Training with limited time is an issue faced by the majority of amateur cyclists. There are only so many hours in the day and we have other primary responsibilities to take care of (Family, Job,Prior Commitments, etc). So, how does one train effectively with less than 10 hours per week?
First, you need to create a balance. Start with clear, specific and measurable goals. "Getting Faster" is not a clear goal. "Improve Functional Threshold Power (FTP) by 15% by March 1st", is a great goal. It's to the point, is specific and measurable by the date and testing. Secondly, let your family and circle in on your goals. Explain to your significant other that, Race X is very important to you. Bring them onboard and discuss with them the importance of your goals and the steps you are taking to achieve them.
Secondly, you need to optimize your time. Plan ahead for your rides. Have your water bottles filled and waiting for you in the fridge. Have the tires pumped and the bike lubed and ready to go. Have you kit and shoes ready. You'd be amazed at how much time can add up when you are searching for your shoes, pumping up tires and filling waterbottles. Truly limited on time, use the trainer. You can get out an effective workout in a shorter amount of time as your are forced to pedal for the entirety
Have a plan of action and a purpose to your training. If you are using a power meter or heart rate monitor you should have established your training zones using a monthly test. It's important to know your training zones and how they and what they affect during your training. Listed below are the Coggan Training Zones
Once you have your training zones established, know what you are training for. If your goal requires you to be a top climber, there is no sense in going out and training at time trial efforts. Go out and bury yourself on the climbs. Once you have the prerequisites down that your goal requires, train them! There should be no easy days. If you are limited on time, take a day off and bank that hour that you were going to use for recovery and add it to one of your training days. On the weekend it is much more effective to do one "big day" (4-6 hours) rather than to split up the days. So if you are forced to do chores on Saturday, don't fret about not being able to train. Get out and do a big day on Sunday.
Unsure of what you should be doing in training, head for the "Sweet Spot". Spending time at Upper Zone 3/Lower Zone 4 is one of the most effective ways of increasing your FTP. Sweet Spot is similar to tempo training, but these workouts should put you right on your limit. You should be riding almost to the point of exhaustion, hammering along and having to down a red bull to make the last hour home.
For mountain bikers, keeping the skill levels sharp is important also, so spend at least half of your time off-road working on your technique. Use the road bike to do specific workouts, especially FTP workouts.
An effective training plan can be written and goals can be achieved even for time stressed cyclists.
