Originally Posted by
guadzilla
Ah cool, thanks for the considered reply.
I used to do 6-8 hour weeks with a fair bit of high intensity but i found that the gains I had then didnt last - but then, I only started endurance sports in my mid-30s (and in my mid-to-late 40s now). Am doing an 80:20 polarized plan with 10-12 hours of bike+run, and am feeling that my foundation is getting a lot better. I also recognize a big improvement from doing long Z2 with very little time in Z2. I suspect that for me, i need to pay attention to the volume each yet and do atleast 2-3 months of volume focused efforts between more traditional intensity blocks.
If I could coach my 18-22 year old self with a powermeter, I think 10-12 hours would be ideal, with a few 13-15 hour weeks at certain points. At that amount, you're getting the best of both worlds: sufficient specific endurance for most any length U.S. race while not being so overwhelming that you can't pack in 2-4 quality workouts as needed. Powermeters were such a game-changer in my training. 5 hours of noodling around on group rides and such became 3 hours of targeted work. So much more bang-for-the-buck.