How much training volume should one have for enhancing cycling speed?

Question

How many hours per week would be appropriate for me to cycle to see improvements in speed?

Answer 1

Since genetics, their current fitness condition and training experience would be different for every athlete, there cannot be an optimal training volume for each athlete. It would also be unwise to claim that, “12 hours a week should be enough for a 4 W/kg FTP” . The overload is not known as shocks of stress, rather it is more how over a period of time, a number of these are applied. In practice, this probably means that the general advice would be, ‘try to improve on last week’s training load’, and that successive progressive overloads, which are weekly and bi-weekly, would take time of around thirty minutes to one hour. All these factors are going to be case specific for every individual.

Comments

Brian Holm said that cycling is a simple sport: the person who goes to bed the hungriest and spends the most hours on his bike is the one who will cross the finish line first. If you don't know who Brian Holm is, look him up.

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A good overview of training principles, but one very important factor (for amateurs) has been left out: Time! Intensity is less time consuming and should therefore often be favoured. Few people that can physically train 20-30 hours a week, will actually have the time to do so.

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Most people ride as much as they can fit in when it comes to volume. Progressive increases in volume is a luxury of time.

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One of the best training content I’ve seen. Excellent explanation. You answered a lot of my questions about balancing volume and intensity. Great job! Love the content.

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Interesting stuff.  As a straw poll I wonder what average volume people find works best for them?  Personally I tend to be around 7-9 hours per week as a leisure rider trying to perform at his best (around the cat 2 level) with limited time.  Interestingly those riders I know locally who are significantly stronger than me (firmly in the cat 1 bracket) tend to be at a similar volume.  I have seen my best ever form when I could stretch my volume a little to the 10 hour+ mark but that seems to come with the risk of falling ill or becoming fatigued so, even if I had the time, it probably isn't sustainable for long.  As you advocate, perhaps working at that volume earlier in the season before decreasing volume as intensity picks up would probably work best, life allowing.

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Training volume is like engine size: It can't be replaced with anything, except more of it. Intensity training is like the icing on a good volume base, similar to a turbocharger for an engine.

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Vo2max and vlamax rise fast at my Training even by doing just 10h per week. My ftp depends normally very strongly on lowering the Vlamax. So it happens that i have a higher ftp at under 15h with the right key sessions like (40/20)s, K3 and some lowcarb than at 25h doing 85/15 polarised LIT/HIT

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If you are not a pro and have a life then around 14 hours a week is enough. With the right genetics and intense intervals and hill training 2-3 times a week you will be competitive.