Trail Week
Train the diesel. Fuel the hard days. Keep easy days easy. Scroll for each full-day plan — ride, strength, and what to eat. Reuse this week; step Saturday km up the ramp to Sept 20.
This week: ___ km
6 rungs for the 6 real calendar weeks between today and Sept 20 — one tap per week. Peak long ride lands 2 weeks out (110 km), then a genuine taper before the goal, not more distance.
Protein powder: food first (~130–165g/day). Use whey (or similar) with milk/water + fruit after strength, after the long ride, or whenever meals fall short.
Swipe down · MondayMonday
Build the frame the engine bolts to.
Strength A · knee-safe · loaded
Home · dumbbells/kettlebell, bench, dip rack
- Single-leg Romanian deadlift (dumbbell/kettlebell) 3×6–10/side — hip hinge, minimal knee bend
- Hip thrust, loaded (barbell across hips, dumbbell, or weighted backpack) 3×6–10
- Weighted row (dumbbell, backpack, or band) 3×6–10/side — holds posture for hour 8 of Saturday's ride
- Push-ups, feet-elevated or weighted-vest for load 3×6–10
- Bird-dog 3×8/side · dead bug 3×8 · side plank 2×20–30s (bodyweight, unloaded)
- Loaded calf raise 3×12–15
Load rule: if you can do 12+ clean reps, it's too light — add weight. Stop any move that twists or pinches the left knee; these patterns are hip-dominant by design, but confirm with whoever manages that knee before adding real load.
Eat · lower carb
- Breakfast
- Greek yogurt, berries, handful of nuts
- Lunch
- Big salad, eggs or tuna, olive oil, apple
- Post
- Whey shake (milk/water + fruit) or cottage cheese + figs
- Dinner
- Salmon or chicken, roasted veg, small potato
Tuesday
Thousands of easy pedal strokes. That’s the diesel.
Ride
Steady Zone 2 · rail trail
- Hold a pace you could chat through — slower than “145 all day.”
- Smooth cadence; sit most of the ride.
- Sip water; small snack every hour if over 2.5 hrs.
- Goal: finish fresher than you start feeling mid-ride.
HR cue: talk test first. If sentences break, ease up — this day builds mitochondria, not toughness.
Eat · moderate carb
- Breakfast
- Oats, banana, Greek yogurt, honey drizzle
- On bike
- Water; 1 bar or dates if over 2.5 hrs
- Lunch
- Turkey sandwich or wrap, fruit, yogurt
- Dinner
- Rice bowl, lean beef or chicken, veg, fruit for dessert
Wednesday
Raise the pace you can hold — path to 25 km/h.
Ride
Threshold / tempo on trail
- 15–20 min easy warm-up.
- Main set: 3×8–12 min “comfortably hard” (hard to talk, still controlled), 5 min easy between.
- Or 2×15 min tempo if feeling good.
- 10–15 min easy cool-down. Stop if form falls apart.
- Optional: 4×10-sec smooth accelerations in warm-up only.
- Every 2 weeks: hold 20 min steady on a flat stretch, check avg kph on Garmin/Ride with GPS — track toward 25 kph.
HR cue: working intervals above easy — roughly where talking becomes short phrases. Not all-out sprinting.
Eat · high carb
- Breakfast
- Toast or oats, banana, dates, yogurt
- Pre
- Small snack 60–90 min out: toast + jam or a few dates
- After
- Chocolate milk or whey + banana; yogurt + granola if hungry
- Dinner
- Pasta or rice, chicken, tomato sauce, side salad
Thursday
Space the hard messages. Recover while you reinforce.
Strength B · knee-safe · loaded
Home · then optional very easy spin
- Romanian deadlift, bilateral (dumbbell/kettlebell) 3×6–10 — main posterior-chain lift this session
- Single-leg hip thrust or loaded glute bridge 3×8–10/side
- Chest-supported or single-arm row, loaded 3×6–10/side
- Dip-rack dips or bench dips, weighted if easy at bodyweight 3×6–10
- Dead bug 3×8 · side plank 2×25s · loaded calf raises 3×12–15
- Optional: very easy trail spin only — talk test
Interference tip: strength today, quality was yesterday — keep any ride truly easy so signals don't cancel. Add load every 1–2 weeks once the top of a set feels easy with 2+ reps in reserve.
Eat · lower carb
- Breakfast
- Eggs, spinach, cheese, berries
- Lunch
- Chicken salad, olive oil, orange or apple
- Post
- Whey shake (milk/water) or nuts + 2 figs if protein already hit
- Dinner
- White fish or turkey, lots of veg, quinoa or small rice
Friday
Protect Saturday. Fresh legs beat bravado.
Ride or rest
Easy spin · or full day off
- If legs are heavy: full rest. Walk is fine.
- If riding: short, flat, conversational — no surges.
- Prep bottles, gels, dates, and Ride with GPS for tomorrow.
- Sleep priority tonight.
HR cue: should feel almost “too easy.” If you’re chasing speed, you’re doing Friday wrong.
Eat · moderate · preload
- Breakfast
- Oats or toast, fruit, yogurt
- Lunch
- Rice or potato, chicken, veg
- Snack
- Banana + yogurt or a few dates
- Dinner
- Pasta or rice bowl — start filling glycogen for Saturday
Saturday
Build the diesel. Hour five is earned early.
Ride
Oro Medonte long ride
- Start slower than you feel — first hour conversational.
- Hold steady rail-trail rhythm; no hero surges.
- Fuel from minute 20: gel/bar or dates every 30–40 min.
- Finish with form intact; don’t empty the tank every week.
HR cue: mostly talkable. Save high HR for Wednesday — long day is durability, not a race.
Eat · high carb
- Breakfast
- Oats with banana, dates & Greek yogurt
- On bike
- Gels/bars + figs/dates · electrolytes · ~55–70 g carb/hr
- After
- Whey + milk/water + banana, or chocolate milk, within 60 min
- Dinner
- Rice or pasta, chicken or salmon, big salad
Fueling for 110 km · ~6 hrs — scales automatically with the km you pick below.
Building to 170 km · Sept 20 — 6 weeks, one rung per week. Drop volume if legs feel flat two days running. Floor 175 lb.
This week: ___ km
Next · SundaySunday
Adaptation happens after the ride — on the sofa counts.
Active recovery or rest
Easy spin · walk · or off
- If Saturday was hard: full rest or a gentle walk.
- If legs feel good: short easy spin only — talk test.
- Light mobility: hips, calves, thoracic openers on the mat.
- Plan next week’s Saturday distance from the build strip.
HR cue: should feel restorative. Flat after a week off is normal for a few days — consistency beats heroics.
Eat · lower carb
- Breakfast
- Eggs, fruit, yogurt
- Lunch
- Leftover protein + big salad + olive oil
- Snack
- Nuts + berries or dates (keep portions modest)
- Dinner
- Lean protein, veg, small starch if still hungry