Many athletes enjoy multiple sports, and they can conflict and compete for our time and energy.  Recognizing and categorizing all the workouts will help you prioritize and organize them.

Athletes utilize two main energy systems, and balancing these can significantly impact endurance, strength, and resilience. The two systems include:

Lipolysis (Fat-Burning): This system, primarily aerobic, relies on fat as an energy source, supporting endurance and sustained, lower-intensity activity. Lipolysis-based workouts are crucial for building an aerobic base, supporting cardiovascular health, and increasing stamina over time. In the off-season, training should focus more on lipolysis to develop a strong endurance foundation that supports high-intensity training later in the season.

Glycolysis (Glycogen-Burning): Glycolytic workouts are higher in intensity and anaerobic, relying on glycogen stores for quick energy. These workouts are more challenging and are introduced closer to the competitive season, typically in the 6-8 weeks before. High-intensity activities like interval training, sprinting, and sports competition fall under this category. Glycolysis training is necessary for building speed, power, and anaerobic capacity but should be balanced with adequate recovery to avoid overtraining and injury.

Managing Busy Training Schedules

Many athletes, particularly those in multiple sports, may have 7-10 training sessions scheduled weekly. To manage this volume while protecting rest, here are some strategies:

• Double Sessions: Scheduling two workouts in a day can free up rest days. For instance, a high-intensity workout in the morning can be followed by an endurance session in the evening, allowing for active recovery.
• Prioritize High-Intensity First: Perform glycolysis workouts when energy levels are highest, typically at the start of the day or week.
• Integrate Strength Training: Strength training sessions should be scheduled before endurance activities to ensure maximal effort.
• As important as quality workouts is quality rest: Rest should take as much precedence to schedule as workouts themselves. Minimum 1 day per week that includes no workouts and at least 8 hours sleep.

Glycolysis Workouts

These would be described as fast workouts that involve intervals, breathing hard, race pace or above race pace efforts.  These kinds of efforts require recovery between short intervals (15 sec. to 10+ min.) or are competitive in nature like a group ride.

Keep to a maximum 3-4 of glycolysis workouts/week. For masters athletes, this should be kept to 1-3.

• Track sessions running (any repeats of 100, 200, 400 or 800m)
• Most runs outdoors unless they are embarrassingly slow
• Swim workouts with 50-200m sets that leave you huffing and puffing during rests
• Spirited Zwift group rides
• Threshold or VO2 Max workouts
• Riding outdoors with any hills
• Heart rate 70-100% of max
• Workouts can be 30-90 minutes long
• Most skate skiing is in this zone
• HIIT workouts, circuit training, cross training workouts
• Hockey, basketball, lacrosse games

Lipolysis Workouts

The balance of the workouts should be at a lower exertion rate (Lipolysis) but involve less or no rest.  They can be continuous runs, bikes and/or swims where there are no rest intervals, and most of the workout can be done while nose breathing.  Often called Zone 2 or endurance.  

Examples of Lipolysis Workouts

These are less taxing in the short term.  Fatigue accumulates over time. Heart rate is 60%-70% of max. Workouts should be 45+ minutes long.

• Easy outdoor rides on flat terrain
• Hiking or walking with pace
• Easy swims with sets of 800m or longer done at a casual pace
• Trainer rides that are called Endurance, Easy or Recovery as long as the HR does not exceed 70% of Max
• Brisk walk on treadmill
• For very fit efficient runners if they can run slowly
• In Zwift avoid workouts with red, orange and yellow.  You are looking for blue and green and labelled in workouts as “Easy”.
• Workouts should be a minimum of 45 minutes long
• Err on the side of too easy rather than harder.
• Most strength and conditioning workouts (body weight or with weights) except high energy circuit training or weights involving sets of 30 or more.
• Yoga, stretching, plyometrics etc.

Nutrition

Nutrition is always important but if athletes are doubling and sometimes tripling up workouts it becomes critical.  A blend of carbohydrates and protein following workouts in addition to regular meals is required.  Aiming to get 1gm of protein per pound of body weight per day will help muscles recover and grow.  Carbohydrates are needed to restore muscle glycogen for recovery and to prepare for the next workout.  Regular meals satisfy your daily metabolic needs but will unlikely cover all the workouts that add to this requirement.

Where can I find workouts for a trainer?

Zwift

 Any smart trainer can be used with the Zwift online platform (free for Youth <16, $24.99US/month for others).  On Zwift you can go to workouts and choose from workouts as you wish.  You will still be on “a road”, but your trainer’s resistance will be controlled by Zwift (ERG mode). Zwift also offers group ride and competition features.

Trainer Road

Any smart trainer can be used with the Trainer Road online platform ($21.99US/month for all).  This platform provides free training plans and workouts but does not offer group rides, video game like experiences or competitive rides.  From a training and data perspective this platform is probably the best but lacks entertainment and social interactions.

Garmin Tacx Training

This works on any Garmin or Tacx branded trainer and is free.  Very basic and boring but functional.  No entertainment but will do the job.

Kinetic

Can be used with any Kinetic trainer and is free.  Lots of options for workouts but again no entertainment.

Rouvy

Any smart trainer can be used with the Rouvy online platform ($14.99US single account, $19.99 for 2 accounts or $32.99 for family of 5).  On Rouvy you can go to workouts and choose from workouts as you wish.  You will still be on a road, but your trainer’s resistance will be controlled by Rouvy (ERG mode). It also offers group rides and competition features.

Ready to take your cycling indoors this winter? Explore our selection of bike trainers and accessories.