I turned 30 last month, so I now think of myself as an experienced cycling coach (before 8th of November I was just talented…) I would like to share 5 techniques with you that can make a difference for your cycling career.
These techniques are not concrete training advice, but more about how you should act and think as a serious cyclist. If you implement these principles in your training routine, I’m sure you will improve your performance rapidly.
1.Every ride should have a purpose
I have always asked my riders to have a purpose with every single training session. It’s obvious that interval training sessions should be targeted specifically for the physiological skills you want to improve. That’s not as easy as it might sound, but most serious riders have (at least) an idea of why they do interval training every week.
I recommend my riders to have a purpose of all rides, not only interval days and races, because I want to make them stronger and better cyclists every day. If it’s a recovery day, it’s a great chance to train some technical skills because it doesn’t require physical power. Improve your cornering and recovery in the same ride. That’s great!
The most talented rider I’ve trained has done such things for years now and one of his best skills is actually the technical part of cycling. He’s a mountain biker, so he enjoys these training days and they certainly make him a better rider.
2.Eliminate everything that does not make you stronger
Remember what I said in a previous post about skipping recovery rides? If you perform training that doesn’t make you a stronger rider (e.g. junk miles), try to eliminate these parts from your training and do more of the training that takes you closer to your goal. Junk miles steal focus and don’t significantly improve your fitness.
When you reduce training time, you increase your attention to the workout you perform. Doing shorter workouts makes it easier to complete the training program as you have planned it or maybe spend some additional time on the training that helps you reach your goal.
3.Be proactive – not reactive
It’s easy and tempting to blame other people when things don’t work the way you like. You are being reactive and that is a negative attitude that will not help you closer to your goal.
Being proactive is about taking responsibility – taking action. I’ve heard of it several places and read about it, and it certainly makes sense.
When you take responsibility you will get a lot more success because acting in itself has several positive side effects. E.g. It’s much better to be responsible that your group rides are attractive instead of just complaining why so few people join them. Does it make sense?
4.Hire a professional cycling coach
Professional coaches make better training plans and help athletes to reach their physiological potential. I know many of you enjoy investigating exercise physiology, training tips and training programs (that’s why we have Training4cyclists.com anyways…)
Still, there is a huge difference between knowledge about exercise physiology and coaching yourself. When you have a cycling coach there is a positive pressure that helps you perform every single training session as scheduled. If you coach yourself, it’s easier to skip a session, because your “coach” is more likely to accept excuses. Athletes at all levels can benefit from having a coach or mentor for sparing.
Cycling coaches are expensive and most coaches charges prices starting at $99/month and up. The price depends on how much feedback you get and how much you are allowed to contact your coach during the month.
A cheaper alternative is the concept from MyCycling who provides different training programs, tips, online training log and advice from ex-professionals for $97/year. I have had a short insight look on their materials and it looks fine. I’m planning to make a comprehensive review of their service soon.
5.Read articles and books about cycling training
The best way to continue your progress is to get inspiration from other riders and coaches. There are many different strategies on how to reach your peak performance and most riders make up their own strategy.
I use my knowledge from my education as medical doctor (currently working with clinical physiology) and keep updated about exercise physiology and training principles. I read scientific articles and books based on evidence.
When you read less scientific materials, you quickly realize that there are many opinions on how to train. It might sound counter intuitive, but less scientific materials are often more convinced about their theories than the heavy scientific studies themselves.
That’s important to remember: We don’t know everything about cycling training and we never will. There is no perfect formula that fits all.
Here is what I do when i read non-scientific articles about cycling training: I listen to the arguments that sounds reasonable, modify the best ideas and integrate them into my evidence based training programs.
Question to the readers:
Which of these steps would you like to include in your training routine in the future?
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Jesper,
Great post! I like your stategies and promise to work more with them in 2010. Not sure I will hire a professional coach but the 4 other tips sound like sure winners.
Steven