The video below is by Robbie Ventura, explains exactly what I had mentioned a few blog posts ago, about the transition period. The transition time, in the periodization model, doesn’t apply to amateurs who in general are putting in hours a lot less than the professionals. The mental transition is important, though.
Presently, I’ve been playing some basketball and lifiting weights for the last 2 months. The basketball action gets me moving in a non linear motion, which running and cycling does, and works on upper body movements. I do love to ride my bike so in that time frame I was but not with any structure.
The mental transition for me isn’t really a problem. My lifestyle, work and overall stress dictate minimal mental fatigue. Some athletes that I’ve coached have lots on their plates such as family, work, education, ect…. where they are very time constrained already to be able to participate in endurance sports. I always ask that they take a break.
This is one aspect of the periodization model that I don’t agree with.
During the extensive endurance phase of training I like to use a test, called aerobic threshhold testing by Joe Friel, to test the conditioning of the athletes I train. Below is an email discussion that I’m having, with an athlete of mine, about this persons test. This person did very well, with 4.1%, and I believe he is ready for the next phase of conditioning.
Hi ( insert superhero/heroine name here),
Looking good on the test. What we’re looking for is called decoupling. It’s when your power to heart rate ratio is above 5%. When it’s below 5%, over the time period I prescribed, I have a good idea that your aerobic endurance still needs worked on. Over the 2 hrs you did this test you did 4.1%. This shows that your fitness is doing great.
Actually, I think the percentage might be closer to 3%. Your avg heart rate of 130 was a little high. I would of liked to of seen it around 125-128. This is 20 beats below zone 5a that we have set up in training peaks. This would of probably brought your power down into the endurance range . That’s ok, though. Even at this slightly higher heart rate your aerobic endurance is great. I have another tests set up in two weeks and we’ll check again.
Here is a link to what we are trying to do. There isn’t much scientific basis behind it but in my experience this test works.
Again, great job. Your aerobic fitness is coming along just fine.
Marc
Below is the analysis that I pulled out of Training Peaks WKO+ 3.0
I’ve been doing a little of my own personal analysis of how my training has been progressing. In question was, how have I lost 1 pound of weight over the last 18 days? When your already at a a low weight for your height, 6’0″ and 152, having data and a graphs to chart these details is indispensable. As you can see, I don’t track my food intake (macronutrients). Doing this would give me a more accurate idea of what is going on. Just looking at the daily(~3500-4000) Calories for a week (25,000) and knowing 1 lb = 3500 Calories I’ll take a guess that I’m lacking ~250 Calories/day. I eat the same things pretty much everyday so my calculations do put this at ~250 Calories/day that I’m lacking. I’m not a very “big” eater. I can’t eat larger meals without getting gastrointestinal problems. Solution: it looks like a bit more eating between meals is on the agenda.
Another handy feature is to be able to compare last season at this phase of training. Last year I was just starting back on my bike from a broken knee cap. That wouldn’t be a good comparison. In the future, if this happens again, I will have this data for comparisons.
Having your data in one convenient location can be very handy. Looking at the graph of fitness summary and knowing that the training hours are increasing can give you a good idea of how your training is going, both good and bad.
(On a side note, this is the free version of training peaks. The version I use with my athletes is the premium version with much more graphical analysis possible to explore what really is happening. Even with this free version I can get a good approximation and if I want an expert such as a nutritionist or coach look at it then it’s available.)
Having a plan is key to success. Whether is be knowing what you’re going to do that day, week, month, or years ahead planning can help you reach your goals. Planning is even so much more important for those that have limited time, families and careers. Even professional athletes, who we think might have all the time in the world, need a plan to guide them and keep them on course. This is where an exceptional tool like Training Peaks WKO+ comes in handy.
With WKO I can plan a whole season for an athlete to peak for a particular event. In general, I don’t like to plan every exact workout for an athlete for the whole season. I do give my athletes a general idea of what to expect for their future by using an annual training plan such as what is provided by trainingpeaks.com. There are unforeseen circumstances that will arise, and trust me they will, that can change a plan right in the middle of a season. It depends on the length of the circumstance but then any workouts after this will need to be changed. Most athletes I deal with have a good idea of what their schedule looks like at least for the next month.
The first image below is an example of a months planning. This is a very broad plan for extensive endurance base 1. The specific workouts I plan on a weekly basis. Even then, there are times where I also plan workouts day to day. For this first phase workouts are based on endurance with high and low rpm drills. WKO+ let’s you manually enter the duration and intensity factor (IF). Duration and intensity factor are the basis of training stress score (TSS). More info on IF and TSS can be found here.
Now that I have training stress score I am able to see a progression through a time period using the performance manager chart. More information on PMC can be found here and here. This first month progressively builds for 3 weeks and then 3 days of recovery with testing on the 3rd day. This is an unusual month, for this plan, because of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. With the holidays sometimes an athlete is able to do longer workouts if they have the free time from family obligations, as in this plan.
When you look at the raw data for the month you can see how close CTL, ATL and TSB are predicted. More info on these metrics can be found here . Again, this is just an approximation of how the training is going so far for the athlete when using a planner. Fairly close prediction for the first 10 days of this plan.
With a tool like training peaks WKO+ planning is simplified. With any plan always remember to be able to adjust. Life will get in the way.
I was just reading a Pez Cycling post on Eroica riding. Really reminds me of the past years of riding gravel in the winter for me. Before there was a trail system in Omaha, riding on the dikes in the off season was a blast. Portaging across sewer drains and through cornfields to cross a creek made riding the dike system quite challenging.
It’s that time of the year for me. Back to the gravel and building base at ~.65 of threshold power. Eight and half hrs riding the cross bike this weekend. More like 5 hrs gravel and 3.5 pavement. I love training in that wind. I take the pavement back with the wind to work on leg speed and Hwy 77 is just right for maintaining a high cadence. Fairly flat. This weekend there was some leg speed happening with 20-30 mph winds. That’s an easy 30-34 mph on a bike. Not so easy on a cross bike with 46×12 gears. Getting used to spinning at 115+ takes me about 15 min after the gravel grind into the wind.
After all is said and done, gravel has it’s place in the winter training sessions. Getting into the loose stuff promotes bike handling technique. Also, jump back on that pavement to keep yourself refreshed about riding smooth.
A good article, taken from National Federation of Professional Trainers, on why you should develop a plan to be successful. Whether it be business or sport follow a plan, be patient and persistent, and don’t loose site of your goals.
You need a plan. Our bodies respond very well to structure. When you apply this plan you also need the right amount of duration, frequency and intensity to improve. Balance these 3 ideas and you’re on your way to great improvements. Get these wrong and you could end up over-training.
Plan and Structure
You work hard at your training and you deserve to see good results. The athletes that I train see big improvements in 3 months of training. They think it’s because of the special combination of intervals. What it is exactly is they are on a structured training program. As a recreational cyclist, you don’t need more than 7-10 hours of training if you have an intelligent training program.
Build that plan properly and you’ll avoid over-training and putting stress on yourself, avoiding the pressure that the extra time can put on family, friends, and your profession.
Duration, Frequency, and Intensity
These are the three elements that are key to a structured plan. They need to be dosed out properly during the week, month and year. If you train more frequent and at a higher intensity your overall workload will increase. Don’t get this wrong because if you do you’ll end up over-training.
The Most Overlooked Aspect of Training: Recovery
To see progress you need the right balance of training and recovery. Reintroducing stress too soon after a stressful workout will interrupt the process of adaptation and soon result in reduced fitness. Recovery also depends on fitness and nutrition. By taking a rest day or a light training day you should be able to feel fresh again.
Consistency is what will bring about improvements in a training program. With small, incremental changes over time, you’ll be on your way to greater fitness improvements.
It’s that time of the year where the off season takes it’s toll on weight management. There’s less daylight out, temps are plummeting and holiday parties will soon begin. Even as I look out the window the squirrels are doing what they seem to do best, collecting they’re cache of winter food and putting on winter weight to protect them from winter’s on slaught of cold. We really don’t need that extra weight as much as we used to protect us since we live in our climate controlled environments.
So how do you keep that weight in control or shed the typical holiday weight gain? Here’s an interesting study that will help you with the time constraints that are imposed on the majority of people this time of the year. Vary your max efforts to work on the different fitness systems. These are great for the trainer. You’ll get a more exact effort and control from interval to interval.
In general, you’ll want to have a good endurance base before starting these. A good aerobic system to manage the extra input of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. Periodize your intervals ( adapt, build, recover ). Don’t try to make every session a personal best but progress in 3 to 4 weeks to allow for adaption. Most importantly is plan for recovery. These sessions should be performed no more than 2 times a week or more depending on your level of fitness.
Now you have the basics on how to battle the bulge on limited time. Build those base miles first. Then HIT some high intensity intervals. Set that trainer by your window and watch those squirrels knowing that you’ll come out next spring mean, lean and with power.
Marc
Reference:
Effect of Exercise Training Intensity on Abdominal Visceral Fat and Body Composition.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 40(11):1863-1872, November 2008.IRVING, BRIAN A. 1,5; DAVIS, CHRISTOPHER K. 1,3; BROCK, DAVID W. 1,5; WELTMAN, JUDY Y. 4; SWIFT, DAMON 1; BARRETT, EUGENE J. 2,4; GAESSER, GLENN A. 1; WELTMAN, ARTHUR 1,2,4
·Modern day training techniques are based on a set of physiological truths about how our bodies respond to training.
·Every person adheres to the same principles of training.
·Our individual uniqueness has more to do how we adapt to these principles
·It isn’t necessary for you to understand the intricacies of the science to benefit from the goals of specific workouts and the concepts involved.
Basic Training Principles
Principle of Individuality
·No two people have the same genetic characteristics, except for twins, so each one of us will unlikely show the same adaptations to a training program.
Principle of Specificity
·The training program you are in must stress the physiological systems that are critical for optimal gains in the activity you participate in to achieve specific training adaptations.
Principle of Disuse
·If you stop training, your state of fitness will decrease to a level that meets only the demands of daily use. “USE IT OR LOSE IT”
Principle of Progressive Overload
·Some aspect of the workload must be progressively increased to improve fitness.
Principle of Hard/Easy
·Reintroducing stress to soon after a stressful workout will interrupt the process of adaptation and soon result in reduced fitness
·The most overlooked aspect of training is recovery
Principle of Periodization
·The training year is divided into periods, each with its own specific physiological purpose.
·Cycling of specificity, intensity and volume
·When one period (cycle) is completed the fitness gains are maintained in the next period
·Usually five periods are used in a season for cyclists: Base, Build, Peak, Race,
and Transition. Two to twelve weeks are generally assigned to each period. Can vary with the individual.
·Base ( mainly for fitness, fast recreational, bike racers )
·Improves general fitness with endurance, strength and speed workouts
·Lasts 8-12 weeks from experienced to less experienced cyclist respectively
·Novice riders may need to extend beyond 12 weeks.
·This period is used exclusively by fitness riders.
·Focus is on quantity not intensity but a shift towards intensity to prep for build.
·Build ( mainly for bike racers )
·Main focus is on power. Maintaining endurance.
·Ability to turn pedals fast in larger gears over increasingly longer periods
·Interval training begins just below anaerobic threshold levels and works up to higher levels as the legs adapt
·Peak ( mainly for bike racers )
·Emphasizes intensity and reduced total weekly volume
·Focus on speed and speed endurance (race pace).
·Race
·Race, or simulation races, and recover
·Refine strengths
·Lasts 8 weeks. Very difficult to maintain fitness longer.
·Transition
·Season ends
·Emphasis on unstructured activity in a variety of pursuits
·Lasts 2-4 weeks.
Training Techniques
Before you get into an advanced program of training you need to build a good base. This is the secret to preventing injuries. You want to put in some unstressed (no intervals, charging up hills) into your body. Not that intervals are forbidden, but not too hard to often. At the end of a long ride you want to feel like you could have done a few extra miles. A sound base of 500 miles is recommended. As you achieve this goal try to only increase mileage by 10% a week.
Frequency
·Research indicates 3-5 days per week for optimal gains in health
·Maybe 6-7 days to burn extra calorie for weight loss or to adjust to time in the saddle
·Better to recover and work up to more days a week to allow for rebuilding process
Duration
·Research shows improvements in cardio health in as little as 5-10 minutes per day up to 20-30 minutes
·Depends on the time and intensity: Example short duration-high intensity or long duration-low intensity.
·Gain benefits with short bouts (ex. Three 10 min bouts ) or one long bout ( ex. 30 minutes )
Intensity
·For health benefits only need to train at low intensity (60%-70% of max heart rate )
·For maximal aerobic events such as bike racing training improvement occurs at 90% of max heart rate. ( CAUTION must be taken as to much can lead to injuries )
Training Methods
Aerobic and anaerobic exercise sessions need to be included in a training program, but it is the balance of the amount of each type of exercise (aerobic vs. anaerobic; interval training, continuous training, and fartlek training) in the overall program which determines its suitability for fitness gains or the competitive event for which you are training.
Continuous Training (long, slow distance)
·Two types
·LSD greater than 30 minutes of 60%-80% max heart rate which improves stamina, health related fitness, fat loss, maintain off season fitness, used during base
·High intensity continuous is short efforts of 90% or greater of max heart rate ( race pace ) to improve leg speed, strength, anaerobic capacity used during peak and build
Intervals
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·This is training that requires hard efforts alternating with easy efforts.
·For bike racing
·Two days a weak: One day short intervals & one day longer intervals
·Used during the build and peak period
Fartlek
·Swedish word for speed play
·Combines continuous with intervals
·For bike racing or fast recreational cyclist
·Psychologically breaks up monotony of long rides
KEY POINTS FOR AN AEROBIC TRAINING PROGRAM
·Training needs to be structured for the intensity and duration of the planned sporting event.
·Long slow distance training is important at the beginning of the training season and for very long endurance events.
·Maximum aerobic conditioning (increasing VO2max) occurs with 3 workout days per week at or above 90% MHR. Additional training days should be at a slower pace to allow recovery and build musculoskeletal strength.
·Intervals can be ridden for one or two of these days.
·Exercising at less than 60%-80% MHR will improve general cardiovascular conditioning and overall musculoskeletal tolerance. It is suggested that one day a week be allotted to a long slow training ride equal to a distance of 2 to 5 times the actual competitive event.
·In training for endurance events (less than 90% maximum heart rate), train at the level of anticipated performance (%MHR) and with a long training ride equal to that of the event + 10 to 20%
For most recreational roadies, 7-10 hours of riding per week is plenty for steady improvement if you have an intelligent training program. Wouldn’t more be better? If you do try to add in extra hours, you risk both overtraining as well as the extra stress produced by more time on the bike. Both physical stress on your body and the pressure it puts on responsibilities to family, friends, and profession.
Marc Walter, coach and owner of Rightway Performance
