Follow-up: Jonas' 6 week training plan and his success

My experience with a personal training plan from KOM*Sport was definitely mixed due to no other reason, but myself. The plan required I spend 10 hours a week on my bike and in the first training block everything worked out great.

With the results of my first performance diagnostic, I was able to train very efficiently. Especially on the weekends, during the long endurance intervals, I noticed how important my power meter was as a training tool. 3.5 hours on the bike riding steadily without a substantial breakfast or some sort of energy in between can get real boring real fast. However, as long I stuck to the predetermined watts, the animal like hunger you get when waiting in a long line at the bakery was staved until I reach my front door. Even the interval training sessions on my trainer during the week worked out pretty well. Although, I like the endurance intervals much better than the sprints. For some reason, on a trainer, I don’t like sprinting (personal preference). That is how the first training block went and I never shortened or let a session go.

But something always comes up. After spending a weekend riding with the Maloja Pushbikers in the Bavarian forest, I got a cold that kept me off the bike for a week. When I started training again, my legs were toast and one thing led to another. I was leaving the office later and later, the sun was setting earlier and earlier and without a race to motivate me, everything began to fall into winter hibernation. I have to admit, I started shortening and forgetting about my training sessions. This isn’t to say I didn’t do anything. I was still getting on the bike, just not as often as my training plan required.

In this condition, I headed to Cologne for my second performance diagnostic hoping that my discipline in the first training block would carry me to Benny’s watt prediction. In reality, I never got rid of that cold and I noticed, as soon as I hit the 260 watt level, that I wouldn’t meet the 380 watt goal.

My pulse was 10 beats to high, even though I only had a small coffee for breakfast, and my legs hurt like hell. All I could think of was increasing my max. watts when compared to my first test. And that I did! Last time, I hit 340 watts and this time I made it to 340 watts +X. The X stands for one minute, which converted, equals 350 watts. The fact that I reached this new level means that there was really nothing left in me.

After regaining my strength, it was time to look at the other results which I was already sceptical of, due to my minimal improvement on the Ergometer. However, Sebastian and Freddy of KOM*Sport were sure that my training had done something. My lactic acid curve changed significantly when compared to my first diagnostic results. In the first interval, my lactic acid levels sank, which means my body was better at breaking it down. It also showed that my body was not pulling energy from lactate based carbohydrates. This was definitely an improvement.

At the 180 watt level, my lactic acid was noticeably lower than a few weeks ago. In Sebastian’s words, “Before, you maxed out in the tempo interval and now you can recover here.” He also mentioned that I was on the right path. As long as I stay disciplined and stick to the training plan, 2017 is going to be a great season.

Of course, I feel good. I improved and I am happy with that. I also know that without a power meter or performance diagnostics, I would have never been able to train as effectively as I did. The endurance intervals were especially gruelling and I always rode them a little too fast, but the power meter kept me in check.

I recommend to anyone who wants to effectively improve their training that they should buy a power meter and get performance diagnostics done. In my experience, they both will help you improve more than the latest aero wheels, latex tubes, or lightweight handlebars.