It’s very easy to get stuck in a rut on the bike. Most of us have a bike route; we do the route, and never deviate from said route. But that bike route is the very thing that is holding us back. Spending hours in the saddle each week, performing the same cycling workout is not the way to get better at the sport.
The reality is you must vary your training if your goal is to significantly increase your overall cycling strength. Your cycling training (just like your running and swimming), should incorporate a variety of different training elements, such as resistance training and high-intensity intervals, which will make you a faster, stronger cyclist and breathe new life into your workouts.
Here are some different cycling training ideas to help you gain strength:
Bike Hill Repeats (BHR)
This is a strength workout. After a 12 to 20 minute warm-up, climb a hill seated with a comfortable effort, using a gear at 55-65rpm. Focus on every degree of your pedal circle. Repeat that climb three to six times with at least 90 seconds easy spin back down between each.
Tempo Riding
Tempo riding is just above aerobic training and just below endurance level. Tempo riding is not easy and would be difficult to sustain the required pace for hours, but it doesn’t require so much effort that it tires you out quickly, but it does require concentration to keep the pace up. A tempo workout should be performed at around 15 beats below your lactate threshold. A good tempo workout: Begin with an easy warmup for 10 to 20 minutes. Then increase your effort until you are in your tempo zone. Stay there for 10 minutes, and then cool down for three minutes. Then return to your tempo zone for 10 minutes, and cool down. Advanced riders can do three to five 10-minute intervals; or two 15 to 20 minute intervals.
Recovery Ride
This is an active recovery time. This ride should take place eight to 20 hours after a challenging run or very tough ride. It should take place on a flat ground, use easy gears and build your cadence slowly so you loosen up as you ride. It should be a very easy ride.
Here are some additional tips:
- Ride often. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the first principle of physical fitness is frequency. Try to get in 3 to 5 workouts each week to challenge yourself, but the frequency of your workouts will vary based on your fitness level and the intensity of your workouts. Be sure to give yourself rest time in between each workout.
- Increase intensity. Systematically increase the intensity of your training. Every workout shouldn’t be at maximum effort, but to force your muscular and aerobic systems to become stronger, you must include some intense workouts.
- Incorporate resistance-training exercises off the bike. According to a 2010 study in the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research”, resistance training improves cycling economy and stamina. Concentrate on your core and lower body to improve your cycling strength. Exercises such as squats, lunges, leg extensions and leg curls will strengthen your legs. Crunches, planks and leg lifts will help strengthen your core.
- Vary the types of workouts you do on and off the bike. Rotate between steady-state rides and interval or hill workouts while you’re on the bike to keep your body guessing and avoid training plateaus. Off the bike, include cross-training exercises, such as swimming and running to avoid overuse injuries from excessive riding.
- Vary your bike speed. Challenge yourself to become a better, faster cyclist by incorporating a variety of speeds into your cycling training. Even a short ride can be extremely valuable to your fitness, as long as you give it purpose and variation in intensity.
If you are stuck in a cycling rut by training the same way every day, break through the bad habit with these ideas. Remember to plan ahead so that you know what you’re doing before you leave for each ride. Need help making a plan or training for your next triathlon? I can help! Contact me today!
