Originally Posted by
jlvs2run
I train year around for 20 to 60' time trials / races and do about 14 hours of training a week.
During the summer I do shorter time trials and more speed work, but keep the same hours a week.
How many hours a week do you feel is optimal to train for 20 to 60 minute time trials?
I'm half joking and half being serious: how long is a piece of string?
Volume in hours spent totally depends on what your life can handle. Can you ride more without there being a divorce or job loss? Do so. Can you ride more with job/family constraints while maintaining good recovery with a proper sleep schedule? Ride more. But when riding more, ramp up your CTL. Don't go overnight from XX hours a week to 2x that. How old are you, as it relates to recovery and how much frequent intensity you can handle?
The periodization for TT I've found actually simpler (for me) than doing road or cyclocross. 14 hours a week, if you're under 50 years old and all you do is train for TT's you ought to go like stink (not judging age, just assuming recovery starts taking a hit as we age).
At 14 hours a week, I'd say someone under 50 ought to be able to do a 40k in 50min and a 10mi in under 20min.
Just don't get into the trap lots of triathletes do trying to shove volume into a work/life schedule that sees them stagnating or being really slow compared to their volume due to poor recovery and poor execution. If you work 40 a week and have kids and start doing 4am workouts and going to bed at 11 every night.........enjoy the brief fitness gain till your body rejects it or you get injured. You have to work within the constraints you have.
I'm praying I recover decently well as I hit mid-40's. My kids will be out of the house by then and my volume could double.
How many hours a week do you work?
Do you have a life partner? Pets?
Do you have enough money to pay for chores to be done? Pay for the grass/laundry/etc....
Start there. If folks start out saying they only get 5 hrs to 6 hrs sleep a night the answer right off the bat is going to be no. If you've got kids, 14 is already a freaking gift from God to ride bikes that much a week.