So I am cycling only since last March 2019. Got into this sport like crazy. Started SSBHV1, finished it doing kinda low carb, high protein diet. Started SSBHV2, week 4 now. Reduced my 6day strength training to a max full body 3 times a week in the morning, just for form. Changed my diet to racing weight diet. Eating 60% carbs, little bit under maintenance. Currently I weigh 84kg, not much fat, not getting smaller I believe. Broad build, more a TT, rouleur than a climber. However, I wanna get better at climbing as well.
Monday is off-day. However I tend to push in a zwift ‘recovery’ workout. Also saturday and sunday I do my TR workouts and later those days another zwift ride. TSS for the last four weeks around 950.
Thing is, don’t want to brag, but mentally I am like dead. Today I’ve to do Tallac +3 320watts x15m x5 avg. Looking at it like it’s my worst nightmare. I zwift also but this timer looks at me. Also, I netflix but it’s more staring than understanding what I am really watching.
Thinking of quickly scaling down to SBBMV2. Not sure if I should scale down right now into week 4, finish SBBHV2 or start a new 6 week SBBMV2. My legs are okay, my mind is dead. Next to biking 10-15 hours I am a lawyer which takes a lot of energy mentally as well.
Someone just decide for me please. Thing is: with lower volume I can eat less. I like eating. However, probably I am reaching the point of where I cannot look at this TR timer anymore for 2 hours every day pounding sweet spots. On the long term maybe HV is not sufficient. Also, MV has more VO2 work which I probably find interesting a little bit more than those long sweet spots.
Compicated issue. Also Build HV2 seems less intensive than SBBHV2. Or should I then do Build MV2?
Good grief, that is a lot of work, stress, training, and extra riding. It seems clear from your attitude and general sense of despair that you could benefit from less work.
I think you are doing far too much with the training and extra Zwift riding. It might be OK if you are doing easy rides, but I am guessing you are riding quick and being “competitive” because it is so easy to do in that environment.
As a new rider, you really bit off a big chunk diving into High Volume. For sure step down to Mid Volume. You may even benefit from dropping to Low Volume with all the other stuff you are doing outside of the training plan.
In reality, you are likely doing more harm than good right now. Cutting back may well work better as you can recover better and your body AND MIND will actually have time to rest and get stronger, compared to the thrashing it seems you are giving them right now.
Depends on your schedule. If you want to keep the current timing, just jump to the same week in the lower volume.
If you are open on time, you could consider “restarting”.
Up to you and your planned time for the fitness. If there is no time restriction for an event or season in mind, I think you might benefit from a reset to the beginning. It will be easier as the start of a plan, along with the newly reduced stress. Should “feel real good”
Yes the 20-30 minutes do get easy. However, looking at long term biking 15 hours is not really working for me anymore timewise and mentallywise. Also, not training for any specific purpose yet, just getting fit. Also paying for zwift which I should just do some races on to make it all fun.
The endurance ride is not really the problem for me, its easy. I will take your advice. Just switched to MV2 for 2 more weeks. Then BMV2 with adjustments.
Holy smokes! That’s a lot of TSS for a new rider. I’ll echo what others are saying, you need to take things down a few notches if you a) wanna improve long term b) don’t crash and burn!
You wanna know what the really good thing is though? You are super motivated, and obviously quite resilient. You need to look at this process as more of a long term journey opposed to a sprint to get as fit as you can in the shortest amount of time.
If you put together a more sustainable plan, you will enjoy it more, have more day to day energy and likely get closer to your fitness potential long term.
Others have given more detailed feedback already, but my initial impression reading your post was, “this is a guy who will have sold his bike and moved on to something else in twelve months.” You’re on a path to burnout. Just a high volume plan plus six days of strength alone would be enough to do that for almost everyone.
Do less short term, and stay in it long term. You will be faster (and still riding and enjoying it) in the end for it.
yeah, I second what Chad said below. You need a mental break, and sounds like you’re teeing up a solid plateau. You’re not excited for sweet spot work, and starting to bang your head against the wall.
Ask yourself what your three big goals are for 2020. WIll you be racing or have any events planned, or just metric based goals of X watts for Y duration?
The former are much more rewarding to most people, so hopefully you can work some of those into your plan, and they’ll provide a better sense of what you need to start focusing on as we get through winter and you can start a solid build phase with some intensity.
Good luck and take a deep breath as you enjoy the holidays!
Agree with all of the above and depending upon where you live and the weather would replace some endurance rides with an outdoor ride, on or even off road. It will clear the mind and stop you looking at a screen. Get some buddies to join you, and dare I say it, enjoy a cafe stop.
