I have been TR user for 2 years now, and i am satisfied with the product. 2023-2024 i had big gains, followed a plan 99%, was very fit “for myself”, added running and body weight training. Life happened and year later i am father with very chaotic schedule, working on shifts /day and night/ taking care of baby and mom /primary goal/. I have been doing some training since last october, mostly ednurance rides and endurance runs. Did few tempro/sweet spot workouts. I am basically stuck in gray training. I cant figure out what to. Very sad to say i have ridden 3 times for past 1 month. Did almost 2 week without any activity beside walking due to emergency renovation of my house which i did myself, taking care of garden too /which is time consuming/. I have so many things that derail my plans. Needless to say i created and deleted countless training plans, because i cant follow anything. Life keeps trowing more and more stuff to my schedule and i decided to stop do any plans at all. Its summer and its basically worst then the winter, due to severe heat during the day. Sometimes i ride early in the morning, but cant do it always due to my nightshifts, i need sleep after all. I know general advice is to use TrainNow Option, but i do not see how this will help me, if i havent ride for a week and it prescribes Vo2 max or Threshold workout- do not feel fit to do these, same with sweet spot. i remember from my first season that threshold workouts and SS felt hard after some break, i am always in “break mode”, because i am untrained, which i constantly think about and compare myself to othres or my “fit” myself. I want to progress, not just to do endurance rides until i have more time. I live in gorgeous mountain with long hills like 20km average 4-10% gradient. I cant enjoy the scenics, because i am unfit, like 60 watts lower FTP unfit. My plan for now is to do only tempo rides and maybe 1 longer z2 ride whenever i can. What do you think would it be better just to ride unstructured and in the future to start some plan. I do run also, just like my cycling -whatever i can + bodyweight training. Btw I train only outdoors with PM.
At times like that, I ride because it’s good for me physically and mentally, not to try to achieve anything else. I may not be as fit as before, or my fitness may be decreasing instead of increasing, but that is OK. There’s a minimum level of exercise and fitness needed for good health that’s easy to achieve, and that’s all you really need. Fitness beyond that is good, and fun, but not always achievable due to life’s realities.
I agree with you, it’s better to ride for mental and general health at first place then if life allows train more specifically. With all the number and gains chasing I had a moment when I stopped enjoying the sports. This is no more -enjoyment should be first.
I can sympathize very much. I’m also a dad with three young kids (7, 3, 1) and just the calendar Tetris my wife and I have to play, ugh. Things falls in between the cracks constantly. Oh, and I have a new demanding job where e. g. I had to cover a colleague’s lectures at a moment’s notice, because she was in the hospital.
Here are a few things I do to help me:
- I am training in the morning, starting before anyone else is awake. This helps me protect my me time.
- I am training indoors most of the time. I know you wrote, you train outdoors, but training indoors is much more time efficient and also more efficient when it comes to gains.
- I prioritize sleep: if I don’t sleep at least 7 hours, I am not doing any sports. Some days that keeps me wanting, but that seems to be the most effective lever to keep me disciplined when it comes to my sleep. When I have consistently slept 7:30–8 hours per night for several nights in a row, I feel like I am in super hero mode.
- I switched to a more minimal training schedule and use my commutes (by bike) for additional training time. Some of my workouts are optional.
- I make sure that training adds to my quality of life and does not detract from it. Time on the bike is a form of therapy for me. Getting through hard workouts helps me be more persistent in other areas.
I concur with the above. Strict training plans work best for the professional would build their lives around them. Anyone else… well, we compromise to various degrees.
We hear about pros doing 20-30 hours weeks with 99% adherence to their plans, and beat ourselves when we can’t. But consider this: aren’t you hitting your 40h+ workweek with 99% accuracy? And managing parenting the best anyone can, which is muddling through 
It’s not that you lack the willpower or ability to hit a training plan 99%, something else is going in.
Ride for fun. Train if it brings you joy. If not, then not. Maybe things will change as the kids grow up, and life circumstances change.
I always found the greatest enemy to training to be a lack of routine. If you can’t structure your days to be predictable, training falls through the cracks easily. Unfortunately with young kids and shift work, predictability is hard to find!
Not to be gloomy, but if you develop feelings of guilt and inadequacy around training it doesn’t help you at all. You need things that bring you joy and energy in life, so you have enough to give to your family too.
Unpopular opinion, but maybe you can focus heavily on running or weights for a while, since these are a lot less time consuming? And come back to cycling in earnest when it fits life better?
training in the morning really helps a lot, I do prefer to train then, but my night shifts mess my sleep and I don’t want to train without having good sleep.
This is spot on, I have to distract from all the number chasing, riding datа and just admit it that I am in break mode now and this will get better. Btw having a three kids, demanding job and still finding time to train, you are a hero to me… Inspirational.
Yes, this. Cycling used to be and it’s still my mental relief , just got humbled by loss of fitness as I am new to training and my training journey is still in the beginning /about 2 years/. As you mentioned I find it easier to run sometimes and I do it. Strength training is the easiest to do, because I take little man with me to watch how Dady is exercising and it is amusing to him. I did even run with stroller sometimes. Wise words from you.
I haven’t had to deal with night shifts personally, but I can see how this complicates your training.
Just keep in mind that most parents I know frequently feel overwhelmed, their lives are kept together by duct tape, chewing gum (McGyver-style) and twine.
You need to just work on frequency and consistency. Jump on the trainer for 20 minutes a day if that is all you got. You’d be amazed how 20 minute rides maintain fitness compared to no ride at all.
Don’t fall into this trap of having train before you can enjoy a ride. Get easier gears for your bike if you need to and then just go out at turn the pedals at a snail’s pace.
Mental relieve at first, if not you will burn out and as you pointed you will not be in your best mental and physical shape to help your family. Seeing people in same boat as me helps a lot.
Yep, i got my granny gears up and running , helps a lot, but most of the time im in threshold while climbing /going snail pace and cadence, it helps/, currently i am going only on the easier part of the route. I train only outside, but manage to do some 20-25 mins run if i cant cycle. My main problem is consistency…will get better eventually. Its good idea to hop on 25-30 min cycling, as you pointed its better than nothing, but do it few times a week - its stacks.
Strongly suggest you reset and build a pattern of success for the next few months and then go from there.
-Ride indoors for time efficiency
-Make runs your outdoors workout
-Just aim for 20 minutes workouts 5x week
-If life allows, add on 10-20 min to a workout
When tired, I’ve found a short low intensity workout possible and better than a nap in giving me enough energy to make it to bedtime
Let go of what isn’t working, get a couple of months of success with consistent, short, achievable workouts and I think you’ll feel better and you can figure out where to go from there.
Eushev24 YOU ARE FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT! 
Keep trying to find a way…
When I first started filling the house with kids I suffered from a condition that you are also suffering from & I call it ‘Jurgis Rudkus Syndrome’. This is where the new dad confronts all challenges always with the same solution: ‘I will work harder’ When the first solution is just to work harder inevitably things like regular bike riding/running/etc fall away because they serve no other purpose than to benefit you (either your physical or your mental health).
You should decide now that for the next four weeks you are going to ride 2x or 3x a week. No hard efforts…you are not allowed. If you can ride consistently for four weeks then you can make some efforts. The primary thing you should be doing with these rides is learning how to schedule them around your work and fam…and the first step is to tell your SO you’d like to do this but you need their help scheduling it. ‘Can we find three or four hours a week so I can ride my bike?’
Remember, no efforts. Don’t go crush yourself on the bike & not be able to do anything except collapse in the recliner. Your fam is helping you get this done so don’t double back on them & shirk family responsibility because you wrecked yourself on a ride. Concentrate on consistency & scheduling.
Once you can do that for three or four weeks & you’ve got a little bit of a base, allow yourself to add a 30 to 45 minute effort or combination of efforts. Maybe try two 20m KOMs every week. Something like that. Maybe a 20m KOM one day and some 30/30s another day. But be disciplined…nothing more.
Build back into it. Earn your hard workouts. Let yourself celebrate progress a little, even if it is at a performance level you have achieved in the past (though we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are).
This is where it’s great to have a bike all set up on a trainer and ready to go. It takes me like 2 minutes to suit up to ride the trainer whereas it takes 20 minutes to prep to go ride outside.
Bike trainer is super convenient and much more efficient, but mine broke and its out of warranty, the motor unit got overheated. I am saving money for new better one , but we are tight on budget, so can’t justified the purchase for now. I hope that during the winter I will be able to get one.
Aiming for 5x20 mins workouts sounds very wise, I will definitely try it, my trainer broke and I am tight on budget to buy new one. I do a lot of walks with the baby, some days about 10 kms most of the time I carry him with baby carrier, this is sometimes taxing, because I like to hike with him-not super hard hiking, but still on the single track in the forest. Consistency is the key, as you pointed!
Hahaha…fathers mentality is been like " I will work even harder" so true. I like the idea of trying some short KOMs. I am currently riding easy, waiting for my schedule to become more consistent and then I will slowly add intensity.
So much good advice here! And I especially love all the support towards @Eushev24 
I do too know how you feel! My kiddo is 3 now, and I can finally find some consistency in my training scheduled. It was definitely frustrating the first year or so to try and get into a rythm.. there’s so many things that change!
But looking back I think it’s important to understand that this is just a phase in life and sometimes training takes a back seat and we ride just for enjoyment and keep our sanity! I think it’s also a good time to lower training expectations and enjoy the process of this new chapter as much as you can with your little one, because after all you can regain fitness whenever.
Thank you for replying, yes it is phase and its had to admit it, but i have to lower my expectation until the little man grows a little bit more and i have sufficient time to train.
Enjoy him! They grow fast 