Hard Training on Consecutive Days

I have had a few people in recent weeks ask if its good or bad idea to train at the upper end of their zones on consecutive days or even over multiple days. In other words do we always need a day off between tough days? Absolutely not. I know that in the schedules I prepare for those I'm coaching and in the schedule my coach sets for me there are many weeks with 3 consecutive days of the same intervals high end intervals. With a day off before and after that block of training you should be fine. I usually find that I ride stronger on the second and third days. the cummulative stress from this training is a real benefit as long as you take the rest days.

This week, and the next few, on my calendar have three consecutive days of multiple steady state efforts (like 3x10 minute) holding about 330 watts. it was just a couple of years ago that I was holding 295-310 for the same efforts. The short term goal is to be able to hold about 365-370 for 14-15 minutes at the next indoor tiem trial and then carry that power into the spring time trials. Multiple efforts over multiple days over several weeks should get us there.

Article from the New York Times Magazine on Oscar Pistorius

I've seen profiles on Oscar Pistorius in other magazines. His success not only in the Para-Olympics but also in track field against some of the worlds best raises the question of whether he should be allowed to compete in the upcoming summer Olympics. Are his artificial legs an advantage?

January Training

The last 6-8 weeks have been heavy on Tempo efforts. We've been doing three consecutive days per week of 3x20 minute efforts holding around 300-310 watts average. While they always go by faster outside the power inside vs outside was always about the same.

Last Sunday was the third out of the four Indoor Time Trials. All of the Tempo efforts paid off as I was only 2 seconds off my best time on that course. While its a short course at only 10k it is a great way to get in 14 to 15 minutes at 95% of max HR and push HR to 100% on the last climb. I run my Powertap just to compare it to their Computrainer. Power is always higher on the Computrainer by about 15-20 watts. My Powertap showed average power at 361 and the Computrainer showed 376. I've actually held greater power, as high as the upper 380's, and ridden slower. I was hammering the uphills too hard and not keeping steady power on the downhills. Average cadence is around 100-105.

From that data my coach set a new goal for my field test (2x8 minutes, all out) at 370. I did that yesterday and held 365 and 370. These are well above what I held last September by over 15 watts. This just means all of my training zones will go up.

We're also doing a lot of strength training. At least three times per week we're working on lunges in every direction (forward, back, side to side, back to the side, etc), squats with free weights, pushups, pull ups, chin ups, plyometrics (a variety of jumps), plenty of single leg balance exercises, planks up to 4 minutes, and foundation training for all of those muscles from the neck to the hamstrings. This is pretty similar to the exercises I use with my personal training clients. Many of them are tri-athletes and cyclists. The first few sessions are usually pretty painful but after that they start to see the benefits of improved efficiency and great power in their training.

The winter months should be your most intense training. This is a good time to ask what is your competition doing right now? Are they training as hard as you are?

Harvey Newton on Strength Training

This is from the January 19, 2012 edition of RoadBikeRider. Just some additional reasons why strength training is important for cyclists and other endurance athletes especially in the Master age groups.



Weight Training and the Master Cyclist: Coach Harvey Newton weighs in on the need for older cyclists to accept sarcopenia and adopt resistance training.

The world of cycling continues to debate the efficacy of off-bike resistance training as part of the total package needed for optimal performance on two wheels. There are numerous studies that show significant improvement in subjects exposed to sound resistance training, without a significant gain in body weight or muscle mass, or in changes to VO2 (meaning the improvement comes from the resistance training). There are other studies that show no connection between these two quite dissimilar training methodologies.

But the debate simply does not extend beyond the ranks of younger cyclists, according to Coach Harvey Newton. Sarcopenia, the reduction of muscle size and strength as a result of the aging process, is a reality for master cyclists. This is particularly true in those muscle areas not normally stressed by cycling, i.e., the trunk and upper extremities. As noted in the Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Human Kinetics), “…resistance training may be one of the most beneficial modes of training for older populations who need to enhance musculoskeletal strength, muscle mass, bone mineral density, and strength-related performances.”

Newton, (www.newton-sports.com) former national and Olympic Team coach for USA Weightlifting, raced extensively through the 1980s. As a long-time advisor to USA Cycling on strength training and the creator of RBR’s Strength Training for Cyclists DVD training program, Newton maintains a simple message: “Both male and female cyclists, especially those in the master age groups, stand to benefit greatly from a sensible weight training program.

“But, many cyclists fall prey to three common errors: 1) choosing ineffective exercises, 2) using improper exercise technique, and 3) failing to continue lifting weights throughout the entire season,” Newton says. “Endurance athletes must learn that simply lifting weights is not strength training. To truly gain the strength and power benefits available through a solid, periodized training program, cyclists must adhere to training protocols well beyond those proposed in popular newsstand periodicals.”

He points out several recent studies that support his career-long message that resistance training is effective for cyclists and that everyone, especially masters, should include resistance training as a lifestyle choice -- and a health-maintenance choice.

• The June 2011 online version of the European Journal of Applied Physiology reported a study by Louis, et al. It compared performances of nine master (mean age = 51.5 yrs.) to eight younger (mean age = 25.6 yrs.) athletes. Even with ineffective exercise selection and a protocol that would leave strength professionals running for the exits, they concluded, “The addition of a strength training program for the knee extensor muscles to endurance-only training induced a significant improvement in strength and cycling efficiency in master athletes. This enhancement in muscle performance alleviated all the age-related differences in strength and efficiency (between the two age groups).”

• The February 2011 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise included a submission entitled, “Influence of Resistance Exercise on Lean Body Mass in Aging Adults: A Meta-Analysis.” Looking at 49 qualified studies, it was concluded that an average of 20.5 weeks of resistance training produced a significant main effect equal to 1.1 kg (2.3 lb) gain in lean body mass. This compares with the anticipated 0.18 kg annual decline of LBM that occurs in a sedentary lifestyle beyond age 50.

This review also concluded that “single-set and/or fixed-volume resistance exercise programs may no longer be considered sufficient for individuals seeking progressive adaptations in lean body mass.” In conclusion, “higher dosages result in greater adaptive response, and that aging individuals should consider starting a regimen of resistance exercise as early as possible to optimize results.”

• Another recent study (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol. 25, Number 3, March 2011) noted that the high percentage of male master cyclists with low bone mineral density, when combined with the likelihood of fractures resulting from crashes, warrants greater attention. They specifically suggested, “Coaches and health professionals interacting with cyclists need to promote alternative exercise such as weight training, plyometrics, and other high-impact activity to complement cycling training to help minimize bone loss in this population.”

“I know the studies on both sides of the argument,” Newton says. “It seems odd to me that cyclists argue so much more strongly against resistance training than do athletes in other, comparable endurance sports. But master cyclists (age 50+) really owe it to themselves to accept the scientific evidence and adopt resistance training to help stave off what is the inevitable loss of muscle mass and bone density that aging brings.

“Scientifically sound strength training makes sense to me, especially for the aging cyclist (Newton is 63), and convincing masters cyclists of this should not be an uphill battle.”

Some Inspiration Heading into the New Year

At the upcoming Queen City Wheels banquet in late January we'll be handing out the awards for the various age and gender brackets for our Cleves Time Trial Series from 2011 in addition to recognizing the 50 plus members our our youth racing team, the Lionhearts, and the many accomplishments of the other men and women who race for the club. We had over 110 in attendance last year and we may hit 150 or more this year. It's a fun evening and a great opportunity to celebrate cycling in Cincinnati.

At the banquets we'll also be presenting a special time trial award to my friend Mike Keiser. For several years in the mid 2000's I trained with Mike twice a week at the Cincinnati Sports Club with personal trainer Paul Bodenbach. Mike was the national triathlon champion at Lake Placid in the 60-64 bracket, won the Eagle Man triathlon and placed in the top ten in Hawaii. He was in amazing physical condition, a great person to hang around and an inspiration to want to keep training and competing as I get older.

About 4 or 5 years ago Mike was hit by a car and spent many weeks in a coma and months at Drake Hospital recovering from severe brain injury. This past season Mike came out to the Cleves Time Trial on his recumbent tricycle and rode the course. We're going to present the Comeback Rider of the Year award at the banquet. As I said in the weekly report from Cleves I thought that Mike's ride was the best of the year and maybe the best of all-time. It had nothing to do with speed or power but it was all about determination. Mike has had to re-learn many of the daily tasks that we take for granted but he's still a competitor and an inspiration.

While at the club this past Wednesday I had a member ask me to come look at someone training in the pool. He was telling me that I had probably never seen anything like this before. When I looked through the window I knew the person in the pool he was referring to. His name is John Fogarty. John grew up in Cincinnati, graduated from XU is 1983 and now lives in Rhode Island. I think is now the administrator of a large hospital. He still has many relatives in the area so he stops back during the holidays.

In the early 1980's John had a landscape business in the Hyde Park/Mt. Lookout area. While clearing a view for some clients John lost an arm and leg when a large branch fell on him pining him in the tree. A local tree service assisted the paramedics in freeing John from the tree. He was maybe 20 years old at the time. Needless to say John overcame many obstacles and seeing him swimming laps is impressive.

The next you wonder if you really feel like training just remember how fortunate you are to be able to run, bike, swim, play golf, hike, take an aerobics class, etc.

Testing

This week in addition to the Indoor Time Trial last Sunday my coach had on my schedule some power profile tests yesterday and field tests tomorrow.The power profile test consisted of two 10 second efforts to test maximum power and then one 60 second all out effort and a 5 minute all out effort to test sustained power. While we're not really concerned with my 10 second sprinting power since I don't need that skill it is interesting to compare it to the chart that shows what a typical cat 1-5 and professional level riders would hold. The one minute and five minute effortss along with the field test (2 x 8 minutes)are beneficial to my training. We'll do these three to four times per year to measure progress in terms of average power along cadence and heart rate averages and maximums. We'll make adjustments to my training zones as needed. For those interested in power on the bike and looking for some comparison my 10 second efforts averaged in the mid 600's and hit about 800 at their peak. A really great sprinter is going to be around 1500 or higher. My one minute was 560 and my five minute was 390. My field tests are usually around 360-380.

The Indoor Time trial is another great way to test your fitness on the bike. We use the same course every month and since we're riding inside the conditions don't change. Compared to November's effort my watts were down just 1 watt to 382 from 383 and my time just a few seconds slower to 14:57. Given the difficult training of the last several weeks (lots of power intervals) I wasn't too surprised not to see improvement. My fastest effort last year was in February.

My advice for those not using a coach would be to have something in your training that you can use test your fitness. If you ride, maybe you use the same hill to test your time to the top or a mile stretch of road that you can use to time yourself. If you run, you could every so often do a mile on the indoor track at the club (a controlled environment, great for testing) or a mile course outside. For those just concerned with basic fitness you could use your vertical jump height as a measure of power in your lower body, number of pushups (or dips or chinups) for upper body strength. Having some way(s) to test your progress can make your training have more purpose and keep you motivated.

The Start of Winter Training

I'm glad that I took advantage of the day after Thanksgiving (sunny, high in the upper 50's to low 60's) to get in another 100 mile ride. I'll continue to get plenty of miles in over the next three months but too many of them will be on the trainer inside. It's boring but also the most important training of the year. i'll post updates on what I'm doing and why over the winter.

For the last few weeks my coach from Carmichael Training Systems, lets just call her Julia (after all, that is her name), has been assigning plenty of Power Intervals. These are 2 or 3 minute efforts at a cadence of 100 or even 110+ and the biggest power I can hold. The time between is the same as the time of the interval. We do from 6 to 9 intervals, usually two days in a row. Heart rate is usually reaching into zone 5 by the end of the interval. These are also called VO2 max intervals for that very reason. You're training your body to ride at your absolute maximum. This will be beneficial for other training later in the winter, the indoor time trial series I ride during the winter months, and for all events in 2012.

It always helps to ask yourself if you're competition is training this hard. Probably not, which is another reason to keep these on the calendar. As miserable as they can be I actually prefer them to hammering the really long steady state or time trial efforts when I'm riding inside. Must be an issue with keeping focused for those multiple 20 minute efforts.

The most recent edition of Tri-Athlete magazine has a brief article on strength training by Joanna Zeiger, Olympian, tri-athlete and Phd. She strongly suggests that master age athletes strength train 3-4 times per week in the winter and twice per week during the season. She recommends that your workout include explosive training (plyometrics--ask those attending my Indoor Endurance class about these--loads of fun!) and resistance training. Studies have shown improvement in sprint and endurance power, improved efficiency and increased time to exhaustion for running and cycling, and also an increase in VO2 max (your ability to use oxygen). If done properly, you wont bulk up! You will switch fat for lean muscle. Remember also that it's about lower reps, maybe 8-12, two to three sets, using a weight that is about 80% of your one rep maximum.