Hey all,
Currently taking a rest from the bike, this being my 2nd season of cycling I completed my first structured plan, 18 Weeks Sweet Spot last winter which I completed at the end of June and had fantastic results, couldn’t have been happier. I joined a local club and was one of the strongest riders in the group. YTD I’ve ridden 9193 miles (14 796kms); Saturday and Sunday were long club rides, while Tuesday & Thursday nights were 50kms smash-fests and took every Monday & Friday as rest days. The last few week night group rides in early-mid October I went pretty deep on one of them then the next ride I just couldn’t deliver any power much above my tempo zone, similar results a week or so later with no power. I took this as a sign so I’ve been laying low and haven’t ridden much in the past 2.5 weeks, if I did it was nothing over endurance. I plan on taking till the beginning of December off.
This brings me to a couple of questions I have as I enjoy structured training and thinking about adding in some weights this season before getting back on the bike.
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Is 1 month or so long enough before starting weight training or should I wait till the New Year? I"m thinking about doing the 10 Weeks Weight training plan then into the 18 Weeks Sweet Spot I did last season. In hindsight I wish I had started earlier as I would’ve liked to have completed it earlier but had to wait for my power meter - ideally I"d like to be done end of May to join the group in June but if it makes sense to rest till the new year I can do that.
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Is there another shorter weight training plan I should consider perhaps I missed - I did see the 6 Week Home session but I don’t have any of the equipment so going to the rec centre since it’s just down the street seems easier.
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In the 10 weeks weight training plan how long are the gym sessions, I ask as I have to go to the local community rec centre however given COVID restrictions only allowed to book 1 hr at a time with restricted capacity (Ontario, Canada) but I can book several sessions in advance.
My CTL when I completed 18 Week Sweet Spot at the end of June was 98 with a slight dip down to 89 around the end of July. Season high was 114 September 10th and been on a steady decline since then and I"m sitting at 68 as of this morning.
Looking forward to any input/suggestions.
Cheers,
Gavin