For a cyclist, a solid aerobic engine is essential. When you go for a ride, you stimulate your aerobic system, but stimulation depends on the intensity. Therefore, trained cyclists need a greater absolute and relative workload to improve the VO2 max. Thus, if you are an experienced rider, doing hard intervals or races is necessary […]
Killer intervals for VO2 max Read More »
October is a quiet month for most cyclists in Europe. Unless you ride 6 days races on the velodromes or ride cycle cross in Belgium, there are no cycling races in the rest of 2008. Thus, October is the month where most riders decrease their overall training amount to a minimum to recover after a long season.
It is often said that the three basic elements for a cyclist are: Training, nutrition and recovery. In October the recovery should have the primary focus, because your body needs rest.
Training
Depending on your fitness level and ambitions, your training amount should be decreased to 50% or less than normal. Try some of the bike disciplines that you are not used to. If road cycling is your primary discipline, then go for a ride on a mountain bike or visit an indoor velodrome. There is a great potential for learning skills from these sports and you are guaranteed some enjoyable rides. Remember to invite the established mountain bikers to hit the roads with you when they have taught you a lesson or two off road.
Nutrition
Don’t focus too much on what you eat and how much you eat. October is when you have the chance to do what normal people do all year around, but don’t overdo it. Eat a burger and have a beer with your friends. One month should not make you really heavy, but please don’t look like Jan Ullrich when we reach November”¦
Recovery
Don’t underestimate the value of a decreased training amount and a period with less focus on target zones, threshold watts and body weight. It clears your head and recovers your muscles. Regarding to the overload principle, training less in periods is an important part of getting stronger.
Over to the readers: What is your primary focus in October?
Off-Season Training, Nutrition and Recovery Read More »
Here is a list of 20 ways to increase your training intensity. Some tips are serious and others are included just for fun. There might be other ways to increase to intensity and if you feel that one of your favourite tips is not on the list and would like to inform us about it, please leave a comment. There is an ultra short description following each tip, but if you want to understand the full reasons behind you have to spend some more time here on Training4cyclists.com.
These tips can be useful when you train on your own, but they can also be useful when you train with a group where you are (a lot) stronger than the other riders. Intensity is an important parameter for you overall training load which makes these tips worth to consider.
1. Intervals
This is the best known and commonly used way to intensify training. There are many kinds of intervals such as sprint intervals, anaerobic endurance intervals, maximum oxygen consumption intervals (VO2 max intervals) and aerobic endurance intervals.
2. Racing
Races are an easy way to get several intervals with a very high and race specific intervals. It is very motivation to compete in races and is also a very common way to prepare for races among professionals.
3. Use an old bike
Your old bike is harder to ride and requires more watts to maintain the same speed. When you return to your favourite bike, you will experience that you feel light and your legs are doing extremely well.
4. Use heavy wheels
Additional weight also requires more watts, especially in a hilly terrain. Wheels are the most sensitive place for additional weight.
5. Low pressure in tyres
Low pressure makes your bike slower and makes you work harder to keep up with the pack.
6. Train on your own
You can´t hide yourself behind the wind breakers.
7. Be in front of group rides
It is harder to stay in front because of the winds. Don´t sit behind your friends just because it is more comfortable.
8. Wear loose clothes
Poor aerodynamics makes the trip harder for you.
9. Sit in upright position
Body position is the most important factor considering aerodynamics. Sit in a confortable position and try to brake the wind with your chest.
10. Climb mountains
Well, this is an obvious way to increase intensity. If you only got small hills then do them over and over again.
11. Train with stronger riders
Just like in races you are forced to work harder to stay in the group.
12. Train on windy days
Windy days are harder days, simple as that.
13. Train behind a scooter
The feeling of going fast motivates you to ride with a high intensity.
14. Even better: Train in front of scooter
Well, you can at least try to jump for a few hundred metres?
15. Go for a mtb ride
Riding cross country is fun and very intense.
16. Improve your personal best time
This is an old idea that I used a lot when I was a runner. Focusing on making personal bests is very intensifying way to train.
17. Improve your maximum velocity
I liked that challenge as a kid and it still is a challenge. Not only downhill, but also how fast can you go uphill?
18. Improve your maximum peak power output
If you are the lucky owner of a power meter, you can make a list with personal bests to improve. What is your highest power output ever?
19. Hit your maximum heart rate
Heart rate monitors are getting very cheap but they offer an easy way to measure training intensity. What is your highest maximum heart rate?
20. Avoid red lights when cycling in a city
If you train in the city, try to catch the green wave (and be aware of the traffic..!)
21. Join Power Meter Project 2008
Increase your threshold power in 31 days.
20+1 ways to increase training intensity Read More »
I often get questions about cycling tips from beginners looking for fast improvements. I introduce them to the basic training principles and basic rules for optimal training I know. Training consistently for a long period is a cornerstone in every cyclist’s success and using some principles for recovery accelerates the progress.
Nevertheless, it can be a good idea to hear what you readers say to your friends when they ask you about beginner cycling tips.
Best comment on this post wins $25
The winner will be chosen on June 5th and the prize can be paid to PayPal accounts only. Training4cyclists.com is allowed to present tips entered in this competition in future posts.
Now it is time for competition: What are your best beginner cycling tips?
What Are Your Best Cycling Tips for Beginners? Read More »
Cycling training should not be made more difficult than it already is. Consider how many cyclists who have won great races, championships and honour without knowing anything significant about cycling training principles, nutrition or training planning (not to mention heart rate monitors, power meters etc.) There are a lot athletes having success, because they have talent and do a lot of clever things without knowing it: They train hard, they rest and they eat proper amounts of food.
Thus, they make above 95% of their potential performance by doing these things right. Advanced training methods can only add a few watts to this, but in tough competitions these can be crucial. But for a beginning it can be valuable to read these articles to avoid the most common mistakes and understand the basic principles of high quality cycling training:
Basic Principles of Cycling Training
Optimize your cycling training with basic knowledge Read More »
Most races end up in a bunch sprint, which normally is exclusively for the sprinters. But it is only a small percentage of Training4cyclists.com’s readers who are pure sprinters and play a role on the last 200m. I will now make a short description of how you can win the next bunch sprint ”“ at least in the theory”¦
1. Pick your parents carefully
When it comes to true sprinters, genes play a big role. Sprinters are born to be sprinters. It is said that you can make a slow donkey to a faster donkey, but you can never make a donkey to a race horse. This animal is simply born to be slow and it is the same situation for many non-sprinters. Naturally born sprinters have a higher percentage of fast twitch fibres than normal people. Road cycling sprinters are not as pure sprinters as you see them in track and field. This is because the sprinters have to carry themselves a long distance before they can see the finish line.
Before you give up, it is important to notice that in many races, stronger riders use the terrain to challenge the sprinters before the final 200m. They attack on the hills and make jumps in the crosswinds. That is their chance to beat the sprinters. So if you already know that the sprinters are faster than you, then you have 3 options: Attack, attack, attack”¦ Got it?
2. Be patient
Save your energy for the final km. Until then, your job is to get through the race as easily as possible. There are many riders who could do a reasonable sprint, but they do not do it as they spend energy on desperate attacks because they do not believe in themselves. So make your decision before the race and stick to it. If you decide to go for the sprint, do it 100 percent. Otherwise forget about it.
3. Get in position
Sprint is all about position. If you are not in position you will never win a sprint even if you are the fastest sprinter. Keep the wheel of a sprinter you know is going to be among the first riders. If you are lucky or talented, you might have team mates that will help you get in position.
4. Be strong
Power is important, and for sprinters power is essential. If you want to make an incredibly fast sprint, you’ve got to train for it. That means specific sprint and anaerobic endurance training, and maybe strength training. You can read more about strength and sprint training here at this blog.
How to Win a Bunch Sprint Read More »
I guess all of you have tried this kind of activity on your bike. We are talking about biking at intensities that can only be maintained for a very few minutes or maybe just seconds. These jumps require anaerobic power which can be trained separately in your training program. There are made several tests to measure maximum oxygen uptake in the lab, but unfortunately there are no similar possibility to measure anaerobic power. Thus, we have to develop indirect methods to evaluate anaerobic power. I think that testing with a power meter will be the best evaluation of anaerobic power for most riders. Find your average power output in a 60sec. all-out test.
Lactate is not responsible for fatigue
One of the biggest myths about anaerobic power is that lactate is responsible for the fatigue. Lactate is just a piece of sliced sugar and a couple of studies have shown that lactate itself is not produce fatigue, in fact one of the studies I will present in the future claims that lactate actually protects the muscles from fatigue. There are probably many reasons why we determine exercise at severe intensity.
Read the rest of ‘How to train for anaerobic endurance’ here.
How to train for anaerobic endurance Read More »
The following post is a guest post written by Levi Bloom. Levi has his own blog about cycling training on CoachLevi.com.
If you’re looking to win a race, there are plenty of ways you can train to ride stronger. You can do all sorts of base training and interval sessions, follow a training plan, get lots of rest, etc. On top of that you can vary your riding to avoid burnout. That should keep you riding strong in most cases.
But what if you wreck? Will you bounce back or be stuck on the sidelines the rest of the year? Or maybe you drank a little too much champagne at your last post-race celebration and ended up falling down a flight of stairs? Has your training prepared you for that? Probably not. So here are a few ways to avoid injury, whether you are a road racer, mountain bike racer, or recreational cyclist:
This is basic advice, but it’s worth repeating due to the number of lives saved each year due to helmet usage.
Whatever type of riding you do, chances are you do some group rides or races. While riding in a group can be more dangerous, a few tips and a little practice will make things safer.
On the road: Ride predictably in the paceline and maintain a steady pace. You can ride close to the wheel in front of you but look a few riders ahead so you are aware of any pot holes, stop signs, turns, etc. The further back you ride, the more likely it is that someone will wreck in front of you, so stay closer to the front. Similarly, watch out for any erratic behaviour and keep your distance from those riders. Lastly, you can practice “bumping” by riding with a buddy in a soft, grassy field and bumping elbows and shoulders. This will get you accustomed to riding in tight quarters with others.
On the trail: The main thing to remember is to give the other riders some space. If someone goes down in front of you, make sure you have room to stop safely so you don’t hit them and end up crashing yourself. This also lets you watch their line and adjust yours to avoid any problem areas. (Caution: Those quick tips are just a starting point for learning to ride in a group. To make things safer for you and those around you, get some personal advice from an experienced cyclist before jumping into a big group ride.)
Maybe you don’t use your arms so much when riding, but if you fall on your arm, it should be strong enough that it doesn’t snap like a toothpick. If you are avoiding weights for fear of bulking up, at least do some push-ups and pull-ups to strengthen the upper body. For the lower body, running will improve bone density, which is something cycling doesn’t do. And a little extra muscle covering your body will protect your bones and internal organs!
If you’ve ever listened to Tour de France commentary, they emphasize how riders “go limp” if they are going to wreck. That’s exactly what you want to do. Proper form when crashing is almost an instinct amongst the pros because they have practiced (or learned from experience.) In your case, I suggest a good practice session. Start by going out in a grassy field, with helmet and pads, of course. All you have to do is roll along, stop, and fall over while keeping your hands on the bars. Don’t stick your arm out, that’s how you’ll break a collar bone! You can start out falling into a hill so you don’t have to fall so far, but work your way to flat ground. The key is to go limp (relax all your muscles) and absorb the shock, letting your entire body hit the ground. (You know how boxers “ride” a punch? It’s physics. The longer the time period of the hit, the less damage it causes.) So when you go down, your legs will hit first, then your side, and then your shoulder. You won’t really roll in this slow-speed drill, but you will in the next one.
Now we’ll work with faster speeds and fulfill your superhero fantasy at the same time. We’re going to couple our “falling” drill with some action. The best example of this is a survival roll. You run, and when you’re ready, dive forward. As you go towards the ground you should let your arms or shoulders hit first and then roll through one shoulder over onto your back. Make sure not to lock your elbows. Note that when you crash, you should roll. Again, you are increasing the time period over which the force is applied in order to minimize the damage. As you get better, you’ll be able to dive and roll and get back onto your feet and keep running! Watch some mountain bike races and you might see this happen! (Note that this is best done on a wrestling mat or other soft surface.)
It’s time for yoga! Yoga is great because it improves flexibility and balance. Try some balancing poses, such as the airplane pose or the tree pose. With better balance, you are less likely to fall off your bike in the first place! Increased flexibility will make it easier to go limp and roll along the ground. Plus, if you do get stuck in a weird position, your flexibility training could be the difference between a couple small scrapes and torn ligament! Flexibility also decreases your chances of overuse injuries and tight muscles (especially hamstrings.)
If you’ve never tried freestyle BMX riding, you probably think it’s reserved for hooligan teenagers. If so, it’s your loss. Trying basic BMX balancing moves and tricks greatly improves your balance and bike handling skills. Whether you want to improve your balance by messing around in a parking lot or get used to air time by hitting the dirt jumps, the technical skills really come in handy. (Riding trials would be a similar way to train, although trials bikes are hard to find and usually on the expensive side.)
You have two choices here. Either 1) slow down on the alcohol consumption during the season, or 2) make sure your designed driver would rather keep you safe than watch you ride down a flight of stairs… 😉 Follow those tips and in the unfortunate event of wreck, you will be more likely to emerge without serious injury.
About the author
This article was written by Levi Bloom, a road cyclist and mountain bike racer who writes about racing and training on his own website, http://coachlevi.com/. Check it out for more great advice for cyclists.If you´re interested in writing a guest post on Training4cyclists.com, read more here.
How to Ride Strong All Season Long: Don’t Get Hurt! Read More »
An individual time trial is a discipline with requirements for physiology, technique, tactics and psychology. Each of these categories has a potential for optimization that will make you faster. In the first article I will take a closer look on what you can do to optimize your physical performance in time trials.
VO2 max and threshold power are important
It is clear that the most obvious parameter for time trial performance is your physiological status. Maintaining a large percentage of your maximum oxygen consumption over a long period is essential in a time trial. Genes play an important role for your maximum oxygen consumption, so you will benefit from choosing your parents carefully. (If you read this it is probably already to late, sorry”¦)
Interval training can improve your aerobic system
Forget about the genes for a while. You have a great opportunity to optimize your aerobic engine through interval training. These intervals should be focused on workloads that require intensities at maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) or just below. Training at this intensity not only boosts your VO2 max, it also improves your performance at lower intensity. That is probably not known by all cyclists, but the physiological adaptations you get from this training is the same as you get from the long ”˜threshold’ intervals. There is nothing magic about training at the threshold, it is not better than training slightly above or below the threshold. The interesting thing is how great a stimulus you put on your oxygen system and how long time you spend on that intensity, because that is what makes you better.
Use time trial power outputs to plan future intervals
Performing a time trial with a mounted power meter or simply making a maximum power output test will give you a picture of what intensity is required in the intervals. Intervals can be performed in many ways and they work wonderful for most riders – especially if they are performed as described in this article. The whole idea of doing intervals is to split up a long ride into shorter sections with high intensity. By doing this, you will be able to get more time at your planned oxygen consumption with less effort.
Use power output to control pace
I normally recommend serious riders to use a power meter for optimization of physical performance. The reason for this is that it is possible to control the workload very precisely, securing me that they train exactly what I am interested in. There are a lot of riders who start out too fast in intervals and then slow down in the last part of the interval. The problem about this is that the first part of the interval requires such a great amount of anaerobic work that they get exhausted too early. They reduce the pace and can’t maintain the power output required to stimulate the aerobic system sufficiently. The result is that the interval subjectively is a very hard experience, but objectively a poor controlled aerobic interval. If they just know how many watts they can maintain over a given period it is much easier for them to control the pace during the interval.
How to Improve Your Time Trial Training Read More »