Why Training Like an Influencer Is Dumb

Disclosure: I write all my articles without the use of generative AI. I don’t know if that matters to you, but it does to me.

If you’re suffering from TikTok derangement syndrome and can only suffer 15 seconds of this article, let me try to deliver your fix up front.

Training like an influencer is dumb because the best way to remain consistent on the bike is to progressively follow a thread of training that you enjoy, not follow a program that someone else enjoys. Now, what if you enjoy the program of your favorite influencer? Ok, you got me, that might end up working out fine.

Speaking of influencers, you’re likely familiar with the principle that different people can respond differently to the same training (1). But even more fascinating, different people can have vastly different subjective experiences while performing the same workout.

Here’s a quick example. Let’s say you gave two people the exact same threshold workout (2 × 20m @ 95% FTP). Chances are this intensity might feel great for one athlete and terrible for the next (2).

The reasons for the difference in experience are multifactorial, but the point remains: how you experience training will have a huge bearing on whether or not you can stick with a training plan and remain consistent over time.

If you have a limited amount of time to train and enjoy high-intensity workouts, then railing a bunch of threshold intervals might make sense, but what if you’re like the other ≈ 60% of exercisers who feel awful and unmotivated to train at intensities around their FTP?

Here are a few practical suggestions:

• Be extremely conservative in scheduling high-intensity workouts, even if you’ve convinced yourself that you like them as much as your favorite influencer.
• Only cluster high-intensity work (at or above FTP) in the 4–6 weeks leading up to a priority race or event. In short, match the most psychologically demanding training to small periods of time where you are highly motivated leading into an important event.
• Constrain higher-intensity work to the most fun and competitive environments (group rides or races).
• Learn, understand, and utilize Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) in your training. If you’re using ChatGPT to write your programming, feed it information on how you’re feeling after each ride. If it’s as good as I expect, it will guide you to do less and find a more manageable intensity. If you’re working with a coach, make sure you’re being honest and recording RPE ratings after workouts. Good coaches will use this information to adjust your training.
• Don’t tolerate weeks of drudgery in your training. Training isn’t always going to be fun, but if you find yourself dreading workout after workout, this is your signal to choose a different path.

In general, these suggestions highlight that if your goal is to improve over years of training—as it should be—how training feels during and after a ride should be a primary consideration when deciding what to do on the bike.

References

1. Bouchard, C., An, P., Rice, T., Skinner, J. S., Wilmore, J. H., Gagnon, J., Pérusse, L., Leon, A. S., & Rao, D. C. (1999). Familial aggregation of VO₂max response to exercise training: Results from the HERITAGE Family Study. Journal of Applied Physiology, 87(3), 1003–1008. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1999.87.3.1003
2. Ekkekakis, P., Hall, E. E., & Petruzzello, S. J. (2005). Variation and homogeneity in affective responses to physical activity of varying intensities: An alternative perspective on dose – response based on evolutionary considerations. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(5), 477–500. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410400021492
3. Parfitt G, Blisset A, Rose EA, Eston R. Physiological and perceptual responses to affect-regulated exercise in healthy young women. Psychophysiology. 2012 Jan;49(1):104-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01287.x. Epub 2011 Sep 8. PMID: 22091621.