Health and lifestyle »
Off Season Training Thoughts
Before I share my opinions on off season training, note that I am not a coach, or even a pro or expert cyclist. Just a regular joe with limited time. And I toss around terms like power, strength sort of interchangeably even though they are not. Currently, I am following the kung fu of Dave Morris a PhD in exercise physiology and former coach at the Olympic Training Center as outlined in his book Performance Cycling. I also wrote a primer on my program at my BLOG.
There are several philosophies about how to approach the off season for cyclists. The ideas that see a lot of debate are outlined in the list below:
- Strength training
- Cross training vs Sport Specificity
- Base versus intensity
In the rest of this entry, I’ll give you my thoughts on the subject. Comments and discussion are encouraged — use the form at the end of this writeup to add your thoughts.
Strength Training Debate
The ‘Sport Specificity debate’ centers on the fact that some people feel that off season time in the gym would be better spent on the bicycle (in the form of sprints, single speeding, and high resistance / low cadence work). There is no doubt to me that one needs Cycling SPECIFIC strength. Strength gains are speed specific. However, I feel that some work done in the gym provides a foundation of strength with which to turn into greater cycling power.
If one only has so many hours a week to devote to training is using some of that time in the gym and following a cycling-specific periodized strength training program (NOT just going to the gym and tossing a few plates on) a worthwhile?
Personally, I say a hearty YES. Keep in mind that the strength training is integrated as part of an entire yearlong program. Just looking at weight training alone under the microscope may show it to be detrimental in the short run, but I’m in favor of it as one piece of a cycling program.
For an anti-strength training point of view you can check out this article in cycling news.
Here are some of my reasons I like resistance training.
- Strength training provides some balance towards the unbalanced body of a cyclist.
- Strength training is load bearing where cycling is not. The load bearing helps mitigate some against osteoporosis. Something which cyclists should be aware of.
- Resistance training builds powerful muscles in a time efficient and effective manner.
The last phase of lifting involves higher speed lifting to begin transition from gym strength to cycling strength. The next phase involves on bike work which includes: sprints, lead out intervals, and high resitance / low cadence work in the saddle. And then that’s it. I’m out of the gym after that for the rest of the year.
Cross training vs Sport Specificity
Judging by the number times I’ve hurt myself wheeling out the garabage and playing with the kids, I don’t think cycling creates a wholly balanced athlete. And if you been on your bike 15-20 hours a week from March until August one might want a break from the bike but not lose all of their aerobic fitness. So cross country skiing, swimming, soccer, running, and roller blading can all be great options. Additionally many feel that juniors who are still growing and developing should do activities that make them more balanced and well rounded than solely cycle.
However, the principle of Specificity implies that to become better at a particular exercise or skill, you must perform that exercise or skill. I only have so little time to devote to this or any other activity. And being time challanged yet wanting to excel at cycling means that with the limited training time I’ve got, once I’m done lifting, I’m going to be riding.
I don’t train enough during the year to get burned out. And if I had more free time in the off season I might do some other stuff, or if I was at an elite level where I didn’t need to work so much on my basic cycling development than sure I’d do some other activities. Maybe if we got enough snow around here to support XC skiing or snowshoeing I might be more apt to try it. But for me, the main focus is cycling.
Base training
You know the picture. Road pro logging hour after hour at LSD pace. 4, 5, 6 hour rides several days a week. For several months.
It is always important to take a good hard look at yourself and the types of races you compete in. For myself we are talking 2 to 2.5 hour, sometimes going up to 3 hour, mountain bike races at very high intensities. How much base training do I need? My limiting factor is not being able to handle the volume of high intensity seen in a mountain bike race not being able to handle just volume. I can handle 4-5 hrs of easy riding, it’s the redline that makes me cramp in an hour. So I spend a significant amount of time devoted to 1-3 minute intervals and 10-12 minute intervals.
But one needs some aerobic conditioning in order to prepare for high intensity work. So the requirement for base riding isn’t the issue, but rather how much does a vet sport mountain bike racer need? I am shooting for 3-5 weeks of base, which is not a whole lot when you hear about guys doing this for months because I just don’t have the time or patience for 4 months of base.
One note is that after all that time in the weight room it would be a shame to lose all that strength by doing hours of only easy pace. So to make sure that not all of it goes away I’ll be doing some sprints, leadout intervals, and some muscle endurance work during some of those easy miles. After this relatively short endurance phase, I’ll do a 3 week block of short intervals, a week off, then 3 week block of longer intervals, and that is the end my ‘Off season’.
In season is different for everyone depending on your particular event and your particular strengths/weakness. For me it includes maybe 1 day of intervals, one hard road ride, one race pace/race length mountain bike ride and a lot of rest/easy riding. I take a lot of days off completely which go towards family time.
One final note to consider is that it is called the OFF season for a reason. It’s hard mentally to ride with friends who don’t have an OFF season. You know these people, who ride pretty much the same all year round. Ideally, with a structured training plan you are going to be stronger when it counts at the races, but it is still a hard pill to swallow to get worked over in January. But be patient and stick to your plan.
Again, these are just my thoughts based on my experience over the last three years following this type of training. Your mileage may vary.