Delna, I'll let Tim explain how to determine both (or Google search will pull up a bunch of info), but acronyms below... 

RPE = Rate of Perceived Exertion
Z1,2,3,etc = Heart Rate Zones.

I think most here use Garmin HR straps that usually come bundled with their Garmin head units.

@DelnaWeil

Here's Joe Friels' guide on how to determine your zones:
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/joe-friel-s-quick-guide-to-setting-zones

Here's my personal take on zones, I do know my power and HR numbers, but basically:

Zone 1 -- just woke up
Zone 2 -- I can do this all day forever
Zone 3 -- tempo
Zone 4 -- Shit is hard 
Zone 5+ -- All out!! or omg chest is about to explode, legs are on fire

For a HR strap/monitor I suggest the Wahoo Ant+/Bluetooh  that way you can use it with a cycling computer but also with your phone.

If you need a cycle computer, Garmin 500 or 520 are expensive but best.

If ready to buy, talk to Ilya and Kasia at Redbeard, they are awesome, and will hook you up with anything you need with the Kissena discount.
 

Team,

With all the new member, how about we do a "Introduction to Training" webinar next Wednesday night at 8:00 pm (Jan 6th)?  This will be the best way to review the basics for all new peeps.  I will record for those that add this month.

I will organize and post invite later today. 

Looking forward to it, Tim. Thank you.

I haven't even finished the first week of training, but so far this has been infinitely better than trying to get motivated and back in the saddle by myself, especially when pressed for time.  Loving it, thanks Tim!

Hey all, a few of the latest comments in this thread got me thinking. Check out what is kicking around my head in the Mentor thread:

http://kissenacycling.vanillaforums.com/discussion/741/mentoring#latest

Just catching up on this now, but glad to see I'm not the only one just learning what heart rate zones / RPE is. Looking forward to the webinar, Tim!

Great!  Just loaded your plans!

Team,

Here is the registration link for the "Introduction to Annual Training Webinar" tomorrow night at 8:00pm.  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/326498150563210753 

Let me know if questions, if not, talk to you tomorrow night.

Tim

Thanks for the webinar Tim!  

Here is the link to last nights Intro webinar recording, let me know if questions.

https://youtu.be/aJ0AMYsW6Ls

Thanks for posting Tim, I totally blanked on the date/time. Looking forward to the "rerun" though!

Team,

This is a basic intro but love to get back to doing more advanced education now that it looks like the 2016 team is in.  If there is interest be glad to post a couple of topic ideas or open to your desired topics, just let me know.

TimCusick said:

Team,

This is a basic intro but love to get back to doing more advanced education now that it looks like the 2016 team is in.  If there is interest be glad to post a couple of topic ideas or open to your desired topics, just let me know.

I personally will be listening so I can emphasize/reference/repeat points made during our group rides. We've got a fair amount of new members who are new to racing and I want to make sure that they understand all the basics as they embark on this new adventure.

Marc,

I would be glad to a "Introduction to Training" combo to get people better initiated.  The one i did this week was really more about getting started in training with TrainingPeaks.

This presentation includes:
1.  Basic principles of Training
2.  Equipment and Set up suggestions
3.  "How to Guide" to maximize results

We also have one we do at beginner camps on group riding, glad to add it to the mix, let me know and i can schedule.  

So with really limited time this weekend I was able to do what I thought were the core workouts each day, but obviously couldn't really work on endurance. Is there anything we can do to try to counter balance the lack of saddle time? With higher intensity?

Also when I was "training" myself in 2014, every workout I did ended up with my HR at 180+. I sort of felt like if I didn't, I wasn't making myself stronger/faster/better. So when I do these z3/4 type of workouts, sometimes I get off the bike feeling...underwhelmed. I'm trusting the coaching expertise and "the system", but want to know if combined with limited time, higher intensity work might be beneficial.

*edit - I realize both paragraphs are essentially the same question: Can I work harder even if the workout says to stay at a certain level?

*edit - I realize both paragraphs are essentially the same question: Can I work harder even if the workout says to stay at a certain level?

Looking forward to Tim's answer, but trust that harder (much much harder) workouts are coming.

Oh yeah reading about the 2015 training I know it gets impossibly tough (really looking fwd to that actually!).  I guess my focus is geared towards making up for lack of saddle time with higher intensity both during this "off season" build up phase and during peak racing season when I may not have time to go out for high mileage rides on the regular.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of rest.  To reference The Simpsons, my resting regiment is equal to Homer having a lazy-off with teamster truckers (that's reaaaal lazy).



Let me pose my question a few different ways:

Can I substitute X hours of Z3 endurance miles with X minutes of Z6 FTP (or VO2Max, etc.)?  

Can longer and lower intensity training be approximated or replaced by shorter and higher intensity but shorter duration workouts?

I'm crunched for time and can't afford many hours of base miles: What do I do?

David,

Good discussion here.  HIIT training can be effective but tends to make plateaus and hard to maintain over time.  I would estimate a rider training 6-8 hours a week could go from just riding around to maximal fitness (for training 6-8 hours a week) utilizing HIIT techniques in 4-8 weeks (assuming not stepping off the couch and some basic fitness). Some might debate that but the reality is the "maximal fitness" will come fast and feel like progress but he reality is will be a limited peak and maintaining will get harder each week (good post Bruce!).

At this time of year, if you want to go harder, add time at SST (Target 88-93%) of your FTP.  SST is BEST bang for the buck for both base building and maintenance (not for peaking, but that comes later).  For people with really limited time, you should track your time in Tempo/SST for Dec/Jan (maybe March also, depends on race season) and try to maximize that.  In March flip to a more HIIT approach to push a higher peak on the better base.  You will be physically and mental more prepared to train hard!

Keep pedaling!!  

Two things:

First - a big thumbs up to Tim's 6-8 hours/week of high intensity training (it's worked for me several years in a row)
Second - to Yang's question - often the early-in-the-week workload "feels" light (especially after a rest day) but the goal is to accumulate as much stress as you can over the week. Fire all of your guns on Monday/Tuesday might feel harder in the moment but I believe it takes your overall potential load down.

FWIW I've been super starved for training time so I'm doing maximal sprints on my commutes in order to get the TSS to be anything but trivial. Consider it my "stay off the couch" routine so that when I have time to train a bit more I won't be climbing out from a super deep hole. 

Just read this great article on training on PEZ and was thinking "I wonder what Tim would think about this." Got to the end and see that it was written by nine other than our own Tim Cusick!

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/toolbox/cycling-fitness-plateau/#.VpV3Wq88KK1

He he has written it before, but here is my takeaway if you want to kick your performance up a notch:

1) increase training 20% (e.g. Add two hours a week by riding to group rides or getting up early and doing an hour on trainer)

2) increase SST training time for bang for buck (like he wrote in recent post)

3) go to bed earlier and relax more on off days 

This last one is difficult for me as I usually make my rest day off my bike my longest work day... Oh well

Yea, they dust me off everyone month so....  

You got the idea!  It is funny, the off day thing REALLY helps.  For me when I was still racing and training hard, I always ended up with Monday off but yet Mondays always sucked, catching up with a 1,000 things, emails, projects...did not recover well.  Once I managed to change that (move to Friday and manage project schedules better) helped me recover.

+1 to the friday trick

Lots of SST training it is, at least until March! Thanks for the insight, Tim (and gang).

Jules said:

+1 to the friday trick

don't think this works so great if you're racing Saturday.  If you can get a great, hard warmup before saturday's race, then possibly.  

mugwump said:

Jules said:

+1 to the friday trick

don't think this works so great if you're racing Saturday.  If you can get a great, hard warmup before saturday's race, then possibly.  

That's the rub for sure.

Hey. So it is time for me to rejoin the craziness and pain. How do i re-enlist in the training plan?