As I type this it is only a couple of months until Spring. If you want to be at your best for next season you better be training now. You may have had a bit of lay off over the holidays but it's time for full speed ahead. It takes more than just cardiovascular fitness to go fast on a bike. It doesn't matter how strong your legs are if you can't get the power to the pedals. The whole system has to be strong to go fast and no fatigue over the long haul.
This week I'm going to post the Intermediate plan for those who ride regularly but haven't done rides or races over 60 km this season. If you want to make fast progress, you need synergy. Workouts that hit more than one system at a time so you see maximum progress.
To do these workouts you need a bike trainer or spin bike, a pair of dumbbells and an inflatable exercise ball.
And you know the Drill:
Consult with your doctor before undertaking any exercise program
(most people who have a adverse reaction to hard exercise have an underlying medical condition that went undetected)
The Speed Factory Crash Training Plan consists of on the bike workouts that can be done inside or out depending on weather and 3 weekly Cross Training Workouts off the bike. You make quicker gains from working harder rather than longer so the focus is on quality intervals. The plus is that the bike portion of the workouts is a total of around 3 hours per week including your warm-up and cooldown.
Bike Warm-Up - 10-15 minutes of spinning with 3 X 20 second hard efforts to kick in the lactate clearing process.
Cross Training Warmup
3 rounds
15 Squats
30 Seconds per Leg - Sampson Stretch
10 Halos per direction
5 pushups
10 Trunk Rotations
Stretching/Yoga
Stretch after every workout. Look up the Yoga Series called Sun Salutation to incorporate after your workouts to keep the muscles loose and speed recovery.
Intermediate Program
This includes 3 Bike Workouts and 3 Cross Training Workouts. You can do a bike workout and then your cross training on the same day or you can do bike one day and cross train the next. Aim to give 48 hours between cross training workouts.
Sample Week
Monday - Bike Workout
Tuesday - Cross Training
Wednesday - Bike workout
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Bike and Cross Training
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Cross Train
You can juggle it how ever you like as long as you get the work in and don't do all three workouts back to back.
Bike Workout 1 - Speed and Cardio
15 min warm-up
3 X 6 intervals of 10 second hard / 10 second easy / 2 min easy riding between sets (rev up to a cadence of 100 rpms in a hard gear)
2 min easy recovery
6 X 30 seconds hard / 90 seconds easy ( do each 30 second interval as hard as you can aiming for 100 rpms in a hard gear)
10 minute cool down
Total Workout Time: 49 minutes
Bike Workout 2 - Muscular Endurance
With this muscular endurance ladder you will do the shorter intervals in a harder gear than then longer ones. Choose the gear and trainer resistance that feels like a 8 / 10 for each effort. Your heart rate will be up and your legs will burn. After your last 4 minute interval just do a 10 minute cooldown rather than the 4 minute recovery and then the 10 minute cooldown.
15 minute Warm-up
2 Sets of:
5 seconds hard / 5 seconds easy
10 seconds hard / 10 seconds easy
30 seconds hard / 30 seconds easy
1 minute Hard / 1 minute Easy
2 Minutes Hard / 2 minutes Easy
4 Minutes Hard / 4 minutes Easy
10 minute Cooldown
Total Workout Time: 52 minutes
Bike Workout 3 - Time Trial Intervals
With these intervals you need a bike computer that has distance and time or a trainer that records this information. This is based on distance not time. You are aiming to cover the distance as fast as you can so the faster you go the shorter the workout but the more load you will get. Use the same resistance setting on your trainer each time so the load is repeatable each workout.
15 minute warm-up
3 X 5 km time trial / 4 minute recovery between efforts
10 minute cooldown
Total workout time: Approx. 60 minutes
Cross Training Workouts
With the cross training workouts, time them. Aim to get the workout done as fast as possible while maintain good exercise form. You will be breathing heavy and your muscles will burn but this is the aim of these workouts. Full body exercise with lots of lactic acid, oxygen debt and muscle activation stimulates the body to increase production of growth hormone and testosterone which helps with fat burning and recovery.
Workout 1
3 Rounds
10 Pushups
20 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls w/ dumbbells
30 Dumbbell Swings
Workout 2
3 rounds
20 Thrusters w/ Dumbbells
20 Russian Twists per side (10 lb dumbbell)
10 pullups or body rows
10 Burpees
Workout 3
3 rounds
15 Manmakers w/ dumbbells
15 Lunges per leg
30 Dumbbell Swings
Overview
Do each workout once a week for the next four weeks. Drink lots of water, eat natural foods and get lots of sleep.. If you find yourself feeling really tired after a few weeks, take 2-3 easy days to allow the body to recovery. With these workouts you get as much out of them as you put into it. Work hard and you will see results.
It's in you to become a better cyclist. Helping you get there is my number one goal. Equipment, riding skills, fitness and nutrition all have to be dialed in to reach your potential. To take your next step on that journey visit cyclecambridge.com cyclecambridge.com. Sign-up for our newsletter at cyclecambridge.com cyclecambridge.com and receive a free fatloss ebook to help you on your fitness journey.
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