Clarke Boulter Cycling Coach

LOW-INTENSITY TRAINING IS THE LONG GAME.

The aerobic adaptations that support endurance, including more mitochondria and greater capillary density, are built and maintained through repeated training over time.

It’s a drip-feed process, which is why low-intensity riding should remain part of your training throughout the year, not just during a short “base” phase.

At the moment, all my training is low intensity because I’m not yet ready to train hard (coming back from injury). That obviously isn’t how I intend to train indefinitely, but there is an upside. I’m consistently rebuilding my aerobic base.

When I’m ready, higher-intensity work can be layered on top and those adaptations can develop relatively quickly. But they’ll work better because the aerobic foundation is already there.

Low intensity builds the foundation. Higher intensity builds on it.

Do you keep low-intensity riding in your training throughout the year?

Being back on the bike feels good, but it’s difficult not to compare every ride with what I could do before the accident.

The temptation is to push harder and try to get back there quickly. But right now, the goal is simply to rebuild consistently and avoid turning a few weeks of lost fitness into a much longer setback.

I know the fitness will return. I just need to give it time.

A productive training week isn’t just about doing the right rides. It’s also about placing them in the right order.

Three simple rules:

1. Avoid more than two consecutive days off.
2. Space hard rides evenly, never back-to-back.
3. Prioritise recovery. Adjust your training when fatigued.

Save these rules when planning your training.

If you’re still trying to figure out your training, stop waiting.

There will never be a perfect time when work, family and everything else suddenly disappear. Good training needs to fit around your life, not wait until life becomes easier.

And if months or years of experimenting haven’t produced the progress you want, simply giving it more time probably isn’t the answer.

My free Performance Review will show you what’s currently holding you back and the priority changes you should make.

Complete my free Performance Review through the link in my bio, or comment REVIEW and I’ll send it to you.

You don’t need to prove you can complete the distance before event day.

Long training rides still matter for developing durability and practising your pacing, fuelling and position on the bike. But repeatedly copying the full event distance can create fatigue that compromises the training that follows.

If you’re training for a genuinely long-distance event, your weekly long ride generally only needs to build up to around half the event distance.

Build your weekly volume consistently and progressively extend your long ride instead.

Comment EMAIL if you’d like my more detailed weekly cycling training emails.

Your FTP is useful, but it doesn’t tell you how fit you are.

VO₂ max, training load, aerobic efficiency and how you feel on the bike all add another piece to the picture. But every measurement has limitations when viewed alone.

Good training decisions come from looking at the evidence together and relating it to what you’re actually training for.

Which measurement do you rely on most?

At 65, Dave says he’s in better shape than he was in his 30s.

He hasn’t trained perfectly, but he has trained consistently. With the 3-2-1 Blueprint and weekly coaching feedback, that consistency has paid off.

If you’re training hard but aren’t sure you’re getting the results you should be, complete my free Performance Review through the link in my profile.

Most experienced cyclists already know about Zone 2, intervals and recovery.

The difficult part is knowing how much of each you need, how to fit it around your life and when to adjust it.

More information won’t solve that. Progress comes from making better decisions for your fitness, recovery and goals.

If you want greater clarity in your training, complete my free Performance Review.