Do you have big goals this season? Are you trying to break a gran fondo PR or win your favorite race? Are you stuck on how to make this season your best season on the bike? A lot of the cyclists I talk to have ambitions such as those I mentioned, but they don't necessarily know to go about achieving them. They keep on doing the same things they've done for the past couple of seasons and hope they will magically find more fitness than they did before. This approach is how Einstein defined insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
I've got a few tips and tricks to help you make that leap from a “good season” to a “great season”, and I'm going to share them in today's podcast. Check out the show notes, links and episode guide after the jump:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:38 — 83.3MB)
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Show Notes
@1:00 – New recording equipment and studio set up*, sponsors, announcements.
@9:59 – Tailwind Coaching E-Bootcamp discussion: 6 weeks of directed training, email coaching support, tips tricks and advice on recovery, training, nutrition, mental toughness, fat loss and injury prevention.
Check out the details on the E-Bootcamp page.
@18:40 – 5 tips to help you make huge gains this season and crush your goals
Train consistently – Skip the “weekend epics” at the expense of weekly training, benefits of training for 30-45 minutes, 3-5 days per week, using longer rides to hone the skills you learn during the week.
Train your weaknesses – Analyze your strengths and weaknesses (Analyzing Your Cycling Season (Podcast #52)) to know WHAT to train, work on strengths about 25% of the time and weaknesses 75% of the time, learn to minimize weaknesses so strengths shine through.
Set a goal and rise to it – Set appropriate goals early in the season (Setting SMART Goals (Podcast #31)), use strengths/weaknesses analysis to determine what you need to succeed in those goals, train consistently to reach those goals.
Put a priority on recovery – Your body gains fitness while recovering, not training. Use every opportunity to boost your recovery potential (Recover Like A Pro (Podcast #50)) to build fitness faster
Go back to basics – Most people's weaknesses aren't in the “upper level” fitness parameters. It's not VO2 max or sprint power they lack, it's the simple ability to turn the pedals quickly or sustain longer periods of high pedal tension. Make a bid to return to the basics and see how much further you can stretch your fitness.
Key point for today's podcast: Even if you implement one or two of these techniques, you'll improve your season fitness significantly. Using all of them will make you stronger than you ever dreamt you could be.
If you enjoyed this episode, click through to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes and rate it 5 stars. A positive review helps the podcast move up the ratings, reach more listeners, and help more people get stronger, faster and fitter. Don't forget to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page or on the new Tailwind Coaching forums, and don't forget to support our sponsors and help to keep this podcast free, help me to get this information to more people and help grow the cycling community.
If you're not training for the coming season, what are you waiting for?! Pick up your training plans for this season by checking out my modular training plans in my online store. With spring right around the corner, you'll need to start building fitness and thinking about climbing, sprinting or preparing for a century ride. Let me help you out by providing your training path to glory!
Feel free to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Forums or leave a comment below.
*Note: Please bear with me as I work the kinks out of my new recording equipment. Feedback is appreciated on audio quality and volumes.
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