Originally Posted by
NoWhammies
Thanks everyone. Lots of good advice/suggestions here. I have a power meter on my bike so I can use that to start structuring some kind of workout. I also know my MAP and have translated that in to my FTP. So I have those numbers. Now I just need to get a workout plan going. This is where I need some help.
I like the idea of doing 80:20. That is 80% of my ride are easy while 20% are hard workouts. A challenge will be finding an area where I live that I can get an extended workout/ride in, but one thing at time.
Are there any free online resources for designing workouts? I will try to post a power curve/time in zones from my last ride when I have a spare moment. Thank you.
At your stage, i do think a mix of volume and intensity is going to give you good results. The Eddy Merckx comment about "ride lots" still holds true for most of us, I feel.
TrainingPeaks has a wide range of pre-cooked plans. They are not as good/customized as coaching plans but i think for most of us who are not at the pointy end of things, they can give comparable results. Check that out. TrainerRoad also has some very good plans, but those are more intensity/SST driven.
Also, dont try to estimate FTP from MAP or power curves - do an FTP test.