Training cycle for an old man

Hi
I’m sure this has been asked before but here goes .
As a 56 year old man I find that I’m better suited to 2 wks on and 1 wk recovery as Appleseed to the training plans which are 3 wks on 1 wk recovery .
Is there any way of setting this up in the plan or should I just alter my setting myself on recovery wks .
Hope this makes sense .
Just moved back to trainer road and enjoying the structure and falling back in love with the pain and training .
Neil

No easy way other then lots of tweaking.

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I’m a bit older than you Neil, 69, and found myself not making a great deal of progress over the years. Perhaps I’m against the age limit wall? The traditional low volume plans were achievable, but no real progress was being made.
After a lot of reading and listening to the podcasts of Dr. Steven Seiler I opted for polarized plans. I’ve been doing the medium volume plan and adding supplemental endurance rides indoors and outside depending on life schedules and weather. This has allowed me to do more volume and perhaps improve my performance through better aerobic conditioning even if my FTP doesn’t rise real significantly. I initially did a 6-week block and then an 8-week block. I’m currently on another 8-week block. Somewhere in that time frame the progression level charts became available along with Train Now options. That enables us to hopefully view performance improvements and not totally get hammered in the process. The other advantage is I don’t have to try to figure out life schedules and plan my calendar with rest weeks etc…
I am not a superstar performer by any stretch, but I’m usually able to hang in there with many of the younger cyclists on the road. At this age I’m not sure that I can expect a whole lot more, unless I have not picked all the low hanging fruit available.
As long as we can see small improvements and forestall or slow the demise, I think we’re winning this battle? Jaye

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Hi Jay
Thanks for that some food for thought there .
I certainly think I will need to adjust the way I use TR
Great to hear your still hanging with the young guns at 69 that’s fantastic and proof that you must be doing something right .
Thanks
Neil

Neil–For a number of years, as a “Time Crunched Athlete”, lots of higher intensity intervals comprised a great deal of my training. It was great at the beginning, but then came stagnation.
There is probably no substitute for more volume. I guess the question is how much time do you have, and can you tolerate the physical and mental anguish of being on the trainer for more than an hour at a time?

The professionals certainly do train with a great deal of volume and a relatively small percentage of their time above threshold. We just can’t put in the same amount of volume as they do. I guess we can put in a few weeks of high intensity training before an event, but over a period of time, if we continue, our aerobic performance will suffer.

It’s taken me a long time to understand this concept. I kind of wonder where I would be now had I learned this a few years ago. I suggest listening to Dr. Seiler if you have a chance. He is on many of the Fast Labs podcasts. Make sure that you are able to enjoy the ride and be safe! I lost a good friend and amazing endurance athlete last September to a bicycle crash. He set a record for age in a 24 hour race in his late 60’s, died tragically at 73 in a freak accident. Jaye

Thanks Jaye I will give this guy listen .
I feel very lucky to have found cycling at the age of 49 and sometimes feel very lucky to walk back through the door after a ride .
Stay safe
Neil

Just turned sixty and cycling for 6 years. Used CTS Time Crunched Cyclist inspired plans the first two years, then TR for two years, then FasCat for two years. Got faster with CTS and FasCat for the simple reason I could consistently do more volume because those plans prioritize more endurance and fewer intervals. Briefly tried Seiler polarized and it just made me slower. More endurance, fewer intervals, traditional 3 weeks on, 1 week off. You can do structure (using TR to control trainer) without intervals designed for 20 and 30 somethings.

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