How long to build a base?

I myself am planning on a base building of about 4 months. I want to peak around spring and early summer. I am going to base build until Dec or so. Then transition to harder workouts, and finally peak around spring.

I have just started reading The Cyclists Training Bible. It talks a lot about this. You might find it useful. Sorry I can't give more advice, but I am just starting to ride seriously also 🙂.

Good luck.

-matt

Peka said:

My goals at the moment are just to get really fit, eventually fit enough to do some decent climbs like I used to. I don't intend to compete, I just love riding. I will get another roadie sometime down the track, at which point I may consider competing, but at 33yrs old I don't think I'll be a TDF contender 😉

Welcome!

I don't think there is a 'right' amount of time to build a base. Base building for recreational riders and racers is the training period where you gradually work up to the maximum distances and durations that you will be seeing during your target rides. That may be a century ride or longer for some people, or a 50 mile race for others. The longer your target ride is, the greater the aerobic base that you'll want to build.

For someone that is just wanting to gain some general fitness, I'd think that working up to being comfortable for 2-3 hr rides a couple times a week would be sufficient base building, and then you can start building in some higher intensity rides. You should keep those 2-3 hour rides in your weekly routine, so it's not like you stop working on your base just because you add some higher intensity work.

frenchyge said:

For someone that is just wanting to gain some general fitness, I'd think that working up to being comfortable for 2-3 hr rides a couple times a week would be sufficient base building, and then you can start building in some higher intensity rides. You should keep those 2-3 hour rides in your weekly routine, so it's not like you stop working on your base just because you add some higher intensity work.

2-3 hour rides even once a week is a difficult situation for me due to work/life. What kind of gains can I reasonably expect to accomplish with several high intensity 1/2 to 1 h workouts?

You can definitely see noticeable gains in fitness, weight loss, etc. with shorter, higher intensity rides, especially if you do them several times a week. Don't expect those rides to prepare you for the demands of racing or longer group rides, however.

The context for my statements were that 1) cycling, as a sport is primarily an endurance activity, and 2) the OP question about 'base building' seemed to relate to a periodized approach toward training for a certain goal.

If you're primarily riding to get in shape and maybe lose some weight, then such a structured approach is probably not really necessary. Riding by feel, having fun, and working with the time available will probably suffice to reach your goals.

frenchyge said:

You can definitely see noticeable gains in fitness, weight loss, etc. with shorter, higher intensity rides, especially if you do them several times a week. Don't expect those rides to prepare you for the demands of racing or longer group rides, however.

From what I've learned thus far, there's apparently a limit as to the level of performance I can achieve with a limited time high intensity form of training.

So, the only way to go once that plateau has reached is muscular endurance which invariably involves long duration rides

SketchySmurf said:

From what I've learned thus far, there's apparently a limit as to the level of performance I can achieve with a limited time high intensity form of training.

So, the only way to go once that plateau has reached is muscular endurance which invariably involves long duration rides

You'll need to define 'level of performance' as it seems that we're taking a detour from my understanding of the OP's question. In other words, are you training for races, just trying to firm up and shed a couple pounds, training for a century ride, etc.

As I said in my first post, you should work your way up to the approximate duration of your target/goal rides. Low level amateur road races are typically in the 40-50 mile range. It's unnecessary to do 100+ mile training rides for someone only planning to race 50 miles, but by the same token your 1 hr high-intensity rides will also probably not be adequate preparation.

The base building duration should be related to the goal of the training plan.

My goals are cardiovascular fitness, weight maintenance. If I am ever going to race, its going to be short ones. But that is looking way too far ahead.

I'm more inclined to stick to my goals if there is a systematic program to adhere to. It's just the way I am. The only thing I have to reconcile is the time committment.

There are several books out there and plenty of advice here for preparing for races, but for a recreational rider such as myself, I'm trying to make some of these more advanced programs into a training lite type of situation. And again, its because I'm more likely to stick to something more that is more structured.

Just going out and riding hard, doing recovery rides, and eating right is not enough for me. The Obsessive compulsive demon in my head is always going to say "you would have been more efficient if you had done x y number of times z times a week..."

SketchySmurf said:

My goals are cardiovascular fitness, weight maintenance. If I am ever going to race, its going to be short ones. But that is looking way too far ahead.

With that in mind, I think several short (.5-1hr), high-intensity rides a week will do fine to keep you in shape. Don't worry about base building since you won't be doing any longer rides in the forseeable future anyway.

Believe frenchyge has given some you great advice here. Have seen several places that to build and sustain overall aerobic fitness requires at least 30 minutes of continuous effort for 3-5 times a week.

You can get scientific with measuring intensity, but I don't think that is really needed for a fitness rider. The level you want is "moderate" intensity. It's not loafing at 10 mph, but not going all-out either. Find the level that just starts to tax your legs and breathing; that's plenty.

The key is just to start riding 30 minutes or more consistently several times a week, and to keep doing it for thousands of miles. Whether you call it base-building, or just aerobic exercise really doesn't matter....as long as you keep it up.

Thanks for all the advice 🙂

SketchySmurf you seem to be in a similar position to me. When I used to ride my roadie I didn't need any goals, I just went out for a ride because I enjoy it. Now I want to make the most of the riding I have available, so I can get as fit as possible and efficient as possible (ie. more speed😄 ).

I'm liking the idea of an indoor trainer - I could easily do 2-3hrs a couple of times a week on one....

Peka said:

Anyway, I've been reading all the advice on training and I know I should build a good aerobic base before I start getting too carried away, especially since I had a 3mth break from exercise.

True. Some level of easy to moderate exercise for a period (length depends on goals) is a good idea as it conditions the body and connective tissues for more intense work loads. For somebody that just wants to get fit - as opposed to somebody who wants to do 60 mile road races - this period does not need to be excessivly long. 8 weeks perhaps.

Quoted post said:

My wife has said she might get me an indoor trainer for fathers day, which would be a big help since my "on-the-road" time is somewhat limited due to having a toddler at home.

Trainers are great. Most of the members here have one.

Quoted post said:

So my question is, how long should I concentrate on building a base? I plan to go back to Karate training (twice a week) in the next few weeks, so I need to take that into consideration as well. Karate training is more anaerobic, but does require good aerobic fitness as well.

My commuting days are Mon, Wed, Thur. My Karate training days will be Tues and Thurs. Obviously I'll be using Wed morning as a recovery from Tues night, especially if we've been doing a lot of kicks :eek:. My Thurs rides (or at least the ride home) will be fairly easy so I have some left for training that night.

My goals at the moment are just to get really fit, eventually fit enough to do some decent climbs like I used to. I don't intend to compete, I just love riding. I will get another roadie sometime down the track, at which point I may consider competing, but at 33yrs old I don't think I'll be a TDF contender 😉

This is a great forum, thanks for any advice!

8 weeks tops would suffice of easy base building. A person can get quite a bit of fitness in 30 - 60 minutes a day 3 to 5 days per week. I'd say it's plenty for someone that doesn't want to race.

Once you get in some "base" time you can consider the following workouts on the bike/trainer as they will provide a major bang for the buck in fitness. In 30 minutes you can do 3 x 3 intervals. In 45 minutes you can do 2 x 10, 3 x 5 or 5 x 3 intervals. In 60 minutes you can do 2 x 15, 1 x 20, 3 x 10 or 5 x 5 intervals. Done with enough intensity these are gruelling workouts! And you can still have a life outside of cycling! 😉 They key is to not overdo them.

The only conflict I see is between the cycling and the karate. Steady state cycling will not help condition you for karate. In fact, depending on how much effort you put into it, it may detract from that as it will chew into your recovery process. Doing both will be a juggling act.

Doctor Morbius said:

Once you get in some "base" time you can consider the following workouts on the bike/trainer as they will provide a major bang for the buck in fitness. In 30 minutes you can do 3 x 3 intervals. In 45 minutes you can do 2 x 10, 3 x 5 or 5 x 3 intervals. In 60 minutes you can do 2 x 15, 1 x 20, 3 x 10 or 5 x 5 intervals. Done with enough intensity these are gruelling workouts! And you can still have a life outside of cycling! 😉 They key is to not overdo them

Sooo, 3 x 3mins and get my breath back between each one? I don't have HRM so I'll be pacing myself on perceived effort, but I can handle that.

Doctor Morbius said:

The only conflict I see is between the cycling and the karate. Steady state cycling will not help condition you for karate. In fact, depending on how much effort you put into it, it may detract from that as it will chew into your recovery process. Doing both will be a juggling act.

Yep, I know it'll be a juggling act. Recovery from Karate training is not always easy, especially if there are bruises as well as sore muscles 🙄

Thanks for the advice, I'll probably wait another week or 2 before going back to Karate training....

Peka said:

Sooo, 3 x 3mins and get my breath back between each one? I don't have HRM so I'll be pacing myself on perceived effort, but I can handle that.

5 min - Easy Spin
5 min - Build Up
3 min - 1st Interval
3 min - Easy Spin
3 min - 2nd Interval
3 min - Easy Spin
3 min - 3rd Interval
5 min - Cool Down
Done.

Doctor Morbius said:

5 min - Easy Spin
5 min - Build Up
3 min - 1st Interval
3 min - Easy Spin
3 min - 2nd Interval
3 min - Easy Spin
3 min - 3rd Interval
5 min - Cool Down
Done.

OK, sounds pretty easy 😉 For the longer intervals you suggested do I have a longer easy spin between each interval (eg. 3 x 10, 10min interval followed by 10min easy spin) ?

Thanks again 😄

frenchyge said:

With that in mind, I think several short (.5-1hr), high-intensity rides a week will do fine to keep you in shape. Don't worry about base building since you won't be doing any longer rides in the forseeable future anyway.

This sounds very very much like the advice doled out by Dr. Michael Ross author of Maximum Performance for Cyclists. He eschews long "base building" (which apparently is the traditional training mentality) sessions in favor of HIT. Have you read it? It makes tons of sense. (At least to a newb like me.)

I'm taking a couple days off, I'm going to do my first performance/fitness test on Wednesday and will build a structured training plan from there.

I have mentioned before that I picked up a cycle ops indoor bike replete with a powertap, so I'm all geeked up about the prospect of actually quantifying my performance and analyzing data for the very first time in my fitness life...

SketchySmurf said:

This sounds very very much like the advice doled out by Dr. Michael Ross author of Maximum Performance for Cyclists. He eschews long "base building" (which apparently is the traditional training mentality) sessions in favor of HIT. Have you read it? It makes tons of sense. (At least to a newb like me.)

Haven't read it. I don't eschew long base building, and what I told the OP is that base building period should be the period where one gradually works up to the duration of the target ride/race of the year. For most amateur racers and club riders that consists of rides/races of about 2-3 hours in duration. With that in mind, I don't see a need for most people to ride several thousand base miles the way the stage racing pros traditionally have.

In your specific case, where you aren't planning to do anything longer than ~1hr HIT rides to keep in shape and maintain weight, I don't think there's really any need for a distinct base building period.

Peka said:

OK, sounds pretty easy 😉 For the longer intervals you suggested do I have a longer easy spin between each interval (eg. 3 x 10, 10min interval followed by 10min easy spin) ?

Thanks again 😄

Sorry, not so lucky as to get a 10 min rest period. 😉 The cool thing is though, you can mix and match these things up quite a bit. There's plenty of room for flexibility. If you need a 10 min rest between intervals you can take one. After all, you're just training for fitness and not racing right? Be creative.

3 x 10
10 min - Easy Spin
5 min - Build Up
10 min - 1st Interval
5 min - Easy Spin
10 min - 2nd Interval
5 min - Easy Spin
10 min - 3rd Interval
5 min - Cool Down
Done.

frenchyge said:

Haven't read it. I don't eschew long base building, and what I told the OP is that base building period should be the period where one gradually works up to the duration of the target ride/race of the year. For most amateur racers and club riders that consists of rides/races of about 2-3 hours in duration. With that in mind, I don't see a need for most people to ride several thousand base miles the way the stage racing pros traditionally have.

In your specific case, where you aren't planning to do anything longer than ~1hr HIT rides to keep in shape and maintain weight, I don't think there's really any need for a distinct base building period.

Agreed. If someone's not planning to enter road races then the need for base training is just as a precaution to prevent injury and acquaint the body to a new form of exercise. That's why it's a good idea for people to get in several workouts walking prior to running when embarking on a new fitness routine.

Doctor Morbius said:

Sorry, not so lucky as to get a 10 min rest period

Heh, I thought that was a bit much 🙄 Have done intervals for Karate before, though they were more like 1min flatout, then 10secs easy, repeat as often as told :eek: