donrhummy

Would you recommend any training program (where you hire a coach, and they work with you either over phone/email or in person)? How would you rate any program you used (price, impact, success...)?

AchiLLe..s

i have chris carmicheal's " The Ultimate Ride" very good book with good traning programs. highly recommened.

Stjtoday

Have 2 CTS, (Charmichael training system), dvd's and enjoy both. Think I have the "Criterium", and a hill climbing. For the CTS you really need a working heart and cadence monitors, with them they work great. I think I prefer the Spinervals, very fast paced and some kick arse sets.. have 5 of them ranging from 55 min workouts to 120mins. Can't go wrong with either one.

soccerismylife

I guess I can offer some insight because I use a training system modeled after Charmichael and Friel. I don't have a coach however and just design my own program. After reading lots of resources (including their books) i have gained enough knowledge to create my own program. I reccomend that you just read up on lots of books (I personally reccomend Friels Cycling Training Bible) and then just creating your own program. It's cheaper and more effective in the long run because of the valuable knowledge you will have gained.

DJYeti

I use Wenzel coaching -- quite happy...not sure if $100 per month is worth it tho...

woof

Is there a book that gets into the specifics of using power meters?

soccerismylife

Friels book is the most detailed I've seen on power, however, I'm sure there are others out there.

donrhummy

What about the actual programs where you sign up for a coach (and not just the book)? Has anyone here used that?

rule

I'm a 47 year-old fitness rider. I do some events and races but primarily my goal when getting a coach was to add some structure and expertise to what I was already doing in terms of training, to have a resource for technical and physiological questions, and to avoid injury. I also wanted to get the most from my ride time, whether it was a lot or a little. I had used and liked the CTS videos. Then I received The Ultimate Ride as a gift and really liked the 'don't just train, train right' approach. I used the 1 month free trial offer to try out the CTS Classic package. I have been using them for several years with great improvement and results.

My package costs me about $39 a month. I get as much access to the CTS coaching staff as I want via their dedicated coaching forum. I get a heart rate based training program that is tailored specifically to me based upon my field tests and event goal dates. I can tweak and adapt my schedule on the fly to adjust my riding schedule. If I want to work specifically with a dedicated coach I can upgrade my package, or just use one ala carte, like for a specific event or discipline. You can do the same with a nutritionist if you want to try to dial in a better diet to support your training and events readiness.

CTS has a lot of fitness riders, but most of their athletes are heavy into competition. They win more than their share too. Some of them are frikkin amazing.

It's like anything though. You get out of it what you put in. I will say this though, their approach is very good and will get you impressive results if you give it your best shot. They take whatever you can give them in terms of time and ability and make the most of it. You see this time and time again. That sure has been the way that it has worked out for me.

The other thing that is really impressive is the way that they support their athletes...even the lowly fitness rider. I made a post in the coaching forum about a goal event where I was the second rider in to the finish. A really nice email showed up in my inbox from Chris Carmichael. From what he said in it, I could tell that he not only knew who I was but also knew the extent to which I had been progressing and what I had been working on with the CTS coaches. This was the week before the Tour de France too, which really surprised me. He is the kind of guy too that you can keep in touch with, despite his schedule and commitments. He keeps up with all of us and what is going on. That was not something that I had not expected.

Hope this helps. If you have the book, you might think about giving the free trial a shot. It may cost you $19 or thereabouts to get signed up, but you can try it and cancel if it doesn't work for you.

croshaven

I really like Carmichael's books, The Ultimate Ride and and Food for Fitness. Both have been well worth the purchase price. I did his CTS field test to establish my LT and have used his drills, EM, FM, CR, etc. for two seasons (and starting a third) to increase my level of fitness.
I am a pretty good cook, and his recipes in the Food book are pretty good, too.
If I can justify (rationalize) it, I may sign up for the lowest level of CTS training. I'm sure it would help me progress in my level of fitness, even though I'm way past the age of racing.

donrhummy

Wow! Thank you very much for the extremely informative post!

It sounds like they run a great program over there. Certainly you want a group of people who know what they're doing but a major concern was that they wouldn't give much time or effort to the people at the bottom (since I can't afford their $150+ packages). It's good to hear that you've had a great experience with that service.

I didn't know the book came with a free month - that sounds like a fantastic deal. I will definitely look into that.

merlinextraligh

I use the CTS system.Overall I'm happy with it. I started at the $39 level, and was not entirely pleased. The coaches were not that knowledgeable (particularly when you had a question that got them off the script) the the program was prefabed, not tailered to my goals, and my job and travel constraints,and the coaches were constantly changing.
I upgraded to the $149 level, and am much happier. My coach is a Cat 1 racer, and has a degree in exercise physiology and is quite helpful. Also the schedule is tailered to my goals, and he can tweak it each week based on my work and travel schedule.
After 3 years with it, I'm not sure its still worth it. I think I can now do it pretty much myself. But I just got a power meter, so I'm going to stay with a while and work with the power based program for a season and then consider whether to stay with it.

blonduathlongrl

I have carmicheal's hill climbing program.. Love it, just tired of his striped shirt and the fact that I know exactly how many swaet drops the guy from the front row has pooring down on his chest on the first segment( 11) and second(32)..should work on his endurance..hehe

donrhummy

Mind if I ask a question? After you discovered the coaches (at the first level) weren't very knowledgeable, why'd you then pay $110 more a month to that program? What made you decide it was the level you chose and not the company that accounted for the poorly trained staff?

T. Smith

I use the CTS coaching program at the $99 a month rate. My coach has a PHD in nutrition, an MS in Sports Physiology, and raced MTB and road cycles. On top of that he's a really nice guy and their program works for me. As far as the $39 a month program, this is the lowest level and you don't have a specific coach but a computer generated program based on data and a field test that you provide. They do answer questions via a coaching forum and from what I've seen the answers are solid, but it's not the same as calling your coach on the phone and telling them your HR went ballistic on the last workout. Enough CTS plug.
I use a coach because I race, I want to do better, and even after 35 years of high school, college, and professional sports, I still benefit from a coach pushing me and keeping me on track.
Why should you have a coach? First what are your goals? Do you want to race, just ride better, be the next world champion? I can tell you this; every good pro cyclist has a coach they PAY. Some are better than others but the key here is you have a professional that can guide you and answer questions and tailor a training program for you. Also, and this may be the most important if your paying for it, it's a lot harder to blow them (or your workout) off and a lot easier to demand you get results (if it's free they're going to say what do you want for free). On the same line, have you had a professional bike fit done?
Cost, don't get me started. If you buy a $3.00 "Starjava" a day that's $90 a month on latte. A coach is giving you (hopefully) years of hard earned experience. They deserve to be paid and paid well, and no, I am not a coach.
Reading the available books will definitely help and you will improve. Even with a coach I suggest you become as informed as possible. I suggest you look into the many programs out there. Another one is Arnie Baker. Check out your local bike club. Usually they will have someone they work with.
CTS does work with power, but that is at (I think) the $149 a month level (hey, it's more data and more work for the coach, besides, if you have $1000 for a power meter...)
I use a power meter and have worked it and the data into my CTS program based on HR.
I apologize for rambling on, but there is a ton of information and expertise out there, use it and you will ride better than you ever dreamed.
Good training, good skill, it's not about luck.
T. Smith