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Effective “Off Season” Training – Podcast #46

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:

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Strength Training For Cyclists – Part 2 (Podcast #43)

In part 1 of “Strength Training For Cyclists” I talked about how your body adapts to different kinds of exercise.  We learned about the concept of different pathways that create physiological adaptation and a touched on a couple of ways these pathways interact with one another, turning you into a sharp physical specimen where there used to be couch potato.

But there was a problem: I covered all these concepts about how your body uses some common physiological mechanisms to build fitness in different muscle types, that's true.  But the one thing not talked about was how to put all that sciency stuff together.  I'll tackle that in detail in today's podcast, so click through the break and check out the show notes.

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Strength Training For Cyclists – Part 1: Podcast #42

Want to be a stronger cyclist without touching your bike?  Did you ever wish there was a way to build cycling prowess without sitting on the trainer for hours on end during the dark and cold winter?  Do you dream of a lean, muscular physique like the sport's top rouleurs?  Well, there's definitely a way to go about making that happen, if you're willing to put aside some bias and start hitting the gym (or the home gym if you're motivated enough.)

For years, many coaches thrashed the idea of strength training for cyclists.  But those attitudes are (thankfully) on the way out.  Frankly, a coach who doesn't believe in strength training is either not well versed in physiology or is just not interested in developing weight based workouts for his/her athletes.  In fact the recent success of numerous former track athletes in the professional road race ranks should have people clamoring for some weight lifting (most trackies are avid weight trainers during the off season.)  Think of guys like Brad Wiggins, Michael Morkov, Jack Bobridge and Geraint Thomas if you want a few examples of trackies who took to the road successfully.  So what's your reason for not hitting the weight room?

With that in mind, today's podcast will discuss some of the components of strength training and exercise adaptation.  I'll discuss the physiology of how your body adapts to exercise, so check out the show notes after the jump and follow along with the podcast.

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Coaching: Music Based Cadence Workout

Kreitler_poly_3_rollers[dc]W[/dc]inter is really, truly here.  Snow, sleet and rain has been battering the North East US for weeks.  If you're anything like me, you're probably looking for ways to accelerate your base training inside on the trainer or rollers, because training outside is not even remotely appealing.  As a coach I'm always looking for new and innovative ways to make indoor workouts interesting and to motivate athletes towards performing their best while stuck inside.  That mentality has spawned some really innovative tools in the marketplace (look at Trainer Road and the Sufferfest) and of course, some really bad ideas as well (the "watch football, go full gas while the play is in action, rest during the huddle/line up" kind of workout….)  The main issue with training indoors has always been boredom: it's difficult to ride the trainer for hours on end, and even riding the rollers becomes tedious when all you can do are focus on not falling off and counting pedal strokes (or staring at your Garmin.)  Even watching a movie can be tedious, especially when your attention is divided between the screen and your workout numbers.  Add to the fact that indoor training can be extremely repetitive and you have a recipe for lack of adherence to a training program and loss of motivation.  Variety is the spice of life, after all…

Adding Variety

One of the workouts I've found myself weaseling into my base training is a music based cadence workout.  It not only helps to keep motivated while inside, but it helps to keep training somewhat unpredictable, as you're not really sure what you're going to get next (by virtue of the shuffle function, of course.)  By doing this on rollers, you'll not only get a solid workout, but you'll be training your body to handle real world changes in pace, tempo, gearing, etc.  You'll continue to build balance and refine your pedal stroke while listening to some killer music, and you'll feel worked by the time your workout is over.

The concept behind this workout is pretty simple:

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Indoor Training Tips and Tricks

When a coach or friend mentions indoor training, time on the rollers, or trainer time, most riders either cringe or comment that they only ride the trainer when they “have no other choice.”  But in reality, indoor training has many benefits, not the least of which is being able to fit training into your busy schedule very easily.  You also have ultimate control over your workout: there's no worrying about wind, terrain, road surface, animals or traffic.  This means you'll be able to do your intervals down to the second, stop immediately if you tire, control temperature and airflow and set your interval resistance precisely.  What more could you ask for?  Well, for starters, let's look at some of the basics of indoor training, some tips to make your sessions more productive and a couple of my favorite workouts.

Rollers or Trainer?

This topic is really one that is broad enough to constitute a post in itself.  However, in the interest of giving a “Reader's Digest” version, I'll say this:

Both.

Really?  Both?

Yes, both, and I'll tell you why.  It's about working on different skills.  The trainer will be your go-to tool for working on intervals and intensity.  It provides more resistance for you to work against (adjustable in some cases) and it provides a stable platform for out of the saddle efforts, sprint efforts and extremely high intensity efforts since you don't have to worry about falling off.  On the other hand, because you're bolted to the trainer, your pedal stroke will suffer.  On rollers, you're forced to pay attention to your form.  Keeping your upper body relaxed and fluid and your attention on your form will force you to examine your technique in search of flaws (and you'll notice them quickly.)  Pedal stroke work (single leg if you dare) and cadence based intervals are best done on the rollers to allow you to smooth out your pedal stroke and increase your gross efficiency.

Those considerations aside, what else do you need to know about indoor training?  Let's explore some of the pitfalls of doing your work indoors and after that, I'll give you a couple of my favorite indoor workouts.

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