What is the most efficient way to improve my fitness? My friends are in trainerroad too but they are on a more higher level of fitness than me. What can I do in order to catch up to their level without going to overtraining nor starving myself to death?
Will I ever catch up with them given that they are also training consistently? Will my “beginner gains” be more than their “experienced gains”? Actually, my goal is just to get to a level where they will not have to wait for me in the middle of club rides haha.
It’s all about consistency and having a focus for every workout. Not really any shortcuts to catching up. Typically beginners will have bigger gains than experienced riders. I remember being the guy to wait for and now it’s flip flopped after years of hard/focused work. It’s actually fun being the beginner who sees 20 watt jumps in your FTP vs my 3 watts
As far as most efficient way to train I think that all depends on the distance you are shooting for and the amount of training time you have. Limited time equals more quality of easy miles.
Thanks for this! I guess it’s just boils down to consistency. One more hurdle for me is that I am doing a low volume plan for this season so I don’t know if doing that consistently would help me catch up haha.
Consistency is key! That and forget that sentence about starving yourself. Learn what and when to eat. Nutrition and rest are need to be viewed as part of training. Learning how to rest is difficult for some (me). In the last year I’ve found that as I’ve focussed on improving my nutrition my ability to perform has increased right alongside. Spend the time to learn about fueling and general diet and it will pay dividends.
Matt Fitzgerald: Endurance Diet
Bob Seebohar: Nutrition Periodization for Athletes
Consistency is great but don’t forget about frequency and volume.
If you are doing a 3 day a week LV plan then jump on the trainer and do easy zone 2 rides on the other days to build your aerobic base. People under estimate how easy you can build fitness by riding easy. It is counter intuitive because people tend to think that more is better and harder is better.
Volume is the other way to conquer aerobic fitness. 2-3-4 hour rides in Z2 will build tons of aerobic fitness. There is a reason why pro cyclists do 5-6 hour days day in and day out during base season.
Weight lifting is another thing you can do to improve strength.
Conclusion - put in the time, the more the better. If you ride more than your friends you’ll catch up quickly. If they ride more than you, then you’ll never catch up.
