How much intensity should I do over the winter?

Racing and fast group rides are coming to a close as the weather gets colder across Canada. For many of us, that means trainer rides, group rides on the weekend, or others may hit the velodrome in their area, if they are so lucky. When it’s cold out, intensity can be a challenge, which makes indoor trainers a nice choice. But the question is, how much should you do?

How much intensity per week?

Coach Peter Glassford of Consummate Athlete says that your results may vary, but a good guideline is that 1-2 intense rides per week is plenty, meaning all other riding is endurance-paced (zone 2 / under aerobic threshold). “During the winter or ‘general preparation phase,’ there is often a switch to lower intensity zones, spending more time doing endurance and tempo until the season is approaching and training becomes more specific,” he said.

What are the cycling training zones?

Times have changed when it comes to training, and Glassford’s opinion is that the older approach of doing only long, slow distance for months is outdated and not as applicable to time-limited adult cyclists.

Avoiding burning out

“However, there is also some wisdom in that general idea. We can include some intensity through the winter without burning out or jeopardizing the ‘height’ of our peak fitness,” he said. “The usual guideline is one to two intense days per week, which includes rides with effort over zone 2 / endurance.”

For serious racers, it’s a little different.

“With the ultra-racers I work with, we will do a bit higher intensity since so much of the specific build to their race is long riding. This wouldn’t mean more intensity, just that they might do harder intervals in winter than XC MTB riders do in the summer,” he said.

Canada’s winters are good for training, actually

One of the benefits of living in a country where it can get cold from coast to coast—some colder than others—is that it provides forced variation, he said.

“Embrace the seasons by cross-training and strength training, along with some trainer riding. Do not make the mistake of thinking intensity and volume are the only two things to manipulate in training,” he said. “Things like workout frequency, cadence drills, rollers, and actually riding a bike vs. a stable/upright trainer (track, far bike, indoor bike park, and riding outdoors on weekends!)”

On the trainer

Glassford also says to consider what type of training works well given where you are.

“The trainer is a great way to get steady riding (endurance and moderate intervals like tempo or sweet spot) that many masters miss once outside,” he said. “Yes, we can do intensity or Zwift, but for many people, the benefits of steady aerobic riding are pretty profound if they can dedicate a few months to it.”

Ask a pro: Derek Gee on warming up for time trials, and Zwift races

If you’re into doing online races, be sure to measure your efforts.

“I would be cautious with more than 2 per week (including intensity workouts) and be careful that the Zwifting is training rather than racing philosophically, if not practically,” he said. “Done right, Zwift races could replace interval sessions. You can choose different ability/speed rides to get the appropriate load in (approximately). It is important to count these as intense days. Many a rider burns out by adding virtual races to an already intense training plan.”

The added pressures of total races in a year

The number of race days in a year is something Glassford is hesitant about. This is a concern, especially if the athlete is really nervous or goes deep or has a lot of pressure to perform (yYou know, their parents or spouse are standing beside them, live-streaming on Instagram. “If the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of the ride is quite high (say 10/10) and a lot of ego is wrapped up in it, I would want to know more about the goals of the next year or two and whether e-racing is the goal.”

For those lucky enough to have an indoor velodrome, like in Burnaby, B.C., Ontario, or Bromont, Que. (and soon, Edmonton), track racing and training give people a great opportunity when it’s cold out. But that also means the winter is chock-full of racing

“For most track racers, that is a competitive season just like mountain or road bike season, so if that’s the goal, then this is different from ‘off-season’ training,” he said. “The main strategy would be to be clear about that being a competitive season and plan time to recover between other seasons, and ideally, put in a few base ‘accumulation’ phases between seasons to avoid racing year-round and not having time to train or rest.”