Goal Setting for Cyclists – To Train or Not to Train?

March 21, 2010 · Posted in Cycling, Training Tips · 2 Comments 

The question is asked by cyclists young and old, new and experienced, how much do I need to train in order to be successful? There is no easy answer, it depends on an array of factors. In this post we will discuss goal setting and how this will determine the amount you train.

First of all you have to have a goal. The amount you train will be determined by how high you set your goals. It is important to note that dreams are not goals, dreams are dreams. It is good to have dreams in the back of your mind as a source of motivation, but if you treat your dreams as goals it may lead to frustration and a loss of self confidence if you fall far short of them.

You want to set your goals high enough so that you have to dig deep in order to achieve them but not so high as to make it impossible. So let us say your goal is to win your age group in a local time trial. That’s not that lofty and is definitely doable if you dedicate enough time and effort. The amount you train is different for everybody and if you’re a newbie it will probably take you a few years to figure out your ideal mileage. A few pointers to help you map out your training are as follows.

It is better to under train than to over train. At least if you under train you know that you can increase the mileage next season and come back as a stronger cyclist. If you over train you will have no idea what your potential is and most of the season will have been wasted.

Rest is just as important as workouts. Most cyclists, especially newbies, have difficulty resting on rest days. If you don’t rest though you body doesn’t have a chance to sufficiently repair itself, and so you run a high risk of over training.

Your weekly long ride should be at least the length of the event you’re training for. You want to make sure you are totally comfortable riding the distance of your highest priority race. You do not want the race itself to be the first time you have ridden the distance. Even for an event like an Ironman where the bike distance is 180 kilometers, many athletes prefer to ride up to seven hours for their long ride so that the race itself is nothing new or out of the ordinary.

Finally, you need to listen to your body. If you are scheduled to do a hard spin session but when you get on the bike your legs feel very fatigued and you are having troubles even keeping a moderate clip, it is best to just call it a day and get some extra rest. There is no sense in pounding through a low energy session when you are not feeling rested, the workouts going to do nothing other than put you at a higher risk for injury and over training.

It will take time to get the feeling of how you respond to certain types of training but if you keep the pointers listed above in mind you’ll be well on your way to having a successful season. Once you set a goal, you want to structure your training accordingly to achieve that goal. You don’t need to train 45 hours a week in order to win your age group at a local time trial. If you’re realistic about your goals and training volume I can assure you that with hard work and determination you shouldn’t have any problem achieving them.

DS Carroll is a consultant for Biomedical Research Laboratories. Biomedical Research Labortories market scientifically based nutritional supplements for endurance athletes including supplements for cyclists, runners, triathletes, and mixed martial arts. Visit http://www.epoboost.com to learn more about how EPO-Boost can increase VO2 max, running economy and endurance. Patent pending EPO-BOOST ingredients have been shown to increase VO2 max and running economy in college athletes.

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Identifying your Weaknesses as a Cyclist

February 11, 2010 · Posted in Cycling, Training Tips · Comment 

If you’re new to the sport of cycling then you may not be very familiar with the terms limiter and weakness. In this post we’ll go over what each term means to the sport of cycling as well as why a weakness may not necessarily be a limiter. The reason will become apparent as we better define the terms.

Weakness

So first off, a weakness is pretty obvious, it’s something you’re not very good at or not as good as you are at something else. So for example, you may have exceptional endurance and be able to ride for five hours straight without any problem, but when it comes to the sprint you’re nothing to contend with.

Limiter

A limiter on the other hand is a weakness but is a weakness that you’re going to come up against in a planned race. For example, you may be a weak sprinter but if you’re doing a century ride or even a double century then it’s likely that the weakness won’t be much of a factor, therefore it’s not a limiter. But if you’re planning on doing a short time trail then not only is your sprinting a weakness but it’s going to be a limiter in your performance because a short time trial is basically an all out sprint.

Knowing your weaknesses is crucial if you want to improve as a cyclist, but you’ve also got to understand what your limiters are. Once you’ve determined your weaknesses you’ll then want to look at the most important races you plan on competing in and determine whether any of your weaknesses will be a limiter for that race. If so, you’ll want to concentrate a great deal of your training efforts on improving that limiter. If it turns out that your weakness is not a limiter for your most important race then it shouldn’t be much of a priority in training. Finding adequate time to train is difficult enough, there’s no point in dedicating a great deal of time to a weakness if it isn’t also a limiter.

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