It is rare that you will get through a training plan without the odd blip or missed session. It could be illness, injury, a busy period at work, a holiday or a dip in motivation but how much fitness will you lose and where should you re-start the plan? If you’re following one of the British Cycling Training Plans, follow these guidelines.
Missing one session
Missing the odd session here or there will have little or no physiological effect but you may find you feel a bit down mentally. You may suffer withdrawal symptoms when a session or two is missed, especially if you train most days. This is because you’re not getting the rewarding exercise hormone hit. Such feelings of deprivation can result in low mood, increased tension and fatigue. Similarly, if you have ever tapered for a big event, you may be familiar with these feelings, thinking you have lost all your fitness and adding to pre-race nerves. Fortunately, the majority of affects from missing a few days training are psychological rather than physical, and by simply recognising this, can make it easier to deal with.
There is no need to adjust your training plan for a missed session but, if it was simply down to lack of motivation or fatigue, you might want to question whether you are under-recovering from your training and your plan needs reviewing.
It is important that missing sessions does not become a habit and that, for the majority of the time, you train consistently and hit the targets that your training plan prescribes.
Missing 1-2 days of training
After a few days without training, physiological changes will occur. You will become slightly less efficient on the bike because you begin to rely more on carbohydrates rather than fat. However, these changes are fairly negligible and you can probably continue with your training plan without alteration.
If you miss the majority of sessions in a week, it is advisable to repeat that week of the plan.
Missing 1-2 full weeks
When you hit the two week mark without training, blood volume decreases, reducing your ability to deliver and use oxygen (VO2max decreases).
In this scenario you should return to the last Recovery Week that you completed and use this as a relatively gentle re-introduction to the plan.
For example, if you were following our 8-week Off Season Base Builder and had reached Week 6 but then were ill, forcing you off the bike for 10 days, you should re-enter the plan at Week 4 and work back through.
Missing more than 2 weeks
After a month or so, muscle physiology starts to change resulting in further decrements in performance. Luckily, this maladaptation process stabilises and further losses in fitness are slow. If you had a decent endurance base you will probably find this won’t drop off too much but you will notice much more of a fall off in your ability to produce and sustain hard efforts.
If you miss a couple of weeks or more, you need to make a sensible judgement call whether to go back to your last completed recovery week or to the start of the training plan you were following.
If you’re time off from training is more protracted, you might what to consider stepping down to an easier training plan or, if appropriate, consulting with a suitably qualified professional, such as a Level 3 British Cycling Coach, who will be able to advise you on the best way to return to riding and structured training.
