i’ve gotta say i’m new in this cycling world, and i’m enjoying it so far, but i’ve gotta question, no matter which training plan i choose, i’ve got the feeling that i need some more, but if i choose two beginner plans , that would be too much, and here comes the question, is there a way to choose a fixed plan with, for example monday wednesday and friday with the real training and tuesday thursday with some easier workouts?
i hope i made myself clear enough. i’m just looking for some help,
how could i train daily without getting burned out?
Yes, pick a low volume plan and set your days to train on monday, wednesday and friday. Then manually add some z2 workouts (you can have them repeat if you want) on tuesday and thursday. You can get some examples from the recovery weeks of those types of workouts. I would recommend at least one day completely off a week though.
I use the low volume plans and schedule those workouts for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I added in Z2 workouts for Tuesday and Thursday. I’m flexible with those Z2’s and will swap it out for recovery when needed. I leave my weekends open for an outside ride. I try to keep them more endurance focused but that depends largely on if I’m riding solo. I find for me that active recovery is quite beneficial so frequently use those following harder rides/workouts (within ~24 hours).
IMO if you’re new to both cycling and structured training you would benefit more from just following a LV plan as written and making sure you’re nailing those workouts before you decide how much additional work is appropriate/sustainable.
However, if you are really sold on training every day, I’d just add additional z1/2 workouts- and, as above, be prepared to either adjust the intensity/duration of those or skip them entirely if your level of fatigue is affecting your key sessions.
Another option might be to include some cross-training days- something like swimming, yoga or even just taking a walk will get you moving every day without adding a bunch of additional stress, and will benefit your overall health and well being more than cycling alone.
Depending on your age, fitness and training history you are going to want at least one rest day a week, more likely two. Remember that you don’t get fitter whilst working out but when resting. What you have to figure out is just how much rest lets you both recover from the workout and get the super-compensation effect: too soon and you’ll still be tired, too late and you won’t benefit from the previous training. The recovery period will also vary depending on the stress from the previous workout: a hard VO2max workout is a different proposition from a steady endurance based one.
Start with the Low Volume plans, do the workouts through the week then do one or two Z1/2 rides at the weekend. You may not think you are doing much but by the time you work your way through Sweet Spot Base 1 & 2 and Build you’ll be thankful you didn’t do Medium Volume!
By your own admission you haven’t done much cycle training yet you are trying to modify the plans before you even know they work or if they are the right level for you.
There’s no shame in doing the low volume plans. I used them last year for a century ride and only added z1 rides in between if i wanted more. If I opted for a outside ride i set a max power that I don’t want to exceed.
