I've never heard anyone recommend doing sprints during the endurance rides in a polarized training model. The goal of endurance training is to keep heart rate in the endurance zone, not have another interval session. 10 - 30 sec sprints in a training session is pretty brutal.
re: fueling, as a young teenager racer we lacked coaching, and this was a huge weakness for me personally. i can recall having to drop out at 70 miles into a 100 mile race due to bonking. information is so much more available today than in the 70s. I recommend this channel to anyone i know who rides.
On long rides make sure you eat a decent breakfast. After the first 40 mins of the ride take a chunk of an energy bar and then every 20 mins after that and remember to drink at least 650/750mls of water and electrolytes per hour as dehydration can make you feel like you are tired or bonky.
Getting that amount of water in a 4-5 hr ride in places where you don't find a convenience store is hard...doubt I can carry a 5 liter container in my bike.
@@julianalfaro1063I doubt you can't carry 5 ltrs ;). Without water on a long ride you are on a ride to failure. Fact. if you only have 2 bidon points on your frame then a Camlebak is a great way to get another 2-3 ltrs, while making it easier and more convenient to drink, if you don't want it on your back then a triathlon-like adaptor to mount two bottles on the back of your saddle, another option is a bike packing style feed/bottle bag for on the handlebar, and another bottle stashed in the back of your jersey pocket...... plenty of options
Drink to thirst. Yesterday in 30 deg celsius I rode 75 miles at 18 mph over lumpy terrain. I drank about 1200ml. Eat before you get hungry. There's no good basis to the idea of X00 mls per hour.
My tip for riding further is to ride somewhere nice and to just enjoy cycling. But that's easy for me to say as I live in Yorkshire (great documentary on GCN+ by the way).
as an old fart (64) i like to ride 1.5 to 3 hours. i go hard up the hills (by definition they are mostly 12 -18 percent here lol), and if i get a little tailwind or downhill section i go on the drops and keep the revs high, but maybe just 80 percent effort... i need to make it home. know your limits. for me maintaining about 32-35 km per hour in favourable conditions is hard.
Living in Cornwall, ALL my training is polarised! Any gleeful moment of coasting down a 1 in 3 hill is almost immediately quashed by the inevitable high intensity needed to blitz back up the other side. There is almost nothing in between! My heart rate is almost exclusively either at 100 or 180.
I remember hearing Mark Beaumont talking about training for 80 Days - lots of 90 min rides and early morning sessions. I love riding long but I mostly only have time for commuting to work - originally, that was x2 10-mile rides. When my work moved, that became x2 15-mile rides per day - for six days in a row with four days off. So now, I’m doing x12 15/16 mile rides on a 24/7 pattern for every block of 6 shifts then I can decide whether or how much to do on my days off. As I’ve built to this, I’ve found it gives more than enough base miles to be able to crank out 100-125 mile rides when I decide to go longer, inc multi-day +100-milers. 24/7 also means I’m used to facing the prospect of riding very early or very late, when knackered. Eddie was right: ride your bike, ride your, bike, ride your bike.
This is where you can experiment and try new things. In my example, I'm looking for better drinks and foods that don't leave me feeling drained at ye end of a two to three hour group ride.
I had a donner kebab and 4 lagers last night, start of the days ride was hazy, but managed to go for hours! Not sure I could do that whilst actually on the bike though, there would be chill sauce everywhere!
Exactly! Most of the people just underfueling prior to ride and on the ride as well and then after workout would eat literally the whole fridge, When I finish my long workout and fueled it properly not even my performance is better but iam not even hungry after ride, and not bonking which is nice bonus, so people do not be afraid to slam 50-100g of sugar per hour, it represent only 200-400kcal but you are burning around 720kcal per hour at only 200watts, if you pushing 280w that´s 1000kcal per hour! there is a saying "Carb the fuck up!" ! :D
As someone who has done polarized training for 15 months now, I can tell you that efforts not practiced in training will not magically be there come race day. The key to polarized training is that balance of work and recovery. Make hard days hard and easy days easy but also be cognizant of the efforts your races/rides demand.
You're struggling with bicycles being simple objects that go around corners or drive in straight lines. Endurance bikes drive the same roads as racing bikes. They go around the same corners. Go along the same straight lines. Go off to your exercise instruction video and stay away from endurance bikes.
Thank God they’re not spruiking the falsehood that polarised training requires 15+ hr weeks to be effective. Numerous studies have shown that at even just 6 hrs a week, polarised training is still a more effective approach than sweet spot.
How about this theory: polarized training equals pyramidal effort, because races, group rides and testing yourself longer than 20 minutes tend to be mostly “tempo” zone (if I understand correctly). Polarized then fills in the gaps above and below. So, maybe pyramidal is the goal, but this is achieved with polarized (???). Since I started riding again not long ago, I have done both for 4 months now. First _hunting the average_ and then polarized for 4 months, at about 4 hours a week (excl. commuting). In particular nothing faster over the whole ride over the last months, so all slow or hard/sprint intervals. Yesterday I decided to test the 40 km/h, and it did come out as a faster than ever, at a rate you would expect if previous improvements had increased steadily. The precision is not there to differentiate the two types, but I think polarized is more fun to do. Subjective feeling is that it is more efficient. I definitely will stay on polarized, plus some speed tests and stuff every now and again, regardless of total time.
@@josboersema1352 would have to agree - in practice, polarised is very hard to do unless you only ever ride on your own, and don’t care at all about average speed/doing ‘fast’ riding. I think the main benefit is the easy zone 2 rides allow you to really push hard on the interval rides, which is where the real fitness gains are made. Most people just struggle to have “slow” rides as part of their week. Therefore they are always riding at least tempo, which over time depletes the ability to do really hard efforts and properly recover from them, losing out on the potential gains to be made. Dylan Johnson has made a number of excellent, scientifically-backed videos on this exact topic, highly recommend.
@@lloydryder8954 Yes you are right, the hard thing is to convince others they need to go slow *or* hard (this fails), and the other hard thing is to accept everyone going past you for most of the time, except when you smash them on a short interval. Personally I almost always ride alone, so that helps. I'm not sure that _real fitness gains_ are made on going hard, but I do believe that if you don't do hard you get stuck as well. Going slow can be as hard as you like, you just go further/longer than you otherwise would and could. Dylan yes, I'm one of his followers, he is great. Tons of science always. My slow going is really slow by the way, below the line where you feel you are doing any effort. It does get harder if you go long enough, though. If it is too easy, do a hard interval and/or sprints, you'll feel that for sure. Overall I think polarized is easier, because it is more fun.
I get some amazing results with sweetspot work during winter, in my opinion one of the very best way to imprvove aerobic abillity, and you can push TSS quite high for the relative small time comitment, once season kicks in however iam turning towards polarised type of training, so my question is: why not use both systems in our favor?
@@matejburian3191 If you consider training variation is said to be good, riding all in the _tempo_ zone could be good as an added variation, but would not fit this theory if you _always_ ran in that zone, because then there is no variation. So I guess we are sort of wondering about the same thing, as per my original point above: racing / group rides and “time trial” self tests equate _tempo_ zone, which equate more / less to this “sweet spot” program, but then you mix it with polarized training.
Older riders (60+) will notice that intense intervals will explode your Garmin's recommended recovery time. I'm 64, and did intervals on my regular 20 mile ride. My recovery recommendation went from 24 hours to 72 hours! I'm hoping that as I do more intervals my recovery time will drop, but it was a big surprise to see the effect intervals have on all of your numbers - calories, avg HR, and of course, recovery time.
Then don't follow the Garmins recovery advice every after ride. I'm almost 50 now and I find this recovery prompt from Garmin annoying. I just listen to my legs. Also now I have wahoo bolt and it don't prompt me with those recovery times. lol
Summary: 1. The video discusses how to improve endurance on the bike without doing long rides. 2. Endurance is essential for cycling longer distances at a faster pace. 3. Long slow steady rides have been proven to increase blood volume, red blood cell count, and mitochondrial density in muscle tissue, making the heart stronger and more efficient. 4. Polarized training is a popular training plan that divides high-intensity and low-intensity training, spending 80% of the training time in aerobic zones and 20% in very high-intensity zones. 5. For those with limited time, spending an hour in very high-intensity training and the other four hours recovering could be done with a couple of high-intensity interval training sessions in a week and one longer steady ride of 2-3 hours with sprints. 6. High-intensity training puts a lot of strain on the body, so it's essential to space out the workouts. 7. The high-intensity interval training could be done outside or inside, on flat or hilly terrain. 8. The indoor trainer is a great option for those short on time since it takes only minutes to set up and eliminates distractions. 9. Although high-intensity training and intervals are essential for endurance, longer rides and base miles can also provide benefits. 10. Comfort on the saddle and with handlebar position are essential for longer rides, and these rides offer an opportunity to test fueling correctly. 11. Viewers are encouraged to share their tips and tricks for building endurance in the comments section, and the video ends with a lighthearted exchange between the hosts.
My advice is high intensity hard workout on leg muscles As they grow bigger youll be getting enough strengh for longer rides Ps im doing it on my trainer when im short on time in order to preserve and strenthen my leg muscles Its not burning high calories in relaition to long workout if thats your goal though
Agree fully. I used HIIT intervals to train for multi day MTB stage races in my younger fitter days, but over and above fuelling and comfort, the mental aspect of long days in the saddle can seldom be replicated without, well, long days in the saddle. One or two long days with mates a month can be of huge mental benefit come the last hours of a big event
You're in the wrong discussion. This is a terrible video about endurance bikes. Go discuss your younger fitter days at the younger and fitter video. The video maker is all wrong about endurance bikes and you start distracting people about other topics.
We are going to test this approach with a 200 mile/ 2 day ride. I've done a few of these over the years, but my daughter and her husband are new to long distance riding. We have 4 months to prepare. I'm retired and will be doing the old school method of "ride, ride, and ride some more", with a few speed sessions thrown in. The "kids" will be doing 5-6 hrs/wk of polarized training and an occasional longer social ride.
I had 80km ride recently, and that was not as difficult as I expected. But I still want to improve my endurance, so thank you very much for your advice.
Years ago I was involved in a club challenge of 12 x 140Ks over the summer I was short a few so I needed about six in six weeks. I had a nice fairly flat course and went out solo early. I found my self falling into a pattern. The route naturally devided into a number of sections. Some I loved and road them as hard as I could to the section end, then the next section I would keep it in sustainable mode. After six weeks I was in amazing form and repeated the basic model for a successful 2019 Paris Brest Paris
You fell into the extreme mental illness category. You're in the wrong discussion. Endurance racing bikes just have a different riding philosophy to normal racing bikes. You take your extremist torture views, somewhere else.
Thank you Manon for your great tips. I have the privilege of being retired and definitely an outdoor girl. Weather allowing I try to get in 150-200Kms per wk on 50+Km rides with decent ascents, without much care as to my speed. I will add in your suggestion on the HIIT sessions during my future rides. Hopefully My fitness will benefit from the best of both long rides with short HIIT Intervals timed along the way. 😊
Practical advice. I just completed my first century ride. By the way you folks at GCN are our 🌟. Smart and Pretty like any other Hollywood /Bollywood actor / actress 😉 keep inspiring 👍
Definitely a good approach for non pro athlete who wants to progress and keep fun during their training :) ! The fartleck method is a kind of polarized training which is adviced since several years already.
I am new to long distance biking so if I offend please forgive me. My niece asked me to ride a century with her, so now to train. But while new to long distance biking, I am a veteran of marathon running, marathon mountain hikes, multi-day multi-marathon days doing technical climbs above 20,000 ft, so not new to training. Or new to training physiology. The body has three principle metabolic pathways: anaerobic glycogen, aerobic glycogen, and aerobic fat (actually at any given time you will be using more than one, but often mostly one). For long endurance you need to optimize the use of fats, because even the best trained body has only so much glycogen, and you can only replace but so much glycogen while exercising. Long slow runs/rides optimize the fat burning pathway, so is critical. Harder but not super hard optimizes aerobic burning of glycogen, which has some important use, say for hills. Very hard intervals optimize anaerobic burning of glycogen has the least use because on a long day the associated lactic acid build up will kill you, so that pathway hardly comes into play. Now for the super trained, who say have to sprint at the end of a race, sure this is important (super hard intervals also train the body to deal better with lactic acid). So some modest amount of interval riding, especially the sort you can hold for 10 minutes (say, rather than 30 seconds) would seem useful. But in the end, I get it. Some people have limited time, and they can only do what they can do. But even if your time is limited, a really long ride say every 2 or 3 weeks is going to be very helpful to add to this mix. As a marathon runner, and a marathon mountaineer, I only did really long training days ever 2 or 3 (when the training days got really long) weeks. The video kind of gets to this at the end, but you will be well served by at least some really long days.
Started biking last spring and can do 2-5 hrs long rides but worst on climbs. Got a bike trainer for winter and I only logged 30k since October last year. 😆
Fueling and cadence is everything imo. Eat and drink a certain amount every hour and the biggest thing is to just keep pedaling. Don't pedal to go faster but to keep moving forward. Perpetual forward motion at a low wattage is more productive than high wattage bursts. This also makes mechanical sense as well. Unless you're pointed down a hill, freehub bodies will produce mechanical drag so rather than pedaling hard to coast if you just reduce the power enough to keep your hub engaged over longer stretches you will actually turn out more productivity and efficient usage of your energy.
Nice video and good advice for anyone time crunched. I swapped to this a few years ago for training for Ultra Races due to time issues, and my performance vastly improved.
You're in the wrong discussion. This isn't a video about extreme torture training advice. You're struggling to understand what a simple endurance bike is. Endurance bikes are designed to drive in a straight line and go around corners. You're ranting and raving. Calm down and take your extremist views somewhere else.
At around 2:54 you recommend a max of 10 HIITS - and then you have 3 intervals of 4 minutes at 4:04 which you recommend doing 3 times - will this not be 12 HIITS? Thanx for always pushing the boundries and making me smile - you guys are GREAT! :)
Just get on zwift on tempus fugit and just try to stay in front of everyone, then rest the next day. You have to ride at your aerobic max and sprint to cut breaks off and escape wheel suckers as well. Do it for an hour each time, works brilliantly.
I've been 5 weeks in a similar programme, but obviously better structured. The idea of back to back days is to make it a training block. The second day of that block despite being an easy ride really takes a toll after a hard work from the previous day. After 11 weeks you must take a break from this type of training. That is no hiit at all during 2-3 weeks, a few easy rides, plenty of rest.
Just added some interval training in my normal schedule. I try to mix road with mountainbike also. At this point I can do long sessions on a lower heart rate, but I am not gaining any speed. With the intensity training I hope to make my legs stronger to get a better average speed.
I already knew this, but it's been a long time since I've been healthy enough to actually do it, It was reassuring to watch this, knowing that my old way of doing it is still valid.
hi guys, nice video and good suggestions. I will never see you recommending the use of the electrostimulator . I will have a professional electro stimulator. I will use the capillarization program, the cool-down program, the TENS program, and I will use the endurance and resistance programs. these are all programs I use to keep fit, when I don't have the ability to do long rides. I will use the electrostimulator combined with my Technogym Smart Trainer Mycycling , when I do indoor training I wish you a big the best of luck ... Be careful God bless you always . In pilipino native language amping kanunay cheers 🤗👍
I started the preset grand Fondo workout on zwift. And I'm feeling pretty confident that it helps. Question is would you rate this workout as described in your video
For me it’s getting back to being comfortable in the saddle again. So new bar tape, maybe raise my bar height. As I’m getting older the back and neck don’t like to bend as much lol. So comfort =distance . Plus that trading thing you guys are going on about.😎 Great video.
My personal tip to myself; if I’m feeling tired, I’ll skip a day/workout/whatever. I ride for fitness, but mostly for fun. In the days I’m not feeling it, it’s not fun. It makes the days I am all the more enjoyable.
A great video and some good tips. For me though, I only get 2~3 hours a week on the bike due to work family commitments. During the winter months, that usually means I'm on Zwift. Typically, I'll do a couple of sessions a week and if the data is to be believed, mostly in zone 4. I usually ride 50 miles a week minimum. I think my fitness is reasonable, especially given my age (50's) but I'm not sure that it translates to the road, especially where endurance is concerned.
I go on a 3-6 hour daily ride on a track bike. I try and do different things though. Some days I’ll bring no water at all. Some days leave on an empty stomach. Some days eat a huge meal before. That way my body reacts really well when I treat it right when it counts. You’d be surprised at what your body can do with and without.
It all works but you have to look at how much time you can and want to invest and also keep in mind what keeps you motivated. Within that time boundary you have to maximize volume, the result of intensity x duration but keep in mind that the need for recovery reduces the available time to generate volume. So naturally it has to be tweaked to the individual.
Be careful about getting "bikefit" problems if you give it a lot of welly without a 15 - 20 hour per week base. Especially if you're young and strong. The adaptations from getting the miles in are not only mitochondrial, but musculo-skeletal. If you can only do 5 hours per week then be gentle on yourself and make sure you do a full 3 - 6 months steady before you increase intensity. Then a month of sweet spot intervals before you go to threshold and over. You'll get faster at that low intensity anyway, so the time is not wasted. IMHO.
No time for recovery is the only problem to getting build better Endurance for my self. I ride daily 25+25Km to work. Sunday to Saturday. And no rest in a week unless a holiday. I try this method in morning ride when go to work.
My version of Polarised is to ride short hilly rides alternating with longer (2x distance) flatter rides. Also occasionally 'under pacing' where you ride 10% slower on the flats (its really hard to do) but attack all the hills. The energy saved by under pacing gives you monstrous power on the hills.
I do something similar. I have a saw blade like rural area (just south of the famous tour of battenkill but essentially similar, with more gravel ) that absolutely destroys me because I hammer all the uphills and recover on the downs (or if I'm feeling ambitious and have a shorter day, hammer the downs). Even though none of the climbs are substantial, it's still 100ft a mile average with a few 15-20% grades worked in. Absolutely kills me doing 30 miles like this.
Hey there! I just came across a new project that might interest you. Have you heard about the Freebeat Morph 2-in-1 eBike? It's a revolutionary eBike that combines indoor fitness and outdoor exploration like never before. The most outstanding feature is that it can be charged when you apply indoor mode! Imagine being able to recharge while riding indoors. That's a game-changer for sure. Plus, with its powerful motor and adaptive technology, you'll have a smooth and exhilarating riding experience. Definitely worth checking out! Keep up the great comments about improving endurance on the bike!
I ride 200 & 300 km brevets, and have a high failure rate. The only thing that I have found that can get me up to 200 km is multiple 2-hour rides through the week. 3-hour rides for 300 km and over.
Generally, how long does it take to ""absorb"" fitness from a long ride?? Last week I did my longest ride, 70kms. That's long for me, for now. My goal for my next session is 100km. I'll slow down on the session if I have to, to get 100km. Roughly, how long between big rides should you wait to have the fitness from the previous long ride absorbed, so that you can go further on the next one?? Thanks
When i was a kid i used to ride a bike for hours, now im 18, havent ridden a bike in over 8 years, and can barely ride a bike without feeling like passing out
Excuse me? Sprints durnig easy ride is not polarized training, but perhaps i did not understand it correctly :) If you follow the mr. Polarized Training Dr Stephen Seilers work and wisdom he recommends to use 80% of the trainign sessions below individuals aerobic threshold / LT1 / VT1. Rest of the sessions use the above Critical Power work in shorter and longer intervals. It would usually quanitfy more like 90% below LT1 and maybe on L3 zones a bit on the HIIT sessions between intervals and then 10% of time heart rate is above second threshold...
Intervals make you strong. But to ride a long time, you have to ride a long time. If you don't, when you do do a big ride, it takes a very long time to recover, especially as you age.
Apart from following a polarized training plan can we do long casual rides too? or just stick with the fixed schedule training plan and do not disturb it.
1:43 - I'm sure that research tested quite a large number of athletes but most certainly not the "vast majority of athletes, because that would involve dozens of millions of people.
She has a lovely voice and makes a great presenter. Hopefully we see more of her!
I've never heard anyone recommend doing sprints during the endurance rides in a polarized training model. The goal of endurance training is to keep heart rate in the endurance zone, not have another interval session. 10 - 30 sec sprints in a training session is pretty brutal.
re: fueling, as a young teenager racer we lacked coaching, and this was a huge weakness for me personally. i can recall having to drop out at 70 miles into a 100 mile race due to bonking. information is so much more available today than in the 70s. I recommend this channel to anyone i know who rides.
All these UK riders so bundled up it's wild to watch from Texas.
On long rides make sure you eat a decent breakfast. After the first 40 mins of the ride take a chunk of an energy bar and then every 20 mins after that and remember to drink at least 650/750mls of water and electrolytes per hour as dehydration can make you feel like you are tired or bonky.
Bananas, ultimate cyclist food.
Always riding in a fasting state. As soon as I eat something I get incredible hungry because kicked out of the keto phase
Getting that amount of water in a 4-5 hr ride in places where you don't find a convenience store is hard...doubt I can carry a 5 liter container in my bike.
@@julianalfaro1063I doubt you can't carry 5 ltrs ;). Without water on a long ride you are on a ride to failure. Fact. if you only have 2 bidon points on your frame then a Camlebak is a great way to get another 2-3 ltrs, while making it easier and more convenient to drink, if you don't want it on your back then a triathlon-like adaptor to mount two bottles on the back of your saddle, another option is a bike packing style feed/bottle bag for on the handlebar, and another bottle stashed in the back of your jersey pocket...... plenty of options
Drink to thirst. Yesterday in 30 deg celsius I rode 75 miles at 18 mph over lumpy terrain. I drank about 1200ml. Eat before you get hungry. There's no good basis to the idea of X00 mls per hour.
My tip for riding further is to ride somewhere nice and to just enjoy cycling. But that's easy for me to say as I live in Yorkshire (great documentary on GCN+ by the way).
as an old fart (64) i like to ride 1.5 to 3 hours. i go hard up the hills (by definition they are mostly 12 -18 percent here lol), and if i get a little tailwind or downhill section i go on the drops and keep the revs high, but maybe just 80 percent effort... i need to make it home. know your limits. for me maintaining about 32-35 km per hour in favourable conditions is hard.
Living in Cornwall, ALL my training is polarised! Any gleeful moment of coasting down a 1 in 3 hill is almost immediately quashed by the inevitable high intensity needed to blitz back up the other side. There is almost nothing in between! My heart rate is almost exclusively either at 100 or 180.
80% of the rides should be in zone 2 endurance only.
Love the dual presenter approach. I also love the presenter duel videos.
I remember hearing Mark Beaumont talking about training for 80 Days - lots of 90 min rides and early morning sessions. I love riding long but I mostly only have time for commuting to work - originally, that was x2 10-mile rides. When my work moved, that became x2 15-mile rides per day - for six days in a row with four days off.
So now, I’m doing x12 15/16 mile rides on a 24/7 pattern for every block of 6 shifts then I can decide whether or how much to do on my days off. As I’ve built to this, I’ve found it gives more than enough base miles to be able to crank out 100-125 mile rides when I decide to go longer, inc multi-day +100-milers. 24/7 also means I’m used to facing the prospect of riding very early or very late, when knackered.
Eddie was right: ride your bike, ride your, bike, ride your bike.
My tip for endurance training is to learn to eat and ride and drink and ride.
This is where you can experiment and try new things. In my example, I'm looking for better drinks and foods that don't leave me feeling drained at ye end of a two to three hour group ride.
I had a donner kebab and 4 lagers last night, start of the days ride was hazy, but managed to go for hours! Not sure I could do that whilst actually on the bike though, there would be chill sauce everywhere!
Exactly! Most of the people just underfueling prior to ride and on the ride as well and then after workout would eat literally the whole fridge, When I finish my long workout and fueled it properly not even my performance is better but iam not even hungry after ride, and not bonking which is nice bonus, so people do not be afraid to slam 50-100g of sugar per hour, it represent only 200-400kcal but you are burning around 720kcal per hour at only 200watts, if you pushing 280w that´s 1000kcal per hour! there is a saying "Carb the fuck up!" ! :D
Nonsense, neither eating or drinking is aero! :-D
@@carstenweiland7896 THAT WOULD BE AN ECUMINICAL MATTER
Think the production quality improved even further since 2021, well done guys/girls! 💪🏼
As someone who has done polarized training for 15 months now, I can tell you that efforts not practiced in training will not magically be there come race day. The key to polarized training is that balance of work and recovery. Make hard days hard and easy days easy but also be cognizant of the efforts your races/rides demand.
You're struggling with bicycles being simple objects that go around corners or drive in straight lines.
Endurance bikes drive the same roads as racing bikes.
They go around the same corners.
Go along the same straight lines.
Go off to your exercise instruction video and stay away from endurance bikes.
@@dreyn7780 Your comment seems off topic here.
2019 training plan: 4 hours/wk sweet spot, 6 hours/wk Zone 2, 2 hours/wk VO2Max or tempo.
2020: 72 hours/wk crippling anxiety and stress, 6 hours/wk ‘structured training’, 5 hours/wk “hell with it, just ride the bike”
2021: 6 hours/wk “ugh”
How's 2022 looking for ya ?
Rest day today so GCN in bed with a coffee. Sweet
Hope you enjoyed it
The Agoge Diet is truly something else, do not know why, but somehow it worked better than anything else I tried for getting more muscle.
My last 3 Saturdays; 101 miles, 100 miles and yesterday 65 miles. Proper nutrition is what got me through each ride.
Nice work!
Thank God they’re not spruiking the falsehood that polarised training requires 15+ hr weeks to be effective. Numerous studies have shown that at even just 6 hrs a week, polarised training is still a more effective approach than sweet spot.
How about this theory: polarized training equals pyramidal effort, because races, group rides and testing yourself longer than 20 minutes tend to be mostly “tempo” zone (if I understand correctly). Polarized then fills in the gaps above and below. So, maybe pyramidal is the goal, but this is achieved with polarized (???).
Since I started riding again not long ago, I have done both for 4 months now. First _hunting the average_ and then polarized for 4 months, at about 4 hours a week (excl. commuting). In particular nothing faster over the whole ride over the last months, so all slow or hard/sprint intervals. Yesterday I decided to test the 40 km/h, and it did come out as a faster than ever, at a rate you would expect if previous improvements had increased steadily. The precision is not there to differentiate the two types, but I think polarized is more fun to do. Subjective feeling is that it is more efficient. I definitely will stay on polarized, plus some speed tests and stuff every now and again, regardless of total time.
@@josboersema1352 would have to agree - in practice, polarised is very hard to do unless you only ever ride on your own, and don’t care at all about average speed/doing ‘fast’ riding. I think the main benefit is the easy zone 2 rides allow you to really push hard on the interval rides, which is where the real fitness gains are made. Most people just struggle to have “slow” rides as part of their week. Therefore they are always riding at least tempo, which over time depletes the ability to do really hard efforts and properly recover from them, losing out on the potential gains to be made. Dylan Johnson has made a number of excellent, scientifically-backed videos on this exact topic, highly recommend.
@@lloydryder8954 Yes you are right, the hard thing is to convince others they need to go slow *or* hard (this fails), and the other hard thing is to accept everyone going past you for most of the time, except when you smash them on a short interval. Personally I almost always ride alone, so that helps. I'm not sure that _real fitness gains_ are made on going hard, but I do believe that if you don't do hard you get stuck as well. Going slow can be as hard as you like, you just go further/longer than you otherwise would and could. Dylan yes, I'm one of his followers, he is great. Tons of science always. My slow going is really slow by the way, below the line where you feel you are doing any effort. It does get harder if you go long enough, though. If it is too easy, do a hard interval and/or sprints, you'll feel that for sure. Overall I think polarized is easier, because it is more fun.
I get some amazing results with sweetspot work during winter, in my opinion one of the very best way to imprvove aerobic abillity, and you can push TSS quite high for the relative small time comitment, once season kicks in however iam turning towards polarised type of training, so my question is: why not use both systems in our favor?
@@matejburian3191 If you consider training variation is said to be good, riding all in the _tempo_ zone could be good as an added variation, but would not fit this theory if you _always_ ran in that zone, because then there is no variation. So I guess we are sort of wondering about the same thing, as per my original point above: racing / group rides and “time trial” self tests equate _tempo_ zone, which equate more / less to this “sweet spot” program, but then you mix it with polarized training.
Older riders (60+) will notice that intense intervals will explode your Garmin's recommended recovery time. I'm 64, and did intervals on my regular 20 mile ride. My recovery recommendation went from 24 hours to 72 hours! I'm hoping that as I do more intervals my recovery time will drop, but it was a big surprise to see the effect intervals have on all of your numbers - calories, avg HR, and of course, recovery time.
Then don't follow the Garmins recovery advice every after ride. I'm almost 50 now and I find this recovery prompt from Garmin annoying. I just listen to my legs. Also now I have wahoo bolt and it don't prompt me with those recovery times. lol
Summary:
1. The video discusses how to improve endurance on the bike without doing long rides.
2. Endurance is essential for cycling longer distances at a faster pace.
3. Long slow steady rides have been proven to increase blood volume, red blood cell count, and mitochondrial density in muscle tissue, making the heart stronger and more efficient.
4. Polarized training is a popular training plan that divides high-intensity and low-intensity training, spending 80% of the training time in aerobic zones and 20% in very high-intensity zones.
5. For those with limited time, spending an hour in very high-intensity training and the other four hours recovering could be done with a couple of high-intensity interval training sessions in a week and one longer steady ride of 2-3 hours with sprints.
6. High-intensity training puts a lot of strain on the body, so it's essential to space out the workouts.
7. The high-intensity interval training could be done outside or inside, on flat or hilly terrain.
8. The indoor trainer is a great option for those short on time since it takes only minutes to set up and eliminates distractions.
9. Although high-intensity training and intervals are essential for endurance, longer rides and base miles can also provide benefits.
10. Comfort on the saddle and with handlebar position are essential for longer rides, and these rides offer an opportunity to test fueling correctly.
11. Viewers are encouraged to share their tips and tricks for building endurance in the comments section, and the video ends with a lighthearted exchange between the hosts.
My advice is high intensity hard workout on leg muscles
As they grow bigger youll be getting enough strengh for longer rides
Ps im doing it on my trainer when im short on time in order to preserve and strenthen my leg muscles
Its not burning high calories in relaition to long workout if thats your goal though
Lemme guess b4 i watch.....intervals (the answer is always intervals)
Disappointed? Humans been on earth for a lot of time, of course the more efficient way to get endurance will be chosen again and again
I've found singlespeed mountain biking to be a great way to integrate some HIIT into your routine without thinking too hard about it.
I keep mine on the highest gear and never shift :D
SS will make you stronger no matter how you do it. Plus the SS crowd is more fun to hang out with!
Agree fully. I used HIIT intervals to train for multi day MTB stage races in my younger fitter days, but over and above fuelling and comfort, the mental aspect of long days in the saddle can seldom be replicated without, well, long days in the saddle. One or two long days with mates a month can be of huge mental benefit come the last hours of a big event
You're in the wrong discussion.
This is a terrible video about endurance bikes.
Go discuss your younger fitter days at the younger and fitter video.
The video maker is all wrong about endurance bikes and you start distracting people about other topics.
We are going to test this approach with a 200 mile/ 2 day ride. I've done a few of these over the years, but my daughter and her husband are new to long distance riding. We have 4 months to prepare. I'm retired and will be doing the old school method of "ride, ride, and ride some more", with a few speed sessions thrown in. The "kids" will be doing 5-6 hrs/wk of polarized training and an occasional longer social ride.
I had 80km ride recently, and that was not as difficult as I expected. But I still want to improve my endurance, so thank you very much for your advice.
how are u doing so far?
Years ago I was involved in a club challenge of 12 x 140Ks over the summer I was short a few so I needed about six in six weeks.
I had a nice fairly flat course and went out solo early.
I found my self falling into a pattern. The route naturally devided into a number of sections. Some I loved and road them as hard as I could to the section end, then the next section I would keep it in sustainable mode.
After six weeks I was in amazing form and repeated the basic model for a successful 2019 Paris Brest Paris
You fell into the extreme mental illness category.
You're in the wrong discussion.
Endurance racing bikes just have a different riding philosophy to normal racing bikes.
You take your extremist torture views, somewhere else.
Thank you Manon for your great tips.
I have the privilege of being retired and definitely an outdoor girl. Weather allowing I try to get in 150-200Kms per wk on 50+Km rides with decent ascents, without much care as to my speed.
I will add in your suggestion on the HIIT sessions during my future rides.
Hopefully My fitness will benefit from the best of both long rides with short HIIT Intervals timed along the way. 😊
Thank Manon only? Nevermind about the invisible guy lol ...
You're in the wrong discussion.
Go find your crazy ideas video.
@@dreyn7780 😂
At 69 years old, I broke 700 miles for Sept 2022.
I would guess Manon tips worked perfectly
For me. Perhaps YOU should follow my lead. Lol
You may follow me on Strava to witness for yourself what expert Manon advice yields.
NEW CHANNEL ABOUT TRAINING??! HELL YEAH!
Practical advice. I just completed my first century ride. By the way you folks at GCN are our 🌟. Smart and Pretty like any other Hollywood /Bollywood actor / actress 😉 keep inspiring 👍
Any more of that music and your lycra is going to turn neon.
right it sounds so retro 😂
But it did make me want to jump on my bike instantly
one can only hope
I Love this Video! I learned a lot! Thanks for this! From the Philippines
Aym pastest dis aym pastest dat ting tinging ting ting ting tong 😊
Watching this getting on my cycling kit, normally a 10 minute hiit session for motivation.
Throw in a phat bike/MTB ride once a week. Lots of intervals with out having to be tied to a stop watch and works core/upper body too.
80's montage music💪💪💪🤣🤣🤣
Definitely a good approach for non pro athlete who wants to progress and keep fun during their training :) ! The fartleck method is a kind of polarized training which is adviced since several years already.
FWIW farleck has been well used in running for many decades. Good stuff.
Nice to see a professionally produced video on the Tube. Very well done.
I am new to long distance biking so if I offend please forgive me. My niece asked me to ride a century with her, so now to train. But while new to long distance biking, I am a veteran of marathon running, marathon mountain hikes, multi-day multi-marathon days doing technical climbs above 20,000 ft, so not new to training. Or new to training physiology.
The body has three principle metabolic pathways: anaerobic glycogen, aerobic glycogen, and aerobic fat (actually at any given time you will be using more than one, but often mostly one). For long endurance you need to optimize the use of fats, because even the best trained body has only so much glycogen, and you can only replace but so much glycogen while exercising.
Long slow runs/rides optimize the fat burning pathway, so is critical. Harder but not super hard optimizes aerobic burning of glycogen, which has some important use, say for hills. Very hard intervals optimize anaerobic burning of glycogen has the least use because on a long day the associated lactic acid build up will kill you, so that pathway hardly comes into play. Now for the super trained, who say have to sprint at the end of a race, sure this is important (super hard intervals also train the body to deal better with lactic acid).
So some modest amount of interval riding, especially the sort you can hold for 10 minutes (say, rather than 30 seconds) would seem useful.
But in the end, I get it. Some people have limited time, and they can only do what they can do. But even if your time is limited, a really long ride say every 2 or 3 weeks is going to be very helpful to add to this mix. As a marathon runner, and a marathon mountaineer, I only did really long training days ever 2 or 3 (when the training days got really long) weeks.
The video kind of gets to this at the end, but you will be well served by at least some really long days.
Started biking last spring and can do 2-5 hrs long rides but worst on climbs. Got a bike trainer for winter and I only logged 30k since October last year. 😆
i just got my bike fixed today and ride it back home. my house is not even that far but i can say that i thought i was dying
Fueling and cadence is everything imo. Eat and drink a certain amount every hour and the biggest thing is to just keep pedaling. Don't pedal to go faster but to keep moving forward. Perpetual forward motion at a low wattage is more productive than high wattage bursts. This also makes mechanical sense as well. Unless you're pointed down a hill, freehub bodies will produce mechanical drag so rather than pedaling hard to coast if you just reduce the power enough to keep your hub engaged over longer stretches you will actually turn out more productivity and efficient usage of your energy.
Nice video and good advice for anyone time crunched. I swapped to this a few years ago for training for Ultra Races due to time issues, and my performance vastly improved.
You're in the wrong discussion.
This isn't a video about extreme torture training advice.
You're struggling to understand what a simple endurance bike is.
Endurance bikes are designed to drive in a straight line and go around corners.
You're ranting and raving.
Calm down and take your extremist views somewhere else.
I used to ride with a 12-17 5 speed rear cluster. I combined that with long, steep rides to improve my endurance, strength and climbing ability.
At around 2:54 you recommend a max of 10 HIITS - and then you have 3 intervals of 4 minutes at 4:04 which you recommend doing 3 times - will this not be 12 HIITS? Thanx for always pushing the boundries and making me smile - you guys are GREAT! :)
Just get on zwift on tempus fugit and just try to stay in front of everyone, then rest the next day.
You have to ride at your aerobic max and sprint to cut breaks off and escape wheel suckers as well. Do it for an hour each time, works brilliantly.
I love bike riding its peaceful an relaxing
Hank and Manon is the best “presenter-duo”! 🤩
GCN: can you improve endurance without Doing Long Rides? Yes!!
Also GCN: "include that in a 3 hour ride"....
I've been 5 weeks in a similar programme, but obviously better structured. The idea of back to back days is to make it a training block. The second day of that block despite being an easy ride really takes a toll after a hard work from the previous day. After 11 weeks you must take a break from this type of training. That is no hiit at all during 2-3 weeks, a few easy rides, plenty of rest.
When Hank gets excited or laughs he sounds like the Joker.
Just added some interval training in my normal schedule. I try to mix road with mountainbike also. At this point I can do long sessions on a lower heart rate, but I am not gaining any speed. With the intensity training I hope to make my legs stronger to get a better average speed.
I already knew this, but it's been a long time since I've been healthy enough to actually do it, It was reassuring to watch this, knowing that my old way of doing it is still valid.
hi guys, nice video and good suggestions. I will never see you recommending the use of the electrostimulator . I will have a professional electro stimulator. I will use the capillarization program, the cool-down program, the TENS program, and I will use the endurance and resistance programs. these are all programs I use to keep fit, when I don't have the ability to do long rides. I will use the electrostimulator combined with my Technogym Smart Trainer Mycycling , when I do indoor training I wish you a big the best of luck ... Be careful God bless you always . In pilipino native language amping kanunay cheers 🤗👍
GCN you've read my mind, this was my question for quite sometimes
I bicycle commute in Alabama long rolling hills mix surface roads I am one of a hand full that cycles on the streets
Great advice I do their HIIT sessions on the training channel mixed with long recovery spins and some upper body days and yoga
I started the preset grand Fondo workout on zwift. And I'm feeling pretty confident that it helps. Question is would you rate this workout as described in your video
Nothing beats specific training
Everything's better with Manon.
For me it’s getting back to being comfortable in the saddle again. So new bar tape, maybe raise my bar height. As I’m getting older the back and neck don’t like to bend as much lol. So comfort =distance . Plus that trading thing you guys are going on about.😎
Great video.
Music choice is absolutely on point!
My personal tip to myself; if I’m feeling tired, I’ll skip a day/workout/whatever.
I ride for fitness, but mostly for fun. In the days I’m not feeling it, it’s not fun.
It makes the days I am all the more enjoyable.
Just what I needed in the train up for a Century. Thanks
Love that channel and love you guys- regards from Germany 🇩🇪
A great video and some good tips. For me though, I only get 2~3 hours a week on the bike due to work family commitments. During the winter months, that usually means I'm on Zwift. Typically, I'll do a couple of sessions a week and if the data is to be believed, mostly in zone 4. I usually ride 50 miles a week minimum. I think my fitness is reasonable, especially given my age (50's) but I'm not sure that it translates to the road, especially where endurance is concerned.
I use traffic lights and race cars for my interval training. it's more fun that way
drag race :D
That's how I used to do my commuting.
Could you add to variety by changing one of those sessions into a running session ? Add greater variety, reduce boredom.
I go on a 3-6 hour daily ride on a track bike. I try and do different things though. Some days I’ll bring no water at all. Some days leave on an empty stomach. Some days eat a huge meal before. That way my body reacts really well when I treat it right when it counts. You’d be surprised at what your body can do with and without.
Training without water is almost so stupid as training without breathing. Respect your body.
It all works but you have to look at how much time you can and want to invest and also keep in mind what keeps you motivated. Within that time boundary you have to maximize volume, the result of intensity x duration but keep in mind that the need for recovery reduces the available time to generate volume. So naturally it has to be tweaked to the individual.
Be careful about getting "bikefit" problems if you give it a lot of welly without a 15 - 20 hour per week base. Especially if you're young and strong. The adaptations from getting the miles in are not only mitochondrial, but musculo-skeletal. If you can only do 5 hours per week then be gentle on yourself and make sure you do a full 3 - 6 months steady before you increase intensity. Then a month of sweet spot intervals before you go to threshold and over. You'll get faster at that low intensity anyway, so the time is not wasted. IMHO.
got some knowledge, thanks.
i didn’t know that you have this other channel till now
So nice video
I am new to community
It's so nice to ride
Your bikes are really cool
What is better use of the 5 hours; doing these mixed works outs or doing 4 one hour zone 2 rides + 1 1hour zone 4 ride?
great tips! Thanks guys!
Hey Team,
Is there a big difference in endurance training if I was to use a wind trainer vs say a Wahooo trainer?
Hello, thx for the tips.
One question, what is easy aerobic ride?
Thx a lot for sharing your knowledge 🙏🏻
Just amazing Trainner thank you GCN...
According to TrainerRoad you should priorise sweet spot training over polarized training
Absolutely NOT for endurance riding !
No time for recovery is the only problem to getting build better Endurance for my self.
I ride daily 25+25Km to work. Sunday to Saturday. And no rest in a week unless a holiday.
I try this method in morning ride when go to work.
Manon is such a charmer….
My version of Polarised is to ride short hilly rides alternating with longer (2x distance) flatter rides. Also occasionally 'under pacing' where you ride 10% slower on the flats (its really hard to do) but attack all the hills. The energy saved by under pacing gives you monstrous power on the hills.
I do something similar. I have a saw blade like rural area (just south of the famous tour of battenkill but essentially similar, with more gravel ) that absolutely destroys me because I hammer all the uphills and recover on the downs (or if I'm feeling ambitious and have a shorter day, hammer the downs). Even though none of the climbs are substantial, it's still 100ft a mile average with a few 15-20% grades worked in. Absolutely kills me doing 30 miles like this.
More crazy off topic gossip from you.
Hey there! I just came across a new project that might interest you. Have you heard about the Freebeat Morph 2-in-1 eBike? It's a revolutionary eBike that combines indoor fitness and outdoor exploration like never before. The most outstanding feature is that it can be charged when you apply indoor mode! Imagine being able to recharge while riding indoors. That's a game-changer for sure. Plus, with its powerful motor and adaptive technology, you'll have a smooth and exhilarating riding experience. Definitely worth checking out! Keep up the great comments about improving endurance on the bike!
I ride 200 & 300 km brevets, and have a high failure rate. The only thing that I have found that can get me up to 200 km is multiple 2-hour rides through the week. 3-hour rides for 300 km and over.
My tip for endurance is ride lots of endurance rides
Nice use of Chavenage Lane :-) Cotswold fun
really useful guys thanks!
Generally, how long does it take to ""absorb"" fitness from a long ride??
Last week I did my longest ride, 70kms. That's long for me, for now. My goal for my next session is 100km. I'll slow down on the session if I have to, to get 100km.
Roughly, how long between big rides should you wait to have the fitness from the previous long ride absorbed, so that you can go further on the next one?? Thanks
Love you guys ❤. Good info 👍
I do group rides on zwift as the rides make you ride for an hour or so in either endurance or tempo depending on the ride
💥 People Need To Ride The Event… Distance Or Time To Be Confident Of Your Training 💥
I'm longer and watching it. Thanks a lot.
When i was a kid i used to ride a bike for hours, now im 18, havent ridden a bike in over 8 years, and can barely ride a bike without feeling like passing out
Excuse me? Sprints durnig easy ride is not polarized training, but perhaps i did not understand it correctly :) If you follow the mr. Polarized Training Dr Stephen Seilers work and wisdom he recommends to use 80% of the trainign sessions below individuals aerobic threshold / LT1 / VT1. Rest of the sessions use the above Critical Power work in shorter and longer intervals. It would usually quanitfy more like 90% below LT1 and maybe on L3 zones a bit on the HIIT sessions between intervals and then 10% of time heart rate is above second threshold...
Yes i think Seiler has observed training DAY distribution was 80/20 in Pro Athletes. Not time in Zone!
3:18 Best Soundtrack for a Cycling Video!
I'm from the old training school and I really believe that, if you want to progress, you have to do long rides. There are no miracle trains.
Intervals make you strong. But to ride a long time, you have to ride a long time. If you don't, when you do do a big ride, it takes a very long time to recover, especially as you age.
Nice to see Hank and Manon are together ❤️😉
Thank you!
You're welcome! Hope it help 🙌
Apart from following a polarized training plan can we do long casual rides too? or just stick with the fixed schedule training plan and do not disturb it.
1:43 - I'm sure that research tested quite a large number of athletes but most certainly not the "vast majority of athletes, because that would involve dozens of millions of people.
Comment ? Simplement en poussant fort sur les courtes 😊!!!