LIVERPOOL CENTURY ROAD CLUB
FORMED 1916
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LIVERPOOL CENTURY ROAD CLUB FORMED 1916
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Coaching
Coaching Matters 2006.
It’s become apparent to me lately that riders are looking in the wrong places for improvements in performance, usually spending shed loads of money on the lightest equipment and expensive supplements that make unrealistic promises. So I’ve come up with a list of what you might call the Basics. They are probably things that you have already been told or read before but have forgotten in your quest for more speed. The list is includes a lot of lessons that I have learned the hard way. They are not in any particular order of importance.
1. Get your position right. If this is out you will be inefficient, uncomfortable and may injure yourself. 2. Make sure you eat the right fuel. Good nutrition is what makes the difference between going like a train or hanging on like a wet lettuce. 3. Build the biggest possible base in the winter. This will give you the engine to stand up to more intense training in the season. 4. Lose any excess weight. But not at the expense of fuel. 5. Avoid overtraining. Make sure recovery is an important part of your programme. 6. Do interval training. These are the sessions that will take you to new levels. 7. Race to your strengths. Train to your weaknesses. 8. Train efficiently. Use what time you have for quality training, ditch the junk miles. 9. Use the club. The Century has an incredible racing pedigree and wealth of knowledge. Use the experienced members at the club or on runs to solve your problems and to discuss ideas. 10. Enjoy your cycling.
Please feel free to get in touch if you need help or want to discuss any of the points or anything else for that matter. Maybe you disagree with something or feel I’ve left something important out. You can also use the forum page on the website to start a discussion or ask for advice.
Andy Bennett Benno147@blueyonder.co.uk 07779705971 www.liverpoolcentury.co.uk
Coaching News November 2005
For those of you who couldn’t make it to the club for my little talk on Winter Base Training and even for those who could make it but didn’t have a clue what I was banging on about, here it is in a nutshell; Just in case you haven’t got the message yet, THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR LONG STEADY MILES. Coaches love to use buzz words, and one of the current ones is ‘Periodisation’. We’ve always done it but now it’s got a name. It means splitting your training year into different periods. The period that concerns us at this time of year is the Winter Base training phase. To most of us this means getting in as many miles as our hectic lives will allow from now until the beginning of the season. Serious racing cyclists have always done this but it is only relatively recently with a better understanding of the physiology of exercise that we have understood why. Long steady miles stimulate our slow twitch muscle fibres. These are the ones that operate aerobically, that is without accumulation of lactic acid in the blood. So the good news is that it should be relatively pain free - that comes later. By regular and prolonged base training, you will increase the number and size of Mitochondria in your muscles. These are the cells within a muscle where fuel is taken in and converted to energy. So as you’ve probably worked out, the more you have - the more efficient the muscle will be. You will also increase the number of blood capillaries in the muscle, meaning a better supply of fuel and oxygen to the muscle. A good base will also make you more efficient at using fat as fuel, leaving more glycogen in the muscles for when it is needed. The benefits of a solid aerobic base are increased endurance. This means that you have less chance of ‘blowing up’ in races, finishing stronger, thus with a better chance of winning. You will recover better from races/training, staying fresher and maintaining consistant form throughout the season. You will also be able to handle more intensive training sessions when the time comes; A DEEPER FOUNDATION MEANS HIGHER PEAKS. When it comes to designing your own winter program, you need to consider that everyones constitution is different. Learn how much training you can handle. Don’t just copy someone elses program. It is not a case of how much training you can do, but how much training you can recover from. At this time of year between 6 -12 hours should be enough for most of us. If you can increase the volume from week to week make sure that you do it gradually, no more than a couple of hours from one week to the next. Learn to recognise the signs of overtraining. For most of us the cornerstone of our winter program is the club run. This is ideal as it is usually at a comfortable pace, a good distance, and in good company. For your other sessions try and do at least a couple of hours on the road, and maybe a turbo session or two. For turbo sessions you must increase the intensity slightly as it will be for less than 1 hour. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because it is a shorter session that you must go hard. This will not contribute to your base training and will not have the training effects mentioned earlier. For those of you using a Heart rate monitor, have a look at www.abcc.co.uk , go to ‘useful extras’ in the menu and look at the ‘heart rate zone calculator.’ Always use a big fan and a drink when training on the turbo. A few tips for getting the most out of your road rides. Make sure that your position is comfortable and close to your road racing position. Fit mudguards, lights and spare tubes, be prepared for any eventuality a long way from home. Invest in decent winter clothing - wind proof gear is a bit more expensive but worth it. Avoid getting the knock at all costs, take a couple of bottles of a carbo drink, and plenty of cereal bars in your pocket. Make sure you have some sort of recovery drink and snack as soon as you finish your training. This will help recovery and set you up for your next training session.
Some people just feel like a rest at this time of year and maybe some form of cross training is just the thing for a break mentally and physically after a hard season. Why not try something a bit different like mountain biking or cyclo cross, perhaps the winter league at the velodrome, or even a spin class at the gym. Even something completely off the bike like running or swimming would be a change whilst helping maintain a basic fitness. Most of you will be aware of the dreaded speed runs which normally take place each Sunday in February but will probably start a week earlier this winter due to the training weekend happening in the middle of February. These are slightly harder runs and are meant as a bit of a test of fitness before the season begins, so don’t leave it until New Year to start your base training. For novices, youngsters or anyone who doesn’t yet feel confident to do the main club run, some of our ‘more established’ riders do a shorter ride on most Sundays, usually from the club room. The ‘Over the hill mob’ are a friendly bunch who would never leave anyone behind, there are seldom any burn ups, and the only ‘winner’ is the one who can remember the way home. If you would like details speak to Rob Pleavin or Ray Myers at club nights. We are very lucky to have the Computrainer at the club for use by any members. At the moment it is being utilised by our youngsters to do a short time trial at regular intervals through the winter to monitor improvement in there fitness. We will be holding race nights where anyone can enter a series of pursuit matches , with an overall winner on the night. Another facility on the computrainer is a full ramp test. This is a hard test suitable for our racing members which will give a lot of useful information about your fitness including Max H/R, Max 1min power output, V02 max, and accurate training zones. This test is available with private coaches for a small fortune, But we already have all the equipment necessary for free. If anyone would be interested in doing a test nearer to the start of the racing season let me know. Finally, we are attracting a lot of new members to the club at the moment, many of whom are new to the sport. I am thinking of starting to collect any spare or redundant clothing and kit that could be made available to newcomers to help them get started. If you think you can spare anything that you don’t need anymore let me know or just bring it down to club night.
Andy Bennett benno147@blueyonder.co.uk 0151 283 9742 COACHING. FEBRUARY 2006
This will be the last article in the series on winter training. It is impossible to give generic advice once the season starts as everyone is doing different types of racing with different targets and training needs. Hopefully you have found them informative. For those of you who have followed the advice you will have had a ‘good winter’ and should notice improvements in your races as the season progresses. February is a hard month for training as it is still high volume but the intensity also increases, especially if you are doing the speed runs and training weekend. This can be a recipe for overtraining if you are not careful to recognise the early signs. Make sure that you are fully ‘carbed up’ and that you feel fully recovered before your next training session. It is a good idea once you start racing next month to reduce your training for a few weeks as your body gets used to the shock of regular racing. Whether it is road racing or time trialling, the intensity of racing takes a lot out of your body. The hardest thing to do at this time of year when enthusiasm is high and the chain gangs have started going out is to back off. But it will pay off. It is all too common for a rider to be flying early season but burnt out by June because he didn’t give his body a chance to adjust. If anybody would like copies of the winter training articles by email as word documents let me know. I will be giving individual advice and tips to a few members of the club who have requested it by email through the season, if you would like to be added to this group or have any questions send me an email. AB benno147@blueyonder.co.uk |
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