Imagine sitting down with someone and having a coaching discussion at your dining room table. That’s basically what my “coaching discussion” archives are. These archives are a repository for all the coaching discussion I’ve penned in the past few years.
Browse through the archives of my coaching discussion and learn how to be a stronger cyclist. Don’t forget you can contact me with questions or check out the Tailwind Coaching Newsletter for more great coaching discussion.
If you missed part 1 of this article, which details some simplified physiology of breathing and exercise, I suggest you take a few minutes to get familiar with it now, as it will help you put into practice what will be discussed below. Ready? Cool, let's rock.
Now that we understand the fundamental differences between deep belly (diaphragmatic) breathing and chest (thoracic) breathing, we can begin to work technique into the mix.
First off, we need to consider that our work load is largely going to determine our breathing and pick our battles appropriately. If we're in an all out anaerobic sprint, there's little you can do to relax and breathe properly. If you're slogging up a long climb, you may be able to eke out a few extra watts or keep your heart rate a few BPM lower with good technique. The same could hold true for taking pulls on the front of a paceline during a fast group ride; proper breathing will keep you out of the red and pulling longer.
Those of you who regularly challenge yourselves in hilly terrain will know that a lot of thinking can be done while you're in the hurt locker. Anything to keep your mind off the pain in your legs is a welcome distraction, and I'm really no different. That why on a recent ride, one of the main things I began to ponder about was something that I rarely (if ever) think about. I'd wager you probably don't think about it much either, until it is taken from you for some reason.
No, I'm not talking about freedom, money or your car, but the simple act of breathing. Nothing is more ignored on a daily basis but becomes the focus of our attention when we can't suck in enough oxygen. Climbing is, of course, the perfect time to consider this necessary vital function, since it really comes into the spotlight. Let's take a look at breathing and what it means to a cyclist.
Force is simply defined as the ability to overcome resistance. On the bike, this typically means having the ability to overcome a headwind or battle the force of gravity on a climb. Unsurprisingly, force tends to be one of the major limiters to many riders' successes when they get out into group rides and races later in the year. Thankfully, it is quite easy to work on the force portion of your riding skills both indoor and out, and cycling force work is easy to plan.
Click through for some information on cycling force work and how you can improve your force output.
The importance of base building is often overlooked by many cyclists, especially those who have ignored or ill defined their season goals. Your aerobic base is the foundation for all future interval workouts, and without it, the risk of injury and/or burnout is distinctly higher than in a cyclist with a proper aerobic base. More importantly, poor endurance will ensure you falter before the end of your chosen events, so while it may be boring and redundant, it is one of the most important parts of your training.
Have you ever watched a pro cycling event like the Tour de France and marveled at how man and machine are almost one being? Isn't it remarkable how smoothly and efficiently each rider can propel their machine forward at speeds that make us mere mortals raise our eyebrows in amazement? Have you then compared them to some of the folks on your local group rides and seen the night and day difference? Maybe you are one of those riders who resembles a semi truck as opposed to a Ferrari, and you want to change that.
You're probably worried that "I can't change that, those guys are gifted." Well, yes, that is true to some extent. Those guys spend their entire lives training and racing, and the vast majority of them are genetically gifted with high VO2 max and incredible natural ability. But you can still improve your pedaling technique, which will put you on the path to being more efficient and stronger on the road. And it won't cost your entire training week to accomplish, either.
