Monitoring Your Progress
N.B. The following is intended as guidance only and should be treated
as such. Any actions you take are entirely at your own risk.
Why Monitor My Progress?
You should now have begun your base training phase as discussed in the previous article. As with any training program it should be progressive. Allowing your body to adapt to the demands you place on it will only be successful if you do so over a period of time. To ascertain whether your training is working, its a good idea to monitor your progress using a simple 'benchmark' test. The gains you make through your base training may be small but you should see a continual improvement. Non-improvement is an indicator you may be fatigued and training too hard, or you may not be training hard enough.
The Benchmark Test
This test is a simple test which can be carried out every month or so. I suggest you do it on a Turbo Trainer as it is easier to re-create the same conditions eveytime to get a comparable result. It can be done in one of two ways. 1) Using a static heart rate or 2) using a fixed distance. Either way you should see an improvement everytime you do the test.
Using a Static Heart Rate
Warm up on the turbo for 10-15mins
For this test you must use the same HR each time you do the test. Somewhere mid/upper level 2 is a good mark.
Pedal at this heart rate for a fixed time, say 20mins.
When finished make a note of the distance you covered.
Each time you do the test, you should see an increase in the distance.
Using a Fixed Distance
Warm up on the turbo for 10-15mins
For this test you must use the same distance each time you do the test. 5 miles or 10km is a good distance to use.
Pedal at a set cadence, say 95rpm, for the distance you have chosen.
When finished take a note of your average HR.
Each time you do the test, you should see your Avg HR come down.
Seeing Improvement
Its important to do a benchmark test periodically to satisfy yourself you are progressing with your training and that your training remains effective. Lack of progression indicates problems and you should look back since your last test and work out what the problem is. A common problem is to see no progression due to over-training and fatigue and then training even harder which puts a rider on a downward spiral. Listen to your body. If you are tired, back off, if you have lost motivation, take a break. Rest should be treated as an important part of your training as any other so make sure you get plenty of it!
Why Monitor My Progress?
You should now have begun your base training phase as discussed in the previous article. As with any training program it should be progressive. Allowing your body to adapt to the demands you place on it will only be successful if you do so over a period of time. To ascertain whether your training is working, its a good idea to monitor your progress using a simple 'benchmark' test. The gains you make through your base training may be small but you should see a continual improvement. Non-improvement is an indicator you may be fatigued and training too hard, or you may not be training hard enough.
The Benchmark Test
This test is a simple test which can be carried out every month or so. I suggest you do it on a Turbo Trainer as it is easier to re-create the same conditions eveytime to get a comparable result. It can be done in one of two ways. 1) Using a static heart rate or 2) using a fixed distance. Either way you should see an improvement everytime you do the test.
Using a Static Heart Rate
Warm up on the turbo for 10-15mins
For this test you must use the same HR each time you do the test. Somewhere mid/upper level 2 is a good mark.
Pedal at this heart rate for a fixed time, say 20mins.
When finished make a note of the distance you covered.
Each time you do the test, you should see an increase in the distance.
Using a Fixed Distance
Warm up on the turbo for 10-15mins
For this test you must use the same distance each time you do the test. 5 miles or 10km is a good distance to use.
Pedal at a set cadence, say 95rpm, for the distance you have chosen.
When finished take a note of your average HR.
Each time you do the test, you should see your Avg HR come down.
Seeing Improvement
Its important to do a benchmark test periodically to satisfy yourself you are progressing with your training and that your training remains effective. Lack of progression indicates problems and you should look back since your last test and work out what the problem is. A common problem is to see no progression due to over-training and fatigue and then training even harder which puts a rider on a downward spiral. Listen to your body. If you are tired, back off, if you have lost motivation, take a break. Rest should be treated as an important part of your training as any other so make sure you get plenty of it!
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