My wife would like to start using TR, but mostly for weight loss and general health, not racing. She’s a beginner cyclist. Is there a plan that’s optimized for that category?
It seems like all the plans emphasize intervals. Is that the right thing to do for overweight beginners?
Thanks,
Lloyd
I kind of thought a similar way, that intervals, especially for overweight or generally new people, can be really daunting. But, if you go easier with intensity you have to have a lot of time to burn calories. If you go shorter and more intense you can make more of a dent on calories.
Also, I really think people who want to lose weight and be in better health wouldn’t be so dismissive of intervals as just something for racing. I think there’s a lot of health benefits with pushing yourself. Ultimately, getting faster increases the amount of calories you can burn in a shorter amount of time, and that should be a goal for people who are looking at weight loss and health.
Yes and no.
Yes - All the training plans are scaled to each persons level of fitness. My wife (and my mother) use TR for exactly the case you are laying out for your wife. My wife in fact has no interest in riding her bike outdoors at all, let along race. But we have a setup in the garage that makes it easy for her to do workouts without much fuss. It doesn’t matter that her FTP is less than 1/3 of mine, she gets a good workout, is getting fitter and feels good. Weight loss is just math; calories in vs calories out. Exercise in any form will help with the calories out part of the equation, but you can lose weight without any exercise at all. Is high intensity interval training effective at torching calories though? You bet.
No - I’d say a lot of TR users don’t race, however most are trying to be fitter/faster on their bike. So, the focus on structured interval training is designed to condition your body to be a more efficient/stronger cyclist. Therefore, there aren’t any training plans designed specifically for “weight loss”. They all will do that, but it’s not the focus of the platform. I think what you’ll find is that the intervals make indoor workouts more interesting however and as I said, is scaled to the level of fitness of the specific user so nothing is out of reach.
I’d say give it a try. Good plans to get rolling with are Sweet Spot Base 1 (low volume), followed by Sweet Spot Base 2 (low volume) and then Sustained Power Build (low volume). I’d skip Speciality and just go back to the beginning again. If you want a trial license for your wife to try it, PM me and I’ll hook you up.
Time on the bike won’t make you lose weight, just make you fitter/stronger. If you want to lose weight you need to control your calorie intake.