Originally Posted by
brian44
Assuming you have a "9-to-5," how do you fit that kind of volume in? The adequacy and experience of smart trainers and Zwift definitely helps, but I struggle to get in 10-12 hours with no kids and a relatively flexible work schedule (albeit variable ~40 to 60 hrs/week...college professor).
I'm pretty sure I just lack the discipline...
I just graduated from my master's program a month ago and I am taking full advantage of what is likely to be at least a few months of downtime.
2021 was a real struggle - I wrote my master's thesis in the spring and interned 30hrs/wk along with taking writing-heavy classes in the fall. We were also taking care of my wife's mom while she went through chemo last winter. I got in 556 hours - which compares favorably with prior years - but I didn't get to do much periodization because I was fitting in riding where I could. The lack of base resulted in less repeatability and dead legs towards the end of races. That said, my 1x efforts across the board were at or near personal bests, which certainly helped maintain motivation. Staying relatively consistent has let me come back very, very quickly too, now that I am able to train with more purpose.
2014-2019, I was self employed and simply worked flexible part time hours, so it really wasn't so hard to commit to periodization.
In general, my approach is to use times of high motivation to put good habits in place. Those habits are what create discipline, which is what will carry you through training and workouts when motivation is low.