Training Log Cúl's Training Log

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
So I figured I'd start a bit of a training log, to share my journey from being fat and lazy to like my once former glory days of a well primed cycling machine. To be honest I don't care if there isn't too much interest this thread is more or less just to keep myself accountable because I am sure most are aware it's easy to slack off at times...

The Very Beginning:
Once upon a time in 2002-2008 I was quite fit, I loved mountain biking and would spend my weekends traveling up and down the eastern seaboard of Australia traveling to various events from Enduros' to 24 hours. I was never ultra-competitive at these events but saw it as an opportunity to ride somewhere different from time to time; I made a lot of friends and rode in countless different places. At the time I was about 85kgs a little on the heavier side for my 5’10” size but a majority of it was muscle mass.

The riding come to an end after an serious car accident at the start of 2009 although suffering only relatively minor injuries considering the severity of the crash, I am still plagued with issues with my shoulder. At the time the financial stresses of not working, etc.. become too much the bike was sold and MTB was never really thought about again.


The New Beginning:
So fast forward a few years, I now have beautiful wife and 3yo daughter and “30” is inching closer day by day… I purchased the dream bike from the glory days back in march of last year after spotting it on eBay (by chance); it remained relatively un ridden until I gave up work at the start of November of last year to pursue a more leisurely lifestyle. Since then I’ve been riding as much as possible and while I certainly still have no ambition to be ultra-competitive I am keen to complete in a few events this year.

I’ve dropped from 107kgs in November 2012 (I was even heavier previous to this) to 96kgs through nothing more than a change of lifestyle, and a little bit of exercise.


My goals
Firstly to get down below 90kgs, improve my flexibility and increase my energy levels; the flexibility and energy levels have improved dramatically since I’ve lost weight and it’s fantastic being able to chase my daughter around and climb on the playground for as long as she desires.

My secondary goal is to complete in the Vic Enduro Series and Wombat 100 (and whatever else) this year, as above I’m not expecting to be ultra-competitive but I’d love to have fun.


My Plan
I’ve formulated a bit of a “training” plan, it’s a bit of a coloration of one of those time saver plans from Training Peaks.com and my own rendition of what I know I can squeeze in… Obviously being a parent, and now working full time again I am pretty time poor; I try to make the best use of the time (for instance on the weekend just gone I head out in the dark with lights on). I’ve been working towards this plan the last few weeks and feel I’ve found a pretty happy medium, but per my header to the post I really need to make myself more accountable to keep on track.


Monday:
Rest because that shit is important!


Tuesday:
Run 3 to 5 kms, the aim of this is to work on general fitness more than anything but running is also good for cardio / endurance base. Runs will increase with distance as the weeks go on, but will probably stop at 10km or so.


Wednesday:
Stretching – Working on Core flexibility
Intervals on the trainer / gym, the first week started at 3 Sets of 3 x 30 seconds of Max efforts.
Intervals have increased by 30 seconds weekly (today I am doing 3 sets of 3 x 2:00 min of Max Efforts).


Thursday:
Stretching – Working on Core flexibility
Intervals on the trainer / gym, the first week started at 3 Sets of 3 x 30 seconds of Max efforts.
Intervals have increased by 30 seconds weekly (atm I am doing 3 sets of 3 x 2:00 min of Max Efforts).


Friday:
Run 3 to 5 kms increasing to 10kms or 1 hour Easy Spin on the MTB.


Saturday / Sunday:
MTB Ride 2 to 6 hours, varied terrain focusing on keeping a good tempo and technical skills.
Schedule will depend on whether ride is a longer ride on Sat or Sun or one on both.


So there you have it… Feel free to offer criticism to my training plan, goals or even get stuck into me for slacking off…
I am keen to see the results as the weeks progress, I’m already noticing improvement in my speed on the MTB.
 

JTmofo

XC Enthusiast
great username......

and goodluck with the training plan!

Eat clean, low GI slow release carbs, plenty of water and sleep!

First week will be tough on the body, so my advice is to ease yourself in! A couple of weeks at 1/2 or 3/4 pace, let the muscle/joints get used to the shock or else you will get stiff, sore and uninterested!
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
First week will be tough on the body, so my advice is to ease yourself in! A couple of weeks at 1/2 or 3/4 pace, let the muscle/joints get used to the shock or else you will get stiff, sore and uninterested!
Thanks JTmofo!

Unsure if I mentioned in my post (I was sure I had) but I've actually been at it for a few weeks already - the first two weeks I was quite sore last week I felt great, and so far this week I feel pretty good.
I tend to drink a lot of water, but the hardest part for me is staying away from crap!
 

pistonbroke

Eats Squid
Very interested. Keep the log going please. I found the app myfitnesspal very useful as you log all you food and drink intake and all your exercise. It really makes you think about what you are eating and drinking and makes you feel like you are achieving something with your training.
Have you thought about getting a roadie?
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Very interested. Keep the log going please. I found the app myfitnesspal very useful as you log all you food and drink intake and all your exercise. It really makes you think about what you are eating and drinking and makes you feel like you are achieving something with your training.
Have you thought about getting a roadie?
I will check out the app, I have days that I am worse than others but anything to make it easier...

I have considered getting a roadie (again); but the wife is a bike Nazi and believes one bike worth more than $80 is one bike too many... *insert ridicule* I also doubt I would get much use out of it as I'm just not a roadie fan.
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Today being Thursday I hit the gym for an hour after work; was a pretty solid work-out spending 40 minutes on the bike doing a 10min warm up followed by 3 sets of 3 x 2:00 min MAX effort intervals. Gave myself a fair flogging too I could barely spin the pedals to cool down after the final set. Also spent 20 minutes working stretching and doing some upper body work.

I feel pretty good tonight, I actually feel like going for a ride if anything :lol:


Tomorrow... A run is in order! :heh:
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Bit of a slow end to last week after being pretty good during the week with running, intervals etc... I was hoping to do four hours on the mountain bike but only managed two and a quarter (33kms); given the wet conditions I rode reasonably well, the legs felt really good but I was freezing cold, and rather soggy and had just had enough (spending the last 3 years in QLD I haven't adapted to Vic's < 10 deg temperatures yet).

I went for a run last night, managed 4 km in 21 minutes, which is by no means quick but an improvement on pace and distance from last week (baby steps).

Today I'm planning on getting out on the bike to do a quick warm up, and 3 sets of 3 x 2:30 min of Hard Efforts; I might also go out to the You Yangs and do a quick lap of the 6 hour course before the weekend :dance:
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I’ve been a little lazy lately, well not lazy just a little slack updating my thread…

At the moment I am averaging between 6 and 8hrs per week on the bike(s), I went and brought myself a cheap second had Giant TCR A2 and I’ve found bunch that rides from the local bakery pretty much every day of the week; friendly bunch and of varying degrees of ability so it makes keeping motivated much easier when you’ve got people expecting you to rock up. At the moment I am focusing on doing longer intervals and getting in a few longer rides when possible. I am pretty flexible with my schedule but I try my best not to skip the trainer days. :director:

My Schedule at the moment.

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Fast Road (60 to 90 Minutes)
Wednesday - Gym followed by the Trainer doing Zone 5a intervals between 5 & 10mins long (I do three or four intervals dependant on length, 60 Minutes).
Thursday - Gym followed by the Trainer doing Zone 5a intervals between 5 & 10mins long (I do three or four intervals dependant on length, 60 Minutes).
Friday - Easy Spin (60 to 90 Minutes)
Saturday - Mid to Fast road group ride (120 Minutes)
Sunday - Fun MTB ride or fast road group (120 Minutes +)

Over the next few weeks, Tuesdays will be replaced with hill repeats followed by a fast road ride, and trying to get a few longer rides on the weekends (4hrs or so). I feel good both on and off the bike and I have found the mornings I don’t ride like today I feel a little sluggish. The weight is also coming off albeit slowly but there is a definite increase in muscle mass. :third:
 

cleeshoy

Eats Squid
keep up the good work! I assume you are still doing the core/stretching in there also?

Depending on your private health cover, optionals like Myotherapy and Ostepathy are partially covered - I think it helps in the recovery process and "body management".
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Thanks Court.
Yeah when I hit the gym Wednesday / Thursday I spend about 30 mins stretching, etc... I also stretch after longer rides to help keep loose. :party:

Admittedly we do not have private health cover, however as the wife is working a little more now we will be smashed pretty hard at tax time for that reason so it's on the cards in the very near future. :frusty:
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I figured I'd try and update this again seeing as it's been a fair while! I've been flat out riding both the road bike and the mountain bike lately, I'm averaging between 8 & 11 hours a week and while I haven't had too much luck at pretty much any of the races I've done so far this season (2 dnf's from 4 starts) there is definite improvement in speed and strength on the bike... So much so I've gone from being one of the stragglers in our regular road group to one of the quicker ones in the group - I am thoroughly enjoying the road riding and even considering taking up a bit of road racing for fun.

On the weight-loss front I'm down to 89.00 Kg's, still hitting the gym once or twice a week for some strength work... On the bike I've changed what I am doing a little to give myself a defined work block / rest block as I found riding almost every day even with the easy days I was going too hard. So I am working on the principal of work hard, rest hard!

Example:

Day 1: 2 Hrs Road Ride - 15 min warm up then 3 x 6 , 10, 15 or 20 minute steady state "Sweet Spot" or LT Intervals
Day 2: 2 Hrs Road Ride - 15 Min Warm Up then riding around in Zone 2, mixed up with 5 x spints, big gear pushes etc...
Day 3: 1.5 Hrs Road Ride - 15min Warm Up, then Vo2 Max Intervals lately I've been doing 5 x 3 minute efforts, or 2 sets of 3 x 3 minute efforts with a 5min LT Climb between sets, no too ways about it - this workout puts some serious points in the hurt bank .
Day 4: 4 Hrs Road, usually the first 2 hours in Zone 2 the following 2 hours at reasonable group pace. If I am doing this ride alone I tend to ride the whole ride at Zone 2 but attach the climbs, and finish the ride with some longer intervals.
Day 5: 2 Hrs MTB - Pretty cruisy ride on the Mtb (Seriously who can just cruise on the mtb).
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: 1 Hr Easy Pedal
Day 8: Rest
Day 9: Repeats from Day 1

Anyways Thats it for now...
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Update Time!

Figured it was time for an update...

When i started this I setout to 1) lose weight and 2) Ride the Vic Enduro Series without dying... Well the Vic Enduro Series is over and I'm not dead, and I'm certainly not 95kgs any more!

On the weight front I've managed to drop even more weight, I'm hovering around 85kgs at the moment and feeling quite good about myself; I do have a little more weight to take off but I think I will hit the gym at the same time and do a bit of upper body / core strength work to assist with my injured shoulder. The weight loss hasn't really come from any one particular thing, just riding lots and eating reasonably well.

On the Vic Enduro Series front I initially set out to do every round without dying, but slowly round by round I found myself quicker and quicker to the point where I narrowly missed a top 10 at Ballarat, and was well inside the top 10 at Rockhop... Who knows where I would have ended up at Buxton, unfortuiantly I couldn't attend due to a clash with my best mates bucks party



Where to from here?... I managed to achieve goals I originally set out to do so I am stoked about that; but also it's given me time to set some new goals and work towards them for the 2014 season.

Goals for 2014:
Do my best in age group at XCO Nationals in March (not my prefered event but why not)
I would like a couple of top 5's in the 2014 Vic Enduro Series.
Most importantly, stay fit, healthy and live a ralitively stress free life
Collect more bikes!
 

Cúl-Báire

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Thanks Court, 30+ here which I think is Vets (is it me or do the CA and MTB cats not line up)...

Bloody long way to go if today's gazebo race was anything to go by...

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