| What is base training? “Base” is defined, by the American Heritage Dictionary, as a fundamental principle or underlying concept of a system or theory. For optimum cycling performance you do indeed need to have this underlying foundation of fitness, called your “base.” If you are now in your early “base” period of training there are only three things you should be focusing on in your training:
I talk about this topic of “base” training a lot this time of year because I see so many athletes doing so little in their training to optimize fitness in these three critical areas. Most athletes are in a hurry to get into muscular endurance, anaerobic endurance and power training that in fact, those who burned out around July have been training these abilities since September when they started to get their enthusiasm for training back. These athletes focused on their endurance training are thinking they are flying now. That’s why I call them “Christmas Stars.” By about May, motivation starts to wane again and will be totally gone by June or July when racing is still going strong with several months to go. Patience is the key to success in an endurance sport and one must be patient with this type of “base” training. When passed by a group of “Christmas Stars” on the road now you’ve got to have the patience to hold back and stick with your planned “base” fitness training. Many times it helps to have a coach; someone who holds you accountable for what you are to do in workouts. I have to remind my coached athletes that they need to stick with the “base” training plan and avoid the “Christmas Star” group rides. Down deep we have to understand the benefits of building deep levels of “base” fitness. If we remain patient and focus on “base” training which includes putting in the miles as planned, the reward later on will be much greater. We will increase intensity in the next phase, and of course when you increase intensity you decrease duration. There are three simple ideas to build into your workouts to help you get the maximum benefit from each workout this time of year. This is a basic idea but there is much more to it than this. However, it can all be boiled down to three basic elements of training for early “base” training. Aerobic Endurance: Maximize 2-zone training time each week. For now, try to get about 40% of your training time each week in this zone. Higher than zone 2 doesn’t count as part of the 40%. Pay close attention to your power meter or heart rate monitor. Ride steady, avoid high and low numbers and no sprinting or coasting. You’ll have a big aerobic engine after a few weeks of this type of workout. Force: Climb all hills on certain select rides each week staying in the saddle. This will do wonders for building hip and knee extension strength which will improve your riding power overall. After a few weeks of this you will be a stronger rider, just in time to start the high intensity training. This is also a simple stepping stone workout for great sustained power. Speed Skills: Put a 25T or 27T cassette on your bike and pedal at high cadence on all terrains, including hills, at least three days a week. “High” cadence means at the upper end of your comfortable cadence range. Most riders are comfortable from about 75 to 95 RPM. Ride a lot averaging about 95 RPM at which time you may notice power will drop down some and that’s OK. Your power will rise in a few weeks as you become more economical. Improved pedaling skills will pay off in faster racing later in the season. Weight Training This is also the time of year to add weight training into your plan. A few things to keep in mind when weight training. Weight training to build cycling muscles is quite a bit different that trying to build “beach” muscles. Just keep that in mind if you seek the local trainer at your gym for advice as they typically have little experience in assisting cyclists. Lift just like you are riding right now - that is lower weights and more repetitions and build slowly. Additionally, anytime you implement weight training you should do high cadence work on the bike. The weight lifting tends to slow your legs down so keep your cadence high, which is what you should be working on this time of year anyway. Follow is a list of exercises to get you started.
Nutrition Proper nutrition is an important part of training. All too often I hear I’m on a diet or I need to lose 10 pounds by the end of the year. Remember, the food we eat is the fuel our bodies need to train with, without the proper fuel you cannot complete the proper training. It all comes down to the weight at which you produce the most power while on the bicycle (power to weight ratio), not just what shows on the scale. Therefore body fat and power to weight is the real concern. The other weight loss comment that I hear all to often is “all I’m eating is salads”. That won’t work! Remember protein rebuilds our muscles and carbohydrates give us the energy we need to train and compete. Weight training increases the body's need for protein to repair and rebuild stronger muscles. In The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition, Monique Ryan recommends that the growing teenage athlete consume 0.8 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. The recommendation for “strength” training athletes is 0.5 to 0.7 grams per pound for experienced strength training athletes and 0.8 grams per pound for novice strength training athletes. Cold Weather Riding Cold weather? In sunny Florida? Well, as most of us that train year round know, we get some cold weather days. Now is the time to make sure you have the proper gear to ride and race during the fall and winter months (especially parents of Junior riders). It is a shame to miss a great winter ride because you don't have the gear you need and is available. To prepare for a ride I check the weather - the AM temperature and wind are both important (as is rain - if there is a chance of rain you can get extremely cold on even a 60 degree day). Use an online weather source such as justweather.com for the temperature and wind. If there is rain forecasted during the time of the ride I suggest that you check the radar link. If the temperature is supposed to be 59 degrees and a wind factor of at least 20 mph, the temperature with wind chill is 45 degrees. However, that doesn’t include the 18 to 22 mph you are riding your bicycle. A decent wind chill calculator is available at: http://www.calculatorcat.com/free_calculators/wind_chill.phtml. The next thing to consider is the temperature at the end of the scheduled ride. It is so important to layer appropriately so you will be warm enough in the morning and not roasting at the end of the ride. It is important to bring extra gear if you are driving to the ride so you can layer appropriately. I keep a bag with extra cold weather gear in my vehicle just in case I need it and suggest you do the same. Closing A few thoughts to leave you with:
Let’s ride! Jim McConnell |
| NOVEMBER 2009 |
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