A lot of people write in asking for training plans. I give everyone just about the same answer, so if you’re looking for a training plan, please read this. I’ll go through the various types of questions I get…

The Vague Request

I want to do a race this summer, how do I train for it? Can you give me a training plan?

How do you train for a race? It depends. It depends on the type of race, race distance, your previous experience, your existing fitness levels, history of injury, time available, short and long-term goals, and much more.

So, to prepare a training plan, I would need to know all of that information I just listed. It’s very difficult to give you any sort of training plan without that data. And even if you had sent me all that data, designing a training plan is a long, detailed process.

Much like a doctor isn’t going to diagnose you through email, I’m not going to send out a training plan based on email. I simply cannot give out free, customized training plans to everyone that asks.

If you write in with a vague question, I will probably just tell you to read The Cyclist’s Training Bible by Joe Friel.

The Race-Specific Request:

I am new to road racing, Crits particularly. Can you give me a training plan for preparing for a Crit.

If you’re new to racing, just about any training is going to help you improve. You don’t need to get into anything too fancy. So go out and ride. Ride slow, ride fast, and ride moderately. Then ride fast some more, like you would in a race.

You will also benefit greatly from going out and practicing cornering!

If you are really interested in learning the principles behind a good training plan, as a new racer, it is very worthwhile to pick up of a copy of The Cyclist’s Training Bible. It will take a while to read, but the result is worth it!

The Last Minute Request:

I am new to mountain bike raceing and I have a mountain bike race in two weeks. What do you suggest I do over the next two weeks. I would like to come up with a 4 week and 2 week pre-race training plan.

Umm… it really depends on what your current training plan is, your fitness level, and the actual race you have coming up. If you’re serious about racing, I’d suggest getting more serious about your planning – a 2 week training plan isn’t going to change much and would probably leave you worn out on race day.

So, if you want to come up with a good 4 month training plan and know how to adapt it to the days right before a race, take a look at Joe Friel’s The Cyclist’s Training Bible. It’s pretty cheap and the time spent reading it is a great investment in your cycling career.

As you can see, writing in asking for a training plan won’t get you any further than if you just did a search for “training” on my website. I try to provide as much advice as I can on my website, 100% free. Please take a look at that!

For example, I have an analysis of a generalized training week: An Example Training Week.

Today’s question is about getting an ab wheel workout without the stress on your elbows…

I got my ab roller today and can do between 15-20 without stopping but my arms hurt after i’m done. I think i’ll do it with the wheel a bit closer to my head, instead of with outstretched arms. It’s not the muscles in my arms that hurt it’s the joints in my elbows. Would this still be as effective?

-Elbow Ellen

Hi Ellen,

I think that would still hit your abs and be effective. Not exactly the same since the leverage is changed, but still a workout.

However, it seems like an odd position to be in. I tried it, and it felt awkward and harder to stay balanced. Plus it didn’t seem like it would be any easier on your elbows.

I’d have to see a video of your form to be sure!

The good news is, I have a better idea.

What I’d recommend instead of the ab wheel is getting a set of Valslides or the cheaper alternative – furniture sliders. You can do the ab roll out on these, but put your forearms/elbows down on the pads.

This way your weight is on your forearms and your elbows don’t move. It really takes your arms out of the equation. I tried it and it still felt like a pretty good ab workout.

The set of furniture sliders will also allow you to do the reverse ab roll out where your arms stay still and your legs extend backward. This should also ease the stress on your elbows.

Today’s question is about wind direction and getting a better workout with headwinds and tailwinds…

Hello Levi, Quick question: on a windy day, which gives a better workout, heading into the wind on the way out or into the wind on the way back?

Thanks, Harriet Cane Irene

Hi Irene,

Interesting question – normally people just ask about how to make a ride in windy conditions feel easiest!

Technically speaking, you can get an equivalent workout either way.

Say you are using a power meter to measure your output. You’ll still do whatever effort is prescribed in your training plan. Your output will be the same into a headwind or tailwind, but your speed will vary depending on the wind direction.

It’s the same principle as, “which is a better workout, riding a heavy bike or a light racing bike?”

Realistically speaking, though, I think it depends on you personally.

Say you start out into a headwind. You will be taking on the wind when you’re fresh, then the tailwind can help you home on the way back. That’s good if you like to go “gung ho” and basically do a hard TT type of effort into the wind. Then when you think you can’t go anymore, the tailwind saves the day to get you home.

Say you start out into a tailwind. You’ll have it easy at the beginning, then later on in the ride when the going gets tough, it gets really tough! This could be good if it normally takes you a long time to get warmed up and feeling strong. It could also be better for an interval workout, because your rest periods will feel like rest. But hitting the headwind for the way home might be demoralizing.

What I’m getting at is, pick whichever way makes you feel stronger mentally, because then you’ll probably work harder, which is what will give you the better workout.

Now, if you’re training to race in windy conditions, you’ll want to vary the way you tackle windy days in training, because who knows which way the wind will be blowing come race day! You don’t want to start every training ride into a headwind, only to have a race start into a tailwind.

If that happened, you might be in trouble. You’d be used to going hard at the start to counter the strong wind, so you might push too hard, expecting an easier second half, rather than saving your energy for the storm ahead! You might end up looking like a fish out of water when you hit the headwind for the second half of the race!

For me, the “specificity of training” principle takes precedence over anything else in this situation. So I say, train both ways!

Today’s question is about increasing mileage and adjusting your on-bike fueling to match the new distance…

Hi Levi,

Thank you for your email, I am finding your site interesting and informative. Perhaps you can give me some advice?. I am 63 and ride 30-40 miles four times a week, then swim on a couple of the other days. What I would like to do is a 60 Mile trip. How do I go about adding the additional mileage?. I eat bananas, jelly babies (do you have these in the U.S.?) and M&M’s as on the road top up fuel, are these OK?

thanks for your help.
J.B.

Hi J.B.,

Thanks for reading! It sounds like you’re in good shape and putting in some good mileage each week! Based on the email, I don’t think you’ll have too much difficulty adding the mileage.

Here’s how I would do it…

First, let’s say you ride 150 miles per week on average. I would keep that about the same. Rather than add total mileage, we’re going to allocate your current mileage a little differently.

I would take three of your rides and limit them to 20-30 miles. Then your fourth weekly ride can be longer. You might even bump your long ride up to 50 miles one week and 60 miles the next. Or you could take gradual steps and go to 45, then 50, then 55, and then 60. Depends how comfortable you feel each week.

Since your weekly training volume will stay the same, the overall impact on your training lifestyle should be minimal.

As for ride fuel, it’s sort of a personal thing. If bananas, jelly babies, and M&M’s are working for you on 40 mile rides, they could probably work for you on a 60 mile ride. The problem is that those foods are mainly simple sugars, especially if you go heavy on the candy. Your body might get sick of that over the course of 60 miles. You might feel better and have more consistent energy levels over the course of the ride if you add in some complex carbohydrate sources, which could be as simple as some sort of energy bar or a granola bar full of oats.

Good luck!

[For everyone else in the US that isn't quite sure what jelly babies are... I think of them as a cross between jelly beans and Sour Patch Kids. They are like a semi-soft jelly bean and they're shaped like babies or little kids.]

Your forearm muscles are actually quite useful for cycling, especially mountain biking and BMX racing. But you probably aren’t working them in the gym.

So here’s a simple and somewhat fun exercise you can do at home – wrist roll ups, or twist ups. To do this, you make a device called a wrist roller by following my instructions below…

What You Need

Head to your local hardware store and purchase the following items:

• Wooden dowel (about 1″ diameter, 12″ long)
• Nylon rope (about 4′ long)
• Swivel eyelet hook or carabiner
• Chain (about 12″ long)

You will also want to use a cordless drill and about a 3/8″ drill bit. However, you can get by without one.

You could also substitute an old broomstick for the dowel rod. Or if you prefer, a piece of PVC pipe.

How to Build the Wrist Roller

Now let’s build this thing.

Take the wooden dowel rod or pipe and cut it down to a 12″ long section. This is your handle.

Drill a hole through the center (6″ in from either side.)

String about 4′ of nylon rope through the hole and tie it off. You can knot one end of the rope to keep it from slipping back through the hole, or simply tie the rope to the handle.

Then tie an eye hook (like you’d use on a dog leash) or some sort of small carabiner to the other end.

Finally, take a 12″ section of small chain. Thread the chain through some weight plates and hook each end of the chain into swivel hook.

(I usually use one or two 5lb weight plates, so 12″ of chain is plenty. Use a longer chain if you use bigger plates.)

Now you can perform your twist ups! (Simply roll the handle in your hands to bind up the rope and raise the weight off the ground.)

Note: The chain is optional if you are using Olympic weight plates with the 2″ holes. In that case, you just thread the hook through the plates and hook it back to the rope. This could cause a little more friction on the rope, but it should still last quite a while.

To increase difficulty: To really work your forearms and grip strength, use a larger handle. A 2″ diameter PVC pipe would do the trick.