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Who here actually "trains"?
Does anyone here have a training regime? By training I don't mean just going out and riding. I mean stuff like intervals, hill repeats, using a heart rate monitor blah blah blah.
I've never been one to follow any type of program for anything. I usually just let things run their course. For example, if a ride/race of a certain distance is coming up, I make sure I've adequately covered that distance over a day or 2 in the weeks leading up to the ride. The only thing I make sure I address is hills, as I hate 'em. This is not too much of a problem as I commute to Penrith and back.
So, all I want to know is who does what, and how often? And are the results you get worth the time you spend training?
(Fark, just burnt my dinner. Stupid computer and oven.)
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I'm pretty time strapped at the moment so I try and do 1 spinnerval session on the indoor trainer each week and lately Yurty has been dragging me out for an early morning road loop once a week.
Other than that I just ride as often as possible
As I am still a fattie I ride to my heart rate on most rides.But did start doing stuff on week nites with kingy but just hard to find the time.Push runs does that count?
Ride as often as I can basically. When I first started a few years back I was so unfit and slowly built up till I used to ride Mt Hay Rd, Narrow Neck and Blackheath every week to build up fitness as well as some road riding.
Recently having to get fit to pass a fitness test for emplyment I was riding daily or running or both as well as really watching what I ate. That worked well but back to riding and running when I can.
I refuse to ride on the road and will do any back route etc to avoid the HWY and major roads. If I injure myself offroad I will only have myself to blame. I don't want to put my self in harms way everytime a car passes. So road training is totally out for me.
Before a race or enduro I try and do a ride of similar distance in the week or 2 before but that's it. I have never covered a full 100km's before a 100k enduro though.
I really only ride for enjoyment, most of my fitness is gained through participating in as many events as I can enter.
I have a training routine per se ... ie, when I can't head out for a descent ride, but have an hour or 2 to muck around I do different parts of my nerf track.
i) berm training ... essentially hit my berms as fast as I can pedal in and try to lay it down as flat as I can, with as little brakes as possible.
- its a 5 berm set with each berm having a totally different character and technique required.
- the other challenge is to berm feet up ... which is a whole new level of freaky (especially when wearing flat shoes on clipped pedals)
Gives me a good workout, but is more directed at bike handling
ii) Cornering and sprint training
On another section on flat land, I have another fun bit with 10 corners , requiring a sprint between turns and a start and finish straight. Awesome fun when your fit and a real heart starter when your not.
Although its definitely a cardio work out ... I do it to practice, gear shifts, pre and post turn, flat cornering under power, and sharp aggressive corning at speed (picture 180* turns in bark mulch ... small rooty flat turns and a big drifting sandy turn to finish ... with 5 and 10 meter sprints between turns ... and a massive TDF sprint to finish.
At one stage I was doing this twice or more a week for several weeks and my fitness was near peak (well definitely on the improve from more normal heartlege conditioning)
but as you can see, I have to have a bike handling in there else I get bored ... fitness is a by product for me, not the aim or focus.
When things are less busy, or at least more routine ... I plan on focusing on Jumping, as I want to be able to jump confidently without thinking about it, on all of my bikes, regardless of type, Style, geo or terrain.
At least once per week I will try and do a 'training' ride eg hill repeats, but typically these are on my road bike. And yes, they make a difference.
Years ago I did a regular weekly ride from the gatehouse into the National Park, up the road to the Oaks picnic shelter, turn around and back down the road. I would try and do the whole thing flat out.
Then I started training with a heart rate monitor and changed to doing this ride as a 'base' ride. After several months my times when doing it at 'base' matched my times when I had been going full on.
I usually do hill repeats but lay off in winter....too cold, but need to hit the bike next week for the Highland fling. Means 5.30am rides for me for 3 months, must find the warmers.