How do you train with hard days VS easy days.

[FanieFiets]

I try to do one hard day followed by a easy day to recover again followed by a hard day.  I always take the day after a race off completely and usually the day before.

 

Questions:

1. How do I squeeze Killarney (Wednesday) into the program if the race was on Sunday.

2. If you do 2 races in a weekend. Is it beneficial or does it actually weakens you? Remember that we are talking about me and not David Garret here!

 

thnx

 

 

[Slowbee]

fanie what do you mean by hard training? and I pressume you mean training during the week?

 

oh yes .. how is 1x doing ?

 

 

 

[fandacious]

dont you find killarney easy??

[FanieFiets]

Hard training => 90 minutes to 2 hours. intervals (10/15 minutes) or hill repeats of 7/8 minutes on an at least 5% hill at high HR. Stuff like that.

 

No idea where 1x is hiding. Send him a mail a while ago but still waiting for a reply .

 

Killarney is easy but I try to do it while only pedaling with one leg!

 

[fandacious]

 

Hard training => 90 minutes to 2 hours. intervals (10/15 minutes) or hill repeats of 7/8 minutes on an at least 5% hill at high HR. Stuff like that.

 

No idea where 1x is hiding. Send him a mail a while ago but still waiting for a reply .

 

Killarney is easy but I try to do it while only pedaling with one leg!

 

 

in all seriousness. 2 hard days never killed anyone. just take thursday easy.

 

[Slowbee]

thanks FF, Fand

[Dibles]

My coach says that you must have at least one rest day per week.

I do two hard sessions on the weekend and then I get Monday off to recover. Saturday is a lot harder than Sunday but both days are hard in comparison to my weekday rides.

 

I was told to do about a 45 min easy ride at very low hr the day before a race.

[FanieFiets]

thnx, i am now 2 hard session ready!

[fandacious]

 

thnx' date=' i am now 2 hard session ready!

[/quote']

 

kinky

 

[boeing]

everyone recovers on the wrong day. Your hardest training session should be the day after the race.

 

and a better option is to have a hard week for a few months and then a rest week. It's all about periodisation. You aren't getting maximum benefit by alternating hard and easy days.

 

 

 

[Slowbee]

*education on*

Boeing, explain periodisation ?

 

Also do you use this periodisation for 24 hour races ?

 

 

[boeing]

Periodization is the manipulation of the fitness components of a particular sport in order for the athlete to peak at a certain time. The russians initially used it in the 60's. The father is Tudor Bompa. He pretty much is the reason we all train the way we do. Base Miles form a part of periodization.

 

Basically, if you have a look at a calendar, you should break your training into various cycles depending on where you want to peak and for what. A coach would break the sporting year up into macrocycles and microcycles. Macrocycles are time periods such transition, general preparatory, specific preparatory and competition phases. They are made up of months. Microcycles make up macrocycles and are generally a time period of a week. By training in a particular manner, in a particular pattern, you will manipulate your body so that you peak at a certain time. That is pretty much the basic concept of periodization. Everyone uses this method, but mostly in bits and pieces only, and mostly in the wrong way. Periodization is a year long comittment, sometimes longer. If you dont follow the plan, you wont reap the benefits. During the various preparatory phases is where the evaluation of the athlete will occur. This helps the trainer to stay up to date with how the body is reacting to the training.

 

The patterns or goals of micro- and macro-cycles are developmental; shock; maintenance; tapering; and transition. It's not easy to go into it and summarise; so many articles, books, research, studies and papers go into it, and hence there is a lot of detail. But basically, find a coach who has a diploma in periodization to draw you up a program.

 

When it comes to the day after racing being the hardest; an athlete has to be pushed to extnesive areas in order for them to adapt. Also, you want to be freshest just before an event. So why not take your rest day the day before the event. The hardest day is after the event due to the fact that you are tired, but by having a hard training session the next day, you are pushing your body into the reserve phase and stressing it into shock. By doing this, when your body adapts, it will adapt so that it is prepared for hard bouts of stress.

 

[boeing]

the concept is the same for all forms of sport and events (including chess). So with regards to the 24hr events, it is the same concept. However, you have to ensure that the training that is being prescribed is specific to that event. There are various principles when it comes to training. They are:

*specificity

*overload

*Rest/Adaptation

*Progression

*Reversibilty

*Maintenance

*Individualisation

Warm-up/Cool-Down

 

But these are another book in an entirety

 

[Yang]

The technique that Boeing talks about is similar to a technique used by stage riders, called Block Training. Its about training hard for 2 to 4 days then rest for 2 to 3 days by spinning easy. I've read an article where a pro trainer says that he pushes his riders for extended periods and until they fall off their bikes puking, then gives them a few days recovery, and this can be used at a smaller scale by healthy recreational riders.

 

Also, a lot of what Boeing says you will find in Joe Friel's book The Cyclist's Training Bible. I've just looked thru my copy and in the first chapter he outlines the 10 commandments of training:

1. Train moderately. Train within your limits most of the time. Do not always try to finish feeling exhausted. (Compare to above- different strokes)

2. Train consistently. Frequently missing workouts means a loss of fitness.

3. Get adequate rest. During rest the body adapts to stresses and grows stronger.

4. Train with a plan. Use an annual plan with weekly routines.

5. Train with groups infrequently- groups usually make you go faster, when you would benefit more from a slow ride. Or else the group is going on a short ride when you need a slow long one.

6. Plan to peak. Decide on 'A' races, 'B' races and 'C' races. 'C' races are tune ups for the 'B' which are training rides for the important 'A' races.

7. Improve weaknesses. Carry on with your strengths, but concentrate on fixing your weaknesses.

8. Trust your training. Near the race you feel you haven't trained enough, and try to train right up to race day. Cut back before the big races. "Trust me" says Friel.

9. Listen to your body. "Cyclists who train smart always beat athletes who train hard"

10. Commit to goals.

 

I don't know of any other training reference better than Friel's.

[boeing]

Joe friel is fantastic because he takes the science and theory and applies to to cyclists. Not only pros, but recreational cyclists benefit from his work

[Yang]

Guys, get it. You usually see Dr Austin at the expo's, and she stocks it, and others. (Talking about Austin, Block training is one of the techniques used by a guy by the name of Golich, a Carmichael Training Systems coach and Dr Austin is an accredited Carmichael coach as well AFAIK.) Or order it through Exclusive Books.