, or is that a hopeless thought and would it be better to skip the training session and keep my steady build up strategy until the next one?

-
Probably no way to make a BIG improvement, but perhaps enough to be acceptable for the training session.

STOP doing the low intensity rides and START doing manageable intervals.
Short warm-up, 5 minutes at a hard but sustainable pace, 5 minutes easy pace to recover. Do that for an hour, and then ride at a recovery pace for a while longer. Just don't over-do it and cause injury. Also be sure to leave enough time between hard interval days to recover. If you can't perform at the same or better level, then you haven't recovered enough.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[rhubroma]

I got to say that(at times) I envy all of you who live in Europe. The cycling culture is so much bigger there than it is here in VA, USA. Everything is just bigger! Your mountains are bigger, and you talk about climbing this or that mountain today, and I'm thinking....man I only get to watch my favorite pro riders climb these things!

Rhubroma, I do hope you recover quickly from your incident.....I hate being off the bike because of injury(or for any reason).

Thanks Jspear.

It's true, however, it depends from region to region. In any case I can't complain from my base in Rome I'm an hour on the bike from the mountains and the same to the sea. The important thing is that one has time to train.

Cheers

 

[DirtyWorks]

-
Probably no way to make a BIG improvement, but perhaps enough to be acceptable for the training session.

STOP doing the low intensity rides and START doing manageable intervals.
Short warm-up, 5 minutes at a hard but sustainable pace, 5 minutes easy pace to recover. Do that for an hour, and then ride at a recovery pace for a while longer. Just don't over-do it and cause injury. Also be sure to leave enough time between hard interval days to recover. If you can't perform at the same or better level, then you haven't recovered enough.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

I agree with Jay but I'd work it a little differently.

IMHO, it will help to better define your goals and think about training activities that way. I would redefine your goal as "defying gravity for 60 minutes." That, to me, means developing more power and some endurance. But, mostly LOTS more power. How do you get that power? Small hills will do just fine. Headwinds work great too.

I'd start at 2 minute intervals for 15 minutes total. And I'd do them in a higher gear to get the legs burning. Much later on, you can add some time to the intervals, but use a higher gear first. The key is to feel really tired at the end of the session and that is mentally difficult on a weekly basis. So keep the intervals short and intense. More is not better.

Also, plan for your longest day in the saddle in hours and be able to do that before going. You just need to find a steady tempo and do those hours. No intervals on that day. Just churn out the KM's and be mindful of eat/drink schedule.

As other posts have mentioned, you aren't going to do miracles in two weeks. But weeks from now, hopefully things will be better.

 

[veganrob]

Rob,

I seem to thrive on workouts at ~ 90% of my FTP. I can crank out day after day of 3 X 20 minutes of these and still recover nicely. I do a quick progressive warm up of ~ 5 minutes or so and then immediately launch into my first 20 minute segment. While I can do this pace for 60 minutes straight I find it a lot more fun to take 2 minutes easy every 20 minutes to drink, shift position, stretch ........... As things get easier I bump wattage up right now ~ 5 watts per week but this rate of improvement will decrease as my fitness gets back closer to my normal spring levels. Once improvement completely stagnates for a couple of weeks it's time to add some more intense shorter work bouts to the mix.

This has been the harshest February we've ever experienced upstate NY that I can recall. Here we are in March and it's still about zero F. and snowing right along this morning.

Hugh

Weather is same way here in Mi. Brutal. Usually if I can ride outdoors once a week it makes the rest indoors tolerable. But I have not been able to do that since mid December and I hit the wall and need something else. Thanks very much for your advice.

Rob

 

[eljimberino]

There is no quick fix.

In my opinion touring is the best training. If you have the time and money, go do that big transcontinental tour you've always dreamed of. Try to find a set up that's bike and gear and food less than 30kg. Plan to ride 50-100km a day, six days a week for at least eight weeks. Forget how fast you're going. Enjoy the scenery, the people and the experience.

When you finish have a few weeks rest. When you take the weight of the panniers off, you'll be flying and your heart, legs and lungs will be bigger and stronger.

 

[avanti]

.............. I envy all of you who live in Europe. The cycling culture is so much bigger there than it is here in VA, USA. Everything is just bigger! Your mountains are bigger, and you talk about climbing this or that mountain today, and I'm thinking....man I only get to watch my favorite pro riders climb these things!
..........................

Time for you to move to Boulder, Colorado. Year round cycling if you include cyclocross (and even if you don't). Ride West for big climbs, ride East for flatter rides. Plus considerate motorists.

 

[stutue]

Get an HRM. Work out rough max heart rate. 220 minus your age will be enough.

Work using % of max heart rate. 90% and over for sustained periods of time will rip through your energy levels in 30 mi utes, so that is why you will be spent.

Try warm up (50-60%)
Then take it up to 70-80. Every now and then put in a two minute effort at 90-95%.

Its called interval training.
Do this for an hour every day. Ignore your speed. Its irrelevant. Your fitness will prove and the speeds you are going at these % will rise.

Long slow base miles won't make you faster.

 

[CoachFergie]

But doing high intensity intervals will not build base fitness or chronic training load. This base helps with recovery from intense efforts and training sessions allowing you to perform more of them. That is why we periodise alternating building fitness and then adding short term power ensuring a rider has the ability to go the distance, has the power to race and the ability to recover from efforts within the race or between stages.

 

[Oldman]

There are no shortcuts, not even with doping. Just get back on your bike and ride consistently. First to reacquire some base and then start upping the intensity.

Remember that on group training rides if you aren't one of the "strong men" then just try to ride wheels and see where your progress is week by week. This week I got dropped at such and such a point, next week I'll try to hang in further, until I complete the ride with the front riders.

It just takes some time and dedication. If you don't go harder than you should at the beginning, and build up to fitness gradually, being able to deal with more intensity step by step, the body will do all the rest.

Think of it as a game and have fun. The more often you play, inevitably the better you get.



PS: As I write this I'm lying in bed with a fractured back, caused by a brutal incident I had riding last Weds. with a delivery truck. I was very fit and about to start racing in Italy, where I live. Now that all went up in smoke in an instant, an entire winter's preparation. Consequently, the advice I just gave you is what I will be doing when I'm able to get back on my bike.

PSS: Ventoux shouldn't be a problem this summer, your level of fitness will just determine how long it takes to get to the top. Have the right gearing though.

Best advice I've read to new and "stuck" riders. Your technique improves with this approach and that can be the single biggest improvement you can make quickly. Knowing how to climb can't be taught indoors.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

There's no shortcuts to fitness, but there are ways of training that are more effective once one know the constraints they are working with.

 

[eljimberino]

In my opinion, thirty minute intervals are not going to see you climb Ventoux.