With the onset of cold and damp weather many cyclists abandon outdoor riding in favor of sitting on the sofa. Granted, with the NFL season half way done and the drama heating up like an episode of “The League”, it may sound really fun to just kick your heels back for a few months and give in to holiday laziness. But should you really just back completely off activity for a few months to recover? Should you spend it doing nothing but 12 ounce curls (I.E. drinking copious amounts of beer?) Should you throttle your activity back so much that you put on 10 pounds of insulation? Well, I'm going to say, unequivocally…
NO!
You should be spending your off season (or “not so” off season, as I talked about back in podcast #27) doing something that will ensure your success in the coming months. This could be cross training, this could be hitting the gym and lifting some big heavy things, or it could mean sitting on the indoor trainer. But which of those things will help you create an effective off season?
In today's podcast I'll talk about building a solid base of fitness during the cold months. I'll cover:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:14 — 75.9MB)
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@ 9:24 – Discussion about Friel's triad or pyramid, and how it should be rotated. Discussion of aerobic endurance, muscular force and how these, along with muscular endurance, should be the base of your training. I go over a few examples of how to build fitness in all three areas and why they're so important.
@34:16 – I cover speed/neuromuscular efficiency and how it relates to the rest of the pyramid. I discuss how to build anaerobic endurance and sprint power properly with examples of workouts for each. Recovery is touched upon near the end of the segment.
Links:
The “Not So Off Season” Podcast (number 27)
Discussion of the multiple pathways that our body builds fitness: Strength Training for Cyclists – Part 1
A little more information on energy systems: TCA cycle, Electron Transport, etc.
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Now that we're winding down the season, you might want to think about planning your next season and squaring away your training! Check out my modular training plans in my online store and think about building your offseason strength with some weight workouts. As always, don't forget to save 10% with the coupon code in this week's podcast.
