Cliff notes on training to tell a newbie

daveryanwyoming

Nice summary, no mistakes I can find just a few additions and of course the real magic, putting it into context within available training and recovery hours with a real world lifestyle.

I'd definitely add the concept that you need sustained excursions for minimum times at submaximal intensities to target specific metabolic processes. IOW, if you're targeting L4 or below it's not that useful to go out and do a couple minutes here and a couple there with rest between. Similarly you won't get a lot of VO2 max training benefit from 1 minute all out intervals, sure you'll get some adjacent level crossover but if you want to target VO2 max you should ride sustained L5 efforts for at least 2.5 minutes with 3 to 6 minutes representing typical intervals.

So based on Coggan's levels:
- L7, no real minimum time, but 5-15 seconds is common, much longer and you're probably targeting L6
- L6, 30 seconds min. 2-2.5 minutes max
- L5, 2.5 minutes min. 3-6 typical, 8 minutes max.
- L4 and below, 8-10 minutes minimum, but easier efforts should be held longer for better training benefit.

As high as possible is a bit misleading for CTL. As high as reasonable while training specific systems and within your constraints while keeping an eye on ramp rate is better. Just like mileage, becoming a slave to CTL can encourage less than ideal training. Take the concept too far and you'll be back in the LSD big mileage camp, you build a ton of CTL on a program like that but FTP often suffers. You probably know I'm a big fan of tracking CTL but it shouldn't come at the expense of training specific systems as frenchyge reminded me recently.

And the big one, long term training consistency comes first. The "perfect" theoretical training is useless if it results in early burnout and hanging up the bike for weeks or months on end. So the program has to be sustainable on the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly scales to see continued progress. We tend to focus on the micro details on these forums but without long term training consistency it won't mean much.

I sure won't be keeping my winter SST base building into the race season, nor the preseason race prep period either. Pre season will work higher systems and target specific weaknesses. Race season will look a bit more like winter base building as the races will provide some high end work but it will allow for better recovery and use SST to maintain or rebuild CTL as needed along with specific work depending on the nature of upcoming races and specific weaknesses. IOW, the yearly schedule is dynamic and should be based on specific goals and rider needs.

-Dave