Go with Joe?

[dain2772]

I want to get some more focus into my training and so I was thinking about Joe Friel's books.

My aim is to improve fitness for mtb enduro events (100km, 8hr, team 24hr maybe) and I am just a (very) average punter)

I figured that the mountain bike book would be better because it should be more relevant, but the one I found in the bookshop was last published in the year 2000. I would have thought that there would have been some improvements in thinking/knowledge about training in almost 10 years.

The Road/general one is on the 4th edition, most recently published this year, but obviously more relevant to road riding (which I do only for training, no racing)

So what do people recommend? Or is there another better book or online option, or personal training plan?

 

[cha_cha_]

I have friel's book (also dated 2000 but bought in the last 12 months). I think it serves a purpose but it really depends on who you are and where you're coming from. for me it made me look hard at how i was using my limited bike time, set goals for the year, periodize and train in certain ways to improve certain aspects of my riding.

In terms of actually making me a fitter and stronger rider, i did come on leaps and bounds in the ~6months or so that i followed a pretty strict friel-style program but at the same time i came on in leaps and bounds in the 6months after i stopped my program when i was just riding during the week and trying to squeeze in as many races as possible and doing maybe 150% of the average volume of my "friel" program.

in friel's book, the mtb specific stuff is kind of obvious but it's good to read a lot of the info from someone of authority. it is useful i guess.

if you are, as you say, an average punter then you would probably get a lot out of just maximising your riding time. i think the benefits of friel's sessions are probably much greater if you've already made the big advances you can get from just riding. i think the plans could just kind of get in the way if you don't have the background to use them properly - going out and doing an hour of hill repeats that leave you too sore/tired to ride for a few days is a waste if you could've just gone out for 3hrs a day 3 days in a row. That said, the idea of structuring your weeks, keeping a diary, working towards goals, mental race day stuff, etc is all very useful for maximising what you've got without necessarily focussing on gross fitness gains.

bottom line, it's worth getting because you'll definitely take something away from it, even if that's just structuring your weeks and working towards goals etc. You may not be able to do or properly use all the sessions (working from PE or HR can be awkward and i found in cases that they were irritating when i just wanted to go riding) but i say for $40 or whatever it costs you'll get enough to make it worthwhile

 

[spikenet]

hi, Chris Carmichael's new book might be worth a look. I've ordered it but am yet to receive it. It focuses on interval type training for those that dont have 10+ hrs a week to train.

I have friels books and while they are a wealth of information I initially found it pretty hard to put it into practical use. I'm inherently lazy so got a program from a coach to get me started. It was good having an understanding from the books to get the most from the program.

As mentioned, just getting out on the bike regularly is the first and most important step. The current school of thought is intervals rather then LSD rides give you the best "bang for buck" which is probably the downside of friels book as its written a number of years ago..

 

[bingobong]

I think Friel is very good if you ready to commit to a structured training plan for the first time. It is proven effective and gives you the base principles of periodization and other great information which will always be relevant. I followed Friel for 3 months after I did my first 100km race (which took over 8hrs) and made huge gains (low 6hrs the next year). I still continue to use the core principles to this day although I mix things up a bit depending on the race I am preparing for.

Other training plans like Carmichael, Sweet Spot Training and HIT are also great but I find they are a better when you already have a good base level of fitness or at least a race season under your belt. Some of the intensity work involved in these plans would have been very difficult for me to sustain (both mentally and physically) when I first started out.

 

[...jim]

+1 for Friel's book.

Buy today, start tomorrow.

There may have been some developments in the last half dozen years, but his book is not about cutting edge techniques - more a guide to how to train.

There's no magic bullet, but Friel makes it easy to understand what you need to do - and importantly, how to do it - to improve.

It's all about the doing. Waste another week looking for the right book with up-to-date guff, and that's a week you've lost...which starts to really count if you decide to train up properly.

Further, if you do start training with Friels, there's no reason to suggest you can't roll in other ideas. His methodology is not that hard and fast, and if you're bitten by the training bug (you do kinda have to be for it to work), you'll just find yourself absorbing, comparing and contrasting other ideas as a matter of course.

 

[el3ctrosurf]

First 2 years

It's great book and really good to understand the theory and principles of training. One of the things he regularly says in the book is that if you're in your first couple of years of riding (which I am) you just need to get out and ride as much as possible. Only then is it worth structuring a plan. You need a couple of years of riding for your body to adapt.
Well worth a read.