Cycling Training Tips for Busy Workers

We all lead busy lives, and after hours in the office, spending time with the family, socialising, sleeping and eating, it feels like most of our time is gone. Despite being time reduced, many of us specialized road bikes still want to make improvements in fitness and perform better when on the bike. Seeking advice on how best to use limited free time effectively and efficiently, we spoke with Ben Hammond, an ex-triathlete, pro coach and now sports scientist at Today’s Plan, – an Australian training and analytics software platform used by the likes of WorldTour squad Team Ineos.

If you have a Gran Fondo or marathon mountain bike event on the horizon, or simply want to know how to get the most out of your limited training time, read on.

1. Anything is better than nothing.
If you could take home just one thing from this piece, it’s that anything is better than nothing, as Ben says, “you can still go and hurt yourself in 45 minutes”.

Regardless of the time frame, you’re working with, it is still possible to get load into your legs, even with a workout as short as 20 minutes. And if you have a power meter, heart rate monitor or a smart trainer, these short, specific workouts can be extremely targeted and equivalent to hours of riding on the road.

In addition to being time-poor, if something comes up that affects the amount of time you have for a session, don’t write-off the whole session, make the most of the time you have. For example, if you had a two-hour session planned but due to commitments (family, work, etc…), you now only have time for a 30-minute workout, it can still be productive and provide you with some gains. Ben suggests even something as simple as a short stretching or foam roller session can have positive outcomes. For those wanting to get fit and lacking the ability to get outdoors for a ride, investing in a smart trainer is a great alternative. Not only do indoor trainers provide

2. Make sure every session has a purpose
You might only have a small window to train, but as long as your training has a purpose, it can be useful. Whether you’re aiming to get stronger, faster or develop your skills, make sure the session you are about to perform is structured and will achieve your goal. There’s no point going out for a ride, hoping that it will work and your fitness will improve. Instead, know exactly what you are doing, where you are going to do it, and the precise details of your workout before you start.

3. Set some goals and make them SMART
Setting goals is the best way to keep you on track and ensure your training has a purpose and structure. When setting any kind of goal, five criteria need to be met, and conveniently, they spell out SMART so you’ll never forget them.

They are;

Specific: Make sure your goal is specific. The more accurate it is, the easier it is to plan for and the easier it will be in the future to know if you’ve succeeded. Here’s an example of a non-specific goal; ‘ I want to be a better rider’. How can you quantify what ‘better’ means? Does it mean faster? Better technique? Producing more power? There’s no way of knowing if you are a ‘better’ rider. Compare that to a specific goal; ‘ I want to ride the X Gran Fondo in under four hours’. In this example, it’s clear what achieving the goal looks like, completion of the specific event in under four hours.

Measurable: You need to be able to quantify your goal. Instead of saying, ‘I want to ride a lot this month’, make the outcome something you can measure, ‘ my goal is to ride 500km in August.