![cycling training plan](https://trainright.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7dayCyclingPlan_featuredimage.jpg)
7-Day Cycling Training Plan to Jumpstart 2022
By Chris Carmichael,
Founder and Head Coach of CTS
There is no shortage of endurance challenges spanning the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Although the “Festive 500” – 500 kilometers between December 25-31 – remains one of the most popular, you can also find other distance-, duration-, and elevation-based challenges for the coming week. Instead of joining the challenge chorus, this year I want to encourage cyclists to use this week to jumpstart your 2022 training with a combination of cycling and strength training workouts.
What’s the purpose?
Coaches, podcasters, and YouTubers recommend training in the fall to minimize the loss of fitness gained in the summer. Instead, many athletes go relatively dormant and reach the end of December with a ton of ground to make up.
Ramping up training volume and intensity too quickly is one of the leading causes of injury for athletes. Though it’s more common with runners and triathletes, plenty of cyclists hinder early season training by hurting themselves in January.
This one-week training plan isn’t going to miraculously take your fitness to the next level. Rather, the idea is to prime your body so you are physically ready to match your newfound enthusiasm and commitment.
7-Day Cycling Training Plan
Many of the big Christmas-to-New Year’s challenges aim to finish the year with a big block of riding. However, to start pursuing 2022 goals on January 1, a giant block this week may not be helpful. If you haven’t been training much, the following 7-day plan will ease you into goal-oriented training by next weekend.
As written, the plan has 7 hours on the bike and another 30 minutes or so in strength training. Cyclists who regularly ride 8-plus hours per week can follow the same structure and add 30 minutes to each ride.
Workouts in the training plan:
Read more about the CTS Field Test and calculating your personal power and heart rate ranges.
Endurance Miles
Rate of perceived exertion: 5-7
Zone: Endurance
Heart Rate: 69-94% of Threshold HR
Average Power: 63-87% of Threshold Power
Typical Duration: 60 Min – 4 Hrs
For an Endurance Miles ride the simple instruction is “go ride your bike”. Endurance Miles rides are moderate intensity aerobic training and span both Endurance and Tempo zones. The intensity range is wide to accommodate changes in effort resulting from uphills, downhills, headwinds, tailwinds, and stop lights. You should spend 90% of the ride should occur within the target intensity range.
For the workouts in the plan above, here’s what the abbreviations mean: During a 90-minute Endurance Miles ride, include two 15-minute Aerobic Tempo intervals, separated by 5 minutes of easy spinning recovery.
Aerobic Tempo Intervals
Rate of perceived exertion: : 6-7
Zone: Tempo
Heart Rate: 84-92% of Threshold HR
Average Power: 76-85% of Threshold Power
Tempo intervals focus effort on lower end of your Tempo zone. It is at an intensity that is just above your aerobic threshold but still well below lactate threshold (FTP). This kind of effort feels fast and requires you to keep pressure on the pedals. However, it is moderate enough that you can sustain for a long period of time.
Strength Workout #1
Complete 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions for each of the exercises below, including 10 repetitions to each side when applicable. The goal is to get your body moving so you’re ready for more intensive training in January. So, keep the movements slow and controlled. Take 30-60 seconds of recovery between exercises, more if you feel like it. These should not be done a “speed circuits”.
► Free Cycling Training Assessment Quiz
Take our free 2-minute quiz to discover how effective your training is and get recommendations for how you can improve.
Side to Side Monster Band Walks
Bodyweight Squat
Push Ups
Banded Lateral Leg Lift
Plank with Banded Row
Deadbugs
Kneeling Runner’s Stretch (30 sec each side)
Strength Workout #2
Complete 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions for each of the exercises below, including 10 repetitions to each side when applicable. The goal is to get your body moving so you’re ready for more intensive training in January. So, keep the movements slow and controlled. Take 30-60 seconds of recovery between exercises, more if you feel like it. These should not be done a “speed circuits”.
Bird dog
Reverse Lunge
Plank with Hip Drop (10 to each side)
Banded Pull Aparts
Single Leg Elevated Bridges
Push Up with Shoulder Tap
Calf Stretch
► FREE Mini-Course: Learn How to Maximize Your Limited Training Time
Learn step-by-step how to overcome limited training time and get faster. Walk away with a personalized plan to increase your performance.
Comments 2
Alternative Dead Bug video (there are many available):
https://youtu.be/GakWAE6UeaQ
You have the Plank with banded row video displayed twice and no Dead Bug Video. Just letting you know. Always enjoy your newsletters and encouragement of a healthy lifestyle.