Skip low volume weekend workouts?

Training
1

I have seen the blog article “Replacing weekend workouts with endurance rides”, but that is only for mid and high volume plans. Have you guys replaced the weekend workouts with endurance rides? how were your gains?

2

I think the weekend ride in the LV plans is the most important and wouldn’t want to skip it. I pushed it to Thursday and moved the shorter Thursday workout to another day (Wed/Fri) or made it optional. The Tuesday workouts look to be the 2nd most important and tend to be VO2 or at least the highest intensity for the week so I wanted to keep those as-is.

1 Like
3

I’m curious about this as well (specifically related to triathlon plans). I really like doing a long ride on the weekend and would like to keep doing it, but also want the gains from the training plan.

4

Or train Mon Wed Fri, ride for fun Sat.

1 Like
5

That would work if I could consistently dedicate 2 hours or more on a weekday.

6

Hmm… I find it difficult to do the long weekend workout when I am doing the local 4 hour endurance group ride. I wouldn’t really call this an endurance ride as it is usually a tempo ride for the first half. I am planning to stick to 2 workouts per week as a result. Whats do you think?

7

I do the LV plans, Tues, Wed, Fri, then have the weekends free to do what I want. An hour Tuesday and Wednesday isn’t hard to schedule and the longer 90 minute workout on Friday sort of falls into place. I work away a couple of days each week, just which days depends on the weather so I’ll move things around on a weekly basis.

I don’t think you’d get much training benefit from just two workouts per week, that’s more of a holding plan than progression.

3 Likes
8

I swapped out some sundays for endurance rides because I had base planned for those days. I think you just need it to make ‘sense’ whatever you do. It needs to co-ordinate with your plan.

9

Thanks for the suggestion! I will try your method next week.

10

Hey did this work for you? I’m currently in the same boat trying to fit a LV plan around my Sunday group rides… :thinking:

11

I’m in a similar boat. Currently training for my first century ride in late May. I’ve edited my LV plan in plan builder to replace the 1.5 hr threshold weekend workout with a progressively longer endurance ride. The total weekly hours puts me in/near the MV plan hours but I’m much more consistent riding just 3 times per week and it still allows some time for strength training as well.