What I Did Wrong With My Training in 2022 and What I Plan to Change in 2023

[@DylanJohnsonCycling]

If you want to step up your own training I have coaching and online training plans available here: Coaching: www.ignitioncoachco.com/signup Training plans: www.dylanjohnsontraining.com/training-plans Get access to weekly Q&As on Patreon: www.patreon.com/dylanjawnson

[@alexanderwarden7649]

Have you done any research or heard of HRV Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA alpha-1) for determining training zones? The research indicates that it could be an easy way to do accurate testing for determining VT1/LT1 by using a heart rate monitor without having to do lactate or lab testing. Might be a cool thing to dive into in a future video!

[@AOH1321]

Looking forward to the mid season updates, good luck this season!

[@trinerd]

Hopefully not the 2022 training method 😶

[@CycoWarriorx]

Rare to see something like this where there’s an acknowledgment that their training plan from the prior year maybe wasn’t the best course they could’ve used… mad respect for DJ doing this - and sharing it in such detail… appreciate you… 🙌🏽🍻

[@glenbergman9040]

I've never seen an eilite athlete take a deep dive into their past year of training-- very instructive.

[@mikedickerson3944]

Your #1 problem was not getting any KOM’s during group rides 🧢

[@thatguy9051]

Great Video!! The Goatee is coming along, 3 more months dude....

[@BrotherlyLove12]

wtf😭😭

[@crb0n181]

I'm really hoping to boost fitness in 2023 and get results and what better way than watching all the old Dylan Johnson videos

[@elliotpollard9083]

I've watched all of the videos, still not very fit - I should probably get on the bike this year!

[@sh4rkhappy]

Soo did you boost your fitness this year?? :))

[@kpsig]

I watch your videos, those being enjoyable and motivational, then I realize I am 51 yrs old doing a desk job and traveling a lot. Still, they do spark all my energy left, day in and out.

[@darthjohn0]

Glad you made this video. People assume science means all facts and evidence already exist, or that something is true for everyone. Science is about continually challenging hypotheses and assumptions. Science never says something is true, but rather that something hasn't been proven false yet.

[@markokitzing4291]

Congratulations for this great result of 16th place in the Life Time GP 2022!!! Good luck in 2023!

[@DonMillerWNCInspections]

The loftier the goal, more (better) training is called for.

[@jnatiw]

Props, Dylan, for being so open and transparent with us. Not easy, I’m sure, to share what you felt you got wrong in your training. This is one of the things that makes your channel so interesting and valuable. The fact that you believe you still have things to solve in your training makes you an even more believable and trustworthy source of training information and wisdom. Keep up the great work and best of luck to you in 2023. 👍👊

[@delkim3691]

Few times a week 6-7h rides at 265 W? Insane... Even easy ride for 7h needs some serious rest 😎

[@KetzalSterling]

Superb Dylan. 1,000,000% you over raced. Your events are equivalent to road cycling monuments in training load. I doubt many athletes could excel at more than one event a month. There's simply not enough time to recover and make any significant fitness improvements. 1 week to recover. 2 weeks to train. 1 week taper. Race. Even that is sub optimal. Best of luck for 2023 events.

[@picturesfromtheworld208]

16th place, you're a Beast!!

[@Jac77794]

Hi Dylan. If you try the 5 2 training schedule can you do a video with Jessie Coyle? He said he wants to do the same this season and it would be great to hear you compare notes. All the best for 2023!

[@wazzup105]

Only 4 places behind Laurens ten Dam .. Damn!

[@JoshuaParks]

Good luck. Have fun and stay fit! Keep the rubber side down.

[@vivekrbs]

Vegan burritos from robo taco in Portland and Dylan Johnson videos to boost my cycling performance . Action items for the weekend

[@LukeGJPotter]

Best of luck to Backwards Hat Dylan in the Excuse Making World Championships.

[@amandaunterreiner8978]

Super reflective. Thank you!

[@Upsidestrength]

Great video as always Dylan! Happy riding mate

[@veganpotterthevegan]

Looking forward to seeing what you can do this season. You're partially what drove me to come back to racing after 8-9yrs of modest activity. Not sure I'll ever get back to where I was as a cat 1 but I'm watching all your videos to help me get as close as possible.

[@jonathancarycycling]

Good luck in the upcoming season!

[@donbracci2199]

I really appreciate all of your videos, but I especially liked the transparency of this one. Thanks for sharing what went right as well as what went wrong.

[@bartvandeneeckhaut2565]

Great video and great point about the amount of races and quality over quantity. I would even argue that there are no real exceptions. Even Wout van Aert has a limited program of very carefully selected races with enough time in between to do quality training. I mean in his road race season 2022 he had 48 race days - all quality world tour races. That's not a lot for a pro cyclist. And in cyclocross he's not afraid to skip even big races (national and even world championships) if he feels it doesn't fit his road preparation

[@eldanno5970]

Yep If you look at other sports too most serious amateur and professional athletes are training for specific events not every event they can get to in a season.

[@DanJanucik]

Can you make a video series or even just individual video on the very, very basics for a beginner? Bike selection, measuring initial ability/benchmarks (like FTP), novice exercise programme and things to look out for? Thanks a bunch!

[@GSmith215]

Very excited to root for you in the Grand Prix. What an awesome thing to be a part of

[@michaelstoecker4178]

Outstanding video. Thank you.

[@mick6ful]

super video. Congrats on 16th in such an elite field. Thanks for being so open

[@williamfooks]

Great video , love the reflection and high level thoughts for 23

[@bryandotmee]

This was extremely educational for viewers who have pedaled ourselves toward the chronic fatigue experience where being productive at day job is TOUGH to do.

[@ronw5005]

Seems like thinning the races out would go a long way. What you pulled off this past year in racing volume was impressive for certain, but had to take its toll. 9:47 in the video had me rolling BTW. :) Good luck with your training Dylan and thanks as always for the excellent training content, and good humor.

[@MrAgrodiesel]

Mate great video. Love the mention of the continued strength training to keep up the solid performance in the races

[@ricf9592]

My recent training has taken my ability on to a new level. It has also indicated that the previous 30 years of training was 99% junk!

[@tellit_one3613]

Agree with the competition! Intense. So much respect for your LIfetime results!! What about just getting older? I like the new plan and look forward to more Bonk Bros commentary!!

[@DaneKromer]

I’m glad you’ll be back at the LTF Grand Prix in 23! You should be proud of your 2022 results, thanks for the recap! I’m no coach but I spent a career as a problem solver I am concerned about the number of things you plan to change in 2023! If things go great than no issues. However, if you end up having another season where you are dissatisfied, it will be impossible to know what to change next. The volume plan makes total sense, but maybe keep other things the same that have worked in the past. Also, any thoughts on your pacing strategy during races. I remember you tried some different strategies last year! Love your videos!

[@chrisnelson5770]

That feeling totally crushed from too many events ... that's my end of season every year, three events that over 3 to 4 weeks (depending on the year). Every year I say "I'm not doing that to myself again", and every year I sign up for all three because each is uniquely awesome. The last two years, I've been able to mix it up by riding the middle event on a tandem with Lisa (stoker & wife), the tandem is a totally different kinda riding; I spend very little time in the red making it easier to go full gas on the other two events. For reference, here are the amazing October rides in Minnesota: The Heck of the North (Two Harbors, MN); The Filthy 50 (Lanesboro, MN); and Gravel West (Long Lake, MN).

[@fcbarniessoccer8952]

Been weighting for 4 months and focused on shorter intense Zwift trading rides. All ready seeing improvements over usual logging lots of miles

[@vmarano4]

Thank you. Great content as always!

[@GJCOrado]

Damn. I chirped seeing your volume for the past couple years. Let alone the wattage on the 5:2 plan. King has also talked about the level of competition coming into gravel the past couple of years. According to this dad bod gravel rider you are super human and will see you at the Crusher. I am hoping to finish this time. Lol

[@AB-fh9zh]

Cool to see van der Poel's 'How to skate a 10K' in here. While clearly not a simple blueprint for all endurance sports, it did reach far beyond the world of speedskating and with good reason.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

Its highly unlikely his results and training weren't largely driven by doping. He really was just too good, Lance Armstrong too good.

[@AB-fh9zh]

@@veganpotterthevegan I never take performances of that level without a large grain of salt. Regardless, the 5-2 / block periodization stuff is interesting, also because it acknowledges the psycho-social aspects of full time training.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@@AB-fh9zh the social aspects/benefits/needs for everyone is very different. A lot of people want nothing to do with a social life so that's a variable need like anything else

[@tywitt3351]

Astute observation Dylan. Years ago when there were good paying crits up and down the East Coast every weekend and often Saturday and Sunday, you could maintain such a schedule due to the duration of the events, but what you are competing in is a different type of event. It’s like trying to race a Euro classic every weekend

[@PerryScanlon]

It would be really interesting if you tested Ronnestad's block periodization 1-year study. The results were jaw-dropping, but he only had 1 subject, an experienced competitive cyclist though.

[@davehause8571]

I've always enjoy the content of this channel. I appreciate the honesty of this video. Even with all the data collection it's not a perfect science, it still comes down to listening to your body.

[@marcusvaldes]

Interesting to see your thought process. I hope you have a successful 2023!

[@krilinyt]

As a Swede and fan of Nils Van Der Poel I was delighted that you'd read his training document and found it interesting. I'd definitely be curious in a follow up video on your results trying out the 5-2 approach. Maybe also doing an interview with Nils at some point would be a cool idea? I chatted briefly about Nils training philosophy with Mikal Iden, brother and past coach of current triathlon world champion Gustav Iden, and he noted that Nils seemed to have what he called an "adventure mind", which made me think about the importance of your personal training program catering to your personality or "mind" in order to maximize motivation and engagement. Anyway, best of luck with your upcoming season - great stuff from you as always!

[@Pinhead101]

Good luck Dylan. Your channel is both informative and inspiring.

[@nienkerk1]

Fantastic Dylan, as always 🤩👌💪

[@matthewrepucci3564]

Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@rrweinzierl]

I want to see the exact level of diligence and forethought given to Backwards Hat Dylan's 2023 training plan.

[@mattsammekull780]

Good luck with your season, Dylan! I always appreciate your videos.

[@ΘάνατοςΧορτοφάγος]

Last year i did a polarized approach, worked well. Will do it similarly this year, just maybe do a bit less on the bike and absolutely will do more strength and core Oh, and colored socks ftw!

[@antonioalonsoflores3302]

The best of luck for this new cycling year 🍀 Hi from Chiapas México 🤘🏻

[@benanderson4639]

I think doing a high quantity of races is a lot more applicable to short races, where one mistake will ruin it, but it’s not nearly as taxing as an ultra endurance race so you can try again next weekend.

[@GravelRacer1]

I found this video very helpful in focusing my own training plans and goals for 2023.

[@pastorhudson]

I really enjoy your channel it encourages me to push myself to stay in shape. I’d love to hear a follow up on how your strategy went and if you’re still doing the 5 days on two days off for 2024

[@Tethysmeer]

Such good content. Sounds very reasonable. Thx.

[@accrualworld4488]

Good luck without tri bars Fred.

[@StephanieLuff]

I’m following the same philosophy this year-quality over quantity. I raced a ton last year, and don’t regret it at all, I learned a lot and catted up. But now I want racing to be less disruptive to my training.

[@kentesp]

Great video again Dylan! Thank you! I wonder if you gonna make a "most effective sprint trainings" video? I really liked your weight training and intervall sessions videos ;)

[@tubbytoast2]

Thanks again for sharing what went right and wrong with your session/ training I found it insightful!!! All the best for 2023 Dylan 👍👍

[@mariofonseca9267]

Excellent analysis!!

[@getur99]

Changing to blocked training sessions worked well for me. Digging a hole but having quality rest after

[@conan_der_barbar]

I'm planning to continue watching all your videos, feel smart, and then just go out for chill rides when I feel like it :D but I am doing a training plan on Zwift right now, so that's new :) but outside I don't have a powermeter and doing intervals, etc. outside is more complicated. goal for this year is to partake at a cycling "marathon" going for the 175km route this year instead of 125 🤞 hopefully.. it's like 2.4k m of elevation

[@BreakawayB]

Great insight, Dylan. Thanks for taking to time to make this.

[@gwhite7011]

I suspect everyone on Zwift has their cap on backwards

[@alex9046]

7:02 funny looking at it now since Dylan did 402w for 20 minutes this year

[@subhoghosh7620]

Thanks for helping me avoid these mistakes. You videos never disappoint 👍.

[@facediaper09]

Totally agree with you on the gym. I plan on testing it out myself. I'm sticking to 2 days a week moving forward to summer. I think jump squats and leg press with similar lighter loads and high reps with optimal FORM would be beneficial, especially as IAM 47.

[@unknownKnownunknowns]

Thanks DJ. Good luck remainder of the season! Would love to k ow how you’ve adapted the 2023 plan if at all now that you’re in the home stretch

[@derekkuhl]

Love the breakdown and detailed logic explanation!

[@gregmorrison7320]

Greg Lemond, sprint sessions twice a week, year round, Tues and Sat.

[@method1224]

Thank you for your open information about your training! 13:01

[@Avianthro]

Great work Dylan! Keep on experimentin'! That's what its all about, and thanks always for sharing what you learn!

[@toddeppley]

You don't talk about Crusher. Will you be back in Beaver this July? You have to love the best last mile of any race ever.

[@dougnutter4372]

I want to hear how you plan to address the same BWRNC and Unbound back to back weekends this year. Seems like both are entrenched and won't change their schedules. Will your strategy for how to approach these 2 races be affected by what the other big guns might do?

[@Olguini91]

Amazing just had the discussion about the 5-2 approach with a dear friend and super coach/athlet... I was about to suggest it here in the comments...he gave is giving it a try and feels positive about the application... thanks for the great content !

[@motostarmx1777]

My biggest hurdle is nutrition on the bike..my plans go to hell and im always saying wtf to myself afterwards..

[@jamesjowdy5471]

DJ, do you use a push/pull sled for your strength training routine. Like cycling, there’s no eccentric load, can do explosive movements & same movement as cycling. If you use already or going to add this, please do a video. You can go fancy & get a ‘torque tank’ sled 800$ or DYI it with an old car tire, plywood, u-bolt & straps that have handles like a TRX.

[@bmxryan]

Dylan, killer job! You did incredible. Thanks for the video. I definitely overtrained too trying to see how high I could get my CTL (I wasn’t focused on racing much but plan to this year). Best wishes in 2023! I’ll be applying some of what I learned from your vid’s this year.

[@gte534j]

You neglected to mention factoring in travel efforts. Driving back and forth to Michigan and flying a bunch is extremely exhausting.

[@strider7008]

They took BHD's side with those aerobars.

[@motostarmx1777]

New year ,new sunglasses😉

[@yarivyos]

Have you considered a midseason break. A solid 4 to 7 days off? It can bring the mind back as well as the body. Long seasons wear you down in many ways.

[@jasonhendrickson2289]

Did you bother watching the video? He literally says he takes a midseason break.

[@yarivyos]

@@jasonhendrickson2289 ah, must have missed that. I was on the trainer doing some efforts. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@Francesco-pr1gs]

it’s not overtraining, you are not eating enough

[@andyg9991]

Dylan, great video. I think you find the 5:2 approach will work well for you as it will allow you to get to the high volume you need for late season fitness while still allowing you to recover from those workouts.

[@RobertvanderWulp]

Hey Dylan, great video. Great analysis too. My advice is always not to over race yourself. If my riders do choose to race that much, I let them prioritize those races and create training goals for the races that you can't win. There is no point in wearing yourself out if you can't win. That might have set you back more than the less endurance training you did. I'm really curious and looking forward to your analysis of this season. Keep on the great work.

[@frankmyers3702]

I found your vids in the past month and really enjoy them. I'm one of those guys that does the most riding indoors. The weekend is the only time I get outside. I have a 6 hour race on 2/25/23 and here is what I'm doing. M-off T-3 hours mid to low effort W-1 hour intervale high effort T-4 hours low to mid effort F-off Sat and Sun trail rides 2-4 hours. Am I on the right track?

[@diegobarreca9970]

You're the best

[@mlafleurhua]

Very interesting video. Given your bout of Covid, it is hard to conclude either way on the effect of the reduced volume on your mid-season dip. Also, on my second watch of the video, I noticed something intriguing. Throughout the video you never mention nutrition - neither on the bike, nor between events and training blocks. Could it be that your mid-season and end of season slumps in form are because some of your health markers are dropping too low? Maybe you need a short phase in mid-June with higher protein intake, or something along those lines.

[@matteoperghemgelmi4657]

thanks for sharing as always! QUESTION: lately some well known athletes talked about using pure white sugar before, during and after training replacing the very expensive glucose+fructose blends since one molecule of sucrose is made of glucose+fructose in a 1:1 ratio (being very close to the 1:0.8 is quite acceptable). a heavy training day or a race could demand up to 500g of sugar which sounds like crazy to me. I do understand that from a chemical point of view sugar is very similar to this endurance specific supplements, but is it from a metabolic point of view as well? what role plays insuline, sensitivity to insuline and glycemic peak in this game? I tried myself to use up to 250g of sugar in long training days and I felt okay, I am concerned about long term effects or effects during high intensity. Are there studies you know about this topic? What do you think?

[@BurntToast1]

I'd be interested in this also, but bias (or at least perceived bias) could be a problem given Dylans sponsorship arrangements.

[@nicschne]

I think your solution is lots of sweet spot base training

[@fultor7846]

Thank you for sharing!

[@percyveer2355]

interesting comment regarding over racing. i too had a similar experience, but nothing like at same level, i used short zwift races instead of hiit training, completing multiple per week assuming it would improve my fitness (and more fun). on reviewing my strava "fitness" score, it had declined!!, and it had stopped being fun. oh, and 20 minute 5.7w/kg, pfft, zwift cat c races see this all the time!!

[@aleq]

This is what Tim Cusick calls Mastery. Thanks for this video! Recently on TrainerRoad podcast they advised to pick a low volume plan and add as many endurance rides as possible to still fully recover. The low volume plan, at least mine are 3 days a week of VO2, SS, Threshold sessions with progressive overload. What would your thoughts be on that advice? I am training for Gran Fondo with lots of climbs.

[@pagey007]

Great vid ,, One on nutrition would be awesome 🙂

[@willjones7132]

7:05 That would be a great on a shirt.

[@AFMOS-ND]

As you stated, not scientific, but I’ve had recent road/crit seasons where I would let the lifting drop out and do too many races on back to back to back weekends and ended up exactly as you mentioned in this video, experiencing a power drain in July/August. I also changed up my heavy lifts to somewhat lighter and explosive ones and plan to continue the lifting mostly throughout the season save for the run up to a few A races. Also plan to skip a few races as well. Let’s hope the plan works…I’ll be waiting for your follow up video a year from now!

[@folkabuss]

It would be great if you could do an interview with Nils van der Poel, he seems lika an approachable guy.

[@autokanada]

Come to Canada we virtually have no garvel races and no competition. you could be instatnt winner :) cheers to Backward Hat Dylan!

[@CL-dh2mf]

Do I see some Rene Herse tires on that bike?🤩🤩🤩