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7 Things I Would Do If I Were Starting From Scratch

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Even though I believe in intelligent training methods, there is no doubt that hard work is mandatory to reach the stars. The saying is “no pain, no gain” and there’s no doubt a bit of suffering can go a long way if you want to beat the opposition.
The first rider I made a training program for did not receive the best training methods available.

I started as a cycling coach in November 2000 training an average junior rider from the local club. He had commitment to his training and we were both 100% dedicated to make this project a great success. We tried to do everything the best possible way. He trained more time than he was used to, he performed scheduled interval training, there was some kind of periodization and I gave him feedback and offered 1 to 1 coaching.

Still, 13 years later it is obvious for me that I could have done several things much, much better. Actually, if I was to attempt the same today, I would make the training program completely different. There was a sensible overall structure, but most interval training was out of the blue.

So what would I have done today?

1) I would use a different combination of intervals with a long-term focus
2) I would use different performance tests
3) I would use anaerobic endurance intervals strategically in pre-season
4) I would use a more aggressive tapering protocol
5) I would pick fewer races for peaking
6) I would forget about perfectionism and use the 80/20 principle as much as possible
7) I would give more freedom to the rider to make his own decisions

But what happened?

This rider really succeeded with this training program because he had the right attitude to take his training to a new level. He was not afraid to suffer during training and mentally he was extremely focused on getting the job done.

Being very dedicated and believing in the training program led to impressive improvements. He completed the training program as scheduled and achieved great results the following season. He went from being a completely unknown rider to being competitive at national level and participating in several international races.

That story illustrates that attitude plays a big role. Even the best training program will not take you anywhere if you don’t do the hard work. There are no legal ways to reach great improvements without suffering.

So the real secret to succeeding with e.g. the 12-week winter training program is to actually get the work done. There might be things you would like to do differently and there might be things I would suggest differently in the future.

BUT they are just mere details.

The overall success ratio is still mostly influenced by how YOU attack the training sessions.

Question to the readers:

What would you change in your training if you could turn back time? (please leave a comment)

The Story Behind the 12-Week Winter Training Program

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Now it is more than 4 months since I launched the updated version of my popular 12- week winter training program.

The 12-week winter training program has actually been available since 2007 as a free version.

Why?

Because having thousands of users leaving feedback for me about this training program, I’ve gained more information than it is possible for me to get through individual coaching.

Because so many riders tried my different versions of the winter training program (and gave me important feedback), I have been able to develop the ultimate winter training concept.

The old version didn’t have any training zones for pacing, but used generic terms to describe intensity: ”˜hard’, ”˜very hard’ etc. That way all cyclists were able to use the winter training program (and leave feedback for me).

Though, it has also been my experience that many cyclists misunderstood vital parts of my training strategy because of this. Most riders use a heart rate monitor during training as their primary tool for pacing during intervals. That’s a great tool for pacing, but it is now clear for me that I should have been more precise about what intensities I wanted people to train with during the winter.

12-Week Winter Training Program is packed with information

The 12-week winter training program is not only a training program, but also an e-book packed with additional information about the reasoning behind the training program. There are more than 102 pages in the new version. Here you can increase your knowledge about the strategies I use in the 12-week winter training program.

Now I’ve found a couple of unique training methods that help a broad range of riders. And it is easy to customize so it fit into your daily life. So the training structure I recommend benefit elite riders as well as 60 year old recreational riders. It is a training system that has been helpful to people who have “seen it all” when it comes to cycling training.

One more thing that I’ve learned from my readers is that every individual is… an individual. We are all different. We all have different physiological talents, different goals and perspectives.

And that’s why I decided to offer individual email support for this training program. Because I can help people achieve their goals (and continue to gain information about what challenges people struggle with).

Take, for example, Jakob Bering.

He is not a standard athlete.

Actually, he has been representing the Danish National team as U23 rider, won the team competition in Tour de l’Avenir, 2x gold medal at MTB Junior National Championships etc.

Not exactly your “average” person, is he?

Probably, he’s the rider who have tried most (if not all) of my training programs and strategies.

This winter I decided to let him try the 12-week winter training program as it would work for all other athletes who download this e-book. He didn’t have access to any additional coaching options or else.

And here’s what he says:

”¨”¨“It is easy to understand and read the training program. There are challenging intervals sessions three times per week and it is easy to combine these interval sessions with for example indoor cycling, spinning or mountain bike training. Currently I train app. 7hrs per week and feel very competitive even though my training volume has been less than 1/3 of many of my competitors’.”

Jakob Bering

ӬӬThere you have it.ӬӬ Proof that the 12-Week Winter Training Program is NOT just more of the usual suspect info.

It is no secret that Jakob Bering knows my training philosophy in and out, so it wasn’t a big surprise for me that he liked the program.

Thus, it has been even more enjoyable for me to see that so many other riders have improved their endurance this winter 2011/2012.

Here are a few more testimonials:

Well, I finished the winter training program and am now starting the first week of the pre-season training program. Last night (Tues), I decided to go up and ride with the club on their race ride to see how I was performing relative to the group, and my past (relative) performance.  To summarize: I was able to fit right in with the racers-something I could NEVER fully achieve in the past!  I was thrilled with the improvement, with several racers taking note of my improvements and asking if I was training in the winter.  That was a great feeling!  🙂

I noticed my HR was significantly lower than in the past-staring mostly in my endurance range or in my sub-threshold range-rather than how it was in the past (nearly all in the sub-threshold or threshold range, creeping up into the V02max range before I would blow myself up and get dropped).  I also noticed my HR would recover much quicker and to a lower range than in the past.  In short: my fitness has obviously improved greatly!  I’m thrilled.

Sean Haggerty

I’ve followed the plan to the letter with a minor blip on Valentine’s day
🙂 and my threshold power has increased by 60 watts (30%) My average power output with general riding is also up by 25%. Amazing what a little focus can do.

Mark Wright

This book is well laid out, provides the relevant detailed information for a rider from 4th through to 1st Cat, to structure and develop themselves and their commitment to training and racing into a productive and professional system. We would recommend this book to all levels of cyclists. Enjoy the miles!

Jonathan Gibson, SportsExerciseEngineering.com

Download your copy now

The 12-week winter training program is currently priced at $37. Since this price includes free email support from me, it should also be obvious for everyone that you get value for money. And at $37 it is a bargain: in fact, it costs less than a decent cycling helmet.

Download the 12-week Winter Training Program

Basic Principles of Cycling Training for Beginners

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I have often been asked how beginners should train if they want to improve fast. It’s simple: Take action! The thing you should do is to stop reading this article now and get out on your bike.

Cycling Training for Beginners – Structuring and Planning

One of the best ways to improve fast as a beginner cyclist is to get structure into your cycling. I have often been told by my riders that they feel much stronger when they’ve started on one of my cycling training programs.

In the beginning they believe that it is because of the special combination of intervals, but I keep telling them that the single best explanation for their progress is that they now have a structure on their training program.

If you are a hard working cyclist, you deserve to achieve good results with the work you do. You don’t (necessarily) have to train more or harder to achieve better results.

If you get the right structure with proper amounts of interval training on the right days, there is a good chance that you will improve fast and continue doing so. And yes, I certainly believe interval training should be in every training program – also when planning cycling training for beginners.

I like the idea of being smarter not training harder. I know it is a cliche but there is definitively some truth waiting for you in this slogan. If you want to learn more about my training philosophy, please subscribe to email updates below.

The Principle of Super Compensation

When you’ve performed a hard training ride, your body will have to recover before it get’s stronger. How much time you need for recovery depends on the type of training, your overall fitness and nutritional status.

There are also some other factors that influence on your recovery time, but for a beginning it is important to know that hard training takes more time to recover from than light training.

When you have trained for a while you will start to experience that your legs might feel sore the day after a hard interval workout and feel fresh the day after a light training session.

Thus, you are about to get the idea about super compensation. To get the best progress you will need to find the perfect combination of training sessions and recovery.

Frequency, Intensity and Duration

There are mainly three ways to change the total workload in a training week: Frequency, intensity and duration. E.g. if you train more frequent, ride with a higher intensity (more races, more intervals) or simply just ride more, you will force your body to adapt to these challenges.

This way you can reach a higher level of fitness, but your body will not allow you to increase the total workload too fast. Good cyclists make use these buttons to turn up and down the workload all the time.

Remember that it is the consistency that makes you a strong cyclist, not just one hard week of biking. Small adjustments over time will help you to become a better cyclist.

The most popular method of improving your threshold power is via interval training. It is crucial to know your power output and/or heart rate at threshold power and use these values to pace yourself throughout intervals at the same intensity. You will have to do a performance test or a time trial as a reference.

The trickiest part of doing intervals is to remain at the right intensity throughout. Going a bit too fast at the start makes it impossible to maintain the right intensity to the end. If you go too slowly, you will not get the improvements you are training for.

Intervals: how to interpret them

3x (6+4min) Threshold power / active recovery
Interval sessions are one of the main parts of any training schedule.

But if you see them written down, it can sometimes be difficult to understand what they are and how to do them. Some riders are put off by this and left baffled by explanations that resemble complex mathematical formulas.

Take this example interval session: 3x (6+4min) Threshold power / active recovery

To the uninitiated, this may look confusing and meaningless, especially if you were to read it in a book or on the internet, so let me explain.

The equation basically means: doing 6 minutes at threshold power pace three times with three recovery periods of four minutes in between each effort. (6min hard work, 4min recovery, 6min hard work and so on”¦)

So you would do the following three times:

  • 6 minutes at threshold power pace, followed by;
  • 4 minutes’ recovery

In this example, threshold power refers to an intensity you should try to maintain throughout each interval. Although you are unlikely to know what your actual threshold power is, when you have tried these intervals a few times it will become much easier to pace yourself correctly.

For the recovery periods it is advisable to do some light pedalling to remove metabolites and keeping your oxygen consumption at a moderate level. This will then make it easier for you to perform the next interval at the right intensity (and get more time at the right oxygen consumpion. If you don’t pedal in the recovery periods then the beginning of the next interval will actually become more anaerobic.

Intervals are normally performed at sub-threshold, threshold and VO2 max intensity as described below.

Before you begin with the interval training it is a good idea to perform two tests to get a better picture of your current fitness. These tests help you to get a better pace during intervals and makes it easier (and more motivating) to track your progress.

Five-minute and 30-minute performance tests

VO2 Max intensity refer to your avg. power output (Watts) in 5min test. Threshold power intensity refer to avg. power output (Watts) in 30min test. (30min test might at least, in theory, overestimate ”˜functional threshold power’ but from a practical point of view, you shouldn’t worry about it.)

When you perform a one of these tests, try to estimate how much power you can produce for, let’s say, five minutes and then keep a consistent pace. It might be necessary to adjust your pace throughout the test, but that’s how performance tests (and time trials) are.

If you use heart rate monitor as your main pacing tool then your average heart rate during the last 20 minutes of the 30-minute test is an excellent indicator of your threshold heart reate.

If you don’t know you maximum heart rate then there is an easy protocol to find out:
1. Warm up for 10-15 minutes 100-150W
2. Every 2 min, increase workload ~35-50Watts depending on fitness level.
3. Ride until exhaustion. Notice your maximum heart rate.

Training Intensities

Recovery
Heart rate: Below 65% of maximum heart rate.
Power: Below 55% of threshold power.
This is the easiest training intensity and should reflect that you want to train without conflicting with the recovery process from previous intensive training sessions. Correctly made recovery rides may actually provide a small boost to your overall recovery.

Endurance
Heart rate: 65”“80% of maximum heart rate.
Power: 55-80% of threshold power.
This is your main training intensity. Sometimes you are able to push it a little harder but you should always be able to maintain this intensity throughout the training session.

Sub-Threshold
Heart rate: 80”“87% of maximum heart rate.
Power: 80-90% of threshold power.
This training intensity is just slightly below your threshold power and is a secure way to improve your aerobic engine.

Threshold
Heart rate: 87-92% of maximum heart rate.
Power: 90-105% of threshold power.
This training intensity is close to your threshold power and gives a boost to your aerobic engine.

VO2 Max
Heart rate: 92-100% of maximum heart rate.
Power: 90-105% of VO2 max power (five-minute maximum test).
This training intensity is close to your VO2 max power and is the most time effective training for VO2 max gains.

Anaerobic
Heart rate: Not useful for pacing.
Power: 90-102% of maximum power corresponding to the duration of the interval you train. For example, if you plan an anaerobic interval of 30 seconds, then you should base your power output on your power output in an all-out 30-second sprint. So your target power should be in the range of 90-102% of your power output in an all-out 30-second sprint.

Please note that the above mentioned intensities are only general guidelines and should be read as such.

As you get used to these different training levels, you might begin to make more training zones, e.g. low-end Threshold power, high end sub-threshold etc.

If you feel you are able to maintain a higher intensity than the intervals prescribed, there is only one way to find out. If you are unable to maintain intensity, you may need to analyze whether there is a good reason for this. Have you fully recovered from your last training session? Are you slightly dehydrated?

If you feel well but have a general problem performing the prescribed intensities, re-adjust the intensity levels mentioned in this article to fit your own unique physiology.

What is the right training philosophy?

Many coaches develop training sessions targeted to improve your threshold power. Intervals with an intensity around your threshold power are the most common and they are very time effective, too. Other coaches believe in intervals slightly below threshold power – sometimes referred as ”˜sweet spot training’.

As you can see there are many ways to train which will boost your aerobic engine.

Most of my cycling training programs are built in a way that increases threshold power using a combination of

  • VO2 max intervals.
  • Threshold power intervals,.
  • Sub-threshold power intervals.
  • Endurance rides.

I agree that threshold power is often the single most important parameter for endurance athletes. Though, it is important to remember that most cycling races are not won at an intensity around threshold power.

So don’t forget to train your anaerobic endurance, sprint skills and VO2 max as well. These skills are all required when to race goes on. Performing all your training at an intensity below threshold power is simply not sufficient to build a superior VO2 max / anaerobic endurance / sprint skills.

Still, as I also wrote in the beginning, the first and most important step to get better is to take action.

Are you ready to act? If you don’t act – nothing happens. Guaranteed.

As soon as you realize that it is you who are responsible for your own results then you will start to move. I won’t push your pedals.

If you enjoyed this article about basic cycling training principles for beginners, please hit the like/share button below before you hit the roads. Thank you.

How to Train for Better Sprint Performance

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Most riders enjoy a sprint once in a while with the group they train with. It can be a really good simulation of the challenges at the end of a race.

If you organize these random sprints, you have the opportunity to make your sprints a lot better ”“ and you still have a lot of fun battling with your friends. Here are some sprint sessions which may help you to become a better sprinter:

Sprint Program for Cyclists #1

15 minutes ”“ warm-up (increasing intensity)
8 x 10 sec group sprint. 5 min recovery between each sprint.

This program is a very simple example of solid principles that you should use in sprint training.

Please note that after each sprint you should have a long recovery before your next sprint. By having this long recovery you will be able to make maximum effort in each sprint and get a great stimulus for every single muscle fiber involved in sprinting.

It is a mistake to believe that sprint training should only be done after long rides to simulate “the real thing”.

When you are tired, dehydrated and your glycogen stores are empty, you have probably also lost your concentration and motivation. The circumstances might be psychologically comparable to race situations, but they will never represent optimum training of your physiological sprinting skills.

Sprint Program for Cyclists #2

15 minutes ”“ warm-up (increasing intensity)
5 x 10 sec power sprint. 5 min recovery between each power sprint.

Slow down your bike and then do a maximum acceleration in a high gear (53×14-16). This exercise is probably the closest you can get to specific maximum strength training on your bike.

This workout can easily be performed a couple of times each week because the recovery needed after these power sprints is minimal. Although it should be emphasized that recovery periods between power sprints must be long enough to ensure full recovery.

Just like any other workout, it is a good idea to analyze your efforts afterwards. Group sprints are more complex to analyze because you train several different skills (technical, tactical and physiological) while power sprints are pure power training.

Again I need to mention that a power meter is a fantastic analysis tool providing objective feedback for your efforts.

Finally, don’t forget to read the real secrets of successful sprinters.

Cycling Training Programs

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12-Week Cycling Training Plans

12-Week Winter Training Program (Recommended)
This training program can be used by a wide range of cyclists who want a high quality training program for their winter training.
12 Week Pre-Season Cycling Training Program
This program is an example of how you can plan the final 12 weeks before the race season begins. If you have been lazy during the winter, starting on this program might be a good chance to catch up.

Time Effective Cycling Training

16 Wk Training Program incl. Tapering Protocol
This exciting new e-book will showcase how you can develop your own individual training program, fine tune your intervals and taper towards a major event.

Indoor Cycling Training Programs

Indoor Cycling Programs – part one
3 super effective indoor training programs that can be used on ergometer bike or in the spinning class.
Indoor Cycling Programs – part two
2 Highly effective indoor training programs that will boost your aerobic engine.
VO2 Max Booster Program
This training program will dramatically boost your race performance in only 14 days. The training program can be used by any cyclist, but riders with a SRM or PowerTap mounted on their bike will get the best value. There are amazing reports from readers who have tried this program. You can improve your VO2 max dramatically in only 14 days using these workouts.