Strength and Core work, when to taper.

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

For the first time in many years, I've diligently pursued strength and core work over the winter. The results have been a resounding success.

What I forgot to plan for was when and how to taper off this effort. Racing has started and the training and fast group rides have really accelerated in intensity. The problem I'm facing now is residual fatigue.

I was hoping to continue until the end of February, but now it's obvious I need to cut back on the weights, but how? Lighter weights same reps, cut down to once a week? The possibilities are substantial. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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drchull
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by drchull

I usually maintain the core work one or two days a week through the season. Cut way back on leg stuff and usually do one general/upper body circuit type training Tuesday mornings with the usual Tuesday night crit in the evening.

jmaccyd
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by jmaccyd

According to Joe Friel you should continue a maintenance regime through the racing season of one session a week. He does suggest though that if you have a target event, say at a weekend, you can skip your weight workout completely that week. Not sure about core work but I tend to do yoga anyway and will continue with that year round.

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Rick
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by Rick

I enter every season with the intention of keeping up at east one day of strength work on weights.
Invariably, by May, I have decided that it just takes me too long to recover from weight sessions and they are just making me tired, sore, and sluggish. So I give up.

But THIS is the year that is going to be different! :thumbup:

jmaccyd
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by jmaccyd

Rick wrote:I enter every season with the intention of keeping up at east one day of strength work on weights.
Invariably, by May, I have decided that it just takes me too long to recover from weight sessions and they are just making me tired, sore, and sluggish. So I give up.

But THIS is the year that is going to be different! :thumbup:



I think the key is just doing maintenance during the race season. Once a week with 2 to 3 sets of eight reps. Plenty of rest between sets, say 90 secs to three mins, and just a small group of exercises. I do squats, bent over rowing, bench press, lunges and upright rows or bicep curls. I would add a core workout to this but I do a couple of yoga classes a week. As I say, if you have a key event, or are tired just skip a week.

KWalker
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by KWalker

http://ylmsportscience.blogspot.com/201 ... trate.html

Just cut back slightly during the peak period and only cease for very short periods, perhaps during a 2 week competition period.
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Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

Some really great advice here! I really do like the results of strength and core work and I'm sort of disappointed that I simply can't keep it going. It just takes to much out of me, like some of you have mentioned. Interweaving and alternating is the way to go, and don't feel bad if you're just to tired, right?

Next year I'm starting a month or more earlier. Having that little bit of tone and muscle kind of feels like armor.

Thanks again!

Bridgeman
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by Bridgeman

KWalker wrote:http://ylmsportscience.blogspot.com/2015/12/another-illustration-to-demonstrate.html

Just cut back slightly during the peak period and only cease for very short periods, perhaps during a 2 week competition period.


Nice reference! Thanks man!

jmaccyd
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by jmaccyd

Rick wrote:I enter every season with the intention of keeping up at east one day of strength work on weights.
Invariably, by May, I have decided that it just takes me too long to recover from weight sessions and they are just making me tired, sore, and sluggish. So I give up.

But THIS is the year that is going to be different! :thumbup:


I just put it on my training plan and that forces me to do it. I have weights at home as well, a really good set of dumbbells and a bench, so they are ready to be used with no need for GYM membership or a trip out of the house. Keep good form, take longer breaks between sets than GYM bunnies would, and do aim for some sort of progression (if you are doing the sets put up the weight!) As for core I have loved yoga, done wonders for my back, and plenty of good apps on the iPad (Yoga Studio is excellent) Pilates has many followers but that actually hurt my back more.

11.4
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by 11.4

This is being discussed in another thread as well. I'd argue that one is doing two very different types of exercise -- cycling and weights -- on what amounts to a long-period workout. You aren't going to accomplish much by lifting once a week, or lifting light, at least not for the legs. Think more about doing serious weights for two or three months with just some maintenance miles on the bike, then phase off the weights, convert that power to speed on the bike, and peak for your key cycling events. After that, phase back to weights. Basically I'm suggesting that doing a turnaround day by day from cycling to weights to cycling again is simply not productive, even detrimental. It takes a few weeks of weights to create a real effect, and that will involve lifting that needs to be strong enough to limit your ability to ride hard at the same time. In the same way, you aren't going to be able to lift hard if you're killing yourself on the road. Someone wrote me privately about missing a race season because of a shoulder injury, and my thought was to take advantage of it and do weights principally through the whole season and through the off season. Then you've built significant power, and can transition that into cycling speed.

What's important to understand is that it's already hard to turn weight training into cycling speed. Many people don't do it right and think that weights don't help your cycling. Well, they do, but you have to teach your body how to convert that increased lifting power into cycling speed. If you're coming off heavy weights, you aren't going to have the legs to ride at the new and faster speeds that you should be capable of. So of course it will seem that weights just slow you down. And swapping back and forth within the space of a week will give that result. Try focusing exclusively on lifting -- heavy lifting at close to your max lifts -- for two months. That's enough time to give yourself some real improvement. Then plan a week or so of cycling plus lesser weights to transition yourself. The riding in that week should be really hard because you want your legs to feel while cycling like they were while doing those heavy lifts -- this is hard interval training, not coffee rides. Your legs will learn what they can do on the bike with their new-found power, and you will adapt to a higher speed on the bike. That's where you want to peak. Then go back to weights after your key event(s) and do it all again.

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