The Fit Cyclist 4-6 wk Training Plan A
For Who: ALL LEVELS-Charity Riders, MTB, Cyclocross, Road
Time: 30-90 min or 5-8 hrs a week
Here is a simple training plan you can use for 4-6 weeks to lay down a solid foundation to complete your local charity rides or just getting in shape to ride effortlessly, comfortably and confidently with your local club or friends.
I have had this conversation on several occasions where a cyclist I know is telling me how they train for 20-30 hours a week so they can lay down a solid foundation for the season six weeks ahead and do nothing but low-heart-rate, low-intensity rides before really amping up and putting the hammer down. They go on to tell me how many hours they spend in group rides and planning their training season. Did you know you can get the same amount of training stress in a 60-90-minute tempo interval workout as you can in a 2-3-hour endurance ride? Well you can! You’ll still need to build in saddle time to condition your bum & your body to sit on a bike for longer rides.
Ok, I don’t know about you but I am a cyclist not a pro cyclist and I don’t get paid to ride. I don’t have endless hours a day to ride my bike. Besides, I am typically just as strong and fast and most of the time faster than the majority of these guys in the local race scene. Most of my races don’t exceed 90 min. Yes, I train way less on my bike than most of the people I compete against. I am typically stronger and more efficient because of cross training off the bike and following a time strapped approach to training. I mean let’s face it, we are all very busy. I work from home and make my own hours but still I want to be able to train hard for a shorter amount of time so I can spend time with family, coach my kids soccer teams, work on my business and reaching my goals in life. So What’s the best way to be an efficient time strapped successful cyclist?! A little Planning+Execution=Success
4-6 wk Charity Fun Ride Plan
This is a simple base building training plan and can be used for 4-6 weeks (or until you feel you’ve hit a plateau). You may increase your long rides by about 15 minutes each week if time allows you to maximize the plan.
| DAY | WORKOUT | TIME | INTENSITY |
| MON | **REST or cross-training
Upper Body & Core Focused Workout |
30-60 minutes
|
Medium |
| TUE | On Bike or Cross Train-strength/Plyo-training | 1 hour w/ 5 sets of 5×15-second Fast Pedaling intervals
or 22-30 min lower focused cardio or plyometric training |
Moderate to hard |
| WED | On Bike Recovery Ride | 1 hr. in the Active Recovery zone or EASY EFFORT | Mostly easy; can push to moderate on climbs* |
| THU | **On Bike Strength
or Cross Training (Lower Body Focused Training) |
1 hr. w/ 3×10-min. Big Gear Tempo intervals at 50-70 rpm
or Total Body workout 30-60 min |
Moderate to hard |
| FRI | **REST
or On Bike Active Recovery Ride |
1 hr. in the Active Recovery zone | Easy |
| SAT | ***On Bike Endurance Ride | 90-120 minutes or 60 min with higher intensity “Moderate” | Mostly easy; can push to moderate on climbs* |
| SUN | ***On Bike Active recovery Ride | 1 hr. in the Active Recovery zone | Mostly easy; can push to moderate on climbs* |
| EFFORT GUIDE |
EASY You’re able to breathe comfortably and speak in full sentences. |
MODERATE Heavier breathing here, but you still can have some conversation. |
HARD Talking in short sentences is difficult or not going to happen. |
*Spend majority of time in high-cadence spinning (@90-100 rpm)
**Can go longer. But keep it steady.
THE WORKOUTS
Fast Pedaling: Spin quickly with proper form (see What’s In It). Active and recovery periods are the same duration. Improves pedaling efficiency and increases workout intensity.Big Gear Tempo: Ride a bigger gear at a specified cadence in the Tempo zone. (If knees begin to hurt, decrease the gear and increase the cadence to do regular tempo work instead.) Improves muscular endurance and increases training stress.
Tempo: Ride intervals at 90+ rpm in the Tempo zone. Increases aerobic fitness, muscular endurance and training stress.
Endurance: Ride for two to five hours in the Endurance zone at a comfortably high cadence. Boosts muscular endurance, aerobic fitness and fat-burning capacity.
Hills: Ride in the Endurance and Tempo zones on hilly terrain using gearing and cadence to control effort. Improves muscular endurance and overall strength.
