[Clark]

I have a question for people is 2 short workouts just aseffective as 1 long work in the same time? I trying to increase my riding time to be comfortable at raceing 40 miles but I short on time at night to ride 40 miles but I can get in a hour at lunch and an hour after work.

 

[shawndoggy]

I have a question for people is 2 short workouts just aseffective as 1 long work in the same time? I trying to increase my riding time to be comfortable at raceing 40 miles but I short on time at night to ride 40 miles but I can get in a hour at lunch and an hour after work.

Not quite as good (because you have the recovery inbetween), but much better than nothing too.

 

[Kerry Irons]

Warm-up and cool-down

I have a question for people is 2 short workouts just aseffective as 1 long work in the same time? I trying to increase my riding time to be comfortable at raceing 40 miles but I short on time at night to ride 40 miles but I can get in a hour at lunch and an hour after work.

Not quite as good because you have to allocate a bit of time to properly warm up and cool down. That time is not completely wasted, but it does mean less time in the training zones. Of course, if you're not doing a real structured program then the importance is diminished.

 

[Spunout]

Use your short workouts for intensity work. If doing 2 workouts, do the hardest one first.

On the days you have a lot of time, use these for your endurance work.

 

[Mark McM]

I have a question for people is 2 short workouts just aseffective as 1 long work in the same time? I trying to increase my riding time to be comfortable at raceing 40 miles but I short on time at night to ride 40 miles but I can get in a hour at lunch and an hour after work.

It sounds like there are really two questions here: Can you break workouts down into two sessions in a day; and how to build indurance for a 40 mile race. Spunout gave good advice about using the short workouts for intensity and the do endurance when you have more time. But it sounds like you are thinking that in order to train for a 40 mile race, all your rides have to be 40 miles. Fortunately for you, this isn't the case. You can build your endurance base with only one long ride a week, so do this when you have more time (like on the weekends). The other workouts should be shorter, high intensity training. I think you'll find that if you combine the two - one long ride per week, but several shorter, higher intensity rides - that you'll actually be stronger both during and at the end of the longer rides.

(In contrast to shawndoggy, I think that sometimes two shorter workouts can be better than one longer workout, if you are doing very high intensity intervals. The small recovery between the workouts lets you do the second set stronger than you might if you strung them all together - of course, after the double set of workouts, you need to schedule enough recovery time to rebuild. But this double workout regimen is only better for very high intensity work - for training endurance, you have to do one long continuous workout.)

 

[shawndoggy]

(In contrast to shawndoggy, I think that sometimes two shorter workouts can be better than one longer workout, if you are doing very high intensity intervals. The small recovery between the workouts lets you do the second set stronger than you might if you strung them all together - of course, after the double set of workouts, you need to schedule enough recovery time to rebuild. But this double workout regimen is only better for very high intensity work - for training endurance, you have to do one long continuous workout.)

Totally true... and still in line with my thinking. Depends on your philosophy re intervals and the particular weakness you are trying to train, but I find the most "value" for intensity intervals at the vo2max stage occurs with a shorter recovery period between them (just like in a race). While I may be able to hit higher numbers with more rest, more rest is the least available thing at race pace. Or, practically speaking, when do you get to say to the group "hey guys, if we sit up for the next ten miles or so, I'll really be able to throw down a nice set of attacks"? It's more likely that the race winning attack isn't the strongest... but it comes from the guy who can still attack when everyone else is gassed (i.e. has not yet recovered). So that's what I meant by "too much recovery".

But if you are doing all out anarobic capacity stuff, then sure, I guess more rest won't hurt.

 

[Spunout]

but I find the most "value" for intensity intervals at the vo2max stage occurs with a shorter recovery period between them (just like in a race). While I may be able to hit higher numbers with more rest, .

Good point. Other coaches only make athletes do intensity when they're fully recovered so that they can make the big numbers (training with power).

Me, you, Lemond and a few others compound the intensity so that the interval occurs while still under stress. I also do a second daily workout while under stress, and a second day of intervals to complete the package. Third day is your long easy day, and you're going to need it!