HI all, Just wondering if any of you have come from being coached to using a trainer road plan and how you found it?
I’ve been coached for the past 6 years with the same coach for mainly MTB XC & my thoughts are I could possibly use what I’ve learnt being coached along with a TR plan.
Previous to being coached I was self coached but needed someone keeping an eye on things as planning and doing the training was getting too much but now I’m thinking of going back to self coaching. The cost is one reason, fresh motivation being another.
I also have going with a different coach on my mind as this may give a fresh perspective on my training but the cost would be more…
I was with a coach from circa 2015 to last year. With the coach I did shorter but more intense sessions which seem to have raised my FTP more and I was more confident at varying from an ideal cadence. Training with TR I have now have a lower FTP but I can hold it for a bit longer but I don’t seem able to vary my cadence as much. I am getting reasonably significantly better TT results on non technical courses where I don’t have to vary cadence much. Although on the highly technical club TT course I am going a bit slower.
If you know a decent amount about training you’ll do just fine. I quit my coach in 2020 and switched to trainerroad, and my ftp has gone up 50w since then. The gains would have been just as much with a coach, but I save 100+ bucks per month. Just don’t follow the plan blindly and make changes around who you are as a cyclist.
There is a world of difference between following a training and having a coach. It goes far beyond things like helping understand your strengths and weaknesses , race preparation, nutrition before/during/after the ride, equipment choices and what’s the most important for me personally is feedback. It is sometimes amazing how much deeper understanding my coach has about fitness and training. Or riding together with your coach and having immediate feedback.
TR is a great tool to improve fitness and I think most people will be ok with it. Being coached is just completely different level.
I feel like most people can understand their own body and mind better than a coach can. Why would someone not just listen to their own body and mind, instead of having to relay that info to someone else who then has to guess (in their experience) what that client needs.
Some people will be ok with that, probably most people. But if you really want to improve your fitness and skill “listen to your body” doesn’t always work and can be a limiting factor. I follow that rule with lot’s of things but not so much with cycling. Perfect example is drinking and eating during the ride, when you feel you’r thirsty or hungry it’s often too late when you’re riding hard or racing.
Also, numbers don’t lie. I sometimes feel not great but my numbers are still good, or I can feel something is off which doesn’t mean I can skip or change workout. And I think most people are capable of achieving more than they can imagine, to go far beyond their “limits” and truly improve their fitness and skill. So again listen to your body won’t work here too.
For me TR is like having a book, being coached is like having a teacher.
You absolutely should learn to listen to your body. But unless you have the appropriate training and experience, it will take you time to figure out what your body is telling you (eg we often think we’re hungry when in fact we’re thirsty, believe it or not). A good coach will help you learn faster and thus save you time.
Also, people often know what to do, but don’t know how to get it done, if you know what I mean. They often end up trying different approaches, don’t see the results (or don’t know how to recognize the results), lose motivation and give up. Again, a good coach will help you choose the right approach for you and keep you accountable so you actually get the results you want.
Because you learn faster, better, more from a professional. No matter what field, be it music, math or cycling.
Mediocre teachers/coaches combined with remote …. Then you are probably better off with yourself
