The Time-Crunched Cyclist: Fit, Fast, and Powerful in 6 Hours a Week Book

Carmichael The Time-Crunched Triathlete: Race-Winning Fitness in 8 Hours a Week, a former Olympian and pro cyclist turned coach, begins with a fairly technical discussion of the science underlying his method. Even though it's clear and neatly summed up, do you really need to know about ATP, glucose, lactic acid overload, and how they all interrelate? Nope. As long as you do the work, it doesn't matter if you understand lines like "you'll be working at intensities between lactate threshold and VO2 max." Nitty-gritty science aside, Carmichael's training plans detail exactly what to do to ramp up your short-term (i.e., around 11 weeks) strength and performance. The programmed combinations of endurance, steady state, and tempo rides with power intervals and climbing repeats are rooted in the principles that Carmichael develops for professionals. This is not a method for all riders. In fact, the author points out that riders who can commit more than ten hours a week to training will be better served by a more traditional endurance-training program. VERDICT Almost every dude I know is crunched for time, and you have nothing to lose by trying one of these plans. Self-coached athletes familiar with adapting cookie-cutter workouts to their own needs will be on familiar turf. It's not a long-term solution, but it will get you a hell of a lot stronger than what you're doing now: flipping through Mark Johnson's Argyle Armada: Behind the Scenes of the Pro Cycling Life over beers and planning to ramp up your training...someday.