My commutes are about 30-35 minutes one way. I was wondering when incorporating workouts with commuting, when doing an 1 hour workout, is doing half of it on the way there and the other half on the way back being effective with the break in between? Or making it a 30 minute workout and doing another 30 minute workout on the way back?
I would look at a few options.
If the route is conducive to good workouts then splitting a longer workout up works, it’s a bit less effective than one uninterrupted bout but still good.
Separate shorter workouts can work as well but might start getting weird with them being so short.
Personally I would use the commute time as reasonably chill endurance on top of the usual workouts if you have the time for it.
Another option is using the am ride as a chill spin then extend the afternoon ride if possible to do the workout then.
3 Likes
That’s what I do sometimes , makes the morning commutes chill and extend the afternoon commute! But sometimes I don’t have time, so I try and make a commute the workout.
1 Like
Think having a full work day between two halves of a workout is too long. It would be better to think of the commutes as two separated workouts.
What you can do during the commute really depends on the route. I found short intervalls worked best, because there were too many interruptions to do any threshold intervals, for example.
I’d also tend to think that it’s better to extend one of the commutes and train during that, and then just ride endurance on the way there or back. If you find you often run out of time at the end of the day, try leaving half an hour earlier and use the morning.
1 Like
When I was commuting longer distances, I’d let it sub for endurance or recovery stuff, but I didn’t feel good about doing any HIIT stuff near traffic.
Splitting a workout reduces the intended effect. Once you take a long break in the middle, the body resets, so the second half doesn’t really build on the first and the training stress is a less than intended. For example, workouts in general have hard intervals followed by recovery intervals, but the recovery intervals are intentionally short to make the subsequent hard intervals harder. It’s those last few hard intervals that are the most beneficial.
My mornings are just dread trying to get to work. I do my workouts either on my commute home, or after my commute home (preferably the latter).
My commutes are mostly just additional volume.
2 Likes
i commute to work for 75% of my rides. my commute is 65 min though at zone 2 at a minimum…and I can make it as long as I want. usually 1:45 is the sweet spot for me time-wise in the morning.
perfect world with a half hour, I would either do zone 2 or check strava (or similar) and create a course when you have like 45-60 min and you can do some stuff away from traffic. I think Sweet Spot is generally pretty safe on quiet enough roads.
and if you don’t have time in the morning, maybe at night.
otherwise, if you really wanted to, just go for it. who cares if it’s not optimal. if it’s safe, just do half the workout. just skip warmup and cool down and hammer for a half hour. suboptimal >> nothing. just count it into your weekly load and don’t overdo the half hour stuff to the point that it wrecks a regularly planned workout.
Splitting your workout is actually a great strategy! Doing 30 minutes in the morning and 30 in the evening can be very effective, especially for building consistency.
I’m in a similar boat as you. Putting training principles in practice means you do the best with what you have, it is optimization under constraints.
Will 2 x 30 minutes be as effective as a single 1-hour workout? Probably not. But will accumulating 5 x 2 x 30 minutes per week = 5 hours per week have a positive net benefit. I’m quite sure of that.
I’m in a very similar boat as you. I spend a similar amount per week on the bike commuting, doing groceries and running errands. Here is how I have adapted my training:
- I do 3 workouts per week. Last season I did 2 interval sessions and 1 endurance ride, this time I am trying 3 interval sessions.
- I strength train twice a week.
- My priority is hitting the intervals.
- I try to stick to Z2 during my commutes, but sometimes I like to noodle back home in Z1.
oh I thought of some other things you can try
- cadence work. just pedal 10 RPM harder than normal in zone 2.
- skills work - look both directions while maintaining a straight line, ride no hands, grab your water bottle with both hands, clip in and out without looking, track stand, cornering.
- hold your aero position for longer (even uphill…just hold it as long as you can)
another “pointer” I sometimes ride my mountain bike (just cause it’s easier for me to haul food and clothes and stuff on it). I always get a better workout on it…less coasting, less Zone 1, easier to hold my desired power target. so I dunno your bike situation but riding your slower bike will give a better workout most likely.
and as others have said you also can just cruise to work and enjoy yourself and let your brain relax before a work day.
I’m fortunate to have a 15.5 mile commute that ends up being pretty much bang on 1 hour to and from work so I always do the intensity on the way in and the way back try to keep it as Z2 as possible up the hills (with 15lbs of bags/clothes etc) extra on my bike.
I’d definitely make a longer route to work to at least get the 45 minutes intensity on the way in then cruise on the way home with heavier legs. The first 10 minutes of my commute are a false flat downhill that’s perfect for a warmup then the 2nd half is mostly rolling suburban roads with minimal traffic lights so I’ve done SS/Threshold/V02 all with pretty decent success.
1 Like
Splitting your commute into two sessions works well for endurance or aerobic conditioning. You’ll still build fitness as long as both rides are steady. If you want more structure, use the morning for easier endurance and the ride home for short intervals or tempo. The break between rides won’t reduce training effect—it can actually help recovery and consistency.
I like everyone’s ideas! I’ve done all the suggestions, lol. Just wasn’t sure what the best way to do it was! Split an hour workout, easy z2 in and then longer ride home to complete an hour workout and sometimes 2x 30 minute workouts. Interval 30 minutes or a sweet spot 30 minutes . But i’m not sure doing 2 x30 harder effort workouts is good, maybe 1 x30 minute and then a 30 minute endurance ! . I think trying to get more Z2 and added 2-3 interval work is good and yes strength training!
All good ideas here!
For anyone who’s planning on using TrainerRoad for this type of thing, I’d definitely recommend doing two 30 minute workouts as trying to split one 60 minute workout in half will certainly feel different than doing it all at once.
I wouldn’t worry about how effective two 30s are since you don’t have the option of one 60 when commuting.
Have fun! 
1 Like
I commute 4 days a week, 14 miles each way if I go straight out and back. I do workouts Tues/Thurs and recovery Wed/Fri. I usually have time to extend my rides home so on workout days I do an endurance ride in and then my workout on the way home but if I know I won’t have time to extend my ride home then I do split it up, although not always right down the middle. It depends on the workout but basically I usually shorten the warmup just a little and shorten the rest intervals some when I’m doing half and half to increase the intensity.
1 Like