If you’re looking for a cycling training plan for beginners, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re a fresh-faced newbie just getting into the world of cycling or someone transitioning from another sport, cycling can be a fantastic way to enhance fitness, improve health, and add an element of adventure to your routine.
In this comprehensive post, we’ll delve into everything you need to know to get started with cycling. We’ll help you understand essential cycling terminology, explain the benefits of a structured cycling plan, and provide the resources you need to embark on your cycling journey safely, efficiently, and joyfully. With this guide in hand, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle your cycling training with confidence.
What Do You Need to Start Cycling?
Just a bike, some gear, and enthusiasm! But don’t worry if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed—our comprehensive beginner’s guide is packed with tips to get you started.
Now, once you’ve gotten your bearings and you’re ready to take your cycling to the next level, that’s where a structured training plan comes into play.
What are the Benefits of a Cycling Training Plan for Beginners?
There are countless benefits of having a cycling plan. For beginners, it’s a roadmap to improvement. It creates structure, promotes consistency, and ensures you’re gradually increasing your intensity and distance in a safe, effective way.
With a plan, you can avoid overtraining, reduce the risk of injury, and steadily build your strength, endurance, and speed. Plus, it’s a great motivation tool, giving you clear goals to strive for.
Who should use this cycling training plan for beginners?
This plan is ideal for relatively new cyclists looking to introduce some structure into their workouts. If you’ve been cycling casually and you’re now eager to step it up a notch, this plan is for you.
What will I Achieve with this cycling training plan for beginners?
The objective of our cycling training plan for beginners is mainly to help new cyclists improve. By following this plan diligently, you’ll gradually improve your cycling abilities. Many cyclists find they can cycle non-stop for 3 hours at the end of the training schedule! Imagine the sense of achievement and the scenic routes you’ll be able to tackle.
Cycling Plan Introduction
Before we get into the plan itself, it’s essential to understand the terminology that you’ll see in the upcoming sections. In the world of cycling, there are some specific phrases that we’ll be using to help guide you through your training.
Intervals refer to periods of high-intensity effort interspersed with periods of lower-intensity recovery. They’re a fantastic way to increase your fitness, boost your speed, and break up the monotony of steady-state cycling. To fully comprehend the power of interval training, check out our comprehensive guide that breaks it down.
Zone 2 cycling refers to an intensity level where you’re working at a comfortable pace. It’s a crucial part of training that allows you to develop your aerobic system, enhancing your body’s ability to use fat as a fuel source and increasing your endurance. You can delve deeper into the magic of zone 2 cycling in our detailed post here.
In our cycling training plan for beginners, when you see durations such as “60 mins zone 2 cycle,” these represent the amount of time you should spend cycling in either zone 2 or zone 3. The choice between zone 2 or 3 will depend on how you feel on the day, your overall fitness level, and your specific training goals.
Training Plan with 5 Hours Training per Week
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Rest | 30 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 30 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 60 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 2 | Rest | 45 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 45 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 75 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 3 | Rest | 45 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 45 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 90 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 4 | Rest | 60 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 60 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 105 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 5 | Rest | 60 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 60 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 120 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 6 | Rest | 75 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 75 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 135 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 7 | Rest | 75 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 75 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 150 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 8 | Rest | 90 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 90 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 165 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 9 | Rest | 90 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 90 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 180 mins cycle | Rest |
| Week 10 | Rest | Rest | Rest | Rest | Rest | 3 hours cycle | Rest |
Training Plan with 8 Hours Training per Week
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Rest | 60 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 60 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 120 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 2 | Rest | 75 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 75 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 135 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 3 | Rest | 75 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 75 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 150 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 4 | Rest | 90 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 90 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 165 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 5 | Rest | 90 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 90 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 180 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 6 | Rest | 105 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 105 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 195 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 7 | Rest | 105 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 105 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 210 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 8 | Rest | 120 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 120 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 225 mins cycle with intervals | Rest |
| Week 9 | Rest | 120 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 120 mins zone 2 cycle | Rest | 240 mins cycle | Rest |
| Week 10 | Rest | 2 hours zone 2 cycle | Rest | Rest | Rest | 3 hours cycle | Rest |
Nutrition for Cycling Training
If you want to make the most of your cycling training plan, you can’t overlook nutrition. Cycling, like any endurance sport, requires a balanced diet. A mix of carbohydrates for energy, protein for muscle repair and recovery, and healthy fats for satiety are crucial. You can read our guide on cycling nutrition here.
Additionally, proper hydration cannot be overstated. Always have a bottle of water with you on your rides. In the course of an intense workout, electrolyte drinks can be beneficial to replace lost salts and minerals.
Importance of Rest and Recovery
One common mistake beginners make when they start a cycling training plan is neglecting rest and recovery. Your body gets stronger not when you’re working out, but during your rest periods. This is when it repairs and strengthens itself between workouts.
The scheduled rest days in your cycling plan are just as important as the workout days. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, and consider integrating active recovery activities, such as gentle yoga or walking, into your rest days.
Cycling Training Plan for Beginners: Avoid Injury
Listen to Your Body
As beginners, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new training regimen and push through aches and pains, thinking it’s part of the process. While it’s natural to experience some discomfort as your body adapts to new physical demands, it’s crucial to distinguish between normal muscle soreness and pain signaling a potential injury.
Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something isn’t quite right. Ignoring it or training through it can lead to serious injury. In contrast, paying attention to these signals and taking appropriate action can prevent a minor issue from becoming a major setback.
Understanding Overuse Injuries
In the world of cycling, as with any other endurance sport, overuse injuries are a common concern. These injuries occur when repetitive strain is placed on a specific body part, leading to a breakdown over time. In cycling, overuse injuries often affect the knees, lower back, and the neck.
Overuse injuries often creep up slowly, starting as minor discomfort that gradually worsens. For this reason, they can be easy to overlook in the early stages. Regularly assessing how your body is feeling during and after your cycling sessions can help identify these issues before they progress into more serious injuries.
It’s Okay to Take a Break
Sticking to a training plan provides structure and ensures you’re progressively challenging yourself, which is key to improving your cycling ability. However, it’s equally important to understand that this cycling training plan for beginners is not set in stone. The principle of flexibility is key in injury prevention.
If you’re feeling unusually fatigued, experiencing pain during or after cycling, or simply not feeling up to it mentally, it’s perfectly okay to take a break. Skipping a day or two of training to rest, recover, and prevent potential injury is far better than pushing through and risking a setback that could put you out of action for weeks.
Injury Prevention Is Key
Here are a few tips to help you avoid injuries:
- Maintain a proper bike fit: Make sure your bike is the right size and adjusted correctly for you. A bike that’s too big or too small can put extra stress on your body.
- Warm up before your ride: Start with a slower, easier ride before you ramp up the intensity.
- Incorporate strength training: This can help improve overall body strength and resilience.
- Cool down after your ride: This helps to gradually lower your heart rate and reduces muscle stiffness.
Cycling Training Plan for Beginners: Key Takeaways
- Getting into cycling requires just a bike, some gear, and enthusiasm. Refer to the comprehensive beginner’s guide for tips to get started.
- A structured training plan promotes consistency and ensures gradual, safe increase in intensity and distance. This prevents overtraining and reduces the risk of injury.
- The training plan is ideal for new cyclists looking to introduce some structure into their workouts, and for those looking to improve their cycling abilities.
- Cycling terminologies like “intervals” and “zone 2 cycling” are important to understand in the training plan.
- Training plans with 5 hours and 8 hours of training per week have been provided. Both plans gradually increase the intensity and duration of cycling over a period of 10 weeks.
- By the end of the training schedule, you should be able to cycle non-stop for 3 hours.
- Proper nutrition and hydration play an important role in making the most of your cycling training. A balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, along with sufficient water intake, is crucial.
- Rest and recovery are just as important as the workout days. Your body strengthens itself during rest periods. Hence, scheduled rest days and sufficient sleep are essential.
- Active recovery activities, such as gentle yoga or walking, can be beneficial.
- It’s important to listen to your body to avoid injuries. Distinguish between normal muscle soreness and pain signaling a potential injury. Pain should not be ignored as it could indicate a problem.
YouTube channels that we recommend
- GCN – The Global Cycling Network GCN is an online video channel that focuses on everything related to cycling. It offers bike reviews, tutorials, race coverage, and other features. It’s a comprehensive resource for cyclists, providing expert advice, workouts, maintenance tips, and much more. The channel aims to celebrate the beauty of cycling and its culture.
- The Running Channel The Running Channel is dedicated to runners of all levels, from beginners to seasoned marathoners. The channel provides running tips, training advice, reviews of running gear, and inspiration from real-life runners’ stories. It also includes coverage of professional running events. The Running Channel seeks to foster a community of runners who can share their experiences and learn from each other.
- Breathe and Flow Breathe and Flow is a yoga and lifestyle channel, with a strong focus on mindfulness and wellness. The channel features yoga tutorials, guided meditations, lifestyle vlogs, and wellness tips. Their content encourages viewers to incorporate mindfulness and movement into their everyday lives for overall health and wellbeing. Breathe and Flow brings yoga to the comfort of your home, suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.
