Good winter programs start in the fall
By Mike Sherry
Off-season is that period from the fall until March when there’s little racing and even less daylight. When the weather gets rough, the roads slick, and the days short, most riders take that as a cue to rest, eat, drink, and be merry. While it’s okay to be relatively laid back, it should be because you’re piling on the long slow miles or training in a warm, cozy gym. Remember, the most important piece of preparation takes place long before the first gut-busting interval of the year. We at Upton Performance Systems believe the off-season is a critical part of overall training, and one that is all too often neglected by athletes looking to do bicep curls at the corner pub. We divide the off-season into three distinct stages:
Watch as I unleash my fearsome…base?
WEIGHT TRAINING
“I’ve met many athletes that are strong, but not powerful. However, I have never met an athlete that was powerful, but not strongâ€
–Mike Stone, Ph.D. at the ASEP (American Society of Exercise Physiologists) Annual Meeting
Winter prep starts in mid to late-October. The initial goal in our program is to increase strength with weights. In order to be powerful on the bike, first you must be strong. We work to increase core strength and improve structural integrity with the strengthening of supporting muscle groups. Maintaining muscular balance decreases the risk of injuries for the long season ahead.
Start early because it’s difficult to achieve the adaptation we’re looking for while also doing large volumes of riding. Recent studies show that riding and strength training simultaneously is counterproductive. While you may be doing the right exercises, neither absorbs well in the presence of the other. So separate the two and start your strength program before you’re on the bike doing long miles. For more on this see Craig and Matt Dixon’s off season article.
BASE
December 1st is the start of on-the-bike base training, with the main focus on the lipolytic aerobic system. These rides are in the zone where fats (lipids, hence lipolytic) are the main source of fuel, and primarily recruit slow twitch (Type 1) muscle fibers. By training the lipolytic aerobic energy system we are looking to improve efficiency and economy by increasing the number of capillaries, improving fat utilization, and enhancing economy from Type 1 muscle fibers. Greater economy = less cost to your body = more power for longer = dropping the field as everyone gets tired. This is where pre-season preparation is most important. Your body tries to get energy from its largest source, lipids, at all intensities so it’s important to spend a lot of time training this energy system.
The best way to determine the correct intensities for training is via testing, which precisely determines all of your heart rate zones and prescribes power ranges for those who use a power meter for training. Testing can be Gas Exchange or Lactate Testing – either gives enough data to determine metabolic reactions. (A note to your wallet: power meters, while excellent for specific training in the build/transition periods, are NOT essential for effective base training. They can take a lot of the guesswork out of specific intervals but during the base period an HRM will certainly suffice.)
BUILDING ON THAT BASE
As the winter continues, we continue to progress with the foundation we’ve laid out in the previous months. Long controlled efforts and some hill repeats are added to endurance riding. The consistent resistance of easy to moderate hill climbing makes it an excellent way to improve your pedal technique, strength and cycling economy. The idea is that we continue to build upon base and progressively introduce different energy systems in a systematic way as we go from one phase to the next.
Bundle up!
While you won’t be in tip-top form, you can race well at the end of a winter of quality base training. You’ll still need to add speed/power, especially around your onset of blood lactate accumulation point (OBLA), but your endurance training can take you further than you think. Racing a bit at the end of base training is often encouraged to help increase your VO2 max. Why not just do VO2 max training you ask? Well, it’s really, really hard! One of the few times you can force yourself to ride at full throttle / VO2 max is during a race.
While winter programs are often pretty simple in terms of the type of workouts needed, the laws of physiological training must apply. Many riders miss out on this critical part of their training by riding a little over the winter and then racing into shape in the spring. While that seems to work to some extent, it is an excellent recipe for racing at a plateau. These riders, without the proper preparation, reach their peak within a month of racing and never get better.
You can always tell who’s done their homework. There’s no shortcut to quality endurance training and you almost always reap what you sow. The bottom line is start preparing soon. The results you see in the summer months are often achieved during the off-season!
thanks for this. here’s a question…you talk about building strength in this period. if we assume we need to build strength now, does this mean that over the course of the season i basically lose strength? since i am not doing strength training, and only racing and doing racing-specific training during the season? are there strength-related things i could be doing during the season without compromising my racing? i am asking this because i worry that i lose too much strength (particularly upper body and core) from winter through to the end of the season. thanks for any advice.
Good questions Winter Fatty. To answer your first question, yes, during the season you will lose some strength because you’re not going to be doing specific strength work. When you’re in the gym you use more muscle fibers than on the bike so you basically increase the ‘bandwidth’ of the muscle. You’re essentially increasing the amount of muscle fibers you can recruit from when fatigue sets in on the bike. At an endurance pace for example, you’re not using 100% of the muscle fibers available. As fatigue sets in you recruit more and more muscle fibers (including the one’s you’ve built in the gym) to maintain power. When you finish your foundation and stop weight training the bandwidth will decrease over time however, the actual muscle that you’re using while cycling remains stronger because, while bandwidth has decreased, you at least started the season with more.
Your second question is a good one too. While it’s difficult to really add strength during the season (because we’re riding so much) in your situation it’s not a terrible idea to do something more along the lines of strength maintenance training one day a week. It could be in the form of weight training but more specific core training would work too. While it won’t necessarily make you stronger in the ‘bandwidth’ sense, you will at least maintain a certain level of structural fitness. I wouldn’t do these workouts too far beyond your base period because the fatigue will detract from any power training you may be doing after that point and you won’t get much out of your gym time except some more fatigue which will certainly affect on the bike training.
Hope this answers your questions & thanks for reading.
The one thing I find beneficial when using a powermeter during L2 workouts is that it helps to keep you honest on the downhills. You really have to pedal hard to keep the power up when descending. It can be easy to fall into the pattern of hard up a hill then coast or soft pedal down.
Good point Anthony that I didn’t mention. A good mantra for any endurance ride is “always be pedaling”. Too many people do ride way over their endurance power up hills and then recover on the other side. That’s not endurance riding. You end up flooding your blood with lactate at the OBLA mark (around 2-4 millimoles/liter) and it becomes lactate tolerance training which functions more like an interval. Save tolerance training for a different day. The point of an endurance ride is to train you aerobic system. A power meter can be really helpful on rolling terrain to keep you honest but it’s not a necessity. If you think about riding easy up the hill, over the top, and then pedal down the other side you’ll end up achieving the goal for that ride.
Question on the wieght training – I focus on squats, leg press, and lowerback routines. Are there other areas one could work in the gym besides lowerback/legs that would pay off substantially on the bike? Also, are you also saying that the muscle mass (fiber) one puts on during wieght training will decrease as the bike phase is introduced? I like the muscle tone that occurs but I have difficulty shaving off access bulk during the cycling phase. I want to be strong but not sacrifice the advantages of being light.
During this time of year being a little big helps fend off sickness. I find that my wieght decreases mid season instead of early season. Is having a light target race wieght in the early season a good idea?
– The caption under the pic of that 05′ opening season win should be your mantra but instead of the (?) it should be (!)
Mike,
I’m wondering if you might have any thoughts on “big gear” intervals–something that I know Carmichael advocates as a transition between weight work and increased on-the-bike training. (Basically, you churn a huge gear at 50-60-ish rpm for 5-20 minutes, preferably up a hill.) If he’s having Lance and company do these workouts immediately following the weights phase, then they are presumably in base-building when they’re doing them, yet the point seems to be to increase strength (albeit strength over a much longer period of time than the minute it takes to do 15 squats or something). So, would you guys think that the work they’re doing is counter-productive, or would you think that this long-duration, on-the-bike strength work isn’t provoking the same kind of hormonal response as simple weight work? (EPO jokes aside, it seems to have worked…) I would be curious to read more on the hormonal responses to strength vs. endurance training, if you had a link to more info or anything. Thanks…
As far as the gym…you’re pretty good here. Definitely doing fine by focusing in cycling specific muscles, you could maybe add in some more core work or try a pilates or other core related training.
Yes, you lose some mass, and a little strength. Over the season you‘ll be strong, but only for cycling. For example, if you hit the gym 3 months into the season chances are you won’t be able to lift the same weight as when you left.
Weight – it’s a matter of calories in vs calories out. You need to watch your diet, and be sure to eat less than you burn in order to lose weight. I would be more concerned with power to weight rather than actual weight. Some riders find that they’re better carrying a little more weight because it allows them to produce much more power. They may have a higher power to weight ratio at the heavier weight which should be the first concern. I wouldn’t get too nuts about targeting a weight. Just ride a lot and excess weight will come off with out too much effort.
The captions? NYVC writes those. I think that one’s funny though.
That last response is to lee3. Whoops.
Thanks…..will be in touch soon.
Hi Mike,
That’s an interesting point. Big gear training is used by a lot of riders. However, while we’ve seen nothing that says not to do it, we’ve also seen nothing that supports it. A lot of riders have done big gear work for a long time. It could just be one of those things cyclists do (and believe in) because it feels hard and the other guys are doing it. I’ve definitely watched some great riders do it in training. Does it work? I don’t know to be honest with you.
We don’t prescribe it for our riders because the lack of supporting data and also because we don’t feel like you can push enough power to really force an adaptation. I find it easier to climb in a regular gear at a higher maximum power than in a gear that’s way too big. You could test it with a power meter though. For example, you could climb river road in a huge gear and see what kind of torque you can produce. I’d also take your knees into consideration, especially when it’s cold out. While it’s not a huge amount of torque on the pedals your knees are a bit compromised at such a slow cadence.
In regards to the hormone response, I doubt you’d get the same hormone response (androgen, cortisol etc) that you would from weight training because your riding during this type of your body will respond more to the endurance training since it will make up most of this ride. I would credit Lance’s perfect score in the tour since 1999 to his advanced ability to utilize fat, his high VO2max ,and a high CE (cycling economy…. This is a topic for a whole other article) rather than any big gear training. Here’s an interesting study on physiological maturation that used Lance as a subject from 1992-1999: (http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/98/6/2191).
It’s pretty amazing how much improvement there is over this time despite cancer and despite his already being at the world-class level. The mechanism cited for his improvements is a large increase in Type 1 muscle fibers over the seven years of the study. It was also noted that his cadence increased with the increase of type 1 fibers. This improvement dramatically improved his cycling economy as opposed to thresholds. Most people are too focused on threshold and miss out improving their economy. I can’t seem to avoid the subject but let’s save CE for the next installment. There’s definitely room for a long article on that.
I’ll dig up some more studies for you regarding hormone response. Here’s a study to start with that compares the hormone response of resistance training, endurance training, and no training at all: http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/00656.2003v1.pdf Check back. I hope this answers part of your question.
I’d like to focus on the ITT for 06′. Once I can load this discipline into the tool belt, I think my overall game will improve. Do you stick with a primary road set-up during base building or do you slip on the aero bar once a week? Is there a different base building procedure for TT?
So Mike,
Let’s say I have this friend named “schmalv”, and since it’s the off-season and all, he wants to have a beer or twelve every odd numbered day. How many months of this “detraining” can he undertake until he has to rise his bike seriously again – seriously enough to become CRCA club champion and by proxy – king of the known cycling world?
Thanks in advance,
schmalv, oops I mean schmalz
Hi Lee,
It’s good to ride your TT bike to keep those muscles used to the position but one day a week should be plenty. The amount of time we spend racing our road bikes compared to time trial bike is huge. Unless your going for the GC at a race that demands you be 110% on that bike or if your last name is Rasmussen I wouldn’t ride it more than one day a week.
If you ride your TT bike during base training I would do it on an easy day or a short day because it’s so uncomfortable to ride for more than 2 hours. If you are also a solid climber and have the GC of Fitchburg or another stage race with a decisive ITT (they’re not all that common) in mind you could focus on it a little more. Keep in mind though, just riding a TT bike doesn’t make you fast, you do need to be “comfortable†on it but it’s all of the other training that makes you fast.
Schmalv I mean Schmalz,
It really depends on what type of Beer. Does it come in a carbon package or a lesser used but highly customizable titanium can? Is the can etched? Or are the graphics just stickered on like a toys’a’rus special? Also, if your ‘friend’ wants to become the king of the known cycling world he doesn’t need to win the CRCA World Club Championships, he just needs to write a daily column about the tour from his couch that somehow out-traffics yours. Entertaining the cycling world is far more difficult and certainly more prestigious than winning a race.
Mike, you had me at “beer” – I’m drunk already!
Does that mean you’ve transitioned from Belgian beer to Miller Lite?
When I ‘m doing endurance work, I’ll go with Miller Light. When I want to push my limits or do some VO2 work, I go with a Belgian beer. When I want to get incarcerated, I go with Jack Daniels.
Mike,
my girlfriend & I have been together for 3 years, in June we moved in together, things were great for the first few months but recently our relationship has cooled. Then last week she went for drinks with friends from work and didn’t return home until the following morning. I’d like to confront her about it but I’m concerned that things are so delicate at the moment that it could precipitate a break up.
what do you suggest I do?
When she’s not out blowing on another man’s dice maybe you can take this opportunity to “Unleash your fearsome base” in between the sheets. – It always brings’em back – EVERYTIME!
Thanks for the CTS links Mike. We seem to agree with some elements of Carmichael’s training. Like Carmichael, I definitely believe that any training aimed at increasing pedaling efficiency requires that you slow down the pedal stroke to work on applying specific pressure however, we believe that climbing a hill at 70-75 rpm accomplishes the same thing; steady resistance and slower cadence to work on technique (not force). He basically is stating the same thing with a few exceptions. It’s a similar workout so it may achieve similar return on the efficiency end of things. I also agree with his power jump training (to increase strength) to some degree because, for such a short burst, you are probably applying an adaptable amount of force however, the ‘muscle tension intervals’ that Carmichael uses are the ones we don’t use. While the pedal stroke is long and difficult the amount of force is very low compared to a squat or leg press so there is not enough force to elicit muscular strength adaptation. Max Testa has said, because of the mechanics of the bicycle itself, the hardest we ever push is about 25 to 30 percent of putative 1RM or “one rep max” (the amount of weight we could push in the weight room once). This usually happens on a very steep climb at a very low cadence and on the first part of the down stroke. We feel that a simple weight training program will elicit a quicker and better adaptation if our goal is to add bandwidth.
I’m not saying these workouts aren’t helping somehow. There may be another mechanism or some other improvement besides strength at work but it we don’t see it working for what it prescribed for. I also think that there are just too many variables to George’s training to credit one facet of his training to his success. There are many other ways to improve CE.
The history of big gear training dates to the 80’s. Moser apparently did standing big gear training into headwinds, which was later converted to light grade seated climbing by both Carmichael and Joel Friel. It’s an easy workout to do based on their location; the front range towns of the Rockies. The foothills offer excellent steady resistance climbing without a brutal too many super steep pitches.
The previous study linked basically illustrates the state of both resistance training, which should be more anabolic and endurance training (more of a balance between anabolic and catabolic). At homeostasis, your body should be 50/50 on the anabolic/catabolic sliding scale. Endurance training after a point should be like this provided your not trying to lose weight. Since the goal in strength training is to recruit & build muscles we aim to be more anabolic. It’s a better use of our time and it will elicit a quicker growth response if we stay more on the anabolic end of things for 6 weeks or so rather than try to add muscle over the whole winter while we can often be more catabolic (breakdown) due to the hours and hours of endurance training. We believe we gain more from our time by doing it before we start our big miles.
………whew….I’m not a man of a few words………
these responses are longer than the article!
My pilsner endurance threshold training is up to 8 beers.