Can You Get Fit Cramming All Of Your Riding Into The Weekend?

Can You Get Fit Cramming All Of Your Riding Into The Weekend?

Is a large weekend workout session as effective as breaking it up over the course of the week? According to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine earlier this year, exercising merely once or twice per week appears to be sufficient to dramatically lower all-cause mortality risk. We spoke with some instructors in an effort to provide an answer to this topic, but we stress that additional research is required, particularly with regard to cycling.

Since many of us have obligations that prevent us from riding during the week, especially during the short winter days and unfavorable weather, let's explore whether weekend training sessions can be sufficient to maintain fitness and how this would appear while riding a bike to full potential.

What does the research say?

Association of the "Weekend Warrior" and Other Leisure-time Physical Activity Patterns With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality" is the title of the JAMA Internal Medicine journal study that examines how to spread exercise out across a week.

This study, along with one published by the BBC, found that people who engage in active physical activity—whether they are "weekend warriors" or habitually active—have lower death rates than inactive people. That isn't shocking at all, is it?

Whether the sessions are spread out over the course of the week or are concentrated into fewer days, getting the recommended amount of physical exercise (150 minutes per week) may have the same positive effects. According to the British Heart Foundation, "the most important factor is that physical activity is undertaken in the first place."

These publications examine death rates with insufficient exercise, and we recognize that there is a significant difference between this and riding a bike to the very best of your ability. Can the same ideas, nevertheless, be explicitly applied to cycling training?

If you fit all of your ridings into the weekend, can you stay in shape? That is the question we asked some coaches.

How far can riders advance if they just ride on weekends?

Some of us can only ride our bikes on the weekends due to family and work responsibilities, restricted daylight hours during the UK winter, and other factors. What sort of level can you anticipate reaching if you just ride on weekends?

Dr. Paddy Harrison, a cycling instructor, and researcher at Loughborough University, adds, "Cycling exclusively on the weekends can nevertheless help cyclists improve their fitness. To advance further, though, there might come a moment where more rides during the week are required."

According to Dan Coombe of Raceline Coaching, "consistency is incredibly crucial for athletic performance." He believes that riding on the weekends has more mental than physical benefits because it allows you to enjoy your bike alone without the kids for a short period of time.

You can get healthy by riding on the weekends, according to Henry Latimer, Head Coach at 2020cycling.cc, but you need consider whether you're getting the most out of your riding within this window of time.

All coaches believe that additional rides throughout the week may be needed to push your fitness higher, especially if you're looking for a challenge. Harrison says it depends on the person whether or not you'll continue to make improvement solely riding on the weekends.

Overall, riding on the weekends seems to be sufficient for maintaining a basic level of fitness, but if you want to ride your bike at your best, spacing out your workouts over the week would be more helpful.

Many cyclists prefer long Sunday rides, but for fitness gains, both training intensity and duration are crucial. The idea is to include a variety of lengths and intensities, so how should your weekend be organized?

Harrison advises alternating between a shorter, high-intensity ride (1-2 hours) on Saturday and a longer, low-intensity ride on Sunday to prevent overexerting yourself on both days and building up a lot of weariness (2-4 hours).

Weekend rides can be done outside, but the turbo is a terrific way to include high-intensity sessions indoors. Make sure you have some of the best bike lightings (check out our guide to the best turbo trainers).

According to Harrison, Zwift has a wide selection of organized exercises, which eliminates a lot of the guesswork involved in creating interval sessions.

How to get started with Zwift 

According to Coombe, the most crucial factor in cycling is enjoyment, and choosing routes with varied terrain will automatically push you into various zones.

He proposes finishing split sessions on Saturday, with a morning concentrate on tempo/Z3 and an evening high-intensity session, for more structure and for individuals with that inherent desire to do better.

How to maximize your cycling fitness improvements with training zones

Sunday then aims for 3–4 hours of endurance with the potential of adding tempo and repeated sprints in the final kilometers.

How to maximize your indoor training sessions for cycling fitness

Latimer agrees with Coombe that if you're limited to weekend rides, your rides must challenge and thrill you. He advises participating in neighborhood group rides because they might be a great way to help you push yourself further than usual. Additionally, they hold you responsible, which increases your likelihood of leaving even as the weather worsens!

Overall, including both an endurance ride and some high-intensity exercise to ensure that you are getting the most out of your weekend riding.

How long would it take to ride for five or six hours per week?

Coaches concur that merely riding on weekends will help you progress to a point, but that additional session during the week is necessary to advance. According to Coombe, biking for a total of 5 to 6 hours spaced out over the week has greater advantages than doing the same thing on the weekend.

If you can stretch out your riding time over four days rather than just two, Latimer claims that you can "put more organization into your riding and target your training."

How to maximize the time you have for training

Below are two excellent training situations for cycling throughout the week for those of you who can squeeze in those extra sessions.

Coombe's training week (total 5-6.5 hours): 

• Monday - Day off
• Tuesday - Tempo session (45 mins - 1 hour)
• Wednesday - High-intensity session (45 mins - 1 hour)
• Thursday - Day off 
• Friday - General endurance/tempo (1 hour)
• Saturday - High intensity (1.5 - 2 hours)
• Sunday - Mixed session (1 - 1.5 hours)

Latimer's training week (total 4.5+ hours):

• Monday - Day off
• Tuesday - High-intensity interval workout (45 mins)
• Wednesday - Day off
• Thursday - Low-intensity technical session e.g., high cadence drills (45 mins)
• Friday - Day off
• Saturday - Hard group ride (2+ hours)
• Sunday - Steady endurance ride (1+ hours)

A more consistent training stimulus and the potential to advance your training from week to week, according to Latimer, can "quite quickly boost your fitness" if you switch from weekend-only riding to a scheduled week.

So, can you just ride at weekends? 

Of course! Weekend cycling is fantastic for recreational cycling, but if you want to increase your fitness, compete in local events, or finish longer sportives, you might need to add more weekday rides.

Harrison advises completing a Zwift testing routine (such as an FTP test) and then re-testing every 4 to 8 weeks to determine whether you are still improving your fitness by riding on the weekends. If you're having trouble improving, consider adding a second ride during the week or making the most of your weekend rides.