1 Mar 2005
At this point in pre-season many of us feel aerobically fit. We’ve spent the last three months pounding out the miles in a controlled manner with the primary purpose of enhancing all the processes that deliver oxygen to the working tissues. As a coach I see many cyclists make the mistake of adding intensity into their training regime while keeping the same number of hours as in their base training. Their motivation is high and they seem to ride hard, long rides for weeks on end. Unfortunately when May arrives they’re left wondering what happened to what they thought was their unending source of strength.
Keeping the same training volume while adding intensity causes those athletes to become fatigued gaining nothing from their poorly planned training regimen. Weekly training volumes (measured in miles or hours) should begin to taper with the advent of intensity and should continue to taper as one reaches peak fitness. Riding less is a tough concept to accept. I challenge my athletes to focus on executing the workout and not focus on the amount of time spent on the bike. Many, as a result, begin to experience the positive effects of riding less as intensity increases.
This time of year intensity workouts should be specific to one or two abilities that mimic competition. These ‘key’ workouts should be added to your weekly training regimen and the goal should be to execute the workout at the right intensity. When scheduling ‘key’ workouts follow these general guidelines:
Schedule two to three key workouts a week
Give yourself at least one rest day before executing the key workout
Substitute a race for a key workout
Schedule the most intense key workout in the week (other than a race)
Have a clear purpose and execution plan for the workout
A key workout can take only an hour but should not take more than two hours
Don’t add ‘junk’ miles to your key workouts. Execute the workout and then ride directly home
Warm up and cool down no more than 10-15 minutes each
Ride home if your body cannot meet the desired intensity. Don’t stress – rest.
To emphasize substituting races as training, don’t put forth two key
workouts just days before a race and expect to compete well. More
often than not you won’t finish the race. Substitute races for your key
workouts.
I remind my athletes of the following statement all the time. “The
faster you want to go the more rest you will need.” Decreasing the
training volume will allow the body to catch up and become stronger.
Resting will provide an opportunity for you to push your body harder
during your key workouts. Don’t underestimate the power of riding
less!
Train, Believe, Achieve
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