HOW TO... STRUCTURE YOUR TRAINING WEEK

In just five hours per week you can build an effective strength and conditioning programme and still be fresh to crush your weekend ride; we show you how

It’s easy to convince yourself that you don’t have time to train. But it’s simply not true. Don’t believe me? OK, stop reading this, pick up your phone, click the screen time feature and check how many hours you’ve wasted this week mindlessly browsing the web or scrolling

THE COACH

through social media? Was it 5h? 10h? Now, think how good you’d be on your bike if you spent a fraction of that time training instead.

And it can be done, as we all know people with crazy busy jobs and life stress who aren’t wasting time, in fact they are the ones who are most likely to be training already. It‘s why Benjamin Franklin famously said: “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” But let’s assume you’re not a head of state. How do you go about structuring your week to hit the weekend in optimum shape?

First up, you need a plan, so we start by working back from the goal. Let’s assume you’re going to ride on Sunday, but it could just as easily be Saturday or both days. Chances are you’ve been sitting at a desk most of the week, so on Friday lunchtime a 30min low-intensity mobility drill would be a great option to loosen up. You’ll also move better on the dance floor if you’re heading out on Friday night. The idea is to get rid of any tightness that you’ve accumulated during the week.

Working backwards from our goal, Thursday should include some functional movement combined with higher-intensity work. Yes, that means intervals. Which are going to hurt, but at least they are short and sweet.

For the strength training component we’re going to split it into two parts, both positioned earlier in week, but separated by one day. On Wednesday we’ll do the heavy lower body hinge movement like a deadlift, and some squatting volume at a lower intensity to augment Monday’s squat workout. On Monday we’ll start the week with heavy squats, with hinge assistance work to complement Wednesday’s workout. Both strength days will also have upper body work.

On Tuesday we’ll separate the two strength sessions with a longer, lower-intensity Zone 2 workout. This can be on the bike, going for a run, or in some kind of circuit if you don’t fancy braving the elements. The idea is to boost your aerobic capacity and fat oxidation.

All in, that’s less than five hours of training

MONDAY

Kickstart the week with the undisputed king of strength exercises: heavy squats. This is followed by upper body exercises like push-ups, then some higher-volume hinge movement like kettlebell swings to assist the second strength session on Wednesday.