There seem to be two common approaches that most cyclists use during pre-season. While some riders devise complicated and elaborate training schemes to get the jump on the competition, others simply increase the miles and race some early bird events figuring their fitness will just happen by itself. The problem for both athletes is that neither has a personalized plan that makes the best use of their pre-season training.
There are few riders who have not at some time considered working with a professional coach. The reasons are obvious. Riders who have an organized and detailed plan and personal guidance have a better chance at success. And, since the average rider lacks the knowledge and expertise and time to develop and implement an effective training plan hiring someone to do it for them seems reasonable. But is working with a coach the right way to go for every rider? Before you hire a coach there are a few things to be sorted out.
The human body is an amazing and incredibly adaptable combination of mechanical and biological systems that is capable of performing so many different tasks. Sports nutrition researchers are discovering everyday that the body of a trained athlete interacts with food very differently that that of an ordinary person. The tremendous stresses placed on the human body during hard training and competition demand large amounts of fuel and specific nutrients needed to repair the damage and refill the fuel tank before the next session.
It is hard to find any hard science that proves the benefits of a good warm-up. However, every coach and almost every rider I know believes that it is important to warm-up before training and competition. But why?
From personal experience, the first hard efforts in training or at the start of a race can be extremely uncomfortable if I am not prepared to do the work. On a training ride I do not expect to be able to do any meaningful work until 45minutes into the ride. The older I get the longer it seems to take.
The importance and value of a training diary cannot be overstated. The progress you make in your training and the success you have in competition will be a direct result of the structure of your training activities and preparation. This includes everything about your athletic lifestyle like workouts, diet, sleep and recovery, and the specifics of your daily training activities. I like to put to my riders this way.
Muscle tissue adapts to endurance/aerobic level training in many unique and useful ways. On the physiological side, trained muscle tissue is able to extract more oxygen from the blood supply and, combined with changes in the control of energy metabolism, has increased capacity for work. Other endurance/aerobic training adaptations like increased cardiac output, tolerance to lactic acid and neurological adaptations combine with specific muscle adaptations to improve performance. As with all training adaptations, muscular adaptations are substantially influenced by the intensity, duration and frequency of training. In almost every case, within the population of healthy athletes, optimal muscle adaptations and enhanced performance will continue to occur with regular and appropriate training.
The most dramatic improvements in human performance in the last 15 years of endurance sports competition, especially cycling, have come as a result of advancements in sports nutrition. If you stick to the basics you can build a nutritional plan that will help you get the most from your riding. There are three areas of nutrition that you need to educate yourself about and pay attention to on a daily basis. Hydration, Energy and Recovery.
One way to keep your motivation and skills up during the off-season is to find a regular group you can join. A good group ride should offer both quality training and good social riding. We all know that not every group ride is the same so it is important that you find one that suits you and your training goals. Start by asking the following questions.
How much attention you pay to your recovery will determine how fast you progress in your training. Many things happen to your body during training. Vital fluids, energy stores, muscles proteins and other nutrients are depleted, cells and muscle tissue are damaged and the immune system is stressed. Once you climb off your first priority must be your recovery so you can return to training as quickly as possible fully prepared to do the work.