Cycling

On the eleven-year anniversary of the horrific acts of the terrorism that claimed the lives of 2,977 heroes as well as forever changing our world I ask you to join me in prayer for the many families effected the most.

 

As the world pauses and joins hands in prayer to remember the fallen, quite naturally this day has seen many efforts to pay respect and continue the long process of healing. While all efforts to mark the point in history, big or small, is an honourable action, I further stress to you to remember each day of the many great heroes whose lives were lost on September 11, 2001 and channel their courage in making our world a better place.

 

On behalf of my family as well and the entire team of USPlabs, we offer our deepest thoughts and prayers for all and as always, honour and respect those who make our world a safer place.

 

As always I remain

 

In faith,

 

John K. Davies

 

One of the most important aspects of training a cyclist must consider is developing the needed strength and fitness levels to manage hill climbs. Said hills need not be the grade of the recent Vuelta a España but all riders must be able to navigate over challenging conditions and be accustomed to technical needs and safety when fatigued. The latter matter is of extreme importance because training must always translate to the broad scope of the sport and the complexities of the descent after a steep climb cannot be underestimated.

I should first point out that my approach to hill climbs is to first assume the rider can safely manage the descent. Though I know the typical approach is to discuss only the physical requirements of mounting a charge up a hill, failing to monitor technical growth of managing the descent can place a rider in a potentially dangerous situation.

 

While I believe there is a need to vary technical style and cadence rate, for this purpose longer seated hill climbs (other approaches to be discussed in a later article) with a stroke rate of 80-90 per minute is the most efficient and provides the optimal training situation.

 

Using the most straight forward approach, whilst always maintaining appropriate stroke rate on the saddle and without the need for gear change, calculate hill climbs via the required time from base to summit, followed by descent to starting position. The general time performed will then allow for ease of calculation including wattage, monitoring of total strokes and with technical proficiency of descent, more challenging gradients are introduced.

 

From this calculation intervals are created using a pyramid approach where you successively start sets higher on the hill with each repeats. In this manner (see below) the second set of hill climbs starts ninety seconds after the original start position. The rider descends as quickly as possible, in a manner suitable for their technical expertise, circles at a slow pace for upwards of two minutes before beginning their next repeat.

 

As an example and from an intermediate development plan of a relatively fit cyclist, using a hill that is longer in length but without extreme rise. The best type of hill condition for this training approach has three plus phases of undulation where it alternates from moderate pitch to a quick level before returning to a steeper climb. Only when an individual demonstrates complete control in the descent are steeper climbs engaged, thus ensuring the riders safety.

 

Set	Repeats	Rate	Time (seconds)	Total Stroke	Total Time (minutes)
1	1	80	180	240	3
2	2	80	120	320	4
3	3	80	60	240	3
4	2	80	120	320	4
5	1	80	180	240	3
Total	9			1,200	17

This will serve multiple purposes of assisting power, work threshold and speed endurance but giving significant time of recovery on decent and allows the individual to adjust to skill requirements in a fatigued state.  Quite naturally the quality of the descent will vary with each rider due to complexity of the hill, pitch, switchbacks and technical ability but the key coaching point to consider is to maintain complete control of the course and not show signs of poor concentration. This basic template will vary considerably once the rider has established the ability to manage technical abilities within fatigued situation and should only be considered as a starting base.

 

Prepared by John Davies
Photo of Photo of Ashlyn Olivas. Please add Ashlyn’s page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. Photo Credit: Larry Hernandez of “Just Shoot Me 808”

 

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook , Renegade Training™’s, Google+, Renegade Training™ on Google+ as well as or Twitter.

 

John’s present supplement stack starts daily with the “athlete’s advantage”, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Prime, along with additional use of Recreate, Yok3d, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic depending upon his training cycle

 

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk

The sport of cycling is without a doubt experiencing a tremendous growth worldwide, capped this past week with Bradley Wiggins being the first Brit to claim the sports premier event, the Tour de France. The popularity of cycling is due to a number of factors beyond simply being fun but certainly owes some of its growth as it as obviously an environmentally friendly approach to commuting that equally is healthy. The frontier of cycling is vast and though purists will utter hushed memories of the legendary “The Cannibal”, I believe the sports worldwide popularity is virtually in an embryonic stage compared to where it will be a decade from now.

 

Tammy Bravomalo discusses her supplement stack.

 

Rather than provide countless details how cycling is one of the great vestiges of a “total health” experience that positively influences your life, I will concentrate on key cycling tips riders of virtually every level need to target.

1. Time in the saddle. This should be very obvious but cycling is unlike a sport where you can leave it for months on end, train in the gym and then return without missing a beat. Whilst I prefer being on the road, rollers will do in winter conditions, to improve as a cyclist it is best to spend time riding each day. These certainly do not mean long arduous rides during the week but a simple forty-five minutes tempo sessions at seventy-five percent maximal cadence will improve work threshold as well as refine technical aspects of the stroke.
2. Activate the core before riding. As with all physical exercise it is crucial to properly activate the core before you begin your session or postural alignment and movement generation will be less than optimal. Riding slowly at the start of your session will not suffice and in-fact will lead to poor habits that could haunt you in the long run. The simple solution is six-minutes of RED² and Hurdle mobility drills each.
3. Target recovery. I cannot emphasise this enough and as many ask me how I manage my own heavy training schedule it is due to complete commitment to optimising recovery. Therefore, an experienced professional coach will properly design a training regime that includes:
   1. Contrast showers, Ice and Epsom salt baths, massage therapy
   2. A balanced dietary approach (see “simplicity”) and supplement regime that includes Modern, PowerFull, Super Cissus and Prime and given a proper diet includes carbohydrates, particularly for athletes with high work threshold demands, Anabolic Pump.. As it relates to performance, Modern and Yok3d are virtually made for cyclists
   3. A balanced exercise regime that stresses range of motion and work threshold development within a broad capsule to ensure optimal recovery.

 

 

Prepared by John Davies
Top photo of Tammy Bravomalo

 

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook , Renegade Training™’s, Google+, Renegade Training™ on Google+ as well as or Twitter.

 

John’s present supplement stack starts daily with the “athlete’s advantage”, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Prime, along with additional use of Recreate, Yok3d, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic depending upon his training cycle

 

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk

 

Two of the most challenging elements for elite level athletes within their non sport-specific training are maintaining direct focus to improve production in the field of competition as well as staying challenged with basic exercise regimes. While on the surface both concerns would seem “simple” to solve, the training of elite level athletes is complicated by their level of athleticism and an industry that rarely, if ever, caters to their pedigree.

This is extremely peculiar area as elite level athletes routinely make “the difficult look easy” and whilst most will take weeks to adapt to an exercise, for them it might be intra-training session. Equally, while trends in exercise come and go, it is easy for an athlete who is not sufficiently motivated in their exercise regime to venture into endless “cross-training” approaches and effectively “de-train” for their sport. Given this fact, it is important for the performance coach to monitor the training regime of an elite level athlete such that has an immediate carryover to improving sports production, sufficiently motivates and adjusts constantly to avoid adaptation, whilst naturally understanding the sport at a highly detailed level. This is not an easy hurdle to navigate and many athletes find their sports production plummet given their training is not planned with these aspects in consideration.

The latter issue, of being motivated for training outside the athletes sporting discipline, is not reserved for merely the elite level as others suffer the same situation. This is very true within the great sport cycling, as the rider who is use to traversing the countryside in long rides is then forced on rollers due to winter conditions and even more problematic within a gymnasium setting where the connection to sport is difficult to envision.

Specifically dealing with cycling, a sport that regardless of level of ability requires an inordinate amount of time in the saddle, intense concentration and discipline as it relates to pace and management of terrain it is important to remember:

• all training must be have a carryover to sports production
• training will further reduce the risk of injury and enhance recovery for the often problematic concern of repetitive stress within sporting skills.

The latter is extremely important given the amount of time needed in the saddle to excel in cycling as non sport-specific training must “re-set muscular” to compensate for the repetitive action of the sport as well as satisfying energy cycle and strength development needs but always keeping in mind the importance of managing strength to bodyweight. Of extreme importance and some of the most neglected concerns within cycling regardless of your level of performance is range of motion work, both static and dynamic (Hurdle mobility drills, RED²)  ensuring optimal health of the shoulder capsule and core stability.

Prepared by John Davies
Photo: Renegade Cycling

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook , Renegade Training™’s, Google+, Renegade Training™ on Google+ as well as or Twitter.

John’s present supplement stack starts daily with the “athlete’s advantage”, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Prime, along with additional use of Recreate, Yok3d, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic depending upon his training cycle (workout log 1, 2, 3, 4).

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk.

If the summer months are the days of honey for cyclists, the winter is a deeply challenging one. With much of Europe and North America blanketed with heavy snowfall, winter training 2011 for cyclists in the northern hemisphere will be one of the most trying. Though many are willing to gut out cold weather, road conditions are often impossible, thus forcing riders inside for upwards of five months on rollers.

Whether you are one of these unfortunate ones who have to summon the extra focus to endure high intensity work on rollers or live in a climate where you can ride year-old, the need for proper conditioning off the bike is imperative. This needs to occur to build added overall strength that improves performance, in a more time efficient manner than in the saddle but also promote greater recovery from training and resistance to injury.

Of particular note, many cyclists are wary of weight room work because for the most part the resistance training in the marketplace rarely focuses on the complexities of the sport. This is understandable because the majority of training suggestions either come from the bodybuilding community, a sport training community that is typically “cut and pasted” from other activities or blindly associated with the sales of a piece of equipment. While the latter is barely worthy of mentioning, given no piece of training equipment is the panacea, the demands of the sport is unlike those with a higher profile in training circles.

Although this is likely to raise the ire of many in different sports, cyclists have one of the most challenging training needs as they must develop extraordinary power and work threshold but also keep a watchful eye on adding muscle mass that may slow them. This lends to both the problems in the marketplace, as most exercise regimes fail to under this crucial element and a series of important training decisions.

Cycling has traditional been a summer training activity for dedicated Skiers, Snowboarders and with good reason as both have to deal with managing overall bodyweight and being able to maintain optimal position for long durations while under extreme duress. All resistance training must show particular care to eliminate added muscular growth beyond the purpose of the sport, keeping bodyweight down and ensuring riders can handle the enormous demands of speed endurance.

The first course of action within winter training, beyond scheduling very regular, high output time on rollers, is building up weak sports that cause poor posture in the saddle. Poor posture leads to a multitude of problems and a direct correlation to lowered stroke power and frequency. The error within the bike community is thinking that conditioning must solely be in the saddle as dry-land training has enormous value. Proper movement generation and activating the core prior to training, including on the bike, is achieved

Through daily use of RED², Hurdle mobility drills and static stretching (abbreviated form of my “Pink” series on static stretching), staples for cyclists, proper movement generation, range of motion and core strength will drastically improve.

Each of these sections can be performed at home or with your cycling club. In subsequent issues of these series, we will build upon these entry level sections and add further resistance work to improve your riding ability.

prepared by John Davies

John Davies is available on Facebook or Twitter, as well as their many pages on Facebook including Renegade Training™ and the Renegade Cycling Club.
photos credit: John Davies ready to ride, Renegade Cycling Club copyright protected © Renegade Style Productions, 2011.

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should it be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk.

Cycling has a unique connection with respects to functionality of muscular development, overall body mass and limitation of machinery. The dedicated cyclist is very aware they must produce an enormous amount of power with each stroke but along with the generation of force, their overall technique and machinery must work hand-in-hand with the actual body weight they carry. This leads to a distinctive set of concerns as regardless of muscular weight carried, it will have an impact upon final speed and therefore all resistance work must be under the microscope to limit the load pushed. Quite obviously, this leads to rationale that within resistance training, all musculature developed must serve the purpose of increasing speed, obviously posture in the saddle but not be cumbersome as extra body weight.

For the dedicated cyclist, they must first envision their broad training system with the understanding of technical sports mastery and overall conditioning. Physical conditioning, off bike, is an integral component but cannot supersede work on two wheels nor possibly harm technique. Conditioning work on the bike is the first priority but additional training, including resistance work, is an absolute must.

The key aspect for cyclists to understand is that resistance work assists in the development of power, which for many, relates to the need for extraordinary speed-endurance, while limiting an increase in body weight. Resistance training feeds power on the bike but never at the expense of adding weight to drag. The perfect example of this is in the peloton where a rider effortlessly maintains pace with the pack before bringing the hammer down with power to break away. That is power but equally shows the ability to manufacture perfect technique at high intensity levels.

This leads to the crucial post as of the overall ideas of increasing power on the bike, it is imperative to understand that resistance work should allow optimal technique while under the duress of racing and in turn, create greater power output.

Possibly one of the greatest concerns of cyclists with resistance training is that will slow them but this is because the work has been directed correctly. Resistance training will greatly enhance performance but only if it is done correctly.

With this in mind, the three overall keys for generating greater power on two wheels relates to the functionality of resistance training that allows posture to be maintained in (or out) of the bike saddle and augments technical performance with improved speed and speed-endurance. Resistance training will further improve recovery from fatigue of countless hours in the saddle but always done in a manner to increase the “functionality” of muscle.

Ultimately, this leads to a unique series of training decisions for riders, to be discussed in the next addition to our cycling section at USP Labs.

prepared by John Davies
photos credit: John Davies ready to ride, Renegade Cycling Club copyright protected © Renegade Style Productions, 2010.

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should it be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk.