Any tips on resuming training after a long(ish) break?

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

the_marsbar wrote:
Wed Oct 23, 2019 1:06 pm
Still not really back on the bike regularly... I wonder if it will ever happen.
If you want it to happen, try and form a new habit. By habit, I mean putting a group ride or even coffee ride with friends on your schedule. Every Saturday or Sunday, go out and do it for fun. After you start doing that you'll find yourself wanting to ride the trainer a couple of times a week so your legs will be in some shape for the coffee ride. Maybe you'll hit the gym a couple of times a week and build some functional fitness over the winter. Once you make 3-4-5 hours a week of working out a habit, it will stick. After the phd is done and your schedule changes, then you can go back to 10+ hours a week of training if you want.

I raced for 7 years in my 20s. I got really burned out on the grind of training and travelling to races. It was a 20-25 hour a week commitment. I quit racing and also quit riding for 10 years. I still regret that 30 years later. I wish I had dialed it back to a 5-8 hour a week recreational training schedule and did centuries, fondos, and Sunday club rides. I missed out on a lot of fun riding.

gurk700
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Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2017 7:40 pm

by gurk700

Good answers already.

Just listen to your body. No matter what structure or plan you have, some days your body will just have a different one.

If you planned it right and have enough data, it's pretty easy to nail when to rest or go full throttle but there's just gonna be that day where you just don't have it. You know, those you're forcing yourself to wear your gear and almost out the door. Then you're like "what am i doing?" and not ride. Then you're fresh and full of motivation next day. Those unplanned breaks do wonders sometimes.

And those days where your plan is to go tempo but your legs are telling you GO GO GO. You listen and deplete yourself to PR on that hill you've climbed 100s of times which maybe ruins your week's riding plans a little but worth it cause you're so motivated off of that small win.

Anyway. You know all of this. I'm just reminding you.

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07stuntin6r
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Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 2:09 am

by 07stuntin6r

I'm just now getting back into it after 6mo off the bike and I can say so far this week i've done 54 miles this week so far maybe another 40 tomorrow. I went from doing 120+ a week which isn't a lot to some, but I only got an hour or so each day between waking at 4am and getting home at 5:40pm. I don't really have any training structure I've just been riding and logging the miles so that my rear and legs get used to the pain again. I will say I regret not getting back into it sooner as I realize its so much fun and now im curious if ill be ready to do a crit in a couple months. First time I did that race was 2 years ago and I got lapped constantly.

On the other hand, what I do to get motivated is watch youtube videos on racing/riding and it also helps to have a good community which I only have 80miles away from me near work.

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

I've been trying to maintain a regular training schedule for the past approx. 5 weeks, and it's now starting to get a bit difficult. But I have some months of TrainerRoad left which I try to put to good use by following one of the "small" plans. Previously I've started too ambitiously, and fallen behind very quickly. I also try to arrange training sessions with the guys I used to ride with.

I have to say, having kids really makes it difficult (first child in november 2016, twins last year in april). I realize how easy it was before.

AJS914
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by AJS914

How did the phd go? You never mentioned kids when you posted. Now you have three! Kudos for getting back on the bike for the last five weeks.

My son is 9 years old now. I'm locked down with him with virtual 4th grade starting in a few weeks. It sucks! I'm looking forward to being able to leave him home alone in another year or two as he gets a bit older.

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

Long time since I was here.

Didn't manage to finish the PhD. Wrote the papers, but the combination of getting laid off my previous job and the coronavirus made it (too) hard to make ends meet...

It's starting to get a bit(!) easier now that the twins are 2.5 and the old one 5 in a week.

I still train somewhat regularly, but the amount of training is very low, so I prioritize the hardest workouts. Which seem to work OK, at least I tell myself. I've been able to maintain an FTP of around 300 W (~ 4W/kg) with something between 1-4 hours of training per week for the past very long time (1.5-2 years or so).

I'm curious to hear how others with time constraints manage keeping in some kind of shape.

stoney
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Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:26 am

by stoney

2 to 3 rides per week for maintenance...one ride 60 minutes with hard VO2max intervals and one ride 3 hours long. If you have time for another ride just ride by feel and how much time you have. Also incorporate some core work 2 times per week...shouldn't take over 15 minutes. This should help you maintain a basic level of cycling fitness.

nordisk
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by nordisk

No easy solution to base training on a time budget, but what I found helpful was cross-training by running. I've been running for about 3 years now, and out of 15 hrs of total cardiovascular training (bike+run) per week I usually run between 3-5 hours. It was tough at first even with a solid aerobic base from cycling, and I did run-walk-run for the first couple of months.

In 3-5 hrs per week I will run about half on single track trails, where I focus more on mind-muscle connection than speedwork. On the road I'll do hill repeats. I can effectively accumulate 70 rTSS (which on the same run would give ~80 hrTSS) within 1hr and 5x4min hill repeats at 90% max heart rate, the rest of the run being flat or downhill at Z1/Z2 easy pace. I also go on long runs which are between 1.5 and 2 hrs 1x per week. Because I live in a hilly area I focus more on time than distance, and with trail running that keeps everything in perspective because distance doesn't mean much off-road.

I don't know if it has helped much with cycling, but I am more aerobically trained and feel overall much healthier than when I just cycled. My abdominal and leg muscles are much more defined (with unmodified strength routine), and it's a great mental break especially if you find yourself looking to the turbo trainer most of the time.

I can run in the dark safely with a headlamp, on road or trail. All I need to do is put on shorts, an old shirt and shoes. Strap the watch on and go. Virtually no setup time. Extremely minimal if you make it that way. Of course you can spend hundreds on equipment or more, but not for my purposes.

I can get a great workout in within 45min-1hr. 5,8, and 10k are great distances to test yourself in under ~45 min. My bone density must be much higher than it used to be, and best of all I discovered something else that I can enjoy outdoors. For overall fitness and health I don't think there's a better decision you can make, not least being time constrained.

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