I am a frequent ZRL (Zwift Racing League) racer with my team, which I’ve previously linked above. I find that it supplements the TR LVP very well. I’m currently in SSB I, and simply add my Tuesday night race in as an additional effort day. So, it looks like:
Monday - Z2 Endurance type workout
Tuesday - ZRL Race (These tend to be VO2/anaerobic intervals mixed with Z2 work between while I’m drafting)
Wednesday - Endurance or VO2 workout, depending how my body feels after Zwift racing
Thursday - Sweet spot
Friday - Endurance or Threshold
Saturday/Sunday - some sort of longer endurance riding. I usually take 1 of the 2 days off to enjoy real life.
This schedule keeps me happy about riding, training, and living. If I’m feeling particularly burnt out, I’ll replace a TR workout with a Zwift ride, aiming to keep the same workout profile/target improvement, but with people - which makes it more enjoyable for me.
To the OP of the thread. I find this guy inspiring - not sure what others have thought.
He keeps the perspective on the joy of riding, the now more than the ‘goal’. Does a lot of youtube videos ranging from training to short inspiration. Helps me and makes the sessions go better.
For the reat of the thread i find it fascinating how we dont all respond the same despite the common advice that we should. There is a lot of emerging research on slow or ‘stubborn’ responders to use a recent study terminology. Likely a lot of reasons underlying this but makes sense to use our own data to see what isnt working (hoping TR’s AI could help here) and not be afraid to try a new approach. I think a recent TR highlight podcast was emphasizing this point. Its taken me a long time to learn that heavy SST burns me out, and makes incredibly slow gains in FTP or on road performance - and as a result not motivating. Longer and slower Z2 just works better for me for improving despite the boredom indoors and the feeling i should be going harder. Have to individiulize my plans but its more productive to emphasize this in my training and do focal higher end stuff
The problem is, if I take a break until I miss training, I’d never ride a bike again. I just don’t enjoy training. I like riding my bike. When I take breaks I miss riding my bike. But I never miss training. I can’t think of a time in my life I ever missed training/practice across any sport.
The problem for me is that cycling training, especially indoor training, is not rewarding in itself. You can get a bit of satisfaction from “getting it done”, or occasionally you set a new PB in something, but by and large there is little to support any intrinsic satisfaction. That is different from, for example, team sports training, where being there with your friends is helpful in itself. Also in more skill-based sports, you usually progress in a skill with each session, so there is something to feel good about. Also skills don’t deteriorate as quickly as fitness, so missing a week now and then hasn’t got any consequences really, which reduces the “must train” pressure.
Even though you say you’re more goal-oriented, I would try to find some sort of intrinsic motivation for your training sessions. Zwift racing obviously works, but just racing is probably not ideal training. Though is you are on Zwift, there are other things you could do - complete certain routes, etc. It doesn’t really do it for me, but it might help. Another way is to find company - maybe you can meet up with someone virtually and ride together, or at least chat while you’re riding.
Lastly, as others have mentioned, if you’re working 70h a week, no surprise you don’t have any energy or motivation for training! Life stress is a major factor.
Endurance plus a Zwift race or two per week is a fantastic way of staying very fit. More importantly, if you enjoy it, it’s perfect. Folks vastly over think the training process. Myself included.
Zwift races are a powerful stimulus.
Quality endurance plus 2 hard days can lead to very high fitness. It sounds simple. Does simple mean it doesn’t work?
I like training , except for over/unders and threshold workouts with repeated longer supra threshold intervals. These I workouts I absolutely hate with a passion…
started training and racing in 1985, with a ~8 year gap due to chronic fatigue/gulf war illness. love all aspects of it, and super lucky to have had a second chance. relish every moment, because you never know when it might all get snatched away
It’s certainly playing a role in motivation right now, but I wasn’t a fan of training before this job either. My job does make it a lot harder to stay on track of my plan though for sure.
Thanks for sharing this - it’s a good (& humorous) perspective.
For me the key to ‘training’ is to think about why you’re doing it and what you want to achieve. If it’s about staying fit and keeping up/competing in the group ride, then I find it great to visualise that. Imagining myself in that moment where I’m super fit and surprising even myself with my speed and strength gives me a glow that makes me want to get on the trainer. I know ‘winter miles, summer smiles’ is a cliche, but focussing on those summer smiles (& whatever brings them to you) I find is the best motivator for today. Also, it’s true that I have never regretted getting on the bike!
I definitely feel like I have a big “why” for training. And that gives me the motivation to stick to my plan. I just don’t enjoy it. I love riding my bike. I love racing. I love competing. I just don’t like training. The closest analogy I can think of is studying for a big test. I am super happy with a good grade and smoking the final exam. But I hate studying. The end result gives me the motivation to study. But I don’t like the actual studying.
Another analogy is driving. I hate driving. I hate being stuck in a little car. I hate being stuck in traffic. My wife and I are doing long distance right now due to our jobs. So I love seeing my wife. It gives me a massive reason to drive to see her. But I hate the drive. I can motivate myself to do it because I want the end result. But it doesn’t make the trip any more enjoyable. I still hate driving.
Life is a set of choices right? You can choose to ride your bike indoors or outside. If it’s not possible outside for any reason, then you can choose to ride indoors or not ride at all. If you prefer not to ride it indoors, then don’t.
Choices come with consequences of course. If you don’t ever ride (or ‘train’), then you won’t get any fitter or faster, and then maybe you won’t achieve whatever it is you’d like to achieve.
You could also go on zwift a bunch or go running/swimming/skipping/Zumba and ‘train’ that way. You might even improve your fitness. But if your goal is to become a faster cyclist with whatever time you can put in, then TR is the way to go in my opinion.
Again, if you don’t enjoy it, then don’t do it, and take up something else that you do enjoy and accept the consequences m. Life is too short. If the consequences are not acceptable to you, then go ‘train’ in whatever way you like.
I enjoy racing my bike more than my dislike of training if that makes sense. I agree with your post. If I’m not enjoy something, the process or the outcome, I won’t continue it. But for me, the result outweighs the process. So, like if I could give it a score, racing my bike and expressing my fitness in the summer months is a +10 let’s say. Training is like a -5. So the net result is a +5. So I’ll still do it because it’s still a net positive. Like you said, life is filled with choices. Waking up in the morning for work is a -10. But getting paid for my work is a +20 (these numbers are arbitrary). The point is there are lots of things in life that I dislike, but it leads to something or pays for something or allows me to do something that I do like.
This thread has been going on for a while, and you’ve got a reply for each little tidbit of advice offered. I’ve seen a bunch of genuinely helpful folks looking to offer you a way to embrace training. To each of those, your generalized reply is something to the contrary. Accordingly, there’s been a decrease of folks willing to offer helpful tidbits.
Here’s a tough lesson in life that more folks would benefit if embraced:
Whenever there’s an outcome-based objective (racing in your case), there will always be someone doing the work when you’re not. And spoiler alert - lots of those folks ENJOY the training process. You wanna succeed? Change your attitude about training.
In any situation of life, there is always a locus of control. It is almost always within us where that control exists, yet so many look outside for solutions. The answers to nearly all of life’s problems lie within.
I dont race…other then myself. I like solo rides to go hard. I like to train as my health changed dramatically from my regular schedule. I ride all the time but never when it is raining, too hot or cold…unless I am on my trainer. I set up my basement to be the perfect place to ignore life and do my workout. Some days I do venture out and see the world and friends but the training process has given me health and turned me into a strong rider. I also enjoy what I do for a living…I enjoy work as I dont consider it work…I just talk all the time…tax stuff…how to plan etc…just my normal day which frequently at the close of the day means I am on my bike looking at more blue bars. Work results in more work…AWESOME!
Am I the only one who sleeps with visions of blue bars in my head?
I agree. There’s been some awesome input on here. And it’s been good to read other people’s thoughts on training. I find it interesting to read about different motivations and reasons for training, as well as what keeps people on track.
I’m a little unsure what you’re getting at and think you are missing the original point of the thread. I wasn’t actually seeking ways to keep motivated. I’m motivated by racing and competing. And I’ve made huge progress with TR and been very consistent given my time constraints. Yes, some days are a slog, but I get the work done. I wasn’t trying to find enjoyment in training because it hasn’t been a hinderance as of yet. I was actually just posting a realization I had and wondered if others felt the same way. This thread was more about how people felt about their training. I stated that I didn’t enjoy training and wanted to see if others were similar.
And that’s one of the reasons I like this forum is the vast user base with countless different experiences and opinions.
