Be Your Own Coach / Training Basics for Cyclists of All Levels
Whether you browse fitness websites or the sports aisle at your local Barnes & Noble, you’ll find a wide variety of training advice, and sifting through it can be a daunting task. While some cyclists hire a coach to help make sense of it all, training on your own is simpler than you might imagine. The best coaches and athletes in the world adhere to these six maxims. Here’s how to make them work for you. _____________________________________
Overload:
To get stronger and faster you need to gradually increase the demands you place on your body by riding longer, harder, or more often. For example, if you’re used to riding anywhere from three to five hours a week, adding 18 to 30 minutes to your schedule would create an overload. Aim to increase ride volume by no more than 10 percent each week.
Train In Cycles:
To get stronger and faster you need to gradually increase the demands you place on your body by riding longer, harder, or more often. For example, if you’re used to riding anywhere from three to five hours a week, adding 18 to 30 minutes to your schedule would create an overload. Aim to increase ride volume by no more than 10 percent each week.
Choose Intensity Over Volume:
If you always ride long and slow you’ll never get out of first gear when it counts. To supercharge your engine, incorporate intervals into your rides at various effort levels. Work up to a minimum of three hard sessions per week, including group rides: Think of them as intervals in disguise.
Rest as Hard as You Ride:
Training adaptations take place while you’re off the bike, so allow for recovery. Your weekly volume should be somewhat challenging without leaving you flat on your face at the end of a week. A single day of rest after a weekend of riding should leave you with plenty of energy to get back in the saddle on Tuesday.
Be Consistent:
Doing three or four short weekday rides with intervals plus longer, more moderate rides on Saturday and Sunday is more effective than saving all of your training for the weekend. You’ll teach your body to push on a consistent basis, keep your metabolism high, and recover quicker. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy the mood-boosting benefits of exercise more frequently.
Track Your Progress:
Keep a training journal or use an online tool such as Strava or Training Peaks to record the length, intensity, and frequency of your rides. Every four to six weeks, do a field test: Find your favorite climb or stretch of open road and track time, distance, heart rate, and/or power over the course of an all-out effort.
Build Your GearBox:
To get faster, work these types of riding into your repertoire:
Recovery- Low heart rate; moderate cadence (80–90 rpm); effort level 1 to 3 (out of 10, your hardest). Forty-five to 75 minutes
Cruising- Deep, steady breathing; 85–100 rpm; effort level 4 or 5. Sixty to 240 minutes
Tempo- Rhythmic breaths; 85–100 rpm; effort level 6. Sample Workout: One to four surges of five to 30 minutes, depending on fitness. Recovery: 50% of the interval time
Brisk- Quick, rhythmic breaths; 90–110 rpm; effort level 7 or 8. Sample Workout: Three to five surges of three to 20 minutes. Recovery: 75–80% of the interval time
Power- All-out; 90–110 rpm; effort level 10. Sample Workout: Four to six surges of 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Recovery: 100–150% of the interval time
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