12 Week Pre-season Training Program
Stumble it!This program is an example of how you can plan the final 12 weeks before the race season begins. If you have been lazy during the winter, starting on this program might be a good chance to catch up. If you are able to do12 hours per week training now without problems, there should be a good chance that this program will suit you.
Classic training program
The pre-season program has a very common design with building of aerobic endurance for the first part, then an increasing workload with more training sessions and longer rides and finally the intensive part with more anaerobic intervals and sprints and also a couple of races that should be performed as a part of the pre-season preparation.
If you are interested in reading more about anaerobic workouts, it is very well described in this article: How to train for anaerobic endurance.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| app.12hr | 2,5hr – |
2hr – 4×200m sprint |
2,5hr – 1×10min AT |
Rest | 2hr easy ride. | 3hr. | |
| app.14hr | 1,5hr recovery | 2,5hr – |
3hr – 4×200m sprint |
2hr – 1×10min AT |
Rest | 2hr easy ride. | 3hr. |
| app.16hr | 1,5hr recovery | 2,5hr – |
3hr – 4×200m sprint |
3hr – 1×10min AT |
Rest | 2hr easy ride. | 4hr. |
| app.9hr | Rest | 2hr – |
2hr – 1×6min AT |
2hr – |
Rest | 1hr easy ride. | 2hr |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| app.16hr | 1,5hr recovery | 2,5hr – 2x(3+3)min V02 max |
3hr – 4×200m sprint |
3hr – 2×10min AT |
Rest | 2hr easy ride. | 4hr. |
| app.17hr | 1,5hr recovery | 2,5hr – 2x(3+3)min V02 max |
3hr – 4×200m sprint |
3hr – 2×10min AT |
Rest | 2hr easy ride. | 5hr. |
| app.18hr | 1,5hr recovery | 2,5hr – 2×10min AT |
3hr – 4×200m sprint |
3hr – 3×5x(40+20)sec. V02 max |
Rest | 3hr | 5hr. |
| app.11hr | Rest | 2hr – 1×10min VO2 max |
2hr – 4×150m |
2hr – 2×5x(40+20)sec. V02 max |
Rest | 1hr easy ride. | 4hr. |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| app.16hr | 1,5hr recovery | 3,5hr – 3x(3+3)min V02 max |
3hr – 4×200m sprint |
3,5hr – 2×10min AT |
Rest | 1,5hr easy ride. | Pre-Race, 3hr. |
| app.16hr | 1,5hr recovery | 3,5hr – 3×5x(40+20)sec. V02 max |
3hr – 4×200m sprint |
3,5hr – 4x(3+3)min V02 max |
Rest | 1,5hr easy ride. | Pre-Race, 3hr. |
| app.17hr | 1,5hr recovery | 3,5hr – 2×10min AT |
3hr – 5×30sec. sprint - full recovery |
3,5hr – 3×5x(40+20)sec. V02 max |
Rest | 1,5hr easy ride. | Pre-Race, 4hr. |
| app.11hr | Rest | 2hr – 5×30sec. sprint - full recovery |
2hr – 5×30sec. sprint - full recovery |
2hr – 2×4x(40×20)min VO2 max |
Rest | 1hr easy ride. | Pre-Race, 3hr. |
I new user of your great page
and I have to do one question.
What the 1×10min AT means? Mystery AT?
[...] 12 week pre-season training program [...]
What if I don’t have 12 hours per week to train because of work?
tero, AT is short for anarobic threshold. also known as lactic or lactate threshold. this the point at which your body starts to produce lactic acid, the stuff that gives you that burning sensation. fit athletes will experiuance this at around 80-85% of maximum heart rate, however this ranges wildly from person to person
Hello,
I am also new to this type of program.
I have a Polar CS600 and can monitor heart rate, power and cadence.
What should be my target for the rest of the ride once the set of intervals is done, for normal and easy ride?
How should that evolve over the 12 weeks?
Thanks
Hi,
You present good advice - but I’m a bit unclear what some of these symbols mean in the Thursday column of the third week.
4x(3+3)min. V02 max
2×4x(40×20)min. V02 max
3×5x(40+20)sec. V02 max
Could you explain it? Thanks.