This is a copy of an essay I submitted for a diploma course I completed in 1998. Coaches and managers may find it of some interest.
Leadership in Cycling
In sport the leader has the power to take the activity and enhance it in the eyes of the participant and the spectator. In this role they can make or break a sport through their behaviour as a role model for personal activity or as a teacher of the way to act in a situation.
This study will look at the some of the leader behaviours exhibited in sport. The sport of cycling will be used as an example. I will draw on my four years of experience as a regional cycling coach to examine the leadership behaviours exhibited by cycling coaches and managers because they are the people who must lead the team. I will finish with some recommendations on how cycling can improve the leaders it has in the sport.
Leadership
A simple definition of leadership is the use of power and the acceptance of a leader by the followers (Gibson, Ivancevich & Donnelly, 1991). The subject has been studied widely in the sport, business and military areas. In sport the initial focus was on the trait approach which tried to identify the characteristics of leaders. This was not satisfactory as there were clear personality differences between many effective leaders. The next approach was to look at the situation determinants of good leaders. Again this did not provide a clear picture of why some people made good leaders while others failed in the role. A combination of the two concepts of traits and situation was needed. Chelladurai (1990) developed the multi dimensional model of sport leadership. It encompassed both external and internal determinants of leader behaviour.
In taking into account the required, preferred and actual behaviours of the leader Chelladurai listed several categories of leadership behaviour in sport. They include ...
-Training and instruction
-Democratic behaviour
-Autocratic behaviour
-Social support
-Positive feedback
This study will focus on these categories in relation to the sport of cycling. The specific area I will examine is when the Canterbury cycling team travels away to a National championship.
The Canterbury Cycling Team
A regional cycling team consists of a group of cyclists who are selected to represent their province. Throughout the year they race either as individuals or as part of their club in local events. Many of the more talented cyclists have personal coaches who will instruct them on what they are to do while at the championships. The team is headed by a Manager and an assistant Manager. Team coaches are also appointed for all grades. Their function is to know the competition environment and to help the personal coach to plan the riders training for the event. For teams' events the Canterbury coach has full control on their preparation.
One role of the manager is to organise the travel and accommodation for the event. At the event they attempt to outline all the specific requirements of the competition. The coach can be seen as a person who at the last minute may be able to make athletes more aware of their opportunities at the event.
Training and instruction
The leader has to be able to make very fast decisions. In cycling the time between selection of the team and the National championships is very short. Because of this lack of early knowledge the manager must quickly determine who they are taking. It is the same for coaches who must shape a group of individuals into a team in the space of three weeks. Initial communication with the riders travelling to the championships is vital to establish who is going and how they intend to get there. The manager must quickly establish themselves as the person in control of such a large team.
The first step is to ensure that every one communicates their intentions about travel and accommodation. This is often the first point of conflict. There are always riders who want to stay elsewhere or want to make awkward travel arrangements. A quick thinking manager will be able to step in and give clear instruction on where a rider is allowed to stay and if they wish to make travel arrangements that don't suit the team then they must take responsibility of getting to the venue and accommodation. The coach is in charge of fine tuning the athlete for competition. The team coach may also be a personal coach. It always transpires that some coaches in the team will have their own riders present. Some riders are trained by rival coaches.
When looking after other riders there is a temptation to try and improve on the work done by the personal coach and put their own touches to a riders final preparations. In the final two weeks before a major event this type of coaching is detrimental and the rider should be encouraged to follow the programme that has worked for them throughout the season. At the championships the instructions of the manager revolve around maintaining a responsible level of discipline. The team includes riders from the age of 14 up to 55 years. The older riders are given free rein of their time while younger riders are advised very clearly of what is expected of them.
Some of the expectations outlined for them are...
-Forget all individual differences while the championships are on
-To stick together at all times
-To get to bed at a reasonable time
-To make sure they eat an adequate diet
The other instructional role of the manager is to set a timetable for activities. A rough schedule can be worked out from previous years and from information from the organisers, however until the actual event the specific details can not be worked out. When the manager and the coach make their decision about the schedule it must be clearly communicated to the riders.
This normally involves announcing to the team in a set meeting that the vans will be leaving at a certain time and all the gear must be packed beforehand. A regional coach is there to assist the riders in making their last minute preparations for the champs. The instructional role of the coach at this point is to set out some clear objectives for their position. The coach should have made themselves familiar with the competitive environment and be knowledgable in all the rules and peculiarities of the all the events a rider will compete in. Their special function is to enhance the work already done by the personal coach. Therefore the team coach should make themselves aware of who they are training.
Coordinating the team activities is another role of the coach. Motivation in team events is a simple process as the team goal is of obvious reward to everyone. The complication comes in individual events where some riders feel that they must sacrifice themselves for an other rider.
In some years the regional team has ridden to help a one individual person to achieve victory. This has been to help them gain selection for national teams or because they are the only likely contender. This can cause dissension within the team and in recent years the policy has changed to one where each rider is racing to reach their own personal goal.At the racing the instructional behaviour of the coach is to give feedback to the riders while they compete. The leader is required to be very autocratic in such a situation because there is little time to allow for a detailed explanation of their recommendations or for the rider to give their opinion (Cox, 1990).
This feedback should be specific to the event and let the rider know how they are progressing in accordance to their plans. This will be covered in greater detail in the last section.
Democratic Behaviour
Chelladurai (1990) lists democratic behaviour as increasing the participation of the athlete in decision making pertaining to the group goals. The first chance to do this comes when the team is named. The rider is given the opportunity to talk with the coach and discuss the plans for the event. For first time riders the main concern is about what will happen at the event. It is a new experience for them and they will no doubt be unsure about what to expect and what the other team members expect of them. For the novice Canterbury Team there is a meeting before they leave where the manager and coach outline what happens at the National championship event.
This covers travel, racing and relaxation time. For the novice group the coach and manager set out a rigid plan which describes all their activities. This meeting is the opportunity for the riders and parents to raise their concerns about what will happen at the championships. Problems can arise when the novice group includes some riders who have been to previous events (sometimes up to 5 National championships). They may feel that this experience entitles them to special treatment and a relaxation of the conditions set out for the team. Others in the team who are of the same age will feel uneasy about this.
A way to solve this is to set the more experienced members some additional challenges like being team captain and by placing them in charge of younger or more inexperienced riders rather than make allowances for them. The selection of rooms is normally made by the manager. In the senior team the discussion is normally over where every one will room and when team training, if required will take place. Problems happen in some grades due to low numbers. Some riders must share with people who they are rivals with for the rest of the season. The manager in this case must emphasise that it is part of representing their province that they must put aside such differences.
In most cases people are placed in groups with their friends or with people who share the same personal coach. At the championship's team meetings are held when required before events. These are good opportunities for the manager to outline the plans for the day and to allow comment from the riders about what may happen. This is a good approach when the team may include riders who have vast racing and travelling experience or those who may have additional local knowledge.
At these meetings the manager will outline the goals and objectives of the team. The manager or coach will let everyone know what is expected of them. A performance standard is set and then the objectives for the event are described. These may include the travel to the venue, warm up, organisation at the start, race tactics, cool down and travel back to the accommodation. Some discussion is then allowed so everyone can become clear about what their role is for the day. The aim of such discussion is to increase the rider's confidence that they have some ownership of the goal.It is helpful during these meetings to ask team members to let everyone know what their plans are. It allows the coach and manager to know what everyone is doing. It lets others in the team know what their team mates are up to. This helps if some team members have special rituals and unique preparation plans. It helps the manager to revise the preparation plan for the day and the coach can give feedback about the individual's preparation.
Autocratic Behaviour
This is where the leader stresses the independent decision making and personal authority the rider has when training and competing (Chelladurai, 1990). The coach or manager will discuss things with a cyclist on a one to one basis. This is normally done in private and the topics covered are kept confidential. At the championships this type of leadership behaviour is often used to help riders who have problems or are suffering from low motivation. Many riders come to the championships under prepared. This can be of either physical or psychological nature.
Racing at national level is very demanding and some riders may not be of the required standard, have trained insufficiently or not had the training opportunities of others. In these circumstances the coach will discuss the other options open to the rider. These include technical and tactical options open to a rider. Riders also come to the championships overwhelmed by the event. They may feel that because it is the National championships they must do things differently than they normally do at home. The coach and manager can take the time to reassure the rider that what they did to gain selection for the team is all they need to do to perform well. Pressure at the event can also come from a lack of experience. For people in some grades the National championship is the only event of its type for the year.
People who race in senior grade will also have stage races and other major selection events where they can experience a high level of competitive pressure. For those in some of the junior and woman's grades this type of competition only happens two or three times a year. The coach will need to spend extra time with these athletes going over the extra preparation tasks they may have to perform at the event. Extra time will also have to be spent on reflection going over what has happened to make sure they understood the implications of their performance.
For some riders the championships can become a nerve wrecking time. If they are new to the sport and show a lot of talent there is the possibility that some people may place unreasonable expectations upon them. If a rider fails to live up to these expectations they may feel that they have let the team down. In these times the manager must support the rider and make them aware of the true realities of the event. For some athletes the championships may be a non event.
This applies more to experienced members who have already won national titles, represented their country or may have already gained selection. Their lack of motivation may cost the regional a title and can also have a negative effect on the other riders. The leader may be called on to recommend that the athlete not attend the event or suggest they take on additional tasks to enhance their activities while competing. They can also set personal challenges like winning by a certain amount or to help another team member win.
Social Support
Chelladurai (1990) describes social support as the leader expressing concern for the welfare of individual athletes, developing a positive group atmosphere and building warm interpersonal relations.
In cycling this can be a difficult process because the championships bring together riders who spend 95% of the year riding in opposition to each other. The leader can enforce a truce for the event although it is better to work on developing true team solidarity. The coach and manager need to be of a personality that sets them apart as leaders of the team. To attain this leadership status rather than that of just a coordinator it helps to have some type of vision for the team.
In Canterbury the team has often lacked focus due to a task orientated approach to running the team. In recent years the manager promoted the vision of a caring supportive team. While all the administration duties were planned and carried out there was also a strong emphasis on everyone participating in the team and supporting the efforts of the others. This led to a very positive atmosphere.
It can be hard for the leader to have a task and interpersonal orientation at the same time (Cox, 1990). A resolution for this could be having a task orientated manager and an assistant with good interpersonal skills. There were still personal problems to be solved but within the time constraints of selection and the team coming together the night before the racing started the supportive approach was very effective.
The concept of social support starts at the championships when the riders come together. For some it is the first time they have met many of the other people in the team. The leader must emphasise equality in all they do. The coach and manager should show the same level of consideration to a novice as they would to Brian Fowler.
Part of the team vision is that all riders adopt this approach. The senior riders should be encouraged to be social with all members of the team and to act like the role models they are to the younger members in the team. The group environment at the championships can always cause problems. Because the team is large, it is not possible to keep everyone together. This would be advantageous when trying to communicate the team goals and objectives. It would also save the manager having to repeat many instructions. This repetition gets boring after a while and the manager may lose enthusiasm.
One approach that has been tried in the last few years is to have a section leader. The team manager will give all instructions to them and they will forward them on to the riders. The leader needs to ensure that all interpersonal relations are friendly and genuine. At the championship's team members spend most of their time staying in their own little groups. The manager and coach often work around this to ensure that everyone receives the appropriate treatment. It will often involve the coach having to knowing all the social relations of each rider to ensure that they don't step on any toes and risk offending anyone.
Conflict can arise if one coach attempts to convert the other to their way of thinking. In the Canterbury team there has been problems when coaches and athletes with markedly different personalities are part of the team. This situation leads to arguments and a lot of bad feeling. It is also very disruptive to the team as many will take sides and others will totally lose faith in both participants in the argument. In this situation it is wiser for the leader to keep doing things their way and lead by example rather than to try and convert others.
To maintain relationships it is necessary that the leader know the team, all the different factions and all the interrelationships within the squad. A useful aid for this is to get riders to fill out a questionnaire that outlines their goals for the event, how they intend to achieve them, and what help they expect from team support. The questionnaire should also solicit personal information about the rider which includes who they are coached by and if they have any concerns about being in the team. From this the coach and manager have a better idea of why each athlete is there and how they can assist them.
Positive Feedback
Chelladurai (1990) describes positive feedback as recognising and rewarding good performance. There are some general considerations in such an endeavour such as what to reward a rider for, and what do the cyclist's themselves want to be acknowledged for. Two cyclists may win silver medals in their events, however if one is a senior who was a favourite and one is a novice who came from nowhere the perception of success will differ between the two riders.
Behavioural psychology has a lot to offer the leader on the subject of positive feedback. A rider can be rewarded for their approach and the theory is that if rewarded they will want to repeat the behaviour (Mazur, 1994). The reality of the situation is that the rewards must be very selective to the rider. A leader will need to know exactly what the rider was wanting as an end goal, the plan they had and what level of success was necessary for them to be satisfied with their result.
Assessment of the team can be done through communicating with the riders. The first question to ask is: what do they want? This will tell the coach exactly what the rider expects to achieve at the championship. Asking the question: why do you want it will help the coach determine why the goal is important and will help the coach to focus the rider on their goal by discussing it in terms of their motivating factors. The next step is to ask: how will you achieve this goal? From this the coach and manager can work out how much planning has gone into the event. The final question to ask is how can we (coach and manager) help you?
From this the coach and manager can determine what is expected of them. From this assessment the coach is now able to work out what the needs of the rider are. Some riders may be so well prepared that they need no assistance. Some may have set over-optimistic goals and will need some counselling to ensure they don't leave the contest disillusioned. Those who are unclear of why they are there may need some help in confirming their part in the team and the benefits of participation. Those who do not have a plan or have a poorly thought out schedule may need some help on working out one that will help them reach their goals.
From questioning the rider on what support they want it is possible to work out what action needs to be taken on the day (Kidman, 1996). Knowing the end goal of a rider can help the coach and manager to give feedback on their preparation. The coach should have a very clear idea of what is required to reach a goal and know best how a certain individual can reach that goal (Rushall & Pyke, 1990).
From this the coach can give feedback to the rider on how they are progressing. This can either take the form of feedback telling them to lift their effort, maintain it, or even suggesting that they may be able to take on greater workload. Knowing the plan of the rider can help the coach to make recommendations on how the cyclist is preparing. The coach should have explicit knowledge of championship conditions and be able to relate them to the rider. This feedback in the planning stage will help the rider to be fully ready for competition. This may conflict with what the personal coach wants but it is then up to the team coach to communicate with that coach about the situation. Knowing what the acceptable level of performance for the rider is will help when acknowledging their efforts. It would be good to offer many congratulations to a rider who surpasses his previous level by a long way. For the rider who does not reach their target the process is more difficult.
Many coaches and managers try to rationalise the rider's performance and offer suggestions that they were beaten by situation factors. This can have the negative effect of building up a fear of racing in such environments. Often it is better to leave the athlete to reflect on their own performance. This can also have a bad effect as riders want to have a shoulder to cry on. The worst problem is when there are two riders in the team and with similar ambitions. One may succeed and the other may fail. It involves a bit of compromise for the coach when rewarding one for success and commiserating with the other over not reaching their goal.
Having a form with the riders' goals and plans can help the feedback process immensely. The rider can be given constant feedback that is based on their actual performance rather on personality traits. If a rider successfully completes a training session at the track and the coach can go over with them how their times will make them competitive in competition and their technique will ensure they will be able to handle frequent competition. Rewards should only be given for behaviours that enhances the rider's performance on the bike. With specific rewards the rider will gain clear understanding of what the coach and manager want from them.
If the coach makes too many general rewards for other things such as the rider having a flash car or having brought a new pair of sunglasses they will gain a distorted picture of what is required to be competitive. The use of negative feedback is always a contentious issue.
Frequently the coach may become frustrated with some members of the team. It is an easy strategy to threaten them with punishment or warn them with all the many negative consequences of their behaviour. This can create problems as the rider will resent the coach and will maintain their poor behaviour. Cratty (1981) warns that the insulter and shouter type leaders are the least liked leader in any team. The best approach is to spend more time with the promising athletes, reward them more and spend time encouraging them (Smith & Smoll, 1989). This will hopefully have the effect of getting those who are not participating to take a more active role in the team.
Conclusions and Recommendations
If any conclusions can be determined from this essay it is that coaches and managers need to be more in touch with their riders. With a clear understanding of what their riders want, how they are going to get it and what they require from their supporters the leader can plan activities that all in the team will respond to.I have suggested that a formal document be used to gain most of this information.
The coach or manager must also make time to speak with team members on an individual basis to get a fully picture on what their goals are. In the Canterbury cycling team this style of leadership has started to prove most effective in recent years when determining the participation and satisfaction of team members. The lack of medal success suggests that to enhance performance measures that there is still some work to be done on leadership.
Bibliography
Carron, A.V., Social psychology of sport. (Mouvement Publications. Ithaca. New York. 1980).
Chelladurai, P., Leadership in sport: A review. International journal of sport psychology, 21, 328-354. 1990. Chelladurai, P., Leadership. In R.N. Singer, M. Murphey, & L.K. Tennant (Eds.), Handbook of research on sport psychology (pp. 647-671). (Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. 1993).Cox, R.H., Sport psychology: Concepts and applications (2nd ed). (Wm.C. Brown Publishers. Dubuque. Iowa. 1990).
Cratty, B.J., Social psychology in athletics. (Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs. New Jersey. 1981).
Farson, R., Managing: The art of the absurd. Psychology today, May/June, 44-46. 1996.
Gibson, J.L., Ivancevich, J.M., & Donnelly Jr, J.H., Organisations: Behaviour, Structure, Processes (7th ed). (Irwin. Homewood. IL. 1991). Hardy, L., & Jones, G., Sport psychology. In M. Harries, C. Williams, W.D. Stanish, & L.J. Michelli (Eds.), Oxford textbook of sports medicine (pp. 118-136). (Oxford University Press. New York. 1994).
Kidman, L., A teaching technique for effective coaching - Questioning. The New Zealand coach, 5(1), 14-17. 1996.
Leeds, D., The art of asking questions. Training & development, January, 57-62. 1993.
Mazur, J.E., Learning and behavior (3rd ed). (Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs. New Jersey. 1994).
Nideffer, R.M., The ethics and practice of sports psychology. (Mouvement Publications. Ithaca. New York. 1981).
Rotella, R.J., The successful coach: A leader who communicates. In L.K. Bunker, R.J. Rotella, & A.S. Reilly (Eds.), Sport psychology: Psychological considerations in maximising sport performance (pp.111-117). (McNaughton and Gunn Inc. Anne Arbour. Michigan. 1985).
Rudman, R., Human resource management in New Zealand: Contexts and processes. Longman Paul. Auckland. 1991).
Rushall, B., & Pyke, F., Training for sport and fitness. (Macmillan. Melbourne. 1990).
Russell, G.W., The social psychology of sport. (Spriinger-Verlag. New York. 1993).
Smoll, F.L., & Smith, R.E., Leadership behaviors in sport: A theoretical model and research paradigm. Journal of applied and social psychology, 19, 1522-1551.
Sullivan, M., The quest for a '90s leader. NZ business, February, 14-19. 1996
Tew, S., Leadership issues in sport. In L. Trenberth, & C. Collins (Eds.), Sport management in New Zealand: An introduction (pp.180-190). (Dunmore Press. Palmerston North. 1994).
Saturday, 30 December 2006
Coaching Notes
Coaching Notes
CONTENTS
* Introduction
* Physical training
-Training principles
-Training effects
-Exercise thresholds
-Physiological testing
-Training programmes
-On the bike training
-Supplemental training
-Training guidelines
-Physical recovery
-Diet
-Sports medicine
* Sports psychology
-Self regulation and goal setting
-Knowledge acquisition
* Technical skills
-Skill Learning
-Riding skills
-Equipment
-Rules
* Tactics
-Tactical planning
-Basic tactics
-Specific tactics
-Experimentation
* Organisation
-Time management
-Pre race organisation
-Pre start organisation
-Post race organisation
-Budgeting
-Network
-Coach
-Managers
-Life style balance
-Communications
-Team events
CONTENTS
* Introduction
* Physical training
-Training principles
-Training effects
-Exercise thresholds
-Physiological testing
-Training programmes
-On the bike training
-Supplemental training
-Training guidelines
-Physical recovery
-Diet
-Sports medicine
* Sports psychology
-Self regulation and goal setting
-Knowledge acquisition
* Technical skills
-Skill Learning
-Riding skills
-Equipment
-Rules
* Tactics
-Tactical planning
-Basic tactics
-Specific tactics
-Experimentation
* Organisation
-Time management
-Pre race organisation
-Pre start organisation
-Post race organisation
-Budgeting
-Network
-Coach
-Managers
-Life style balance
-Communications
-Team events
2000m Individual Pursuit Training
As an introduction, this essay is intended to give a rough outline behind some of the training ideas I use when putting together a programme. Because it was being submitted for grading it is pretty conservative and nothing that can't be referenced is included. It does not completely reflect my thoughts on training and everything that went into this riders programme.
This essay outlines a training programme for a 17 year old female cyclist training for the 2000 metre individual pursuit track cycling event. Firstly the components of the racing event will be listed. Secondly details will be given about the cyclist. An outline for a full years training will be given. This will include a break down of the final mesocycle (4 week period) and give details for a weeks actual training. The body of the essay explains the rational behind the programme.
The 2000m individual pursuit
The cycling 2000m individual pursuit is raced on a cycle track. Two competitors are placed on opposite sides of the track and over the distance of 2000m are attempting to catch their opponent. If they do not catch their opponent (very common in this event) the person with the fastest time is the winner.
The event begins with a qualifying round where the fastest eight times go through to the quarter finals. The qualifying round is raced in the morning and quarter final are ridden in the evening of the first day of the competition. On the second day of competition both the semi final and final are raced in the evening session. Often the gap between these two events is less than 45 minutes. The 2000m event takes place over 2min 20sec to 2min 45sec.
The event requires conditioning of all the energy systems. The alactic energy system is required when starting to ensure the cyclists reaches the ideal pursuiting pace as soon as possible after the start. This can mean a gain in time of up to 2 seconds if done well.
The aerobic system is required as Craig et al shows that an event of two minutes has an aerobic contribution of 60%. This assists the rider into setting a pace they can maintain for the full duration of the event. The aerobic system is also required especially for recovery between rides. This is vital when the rider must recover in the short space of time between the semi final and final.
The anaerobic system starts to play a role in the final laps of the event as the aerobic system can no longer supply all the energy necessary to maintain the goal pace for the event. A rider who has good lactate tolerance will be better suited to holding a high pace in the final laps.
A pursuit cyclist will use a bicycle that is designed for speed more than comfort. A position that is aerodynamic and allows for optimal transmission of power may compromise the natural position of the body. This necessitates a cyclist having excellent flexibility. Areas of note are hamstrings, glutes, and the back.
The amount of strength required by cyclists is a bone of contention between coaches and sport scientists. There is evidence that cyclists show improved performance on a ride to exhaustion (Hickson, 1988) after conducting a weights session. However other authors question the role of weight training based on the theory of specificity. The claim is that unless a weight training programme can replicate the exact movement pattern and speed of movement then it is not training the correct firing patterns of the goal movement (Rushall & Pyke, 1990).
Despite this debate cyclists often use a training programme based on classic periodisation (fitness, hypertrophy, strength and then power) (Newton & Burke, 1991) or if not well supervised or coached a general body building type of programme (many exercises in the 10-12 rep range) (Zatsiorsky, 1995). All claim that a weights programme is an essential part of their preparation for cycling.
Areas a cyclist should strength train are the lower and upper back to handle the extreme position of cycling. Strength is also needed in the lower body especially in the knee and hip joints where all the force from cycling is produced. While strength in these areas will be developed by cycling a weight training programme has been shown to increase the strength of connective tissue around a joint (Ackland & Bloomfield, 1992). This may be better than cycling where a high level of force is not produced often enough to have an training effect.
In terms of body composition a cyclist would be expected to have a low level of body fat and well developed musculature. Increased size is of no advantage to the pursuit cyclist (unlike a sprinter) so a long period of hypertrophy training is not justifiable.
The cyclist
The cyclist is a 17 year old female. She has been competing in cycling for four years. However her training history on a structured programme is only nine months. In her career she has achieved good results at a regional level but had previously struggled to make the grade at National level. Despite this she was selected to attend a National training camp for the New Zealand under 17 cycling team and from there was sent to Sydney for some overseas competition.
Once she began a structured programme her performances have improved and at this years track cycling Nationals won a silver medal in the under 19 woman's sprint and placed fourth in the 2000m individual pursuit. These performances placed her ahead of many of those who had beaten her in previous years.
The goal this season is to win the under 19 woman's 2000m individual pursuit at the Nationals. A second goal is to win in a time of less than 2min 35sec to ensure that she is selected to ride in the Junior World Champs being held later in the year.
Her training history before going on a structured programme included a knee reconstruction after a skiing accident and a broken wrist suffered in a crash. No other injuries or major illnesses have affected her training and competing.
In favour of field tests over laboratory tests we have taken time trial times to determine her fitness in respect to the demands of the event. In a 2000m time trial she has ridden 2 min 45. This is a good time for a first year under 17 rider but will need to be improved for her to be competitive at National level next year.
Her 500m time is 40.5 sec which is a good time for the distance. It will have to be improved to reflect the power needed to start well to gain an early advantage before settling into an aerobic pace that can be maintained into the final laps.
With both her endurance and speed needing attention for this event it dictates that she needs a balanced programme that will maximise all of her performance capacities.
In terms of strength, she has a six month experience of weight training. It has centred around the use of free weights and multi joint exercises as these are favoured for developing postural muscles and ensuring joint stability which is an issue with women because of their greater joint flexibility (Carbon, 1992).
With a background in ballet and gymnastics this riders flexibility is good and she is readily adaptable to the extreme positions of cycling. Regular stretching and attending yoga classes has maintained her suppleness.
The training year
First base period: May to July
In this part of the programme the rider will look to develop all round fitness in all main fitness components. Because strength and endurance are the two hardest qualities to develop they will be the priority of this phase of training.
Strength will be trained in the gym using a hypertrophy orientated programme that will seek to develop all areas of muscle in the riders body. The rep range will vary from 10 to 12 reps (Zatsiorsky, 1995). Several exercises will be used for each muscle group to ensure the muscle is worked to the point of overload. To allow for recovery and adaptation and muscular growth a period of at least 48 hours will be allowed before a muscle part is worked again (Tesch, 1992). Because this phase takes place during the winter and cycle training is difficult more time will be spent in the gym.
To make the most out of the available gym time the programme is split into three areas: legs, chest/back and shoulders/arms (Tesch, 1992). This allows each muscle part to be worked and allows for proper recovery. It also keeps motivation high as the rider can train hard daily. It also prevent fatigue from trying to complete every exercise in one session.
Because of difficulties due to cold weather endurance training is limited to long rides on the weekend. Some race specific endurance maintenance work is done after a weights session using an ergometer for an effort of 5 minutes.
Second base period: August to October
In this period the rider will use the improving weather to spend more time on the bike to develop basic endurance for the event. It is an anomaly in cycling and many other sports that cyclists need to complete many miles in preparation for an event that is only two kilometres long and takes a maximum of three minutes to complete. However the advantage of what is called base training is seen in terms of developing a strong aerobic system that will enhance the cyclist's capacity to handle the more intensive speed work that takes place later in the season.
Most time spent developing the aerobic system is at a light pace. For this rider the efforts are completed over one to two and a half hours. During this phase the rider will complete efforts of 30 minutes at a moderate pace. To add variety to these efforts the cyclist will vary the rides between uphill efforts for strength, flat tailwind efforts at high leg speeds to develop the riders ability to maintain high pedal cadences needed in the event.
In this phase the priority of gym work is focused on strength. Here the aim is to develop a large amount of force. One exercise is selected per body part and the aim is to lift as large a weight as possible for the rep range chosen. In a mature weight trainer with good technique and several years experience this rep range may be between 1-5 reps (Dick, 1997). For this cyclist, with a 6 month weight training history eight reps was chosen to ensure that no injuries are encountered.
Early competition period: November to January
In this phase the emphasis changes from base preparation to more specific work aimed at developing the cyclists ability to compete in the event. At the start of this phase the rider should have maximised their strength and endurance to handle, and recover from the intensive training that will take place in this and the next phases.
To maximise the aerobic system intervals of 3 to 5 minutes are used to enhance the ability to ride at the lactate threshold. These efforts are done at a very hard pace and are either completed on the road or at this time of the year preferably on the track using a pursuiting bike.
To prepare the rider for the heavy amount of anaerobic training to come in the next phase the rider is encouraged to take part in as much competition as possible. For this rider there is the opportunity to compete in track events twice weekly and in a road race once a week. The racing is very general and not specific to pursuiting and should not be considered as a suitable replacement for the more specific training that is to come.
In this phase the cyclist will do work in the gym to develop power. This is done by using a small number (3-4) of full body exercises using a light weight (30% of 1RM) as fast as possible (Dick, 1997).
Competition period: February and March
This is the business end of the season. If the preparation before is not complete the rider will be unable to perform to expectations. It is where the most intensive training is completed. All training is of a very specific nature. Most efforts are done on the track using work that is no longer than 2000m and nothing shorter than 400m. No long efforts for fear of losing race specific speed and no short efforts for fear of losing endurance for the full distance. Most efforts are done at a very fast pace with full recovery in between. A pursuit bike with triathlon bars are used. If an aerodynamic front wheel is to be used in competition then it will be used in training as this will affect the steering dynamics of the bike.
The event environment is totally simulated in all efforts. A full warm up (when time permits) is done. This involves a general warm up of twenty minutes building up to a fast pace on the track. At this point stretching is done to ensure range of movement is adequate for the event. From here the cyclist will go back onto the track to carry out a specific warm up that consists of a standing start and efforts at race pace. From here the riders will do more stretching and light riding while they await their training efforts.
At the line they will be given the regulation two minutes to prepare themselves before being given the 5-4-3-2-1 starting countdown. While riding they will be given time calls every lap letting them know how close they are to a pre-determined time schedule. This helps to develop an awareness of what the event requires before they compete. This is vital especially in young cyclists as they will have a lack of competition experience.
At the conclusion of the session they will spend twenty minutes riding at a very light pace to warm down. After this more stretching will take place including PNF stretching to take advantage of very warm muscles and to build excellent flexibility.
In the gym only maintenance work is done with a once a week session being done to maintain the strength developed in the gym. This is especially important because actual cycling will do little to maintain upper body strength needed to hold the extreme pursuiting position.
This phase takes eight weeks and the first three are the most intensive. At the conclusion of these three weeks the rider will be mildly overtrained. Over the next five weeks the training load will be tapered down in the pattern that allows for a 85-70-55-40-25% volume of the training load done in the first three weeks. An important factor in this taper is that the training intensity remains the same throughout the whole eight weeks otherwise training specificity is lost. The taper is used to allow for adequate recovery and supercompensation to take place allowing for maximal performance (Shepley et al, 1992).
This overload and taper programme is based on Hopkin's (1993) four week (two week overload and two week taper) method. To increase the length to eight weeks is a personal experiment and is based on the Australian Cycling Federation model where the overload period is five weeks and taper is seven weeks long (Walsh, 1997). The rational is that riders will arrive in a fresher state when required to compete. If needed a mini overload and taper can be used if the riders hits peak condition too soon. This plan also fits in well with the National track cycling calendar which has the regional event (the qualifier for the National event) three weeks out from the Nationals which makes it difficult if the four week model is used.
Active recovery period: April
During this period the cyclist will have a very reduced training programme. The term active recovery is stressed because form is easily lost and if total rest is used the rider will have to build back from scratch. It is better to maintain form and build on it for an even better next season.
Summary
The periodised programme allows this rider to build an effective base before carrying out specific race training. This makes for a more motivating programme through having plenty of variety. Overall the effects of this type of training over her previous less structured programme have been very effective.
The season is over for the rider in this study. Her results at the nationals were not as expected. On reflection the choice of a three week overload and five week taper was not the best preparation. It is interesting to compare the two other riders who were on a similar programme. Both had interruptions to their training due to outside commitments. Both won medals at the New Zealand Championships and exceeded their expectations. I feel that a three week overload is too severe and will set more modest training targets next year. I also feel that the use of a greater volume of interval efforts as opposed to fewer efforts(but at race pace) was detrimental in terms of improving racing ability.
References
Ackland, T.R., & Bloomfield, J. (1992). Functional anatomy. In J. Bloomfield, P.A. Fricker, & K.D. Fitch (Eds.), Textbook of science and medicine in sport (pp. 2-28). Melbourne: Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Carbon, R.J. (1992). The female athlete. Textbook of science and medicine in sport (pp. 467-487).
Dick, F.W. (1997). Sports training principles (3rd ed). London: A&C Black.
Hickson, R.C., Dvorak, E., Gorostiaga, E.M., Kurowski, T.T., & Foster, C. (1988). Potential for strength and endurance training to amplify endurance performance. Journal of Applied Physiology, 65, 2285-2290.
Hopkins, W. G. (1993). New guidelines for hard training. The New Zealand Coach, 2(2), 16-20.
Newton, H., & Burke, E.R. (1991). Improved cycling performance through strength training. Conditioning for Cycling, Summer, 13-20.
Rushall, B.S., & Pyke, F.S. (1990). Training for sports and fitness. Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia.
Shepley, B., MacDougall, J.D., Cipriano, N., Sutton, J.R., Tarnopolsky, M.A., & Coates, G. (1992). Physiological effects of tapering in highly trained athletes. Journal of applied physiology, 72, 706-711.
Tesch, P.A. (1992). Training for bodybuilding. In P.V. Komi (Ed.), Strength and power in sport (pp. 370-380). Melbourne: Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Walsh, C. (1997). Preparation of track endurance cyclists. Lecture presented at the Australian Cycling Federation Level Two Coaching Course.
Zatsiorsky, VIM. (1995). Science and practice of strength training. Champaign, IL.: Human Kinetics Books.
As a footnote to this piece it is interesting that I was coaching a 15 year old girl for the U17 2000m IP in 2007. She was the silver medalist from the previous year and had recorded the fastest time in competition for 2006. Two weeks out from Nationals her form nose-dived and she could not perform as desired, had very sore legs and her confidence dropped hugely.
I noted that she was looking very lean and after some discussion with her (a few tears), and her Father wondered if diet was an issue. Turned out she was eating far too little for a young lady let alone a high performance athlete. 36 hours of eating a correct diet for body type and amount of effort and she was back on track.
I wonder if the lack of calories meant the body was cannibalising muscle and hence the sore legs. I have found this with two other riders I coach who were under-performing. I now suspect this was the problem with my U19 rider in 1998.
This essay outlines a training programme for a 17 year old female cyclist training for the 2000 metre individual pursuit track cycling event. Firstly the components of the racing event will be listed. Secondly details will be given about the cyclist. An outline for a full years training will be given. This will include a break down of the final mesocycle (4 week period) and give details for a weeks actual training. The body of the essay explains the rational behind the programme.
The 2000m individual pursuit
The cycling 2000m individual pursuit is raced on a cycle track. Two competitors are placed on opposite sides of the track and over the distance of 2000m are attempting to catch their opponent. If they do not catch their opponent (very common in this event) the person with the fastest time is the winner.
The event begins with a qualifying round where the fastest eight times go through to the quarter finals. The qualifying round is raced in the morning and quarter final are ridden in the evening of the first day of the competition. On the second day of competition both the semi final and final are raced in the evening session. Often the gap between these two events is less than 45 minutes. The 2000m event takes place over 2min 20sec to 2min 45sec.
The event requires conditioning of all the energy systems. The alactic energy system is required when starting to ensure the cyclists reaches the ideal pursuiting pace as soon as possible after the start. This can mean a gain in time of up to 2 seconds if done well.
The aerobic system is required as Craig et al shows that an event of two minutes has an aerobic contribution of 60%. This assists the rider into setting a pace they can maintain for the full duration of the event. The aerobic system is also required especially for recovery between rides. This is vital when the rider must recover in the short space of time between the semi final and final.
The anaerobic system starts to play a role in the final laps of the event as the aerobic system can no longer supply all the energy necessary to maintain the goal pace for the event. A rider who has good lactate tolerance will be better suited to holding a high pace in the final laps.
A pursuit cyclist will use a bicycle that is designed for speed more than comfort. A position that is aerodynamic and allows for optimal transmission of power may compromise the natural position of the body. This necessitates a cyclist having excellent flexibility. Areas of note are hamstrings, glutes, and the back.
The amount of strength required by cyclists is a bone of contention between coaches and sport scientists. There is evidence that cyclists show improved performance on a ride to exhaustion (Hickson, 1988) after conducting a weights session. However other authors question the role of weight training based on the theory of specificity. The claim is that unless a weight training programme can replicate the exact movement pattern and speed of movement then it is not training the correct firing patterns of the goal movement (Rushall & Pyke, 1990).
Despite this debate cyclists often use a training programme based on classic periodisation (fitness, hypertrophy, strength and then power) (Newton & Burke, 1991) or if not well supervised or coached a general body building type of programme (many exercises in the 10-12 rep range) (Zatsiorsky, 1995). All claim that a weights programme is an essential part of their preparation for cycling.
Areas a cyclist should strength train are the lower and upper back to handle the extreme position of cycling. Strength is also needed in the lower body especially in the knee and hip joints where all the force from cycling is produced. While strength in these areas will be developed by cycling a weight training programme has been shown to increase the strength of connective tissue around a joint (Ackland & Bloomfield, 1992). This may be better than cycling where a high level of force is not produced often enough to have an training effect.
In terms of body composition a cyclist would be expected to have a low level of body fat and well developed musculature. Increased size is of no advantage to the pursuit cyclist (unlike a sprinter) so a long period of hypertrophy training is not justifiable.
The cyclist
The cyclist is a 17 year old female. She has been competing in cycling for four years. However her training history on a structured programme is only nine months. In her career she has achieved good results at a regional level but had previously struggled to make the grade at National level. Despite this she was selected to attend a National training camp for the New Zealand under 17 cycling team and from there was sent to Sydney for some overseas competition.
Once she began a structured programme her performances have improved and at this years track cycling Nationals won a silver medal in the under 19 woman's sprint and placed fourth in the 2000m individual pursuit. These performances placed her ahead of many of those who had beaten her in previous years.
The goal this season is to win the under 19 woman's 2000m individual pursuit at the Nationals. A second goal is to win in a time of less than 2min 35sec to ensure that she is selected to ride in the Junior World Champs being held later in the year.
Her training history before going on a structured programme included a knee reconstruction after a skiing accident and a broken wrist suffered in a crash. No other injuries or major illnesses have affected her training and competing.
In favour of field tests over laboratory tests we have taken time trial times to determine her fitness in respect to the demands of the event. In a 2000m time trial she has ridden 2 min 45. This is a good time for a first year under 17 rider but will need to be improved for her to be competitive at National level next year.
Her 500m time is 40.5 sec which is a good time for the distance. It will have to be improved to reflect the power needed to start well to gain an early advantage before settling into an aerobic pace that can be maintained into the final laps.
With both her endurance and speed needing attention for this event it dictates that she needs a balanced programme that will maximise all of her performance capacities.
In terms of strength, she has a six month experience of weight training. It has centred around the use of free weights and multi joint exercises as these are favoured for developing postural muscles and ensuring joint stability which is an issue with women because of their greater joint flexibility (Carbon, 1992).
With a background in ballet and gymnastics this riders flexibility is good and she is readily adaptable to the extreme positions of cycling. Regular stretching and attending yoga classes has maintained her suppleness.
The training year
First base period: May to July
In this part of the programme the rider will look to develop all round fitness in all main fitness components. Because strength and endurance are the two hardest qualities to develop they will be the priority of this phase of training.
Strength will be trained in the gym using a hypertrophy orientated programme that will seek to develop all areas of muscle in the riders body. The rep range will vary from 10 to 12 reps (Zatsiorsky, 1995). Several exercises will be used for each muscle group to ensure the muscle is worked to the point of overload. To allow for recovery and adaptation and muscular growth a period of at least 48 hours will be allowed before a muscle part is worked again (Tesch, 1992). Because this phase takes place during the winter and cycle training is difficult more time will be spent in the gym.
To make the most out of the available gym time the programme is split into three areas: legs, chest/back and shoulders/arms (Tesch, 1992). This allows each muscle part to be worked and allows for proper recovery. It also keeps motivation high as the rider can train hard daily. It also prevent fatigue from trying to complete every exercise in one session.
Because of difficulties due to cold weather endurance training is limited to long rides on the weekend. Some race specific endurance maintenance work is done after a weights session using an ergometer for an effort of 5 minutes.
Second base period: August to October
In this period the rider will use the improving weather to spend more time on the bike to develop basic endurance for the event. It is an anomaly in cycling and many other sports that cyclists need to complete many miles in preparation for an event that is only two kilometres long and takes a maximum of three minutes to complete. However the advantage of what is called base training is seen in terms of developing a strong aerobic system that will enhance the cyclist's capacity to handle the more intensive speed work that takes place later in the season.
Most time spent developing the aerobic system is at a light pace. For this rider the efforts are completed over one to two and a half hours. During this phase the rider will complete efforts of 30 minutes at a moderate pace. To add variety to these efforts the cyclist will vary the rides between uphill efforts for strength, flat tailwind efforts at high leg speeds to develop the riders ability to maintain high pedal cadences needed in the event.
In this phase the priority of gym work is focused on strength. Here the aim is to develop a large amount of force. One exercise is selected per body part and the aim is to lift as large a weight as possible for the rep range chosen. In a mature weight trainer with good technique and several years experience this rep range may be between 1-5 reps (Dick, 1997). For this cyclist, with a 6 month weight training history eight reps was chosen to ensure that no injuries are encountered.
Early competition period: November to January
In this phase the emphasis changes from base preparation to more specific work aimed at developing the cyclists ability to compete in the event. At the start of this phase the rider should have maximised their strength and endurance to handle, and recover from the intensive training that will take place in this and the next phases.
To maximise the aerobic system intervals of 3 to 5 minutes are used to enhance the ability to ride at the lactate threshold. These efforts are done at a very hard pace and are either completed on the road or at this time of the year preferably on the track using a pursuiting bike.
To prepare the rider for the heavy amount of anaerobic training to come in the next phase the rider is encouraged to take part in as much competition as possible. For this rider there is the opportunity to compete in track events twice weekly and in a road race once a week. The racing is very general and not specific to pursuiting and should not be considered as a suitable replacement for the more specific training that is to come.
In this phase the cyclist will do work in the gym to develop power. This is done by using a small number (3-4) of full body exercises using a light weight (30% of 1RM) as fast as possible (Dick, 1997).
Competition period: February and March
This is the business end of the season. If the preparation before is not complete the rider will be unable to perform to expectations. It is where the most intensive training is completed. All training is of a very specific nature. Most efforts are done on the track using work that is no longer than 2000m and nothing shorter than 400m. No long efforts for fear of losing race specific speed and no short efforts for fear of losing endurance for the full distance. Most efforts are done at a very fast pace with full recovery in between. A pursuit bike with triathlon bars are used. If an aerodynamic front wheel is to be used in competition then it will be used in training as this will affect the steering dynamics of the bike.
The event environment is totally simulated in all efforts. A full warm up (when time permits) is done. This involves a general warm up of twenty minutes building up to a fast pace on the track. At this point stretching is done to ensure range of movement is adequate for the event. From here the cyclist will go back onto the track to carry out a specific warm up that consists of a standing start and efforts at race pace. From here the riders will do more stretching and light riding while they await their training efforts.
At the line they will be given the regulation two minutes to prepare themselves before being given the 5-4-3-2-1 starting countdown. While riding they will be given time calls every lap letting them know how close they are to a pre-determined time schedule. This helps to develop an awareness of what the event requires before they compete. This is vital especially in young cyclists as they will have a lack of competition experience.
At the conclusion of the session they will spend twenty minutes riding at a very light pace to warm down. After this more stretching will take place including PNF stretching to take advantage of very warm muscles and to build excellent flexibility.
In the gym only maintenance work is done with a once a week session being done to maintain the strength developed in the gym. This is especially important because actual cycling will do little to maintain upper body strength needed to hold the extreme pursuiting position.
This phase takes eight weeks and the first three are the most intensive. At the conclusion of these three weeks the rider will be mildly overtrained. Over the next five weeks the training load will be tapered down in the pattern that allows for a 85-70-55-40-25% volume of the training load done in the first three weeks. An important factor in this taper is that the training intensity remains the same throughout the whole eight weeks otherwise training specificity is lost. The taper is used to allow for adequate recovery and supercompensation to take place allowing for maximal performance (Shepley et al, 1992).
This overload and taper programme is based on Hopkin's (1993) four week (two week overload and two week taper) method. To increase the length to eight weeks is a personal experiment and is based on the Australian Cycling Federation model where the overload period is five weeks and taper is seven weeks long (Walsh, 1997). The rational is that riders will arrive in a fresher state when required to compete. If needed a mini overload and taper can be used if the riders hits peak condition too soon. This plan also fits in well with the National track cycling calendar which has the regional event (the qualifier for the National event) three weeks out from the Nationals which makes it difficult if the four week model is used.
Active recovery period: April
During this period the cyclist will have a very reduced training programme. The term active recovery is stressed because form is easily lost and if total rest is used the rider will have to build back from scratch. It is better to maintain form and build on it for an even better next season.
Summary
The periodised programme allows this rider to build an effective base before carrying out specific race training. This makes for a more motivating programme through having plenty of variety. Overall the effects of this type of training over her previous less structured programme have been very effective.
The season is over for the rider in this study. Her results at the nationals were not as expected. On reflection the choice of a three week overload and five week taper was not the best preparation. It is interesting to compare the two other riders who were on a similar programme. Both had interruptions to their training due to outside commitments. Both won medals at the New Zealand Championships and exceeded their expectations. I feel that a three week overload is too severe and will set more modest training targets next year. I also feel that the use of a greater volume of interval efforts as opposed to fewer efforts(but at race pace) was detrimental in terms of improving racing ability.
References
Ackland, T.R., & Bloomfield, J. (1992). Functional anatomy. In J. Bloomfield, P.A. Fricker, & K.D. Fitch (Eds.), Textbook of science and medicine in sport (pp. 2-28). Melbourne: Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Carbon, R.J. (1992). The female athlete. Textbook of science and medicine in sport (pp. 467-487).
Dick, F.W. (1997). Sports training principles (3rd ed). London: A&C Black.
Hickson, R.C., Dvorak, E., Gorostiaga, E.M., Kurowski, T.T., & Foster, C. (1988). Potential for strength and endurance training to amplify endurance performance. Journal of Applied Physiology, 65, 2285-2290.
Hopkins, W. G. (1993). New guidelines for hard training. The New Zealand Coach, 2(2), 16-20.
Newton, H., & Burke, E.R. (1991). Improved cycling performance through strength training. Conditioning for Cycling, Summer, 13-20.
Rushall, B.S., & Pyke, F.S. (1990). Training for sports and fitness. Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia.
Shepley, B., MacDougall, J.D., Cipriano, N., Sutton, J.R., Tarnopolsky, M.A., & Coates, G. (1992). Physiological effects of tapering in highly trained athletes. Journal of applied physiology, 72, 706-711.
Tesch, P.A. (1992). Training for bodybuilding. In P.V. Komi (Ed.), Strength and power in sport (pp. 370-380). Melbourne: Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Walsh, C. (1997). Preparation of track endurance cyclists. Lecture presented at the Australian Cycling Federation Level Two Coaching Course.
Zatsiorsky, VIM. (1995). Science and practice of strength training. Champaign, IL.: Human Kinetics Books.
As a footnote to this piece it is interesting that I was coaching a 15 year old girl for the U17 2000m IP in 2007. She was the silver medalist from the previous year and had recorded the fastest time in competition for 2006. Two weeks out from Nationals her form nose-dived and she could not perform as desired, had very sore legs and her confidence dropped hugely.
I noted that she was looking very lean and after some discussion with her (a few tears), and her Father wondered if diet was an issue. Turned out she was eating far too little for a young lady let alone a high performance athlete. 36 hours of eating a correct diet for body type and amount of effort and she was back on track.
I wonder if the lack of calories meant the body was cannibalising muscle and hence the sore legs. I have found this with two other riders I coach who were under-performing. I now suspect this was the problem with my U19 rider in 1998.
Experience
I am mainly working with Junior riders who have very little experience. I stress to them that it will take 7-8 track nationals before they find their groove and a way of preparation that works for them. Then when they are on the NZ team it will take 7-8 World Cups, Jnr Worlds, World Championships before they really fit in at that level of competition.
A PE student did video analysis of the NZ Team Pursuit that won Jnr Worlds in 2005 and counted 50 errors in one ride. And they won! By the time these guys hit the track in Beijing and London they will gain the experience, improve their technique and will win medals!
Sarah Ulmer was Jnr World Champ in 1994 and was winning World Cup events from 1995 but didn't win Worlds, let alone medal in Pursuit till 2004. The important thing is to keep pushing, keep racing and when you reach one level, immediately set goals to move to the next level.
A PE student did video analysis of the NZ Team Pursuit that won Jnr Worlds in 2005 and counted 50 errors in one ride. And they won! By the time these guys hit the track in Beijing and London they will gain the experience, improve their technique and will win medals!
Sarah Ulmer was Jnr World Champ in 1994 and was winning World Cup events from 1995 but didn't win Worlds, let alone medal in Pursuit till 2004. The important thing is to keep pushing, keep racing and when you reach one level, immediately set goals to move to the next level.
Monday, 18 December 2006
Previous Media Articles
When I started coaching in 1993 at a young age I caused a bit of stir and garnered a bit of media attention...
Sunday, 17 December 2006
Anaerobic Threshold Myth
Gidday everyone
Here is some more info on power meters to add to your knowledge on training...
Thanks to Ben Miller for the excellent article on the "Anaerobic Threshold". It brings up some points that have been well know in exercise physiology for several years but we still see these terms bandied around even by exercise physiologists and in sport science journals.
http://www.cyclingnz.co.nz/cnz3_science.php?n=74
With the advent of Power Meters I see a couple of new thresholds being considered. Andy Coggan refers to "Endurance Threshold" which is the maximum power one can sustain over a 60min period. He uses this threshold as the basis for the seven levels of training explained in his book "Training and Racing with a Powermeter" and on the Power Meter software "CyclingPeaks".The threshold can be determined from a maximal 60min effort or taking the max one hour power from CyclingPeaks from a race or hard training ride.
http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/power411.html
The British Cycling Federation go the other extreme and use a ramped test where power is increased every minute and the highest power one can sustain for a minute is called the "Max Min Power". Ric Stern refers to this as "Max Aerobic Power" or MAP. Stern uses this to base his training zones on.
http://www.cyclecoach.com/pageID-articles-Power_Guidelines.htm
Both Endurance Threshold and MAP could be considered examples of the Critical Power concept where both could be plotted on a graph and used to determine power outputs for other durations.This type of testing is done in the US and Australia over various durations from 5sec to 60min. Some coaches use the data from such testing to plan interval training. Charlie Walsh takes the maximal power for a duration (ie 5min) and plots training accordingly...
Max 5 min Power = 400watts
1st week of training 5min efforts at 336watts (84% of Max)
2nd week of training 5min efforts at 348watts (87% of Max)
3rd week of training 5min efforts at 360watts (90% of Max)
4th week of training 5min efforts at 336watts (unloading week)
All three methods of planning training are useful as they rely on a direct measure of performance as opposed to a measure of intensity (lactate or HR) that could be affected by the weather, stress, fatigue and measurement issues. We can't look at a future goal and say an Olympic Pursuit final will be won at a lactate level of 6.4mmol or the Tour de France in 2010 will be won by the rider who can sustain a HR of 152. We can estimate that to break the Flying 200m WR that it will take a peak power of over 2000watts and ave power of 800watts and plan our training accordingly. Having used a power meter for 5 months now and being able to track my own performance from 5sec to 4hours I can be very precise with the level of overload and very specific with the type of training to prepare my body for the challenges of racing.
Apart from curiosity I wonder if I will ever need to do another Anaerobic Threshold test.
Hamish
Here is some more info on power meters to add to your knowledge on training...
Thanks to Ben Miller for the excellent article on the "Anaerobic Threshold". It brings up some points that have been well know in exercise physiology for several years but we still see these terms bandied around even by exercise physiologists and in sport science journals.
http://www.cyclingnz.co.nz/cnz3_science.php?n=74
With the advent of Power Meters I see a couple of new thresholds being considered. Andy Coggan refers to "Endurance Threshold" which is the maximum power one can sustain over a 60min period. He uses this threshold as the basis for the seven levels of training explained in his book "Training and Racing with a Powermeter" and on the Power Meter software "CyclingPeaks".The threshold can be determined from a maximal 60min effort or taking the max one hour power from CyclingPeaks from a race or hard training ride.
http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/power411.html
The British Cycling Federation go the other extreme and use a ramped test where power is increased every minute and the highest power one can sustain for a minute is called the "Max Min Power". Ric Stern refers to this as "Max Aerobic Power" or MAP. Stern uses this to base his training zones on.
http://www.cyclecoach.com/pageID-articles-Power_Guidelines.htm
Both Endurance Threshold and MAP could be considered examples of the Critical Power concept where both could be plotted on a graph and used to determine power outputs for other durations.This type of testing is done in the US and Australia over various durations from 5sec to 60min. Some coaches use the data from such testing to plan interval training. Charlie Walsh takes the maximal power for a duration (ie 5min) and plots training accordingly...
Max 5 min Power = 400watts
1st week of training 5min efforts at 336watts (84% of Max)
2nd week of training 5min efforts at 348watts (87% of Max)
3rd week of training 5min efforts at 360watts (90% of Max)
4th week of training 5min efforts at 336watts (unloading week)
All three methods of planning training are useful as they rely on a direct measure of performance as opposed to a measure of intensity (lactate or HR) that could be affected by the weather, stress, fatigue and measurement issues. We can't look at a future goal and say an Olympic Pursuit final will be won at a lactate level of 6.4mmol or the Tour de France in 2010 will be won by the rider who can sustain a HR of 152. We can estimate that to break the Flying 200m WR that it will take a peak power of over 2000watts and ave power of 800watts and plan our training accordingly. Having used a power meter for 5 months now and being able to track my own performance from 5sec to 4hours I can be very precise with the level of overload and very specific with the type of training to prepare my body for the challenges of racing.
Apart from curiosity I wonder if I will ever need to do another Anaerobic Threshold test.
Hamish
Planning Training and Testing
Currently I am experimenting with CP tests and/or max power X duration from Cycling Peaks. Charlie Walsh does something similar and I am trying his method of using peak power for set durations and basing various efforts based on a percentage of the peak power.
My 5min peak power is 297watts. This is from Cycling Peaks and is either the result of a hard race or hilly training ride. It could also come from a 5min all out effort.Charlie uses a 84% of peak for first week, 87% for 2nd and 90% for 3rd week. In the fourth unloading week you go back to 84% and I also cut the volume of efforts by half.
ie.
week 1 4 X 5min @ 249watts
week 2 4 X 5min @ 258watts
week 3 4 X 5min @ 267watts
week 4 2 X 5min @ 249watts
or
30sec max power is 350watts
week 1 4 X 2min @ 294watts
week 2 4 X 2min @ 304watts
week 3 4 X 2min @ 315watts
week 4 2 X 2min @ 294watts
Been through one mesocycle so far and it's amazing how precise this method this is and by the final effort I am totally spent.
If I get a good ride on the hills or a race on the weekend I expect to see my max increase otherwise I would need to do specific tests.A similar approach can be used on the track where pursuiters and Kilo riders do all out time trials and training efforts can be based on a percentage of this by adding time to goal lap times.
>>Quote:
>>Originally Posted by RapDaddyo
>>I think testing and training goals can be different.
It has been suggested that lab tests done to measure improvement be done with the rider in a well rested (tapered, peaked) state while testing to determine training zones (power or HR) be done without rest to get a more accurate picture.
In my comeback to riding and racing my 2nd ride in 5 years was a lactate threshold/VO2max test I came up with aerobic threshold and anaerobic threshold HR zones of 160-180bpm. For a couple of months it was no problem rolling along at 160bpm and I was riding hills at 180HR with no major problems.3 months later I was tested again and the test was 2 days after my first race in 7 years. Although my power at various levels was up by 30% my HR zones dropped to 142-162bpm. I had noticed for the 4 weeks before the test that I was finding it harder to maintain 160HR.
Now I train by power and essentially do a "test" every time I race or do a hard hilly ride and wonder if it's a waste to do any further lab tests when I can see at the end of each ride whether I am improving or not.I know I have been pushing the limits when on a hilly ride on the weekend I went up a climb that I normally ride at 260watts at only 201watts. Interesting to note that I felt a cold coming on the next day and decided to rest and instead of falling into my usual trap of training through and getting sick for 1-2 weeks, a couple of days later am back into normal training. It's nice to be that precise with my own training and with the people I coach.
Hamish
My 5min peak power is 297watts. This is from Cycling Peaks and is either the result of a hard race or hilly training ride. It could also come from a 5min all out effort.Charlie uses a 84% of peak for first week, 87% for 2nd and 90% for 3rd week. In the fourth unloading week you go back to 84% and I also cut the volume of efforts by half.
ie.
week 1 4 X 5min @ 249watts
week 2 4 X 5min @ 258watts
week 3 4 X 5min @ 267watts
week 4 2 X 5min @ 249watts
or
30sec max power is 350watts
week 1 4 X 2min @ 294watts
week 2 4 X 2min @ 304watts
week 3 4 X 2min @ 315watts
week 4 2 X 2min @ 294watts
Been through one mesocycle so far and it's amazing how precise this method this is and by the final effort I am totally spent.
If I get a good ride on the hills or a race on the weekend I expect to see my max increase otherwise I would need to do specific tests.A similar approach can be used on the track where pursuiters and Kilo riders do all out time trials and training efforts can be based on a percentage of this by adding time to goal lap times.
>>Quote:
>>Originally Posted by RapDaddyo
>>I think testing and training goals can be different.
It has been suggested that lab tests done to measure improvement be done with the rider in a well rested (tapered, peaked) state while testing to determine training zones (power or HR) be done without rest to get a more accurate picture.
In my comeback to riding and racing my 2nd ride in 5 years was a lactate threshold/VO2max test I came up with aerobic threshold and anaerobic threshold HR zones of 160-180bpm. For a couple of months it was no problem rolling along at 160bpm and I was riding hills at 180HR with no major problems.3 months later I was tested again and the test was 2 days after my first race in 7 years. Although my power at various levels was up by 30% my HR zones dropped to 142-162bpm. I had noticed for the 4 weeks before the test that I was finding it harder to maintain 160HR.
Now I train by power and essentially do a "test" every time I race or do a hard hilly ride and wonder if it's a waste to do any further lab tests when I can see at the end of each ride whether I am improving or not.I know I have been pushing the limits when on a hilly ride on the weekend I went up a climb that I normally ride at 260watts at only 201watts. Interesting to note that I felt a cold coming on the next day and decided to rest and instead of falling into my usual trap of training through and getting sick for 1-2 weeks, a couple of days later am back into normal training. It's nice to be that precise with my own training and with the people I coach.
Hamish
Training with a Powertap
Been training with a Powertap for the last 4 weeks. Here are my observations on it's benefits.
Just riding with a powermeter you really get an appreciation of how variable you power output can be. Sitting on 30kph the power could be sitting on 175 watts then jump to 220 as the road slightly inclines then drop to 155 as a car goes past or below 100 if a long truck goes past (see why British TTs use busy Motorways). Because of the variability I tend to use ave power for long rides and long intervals instead of trying to hold watts constant.
Even on a windtrainer I find it hard to hold on. Did a ramped test and trying to hold a set wattage was a nightmare. I assume that a Kingcycle (power measuring indoor trainer) updates power at 2-5sec intervals rather than the 1sec updates I use on my Powertap as it's easier holding a constant power using the Kingcycle.
I am finding the CyclingPeaks software the best programme to analyse my data. The Powertap software and Poweragent software doesn't cut it and I really like the ease of highlighting any section of my ride and the ability to use the programme as a training diary.
As well as long rides I have been trying various intervals using Andy Coggan's (ex physiologist, coach and competitor) levels of training. These are based on long endurance rides, medium rides at tempo, long intervals around your threshold, medium intervals around your vO2max, short intervals above the vO2max and very short sprints. From the charts produced on Cycling Peaks I can work my max and ave power for each effort. The shorter the effort the more important the peak power while for the more aerobic efforts the ave power is more important.
The Cycling Peaks software can also determine your max power for any duration. This is a good way to test for improvement over a season although you do have to take into account that much of the power may have come from anaerobic sources. This is why I think I will do a test for each type of aerobic effort rather than base my training off the max mean power for any duration. From this I can try and add 5 watts every subsequent time I do an effort.The other option is to use the max power for the duration and start an interval session at a percentage below this.
Various sources have suggested 80-85% is a good figure to start at. If I don't have much luck with the TTs then I will switch to this approach.I did use lactate testing to determine HR training zones but can now see the high variability with HR and how many factors affect HR in comparison to power.
Also I have concerns with the variability in results when doing lactate testing. Andy Coggan has suggested using the Dmax method of determining a threshold point from the lactate curve and from the tests I have performed on several riders has proved to be a better predictor of performance than threshold's determined by assessing a turnpoint on the lactate curve, using 2 or 4mmol of lactate, power at vO2max or max minute power.Dmax has also correlated highly with the Functional Threshold. This is based on max mean power one can sustain for 60min.
One could do a 60min TT, or take the average power from a 60min road race as other ways to determine this point. This figure predicted performance in my riders in both 2k Pursuit and road TT better than any other figure. Buggered if I am doing a 60min TT though so will stick with Dmax or pulling info from road races.
The meter can also be used to track ones progress on various courses. Measuring ave power on a TT course can give you a constant assessment of progress even if weather conditions vary from week to week. I rode a hill section two weeks ago and yesterday was pleased to have gone up there at 10 watts higher than last time.
Although you can't fit my Powertap to a track bike I can see why all the top track teams use SRM on the track. The data is invaluable for knowing how one is going. You can also use the SRM to equate power from one track to another. It's only been 4 weeks but learnt heaps already. NZ Track Coach Terry Gyde has suggested it takes up to year to fully appreciate the value of training with power so I look forward to the next 48 weeks!
Hamish
*Dmax
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=1459746&dopt=Abstract
*Andy Coggan Training with power
http://www.midweekclub.ca/articles/coggan.pdf
*MAP test
http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=powerstern
Just riding with a powermeter you really get an appreciation of how variable you power output can be. Sitting on 30kph the power could be sitting on 175 watts then jump to 220 as the road slightly inclines then drop to 155 as a car goes past or below 100 if a long truck goes past (see why British TTs use busy Motorways). Because of the variability I tend to use ave power for long rides and long intervals instead of trying to hold watts constant.
Even on a windtrainer I find it hard to hold on. Did a ramped test and trying to hold a set wattage was a nightmare. I assume that a Kingcycle (power measuring indoor trainer) updates power at 2-5sec intervals rather than the 1sec updates I use on my Powertap as it's easier holding a constant power using the Kingcycle.
I am finding the CyclingPeaks software the best programme to analyse my data. The Powertap software and Poweragent software doesn't cut it and I really like the ease of highlighting any section of my ride and the ability to use the programme as a training diary.
As well as long rides I have been trying various intervals using Andy Coggan's (ex physiologist, coach and competitor) levels of training. These are based on long endurance rides, medium rides at tempo, long intervals around your threshold, medium intervals around your vO2max, short intervals above the vO2max and very short sprints. From the charts produced on Cycling Peaks I can work my max and ave power for each effort. The shorter the effort the more important the peak power while for the more aerobic efforts the ave power is more important.
The Cycling Peaks software can also determine your max power for any duration. This is a good way to test for improvement over a season although you do have to take into account that much of the power may have come from anaerobic sources. This is why I think I will do a test for each type of aerobic effort rather than base my training off the max mean power for any duration. From this I can try and add 5 watts every subsequent time I do an effort.The other option is to use the max power for the duration and start an interval session at a percentage below this.
Various sources have suggested 80-85% is a good figure to start at. If I don't have much luck with the TTs then I will switch to this approach.I did use lactate testing to determine HR training zones but can now see the high variability with HR and how many factors affect HR in comparison to power.
Also I have concerns with the variability in results when doing lactate testing. Andy Coggan has suggested using the Dmax method of determining a threshold point from the lactate curve and from the tests I have performed on several riders has proved to be a better predictor of performance than threshold's determined by assessing a turnpoint on the lactate curve, using 2 or 4mmol of lactate, power at vO2max or max minute power.Dmax has also correlated highly with the Functional Threshold. This is based on max mean power one can sustain for 60min.
One could do a 60min TT, or take the average power from a 60min road race as other ways to determine this point. This figure predicted performance in my riders in both 2k Pursuit and road TT better than any other figure. Buggered if I am doing a 60min TT though so will stick with Dmax or pulling info from road races.
The meter can also be used to track ones progress on various courses. Measuring ave power on a TT course can give you a constant assessment of progress even if weather conditions vary from week to week. I rode a hill section two weeks ago and yesterday was pleased to have gone up there at 10 watts higher than last time.
Although you can't fit my Powertap to a track bike I can see why all the top track teams use SRM on the track. The data is invaluable for knowing how one is going. You can also use the SRM to equate power from one track to another. It's only been 4 weeks but learnt heaps already. NZ Track Coach Terry Gyde has suggested it takes up to year to fully appreciate the value of training with power so I look forward to the next 48 weeks!
Hamish
*Dmax
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=1459746&dopt=Abstract
*Andy Coggan Training with power
http://www.midweekclub.ca/articles/coggan.pdf
*MAP test
http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=powerstern
Goal Setting for Training
I gave the example of goals I set for a race yesterday. Here are the goals I set for a training ride completed today as an example of how simple it is to set them and enhance motivation for training. Only problem is it's going to kill me to do a harder 3 hour ride than today's:-(
*3 hours at 157-204 watts on flat
Based on a % of my Max Aerobic Power.
*Build over the ride
Started pretty hard and suffered towards the end. I also kept an eye on my HR and could see that despite my power slowly dropping my HR was increasing as I tried to push it towards the end. 30.2kph is also 2kph faster than previous rides.
*Build on prev best 3hr ride of 154watts
Did this easily, for the first 20min was chugging along nicely at 185watts. After 2 hours I was feeling the pinch which illustrates the need to start easier and build into the ride. Perhaps on my next three hour ride I will start out at 170 watts and over the last 90 min try and bring the power up to 177 watts in the same way a Road Race gets progressively harder.
*Powermeter data from ride
See in notes. Main thing power goes down each hour while HR goes up.
*RPE (rating of perceived exertion) from ride
I knew I was pushing my luck starting so hard but felt pretty good and it was only in the last 10mins that the legs went flat. While it's nice looking at the data when racing you really need to use the Supercomputer (your Brain) to determine when to conserve energy and when to make your move whether it is 100m to go or 100km!
Hamish
*3 hours at 157-204 watts on flat
Based on a % of my Max Aerobic Power.
*Build over the ride
Started pretty hard and suffered towards the end. I also kept an eye on my HR and could see that despite my power slowly dropping my HR was increasing as I tried to push it towards the end. 30.2kph is also 2kph faster than previous rides.
*Build on prev best 3hr ride of 154watts
Did this easily, for the first 20min was chugging along nicely at 185watts. After 2 hours I was feeling the pinch which illustrates the need to start easier and build into the ride. Perhaps on my next three hour ride I will start out at 170 watts and over the last 90 min try and bring the power up to 177 watts in the same way a Road Race gets progressively harder.
*Powermeter data from ride
See in notes. Main thing power goes down each hour while HR goes up.
*RPE (rating of perceived exertion) from ride
I knew I was pushing my luck starting so hard but felt pretty good and it was only in the last 10mins that the legs went flat. While it's nice looking at the data when racing you really need to use the Supercomputer (your Brain) to determine when to conserve energy and when to make your move whether it is 100m to go or 100km!
Hamish
Goal Setting for Racing
Here is some information on goal setting and below an example based on yesterdays race at Ruapuna.
Why we set goals
We set goals because achieving them is motivating. Well thought out goals help us to focus on what is important to us, why it is important and what we need to do to attain them.
Three types of Goals
Learning Goals (aka mastery or personal development goals)
These are the goals you set when you are trying something new and don't know what to expect. When trying a new sport, racing against new riders, on new courses or tracks.
Performance goals (aka task or short term goals)
These are the goals you set based on your result goals. These are things you must do to achieve your desired outcome. If the goal is to win the race on Monday then you should set some performance goals for the event like: suss out the opposition in the first few kms, test the opposition with 2-3 attacks, get a good position for the sprint etc.
Result goals (aka outcome, long term or dream goals)
These goals are the end result. The help set what direction we head in. From these goals you can set your performance goals.
The ratio for goals setting
For young or novice riders the ratio of goals should be...
Learning goals 60%
Performance goals 35%
Result goals 5%
For an experienced rider it will be...
Learning goals 30%
Performance goals 60%
Result goals 10%
Primary focus is on learning, about yourself, about your sport. From this you will find what really interests you and be able to start setting some result goals.
Goal setting criteria
Goals should be S,M,A,R,T!
Specific
Goals need to be specific to what you are trying to achieve. If the result goal is to win a race a specific performance goal would be to "start the sprint from 2nd place".
Measurable
It helps if you can put a number on a goal to be able to measure it when attempted. If the goal is to start the sprint from 2nd place then you can look back and see whether you did or didn't.
Action based
A goal should be something you actually have to do. As opposed to a goal that hopes someone else will do something or make a mistake.
Realistic
If you put in the effort the goal should be within your reach.
Time Based
Set a deadline on when the goal should be achieved.
Challenging goals
Goals should always be personally motivating and should be challenging. This makes achieving them even more rewarding.
There is a catch. Many people don't set goals and live very happy lives. But they never achieve anything! Setting challenging goals comes with a risk of not attaining them and feeling disappointed. However people respect those who do try.
These are the goals I set for a Race round the Ruapuna Race Car Circuit.
*If feel good after work Ruapuna Race
I didn't feel that good and riding out to Ruapuna knew the legs were not as good as the race I did in Leeston two weeks ago were the legs felt great
*First in C grade
I ended up about 12th-13th. A bit down about it as I though I did everything right just no gas in the tank in the sprint. On reflection there was little I could have done physically or tactically to improve on the result.
*Fuel up for the race
Had a good lunch and small meal at afternoon tea time.
*Use powermeter to warm up
Did a couple of laps in warm up at 200-210 watts to warm the legs up for racing at ave of around 210watts. Needed to add a few sprints in case of a very fast start.
*Fine tune race strategy based on warm up
Knowing I was not 100% knew I should save my energy to the last lap.
*Control nerves and breathing before the start
Wasn't too bad before the race.
*Avoid having to close too many gaps
Because the tempo was fairly high (usually a lot more windy and ave speed around 35kph with far more surges in pace) there were few breakaways so the group stayed together pretty well so didn't have to do much.
*Conserve energy for last section of race
Did this well through staying close to front and just moving riders off wheels and closing riders out who tried to take mine. Also helped that there were always riders willing to take up the pace if the pace lulled or someone attacked.
*3rd wheel in sprint
Three riders were 20m clear going into home straight and was in 5th wheel. Too far back but when I hit my mark (30 pedal revs from finish in 50X15 gear) had no gas.
*Warm down, warm clothes and hi carb drink
Rolled down for a lap, changed polyprop top, put on wind vest had a large bottle of Raro.
*Power data from race.
As above. Nothing startling. Raced at that level 2 weeks ago and had plenty in reserve. 2 weeks of colds and dental surgery later and not so flash.
*Use powermeter to determine hard sections of each lap
Was able to determine that home straight and back straight would be pretty easy. The hard part would be the middle section from the hairpin to the chicane. From this I knew where I could take it easy and where I needed to be right at the front.
*Get to know racing/riding styles of other riders
Hardly knew most of the riders so learnt a bit. A few riders who like to go hard, mostly people who have no clue, mostly people who sit in waiting for the sprint and a few Muppets who need a bit of schooling in bike handling.
*Determine 30 pedal revs from finish on Ruapuna
30 pedal revs is about the most you can sprint flat out so worked out this was the start of Pit Lane in a 50X15 gear. Saved my sprint till this point but nothing there.
Summary
People who reach their potential are those who have the best idea of what they want. Setting excellent goals for everything you do is a great way to achieve this! Set goals for what you want out of each training ride and each race and you give yourself a greater chance of attaining success!
Hamish
Why we set goals
We set goals because achieving them is motivating. Well thought out goals help us to focus on what is important to us, why it is important and what we need to do to attain them.
Three types of Goals
Learning Goals (aka mastery or personal development goals)
These are the goals you set when you are trying something new and don't know what to expect. When trying a new sport, racing against new riders, on new courses or tracks.
Performance goals (aka task or short term goals)
These are the goals you set based on your result goals. These are things you must do to achieve your desired outcome. If the goal is to win the race on Monday then you should set some performance goals for the event like: suss out the opposition in the first few kms, test the opposition with 2-3 attacks, get a good position for the sprint etc.
Result goals (aka outcome, long term or dream goals)
These goals are the end result. The help set what direction we head in. From these goals you can set your performance goals.
The ratio for goals setting
For young or novice riders the ratio of goals should be...
Learning goals 60%
Performance goals 35%
Result goals 5%
For an experienced rider it will be...
Learning goals 30%
Performance goals 60%
Result goals 10%
Primary focus is on learning, about yourself, about your sport. From this you will find what really interests you and be able to start setting some result goals.
Goal setting criteria
Goals should be S,M,A,R,T!
Specific
Goals need to be specific to what you are trying to achieve. If the result goal is to win a race a specific performance goal would be to "start the sprint from 2nd place".
Measurable
It helps if you can put a number on a goal to be able to measure it when attempted. If the goal is to start the sprint from 2nd place then you can look back and see whether you did or didn't.
Action based
A goal should be something you actually have to do. As opposed to a goal that hopes someone else will do something or make a mistake.
Realistic
If you put in the effort the goal should be within your reach.
Time Based
Set a deadline on when the goal should be achieved.
Challenging goals
Goals should always be personally motivating and should be challenging. This makes achieving them even more rewarding.
There is a catch. Many people don't set goals and live very happy lives. But they never achieve anything! Setting challenging goals comes with a risk of not attaining them and feeling disappointed. However people respect those who do try.
These are the goals I set for a Race round the Ruapuna Race Car Circuit.
*If feel good after work Ruapuna Race
I didn't feel that good and riding out to Ruapuna knew the legs were not as good as the race I did in Leeston two weeks ago were the legs felt great
*First in C grade
I ended up about 12th-13th. A bit down about it as I though I did everything right just no gas in the tank in the sprint. On reflection there was little I could have done physically or tactically to improve on the result.
*Fuel up for the race
Had a good lunch and small meal at afternoon tea time.
*Use powermeter to warm up
Did a couple of laps in warm up at 200-210 watts to warm the legs up for racing at ave of around 210watts. Needed to add a few sprints in case of a very fast start.
*Fine tune race strategy based on warm up
Knowing I was not 100% knew I should save my energy to the last lap.
*Control nerves and breathing before the start
Wasn't too bad before the race.
*Avoid having to close too many gaps
Because the tempo was fairly high (usually a lot more windy and ave speed around 35kph with far more surges in pace) there were few breakaways so the group stayed together pretty well so didn't have to do much.
*Conserve energy for last section of race
Did this well through staying close to front and just moving riders off wheels and closing riders out who tried to take mine. Also helped that there were always riders willing to take up the pace if the pace lulled or someone attacked.
*3rd wheel in sprint
Three riders were 20m clear going into home straight and was in 5th wheel. Too far back but when I hit my mark (30 pedal revs from finish in 50X15 gear) had no gas.
*Warm down, warm clothes and hi carb drink
Rolled down for a lap, changed polyprop top, put on wind vest had a large bottle of Raro.
*Power data from race.
As above. Nothing startling. Raced at that level 2 weeks ago and had plenty in reserve. 2 weeks of colds and dental surgery later and not so flash.
*Use powermeter to determine hard sections of each lap
Was able to determine that home straight and back straight would be pretty easy. The hard part would be the middle section from the hairpin to the chicane. From this I knew where I could take it easy and where I needed to be right at the front.
*Get to know racing/riding styles of other riders
Hardly knew most of the riders so learnt a bit. A few riders who like to go hard, mostly people who have no clue, mostly people who sit in waiting for the sprint and a few Muppets who need a bit of schooling in bike handling.
*Determine 30 pedal revs from finish on Ruapuna
30 pedal revs is about the most you can sprint flat out so worked out this was the start of Pit Lane in a 50X15 gear. Saved my sprint till this point but nothing there.
Summary
People who reach their potential are those who have the best idea of what they want. Setting excellent goals for everything you do is a great way to achieve this! Set goals for what you want out of each training ride and each race and you give yourself a greater chance of attaining success!
Hamish
Training PBs vs Comp PBs
Just wanted to stress the difference between training Personal Bests and racing PBs.
The two can not be compared. When attempting a racing PB you will have gone through a full training cycle, be rested fully (if the taper has been well planned) and have the big race atmosphere to push you along. Trying to hit the same levels in training will lead to overtraining.
Charlie Walsh (former Aussie Track Coach) suggests doing all fitness tests that will be used to develop training guidelines (heart rate or power) be done without too much rest otherwise one will end up training too hard. I am finding this after starting training and my initial first test (rested for 5 years!!!) gave me very high training HR zones. After my 2nd test when training quite hard even though the power output at each level had increased my training HR zones were lower and I am finding that I if I try to hit those original zones I end up killing myself.
This differs from testing immediately after a goal event. You will be well rested and can test to see if any physiological improvements have taken place. You may see these from testing while training but the goal with in-training testing is to set correct training levels.
Same deal in the gym. A powerlifter who had done X amount in competition should not try to train based on that figure. They should work to what they lift during heavy training and try to build on that.
So when I say to try and hit new PBs in training I mean to hit new levels based on what you have done in training not what you have done in competition. This involves doing some type of training test at the start of each new programme and spending the subsequent sessions in the 4-6 week block trying to improve on that.
A roadie could do a TT for a certain course and try and beat that time. Depending on where you are in the season the goal could be: 100km ride in early season. 4km hill in hard endurance training and 1000m during the final weeks leading to goal event.
In the Gym a rider could do a max effort squat of 100kg and each week try and add 10kg to this.
On the track a pursuiter would do a 2-4km effort and try and improve that in each session by .25sec per lap. Closer to the event they would do half distance efforts and in the final 2 weeks 2-3 lap efforts.
A sprinter would do 500m, 200m, 100m and 50m efforts from standing, rolling and flying efforts and spend subsequent sessions working to lower those times (helpful to have electronic timing to do this or a good hand operating the stopwatch!)
Summary.
Base your training on tests done while training.
Basing your training on competition data will lead to overtraining.
Test yourself in training at the start of each new programme and spend the next 2-5 weeks trying to improve on those times, weight, ave speed or power output.
Hamish
The two can not be compared. When attempting a racing PB you will have gone through a full training cycle, be rested fully (if the taper has been well planned) and have the big race atmosphere to push you along. Trying to hit the same levels in training will lead to overtraining.
Charlie Walsh (former Aussie Track Coach) suggests doing all fitness tests that will be used to develop training guidelines (heart rate or power) be done without too much rest otherwise one will end up training too hard. I am finding this after starting training and my initial first test (rested for 5 years!!!) gave me very high training HR zones. After my 2nd test when training quite hard even though the power output at each level had increased my training HR zones were lower and I am finding that I if I try to hit those original zones I end up killing myself.
This differs from testing immediately after a goal event. You will be well rested and can test to see if any physiological improvements have taken place. You may see these from testing while training but the goal with in-training testing is to set correct training levels.
Same deal in the gym. A powerlifter who had done X amount in competition should not try to train based on that figure. They should work to what they lift during heavy training and try to build on that.
So when I say to try and hit new PBs in training I mean to hit new levels based on what you have done in training not what you have done in competition. This involves doing some type of training test at the start of each new programme and spending the subsequent sessions in the 4-6 week block trying to improve on that.
A roadie could do a TT for a certain course and try and beat that time. Depending on where you are in the season the goal could be: 100km ride in early season. 4km hill in hard endurance training and 1000m during the final weeks leading to goal event.
In the Gym a rider could do a max effort squat of 100kg and each week try and add 10kg to this.
On the track a pursuiter would do a 2-4km effort and try and improve that in each session by .25sec per lap. Closer to the event they would do half distance efforts and in the final 2 weeks 2-3 lap efforts.
A sprinter would do 500m, 200m, 100m and 50m efforts from standing, rolling and flying efforts and spend subsequent sessions working to lower those times (helpful to have electronic timing to do this or a good hand operating the stopwatch!)
Summary.
Base your training on tests done while training.
Basing your training on competition data will lead to overtraining.
Test yourself in training at the start of each new programme and spend the next 2-5 weeks trying to improve on those times, weight, ave speed or power output.
Hamish
Sprint Racing
*You can't sprint flat out for longer than 100-150m (about 30 pedal revolutions). Seen a few guys try and do the 400m charge on Denton Park and get mowed down easily.
*My tactic of choice on Denton Park is 3rd at the bell, 2nd at the 200m line and kick for the line midway through the banking between turn 3 and 4. Doesn't work everytime but will work most of the time.
*On a 250m track like Wanganui or Dunedin its 3rd at one a half laps to go, 2nd at the bell and kick down the back straight coming out of turn 2. You will note that most of the sprints at Athens went like this.
*Being forced to lead out isn't the end of your chances. Go 80% from the bell and down the back straight start to wind it up to 95% and jump as hard as possible or respond when others jump with around 100-150m to go. In a two up match sprint till you commit to the final sprint you can actually ride the 2nd rider up the track and block them in till you jump.
*For roadies use the track to practice road sprinting. On the road you can't sprint 100% for 400m so use the track to simulate the increase in tempo till you commit to your final kick as you would when road sprinting.
*Try and use the bankings to lap out. At turn 1 or 3 just roll straight up and when you spot the end wheel use the banking to roll down to the wheel. Easier than lapping on the straights.
*Never look around on the track. Riders always come off their racing line. Practice looking under your arms or even between your legs. Tip, if a rider is looking back jump them hard when they look forward.
*Ride a straight line in the sprint. Remember that if you are below the racing line other riders can not come underneath you nor can they ride below the red racing line coming past. If they do speak with the commissaire.
If committed to the sprint you must ride a straight line. I will be pretty hard on the commissaires this year. I saw an experienced rider come out of the red line in a sprint to block another experienced rider and the commissaires did nothing. A few years back two vets caused a rider of mine to crash and break a collarbone weeks out from Nationals!
*If you know you can't win the sprint then attack. Like any race, if the opposition is faster then try and get away. Good places to go is off the front if you spot a weaker rider on your wheel. When the rider if front laps up jump through hard.
You can attack down the straights when a weak rider is leading.
From time to time the whole group will roll up the track on the bankings, this is a great time to attack. This is a good tactic for points races where you sprint every lap (or 2nd or 5 laps). Don't commit for the sprint and when those who have sprinted ease up, make your move.
*Ride Devil take the Hindmost events from 2nd position. Each lap between turn 3 and 4 just roll up to the hip of the lead rider and you should be safe.
*This is a lot to try and take in. I suggest you copy this sheet and take it to track with you. For each race pick one suggestion and try and apply it. Try and come up with some ideas of your own as well. I will be at track on Wednesdays and after I finish work on Sundays. I will be talking you through the races you do. As always the goals you set for each race are your own!
Hamish
*My tactic of choice on Denton Park is 3rd at the bell, 2nd at the 200m line and kick for the line midway through the banking between turn 3 and 4. Doesn't work everytime but will work most of the time.
*On a 250m track like Wanganui or Dunedin its 3rd at one a half laps to go, 2nd at the bell and kick down the back straight coming out of turn 2. You will note that most of the sprints at Athens went like this.
*Being forced to lead out isn't the end of your chances. Go 80% from the bell and down the back straight start to wind it up to 95% and jump as hard as possible or respond when others jump with around 100-150m to go. In a two up match sprint till you commit to the final sprint you can actually ride the 2nd rider up the track and block them in till you jump.
*For roadies use the track to practice road sprinting. On the road you can't sprint 100% for 400m so use the track to simulate the increase in tempo till you commit to your final kick as you would when road sprinting.
*Try and use the bankings to lap out. At turn 1 or 3 just roll straight up and when you spot the end wheel use the banking to roll down to the wheel. Easier than lapping on the straights.
*Never look around on the track. Riders always come off their racing line. Practice looking under your arms or even between your legs. Tip, if a rider is looking back jump them hard when they look forward.
*Ride a straight line in the sprint. Remember that if you are below the racing line other riders can not come underneath you nor can they ride below the red racing line coming past. If they do speak with the commissaire.
If committed to the sprint you must ride a straight line. I will be pretty hard on the commissaires this year. I saw an experienced rider come out of the red line in a sprint to block another experienced rider and the commissaires did nothing. A few years back two vets caused a rider of mine to crash and break a collarbone weeks out from Nationals!
*If you know you can't win the sprint then attack. Like any race, if the opposition is faster then try and get away. Good places to go is off the front if you spot a weaker rider on your wheel. When the rider if front laps up jump through hard.
You can attack down the straights when a weak rider is leading.
From time to time the whole group will roll up the track on the bankings, this is a great time to attack. This is a good tactic for points races where you sprint every lap (or 2nd or 5 laps). Don't commit for the sprint and when those who have sprinted ease up, make your move.
*Ride Devil take the Hindmost events from 2nd position. Each lap between turn 3 and 4 just roll up to the hip of the lead rider and you should be safe.
*This is a lot to try and take in. I suggest you copy this sheet and take it to track with you. For each race pick one suggestion and try and apply it. Try and come up with some ideas of your own as well. I will be at track on Wednesdays and after I finish work on Sundays. I will be talking you through the races you do. As always the goals you set for each race are your own!
Hamish
Sprint Training
This was an outline for sprint training I wrote last year. In that time I have learned to appreciate that this programme would be overkill for most riders. It contains far too much anaerobic work to sustain all year round. I think a mix of strength and power and tempo aerobic rides are more optimal. The highly anaerobic efforts are added near the end to finish off the training.
I have also modified my thoughts on weight training using the gym to develop strength with 2-3 exercises done for maximal strength. The power work is done on the bike.
The programme is posted to hopefully generate some comment on what is widely considered a Dark Art in cycle coaching. HF.
Here is my outline of training for a sprinter. Feel free to pick it to pieces. The most important thing is not so much what training a rider does but what effect it has on them and how they communicate this to you. The best results I had with a sprinter was one that I personally trained in the gym and was on hand for most of her track work. A lot of speed work was done on a windtrainer at the gym. Much the same as the success I had with a road rider building towards the World Road Champs where I didn't observe much of his training but we was in contact up to three times a day leading up to his departure for Europe.
For sprinters I follow a multi-tier approach as opposed to the more periodised approach I use for endurance. Everything is trained year round and it is the amounts that vary depending on what phase one is in.
This means medium term aerobic, short term aerobic, anaerobic capacity, alactic capacity, power and strength (both ATP system) are all included in the programme.
Based on the goal event and the main requirements (sprint = anaerobic capacity) one looks at the levels 2 up and 2 below the main requirement and trains all 5.
For a sprinter...
+2: ATP Strength and Power
+1: Alactic Capacity
Main: Anaerobic Capacity
-1: Short Term Endurance (around maxV02)
-2: Medium Term Endurance (around anaerobic threshold)
For a roadie it would look like...
+2: Anaerobic Capacity
+1: Short Term Endurance
Main: Medium Term Endurance
+1: Long Term Endurance (around aerobic threshold)
+2: Very Long Term Endurance (below aerobic threshold)
Note I still get roadies to do very short sprints of 6-10sec or two lamp posts start in the saddle in medium gear (53X19-17) as a type of weights on wheels workout.
Training is then based on each requirement and the volumes at each level is varied depending on the priority. It generally goes from endurance through to strength and power for sprinters. The easiest way is to take the time till the goal event and divide by 5.
Note I do things differently for roadies who spend as much time as possible in the long term endurance phase before a block at MT Endurance, a block at ST endurance and a 2 week block of Anaerobic capacity before a 2 week taper to the goal event. This is because 75% of road racing is done within the aerobic and anaerobic threshold and the more power they can produce and sustain at this level the less time they spend in the energy sapping anaerobic levels. Sprinters however need to train fast all year long.
Instead of the usual 7 day microcycle I have gone for a 14 day period. All training sessions have goals of either time or max lift achieved. If you can't get close to a PB then pack up. Also you hit a PB then pack up, reward yourself for hitting new targets!
Example schedules based on a masters level rider with 20 years in the sport, a good understanding of weight training and racing at Denton Park, Christchurch, New Zealand's regular racing on a Wednesday and Sunday from late October to early March.
Medium term endurance phase...
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 3 X 5min @ anaerobic threshold
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Powercleans pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 12 X 15ses on 15sec off at maxV02
Sat: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie Deadlifts pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 3 X 5min @ anaerobic threshold
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 12 X 15sec on 15 sec off at max V02
Sat: 3 X 5 min @ anaerobic threshold
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
Short term endurance phase...
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at max V02
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Snatch pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 12 X 15ses on 15sec off at maxV02
Sat: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie Squats pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at max V02
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 3 X 5min @ anaerobic threshold
Sat: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at max V02
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
Anaerobic Capacity Phase
Mon: Rest Day Tues: 5X20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie High volume plyos pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 3 X 5min @ anaerobic threshold Sat: 8 X 6 sec at max speed Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie Leg press pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 5X20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 8 X 6sec at max speed
Sat: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at maxV02
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
Alactic Capacity Phase
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Low volume plyos pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 5X20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Sat: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie Split Squats pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 8 X 6sec at max speed
Sat: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at maxV02
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
Now is the time to use the bike to get you up to speed (ie 65-72kph) and then between turn 3 and 4 kick round the bike to the line. Can be done on windtrainer but on track is better to replicate the effort and handling required to kick off a wheel.
ATP Phase
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 4 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Low volume plyos with weights pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 2X20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Sat: 4 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie One leg leg press pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 4 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 4 X 6sec at max speed
Sat: 6 X 15sec on 15sec off at maxV02
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
This is the final lead up to goal event and is done once then in the final 14 days to the goal event changes to...
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 2 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Low volume plyos with weights pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Sat: 2 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie One leg leg press pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 2 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 2 X 6sec at max speed
Sat: Goal Event
Sun: Goal Event
Very little aerobic training in the last two phases but before all anaerobic and alactic workouts one should do this to warm up...
-5-15 min at aerobic threshold -
Stretching -1-5 min below aerobic threshold
-5 min at anaerobic threshold
-1-5 min below aerobic threshold -1 min at max aerobic pace
-2-10 min below aerobic threshold
-30 sec flat out
-ride at below aerobic threshold to start/training
This and a decent warm down negates the need for much aerobic training in the last two phases.
With the weight training the goal is to hit a new PB and then do some supplemental exercises. Select one main exercise hit the PB and then if lower body do some hamstring, glute, lower back and abs work. For upper body try and hit a PB for a Chest and Back exercise then do some supplemental work on the biceps, triceps, rear delts/rotator cuff abs and lower back. Power days are harder to judge as you use a load between 30-70% of max or body weight. If you don't have the snap in your efforts then pack up.
Most of this programme is based on my own understanding of cycling, physiology and sprinting. It includes elements from the new Aussie programme, a little of the old Gary West programme, some Charlie Francis from T&F sprinting, Louie Simmons conjugate method of training for Powerlifters (which draws on Russian physiologist and biomechanist Yuri Verkoshansky), Mel Siff (strength/speed training expert, sadly deceased) and Peter Coe's (father of Seb Coe) multi tier training philosophy. Not much of the old East German programme as a lot of it is 3rd-4th hand information, it's 20 years old anyway and they took ****-loads of drugs.
Hamish
I have also modified my thoughts on weight training using the gym to develop strength with 2-3 exercises done for maximal strength. The power work is done on the bike.
The programme is posted to hopefully generate some comment on what is widely considered a Dark Art in cycle coaching. HF.
Here is my outline of training for a sprinter. Feel free to pick it to pieces. The most important thing is not so much what training a rider does but what effect it has on them and how they communicate this to you. The best results I had with a sprinter was one that I personally trained in the gym and was on hand for most of her track work. A lot of speed work was done on a windtrainer at the gym. Much the same as the success I had with a road rider building towards the World Road Champs where I didn't observe much of his training but we was in contact up to three times a day leading up to his departure for Europe.
For sprinters I follow a multi-tier approach as opposed to the more periodised approach I use for endurance. Everything is trained year round and it is the amounts that vary depending on what phase one is in.
This means medium term aerobic, short term aerobic, anaerobic capacity, alactic capacity, power and strength (both ATP system) are all included in the programme.
Based on the goal event and the main requirements (sprint = anaerobic capacity) one looks at the levels 2 up and 2 below the main requirement and trains all 5.
For a sprinter...
+2: ATP Strength and Power
+1: Alactic Capacity
Main: Anaerobic Capacity
-1: Short Term Endurance (around maxV02)
-2: Medium Term Endurance (around anaerobic threshold)
For a roadie it would look like...
+2: Anaerobic Capacity
+1: Short Term Endurance
Main: Medium Term Endurance
+1: Long Term Endurance (around aerobic threshold)
+2: Very Long Term Endurance (below aerobic threshold)
Note I still get roadies to do very short sprints of 6-10sec or two lamp posts start in the saddle in medium gear (53X19-17) as a type of weights on wheels workout.
Training is then based on each requirement and the volumes at each level is varied depending on the priority. It generally goes from endurance through to strength and power for sprinters. The easiest way is to take the time till the goal event and divide by 5.
Note I do things differently for roadies who spend as much time as possible in the long term endurance phase before a block at MT Endurance, a block at ST endurance and a 2 week block of Anaerobic capacity before a 2 week taper to the goal event. This is because 75% of road racing is done within the aerobic and anaerobic threshold and the more power they can produce and sustain at this level the less time they spend in the energy sapping anaerobic levels. Sprinters however need to train fast all year long.
Instead of the usual 7 day microcycle I have gone for a 14 day period. All training sessions have goals of either time or max lift achieved. If you can't get close to a PB then pack up. Also you hit a PB then pack up, reward yourself for hitting new targets!
Example schedules based on a masters level rider with 20 years in the sport, a good understanding of weight training and racing at Denton Park, Christchurch, New Zealand's regular racing on a Wednesday and Sunday from late October to early March.
Medium term endurance phase...
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 3 X 5min @ anaerobic threshold
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Powercleans pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 12 X 15ses on 15sec off at maxV02
Sat: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie Deadlifts pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 3 X 5min @ anaerobic threshold
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 12 X 15sec on 15 sec off at max V02
Sat: 3 X 5 min @ anaerobic threshold
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
Short term endurance phase...
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at max V02
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Snatch pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 12 X 15ses on 15sec off at maxV02
Sat: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie Squats pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at max V02
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 3 X 5min @ anaerobic threshold
Sat: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at max V02
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
Anaerobic Capacity Phase
Mon: Rest Day Tues: 5X20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie High volume plyos pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 3 X 5min @ anaerobic threshold Sat: 8 X 6 sec at max speed Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie Leg press pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 5X20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 8 X 6sec at max speed
Sat: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at maxV02
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
Alactic Capacity Phase
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Low volume plyos pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 5X20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Sat: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie Split Squats pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 8 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 8 X 6sec at max speed
Sat: 12 X 15sec on 15sec off at maxV02
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
Now is the time to use the bike to get you up to speed (ie 65-72kph) and then between turn 3 and 4 kick round the bike to the line. Can be done on windtrainer but on track is better to replicate the effort and handling required to kick off a wheel.
ATP Phase
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 4 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Low volume plyos with weights pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 2X20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Sat: 4 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie One leg leg press pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 4 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 4 X 6sec at max speed
Sat: 6 X 15sec on 15sec off at maxV02
Sun: am Lower body Strength pm Track Racing
This is the final lead up to goal event and is done once then in the final 14 days to the goal event changes to...
Mon: Rest Day
Tues: 2 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am. Lower Body Power ie Low volume plyos with weights pm Track Racing
Thur: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 20sec (or 250m) at high speed
Sat: 2 X 6 sec at max speed
Sun: am Lower Body Strength ie One leg leg press pm Track Racing
Mon: Rest Day
Tue: 2 X 6 sec at max speed
Wed: am Lower Body Power pm Track Racing
Thu: Rest Day
Fri: am. Upper body weights pm. 2 X 6sec at max speed
Sat: Goal Event
Sun: Goal Event
Very little aerobic training in the last two phases but before all anaerobic and alactic workouts one should do this to warm up...
-5-15 min at aerobic threshold -
Stretching -1-5 min below aerobic threshold
-5 min at anaerobic threshold
-1-5 min below aerobic threshold -1 min at max aerobic pace
-2-10 min below aerobic threshold
-30 sec flat out
-ride at below aerobic threshold to start/training
This and a decent warm down negates the need for much aerobic training in the last two phases.
With the weight training the goal is to hit a new PB and then do some supplemental exercises. Select one main exercise hit the PB and then if lower body do some hamstring, glute, lower back and abs work. For upper body try and hit a PB for a Chest and Back exercise then do some supplemental work on the biceps, triceps, rear delts/rotator cuff abs and lower back. Power days are harder to judge as you use a load between 30-70% of max or body weight. If you don't have the snap in your efforts then pack up.
Most of this programme is based on my own understanding of cycling, physiology and sprinting. It includes elements from the new Aussie programme, a little of the old Gary West programme, some Charlie Francis from T&F sprinting, Louie Simmons conjugate method of training for Powerlifters (which draws on Russian physiologist and biomechanist Yuri Verkoshansky), Mel Siff (strength/speed training expert, sadly deceased) and Peter Coe's (father of Seb Coe) multi tier training philosophy. Not much of the old East German programme as a lot of it is 3rd-4th hand information, it's 20 years old anyway and they took ****-loads of drugs.
Hamish
Training Balance
A rider was concerned that they were doing a lot of training and didn't feel that they were improving. A good concern and gives me the chance to jot down some information on why we train, why we need to rest and why we do certain types of training at different times through the year.
Consequences of hard training
-Depletion of energy stores in the muscle
-Depletion of energy stores in the liver
-No carbohydrates left in the system to efficiently burn fat
-Weakened immune system
-Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
-Elevated blood lactate levels
-Body can not build muscle
-When fatigued body will use muscle as a fuel
-Message's from the brain to the muscle and from the muscle to the brain are impaired
-Dehydration
-Muscle is broken down
-Damage to components of muscle cells
As you can see hard training breaks the body down. It is important that we do train otherwise we will not test ourselves in training before our target events. However it is not the training that will improve our fitness for racing. It is the recovery.
Benefits of recovery after Hard Training
Consequences of hard training
-Depletion of energy stores in the muscle
-Depletion of energy stores in the liver
-No carbohydrates left in the system to efficiently burn fat
-Weakened immune system
-Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
-Elevated blood lactate levels
-Body can not build muscle
-When fatigued body will use muscle as a fuel
-Message's from the brain to the muscle and from the muscle to the brain are impaired
-Dehydration
-Muscle is broken down
-Damage to components of muscle cells
As you can see hard training breaks the body down. It is important that we do train otherwise we will not test ourselves in training before our target events. However it is not the training that will improve our fitness for racing. It is the recovery.
Benefits of recovery after Hard Training
As figure 18.1 (Ackland 1998) shows at the end of a training session an athletes performance ability is reduced. With recovery the performance ability is restored and if adequate recovery is allowed the body will over-compensate leading to an increases ability to perform.
The physical benefits of recovery after hard training are...
-Increased stores of energy in the muscle and liver
-Normal or lowered resting HR and blood pressure
-Lower lactate levels and increased ability to use lactate as fuel
-Muscle growth
-Improved Central Nervous System (Brain) ability
-Increased power output at a set intensity
-Increase in duration one can ride at a set power output
So you can see that the benefits of hard training are only realised after adequate recovery.
Why do we do so many efforts slower than race pace?
We all have a capacity for speed and endurance. The picture above shows the roadie has a large endurance capacity (big tank) and limited speed capacity (small tap). They can't go very fast but they can maintain their speed for long durations. The sprinter may be able to hit very high speeds (large tap) but will run out of steam very fast (small tank).
It takes longer and is harder to increase our endurance ability. The body can only handle a limited amount of highly anaerobic training and it is the fastest way to burn out.
Why not do anaerobic intervals all year round?
Intervals can be used to increase both endurance and speed. Only problem is most people either go too hard or too easy.
Riders doing endurance threshold intervals normally go out too fast in the first few repetitions and find they can not reach target heart rate or power in the final reps. It also means the rider does not train anywhere near as long as they plan to race.
When doing speed work most people do not go hard enough. Weight Training is a form of interval training. When I did weights with an 18 year old female she would squat 100kg. By herself she would only do 40kg. Same on the bike. With me supervising her doing intervals on the windtrainer she would belt out some high power outputs. By herself she could not achieve the same results.
Anaerobic Intervals have been the death of track and field athletes around the world. The US and European athletes used to dominate middle and long distance running till they adopted regular interval training. Now they run a poor second to athletes from Africa who show no physical advantage just the benefits of very long endurance runs and some speed work leading up to target events.
The German team in 2000 training for the Teams Pursuit spent all but three weeks out of 48 doing long steady distance training in preparation for the Olympic Games. 15 days out from the start of Competition at the Sydney Olympics the finished a stage race in Germany. This is the training they followed from then...
14. Rest day
13. 115km training below aerobic threshold
12. 120km training below aerobic threshold
11. 115km training below aerobic threshold
10. 120km training below aerobic threshold
09. Rest day
08. Track training 3 X 5000m at 80% on low gears
07. Morning 3 X 5000m at 80% on low gears
Afternoon 4 X 5000m at 80% on low gears
06. 2 X 5000m at 80% on low gears and 1 X 2000m at World Record Pace
05. 75km below aerobic threshold
04. 2 X 5000m at 80% on low gears then 1hr below aerobic threshold
03. 3 X 5000m at 80% on low gears and 2 X 2000m at World Record Pace
02. 75min below aerobic threshold
01. 2 X 5000m at 80% on low gears.
The result was Gold and the first team to break 4min for 4000m setting a new World Record. Total training time at Goal Pace 6000m! Peter Snell did even less speed work to win double Gold in Athletics at the 1960 Olympic Games.
Below is a chart (Neumann/Pfutzner & Berbalk, 2000) showing the lack of progress of a Professional cyclist who showed promise as an amateur but on turning Pro was made to do too many road races, lost his endurance capacity, stopped performing and retired from the sport early.
Why are riders I have beaten doing better than me now?
May be many reasons. They may be doing speed work now. Will they be able to hold that speed for another two months till Nationals. Evidence shows us not likely. You are training hard (I hope) and therefore are not able to display your best form. In the final 4 weeks leading up to Nationals we will include some top end speed work. In the two weeks leading up to Nationals we will cut the training right back to allow for full over-compensation and the best form possible!
The important thing is that there is a plan to bring you into your best racing form at the National Road Champs. I hope this explains the process we are following to achieve this.
Hamish
Interval Training
Special note on Interval Training. I have the most evil interval programmes on offer. I can target any ability and sharpen it up within weeks.
The cost of intervals is that they are the fastest way to overtrain (had a cold or flu recently?). Aerobic Capacity training is the real key to success in endurance sport. Not Long Slow Distance but the ability to ride at your maximum aerobic pace for race distance (as U17 50-70km).
In 2000 the German Teams Pursuit squad did 3 weeks of track training (intervals). All the rest was long fast aerobic rides and very hard hilly stage races. 14 days out from Sydney they finished a 7 day road tour in Germany and headed to Sydney. Their track training was 8 sessions. 3 of these were technique, the other four were a mix of technique 4X5km at 80% of max pace and 2 X 2km at WR pace. That's all the speed work they did.
At Sydney they became the first team to break 4 min for 4000m and Bartko won the Individual Pursuit.French did the same in 1996 where 2 of the winning Teams Pursuit were two weeks out of the Tour de France and the other two came from hard French Road Racing.
Food for thought.
Hamish
The cost of intervals is that they are the fastest way to overtrain (had a cold or flu recently?). Aerobic Capacity training is the real key to success in endurance sport. Not Long Slow Distance but the ability to ride at your maximum aerobic pace for race distance (as U17 50-70km).
In 2000 the German Teams Pursuit squad did 3 weeks of track training (intervals). All the rest was long fast aerobic rides and very hard hilly stage races. 14 days out from Sydney they finished a 7 day road tour in Germany and headed to Sydney. Their track training was 8 sessions. 3 of these were technique, the other four were a mix of technique 4X5km at 80% of max pace and 2 X 2km at WR pace. That's all the speed work they did.
At Sydney they became the first team to break 4 min for 4000m and Bartko won the Individual Pursuit.French did the same in 1996 where 2 of the winning Teams Pursuit were two weeks out of the Tour de France and the other two came from hard French Road Racing.
Food for thought.
Hamish
Saturday, 16 December 2006
Racing Power Profile
Gidday everyone
Did my first road race in seven years in January. Interesting power profile showing that I went harder on my training rides on Tuesday and Thursday. Shows despite my attacking I could have given more as my 1 hour power is around 220 watts and my average from the race was 200. This means I could have ridden the 40km distance over three mins faster. Also means I should have started making the race hard from the start but was under team orders to do nothing till the turn. Pity each time I attacked no one came with me.
Hamish
Did my first road race in seven years in January. Interesting power profile showing that I went harder on my training rides on Tuesday and Thursday. Shows despite my attacking I could have given more as my 1 hour power is around 220 watts and my average from the race was 200. This means I could have ridden the 40km distance over three mins faster. Also means I should have started making the race hard from the start but was under team orders to do nothing till the turn. Pity each time I attacked no one came with me.
Hamish
Welcome
Hello everyone
Welcome to my blog. It will be a collection of ramblings about my passion in life: cycling. I can't get enough of the sport. I coach some very talented riders, repair and assemble bikes and when I have the odd chance actually ride one myself.
At present I am sick and am carrying a knee injury so my focus shifts fully to the riders I coach. I won't mention them here by name as their success is a result of their effort and they can make their own blogs if they want to brag.
I will discuss some of my own training concepts in the hope that others will comment and share. I experiment frequently with my own training. I am fortunate to train with a power meter so I know exactly what I am doing each session and using CyclingPeaks software am able to predict what effect the training will have on my future performances. All very high tech but it is the best way to ensure that time is spent wisely in the pursuit of excellence.
I have a degree in Psychology so also look to seek whatever mental strategies one can use to understand their motivation, set better goals, take control of their performance, deal with competitive stress and balance sport with other aspects of ones life.
Quite a few of my early blogs here will be some of the things I have posted to other sites. I have included my favourite sites in the links section.
Thanks for reading, please make comments if you have time.
Hamish
Welcome to my blog. It will be a collection of ramblings about my passion in life: cycling. I can't get enough of the sport. I coach some very talented riders, repair and assemble bikes and when I have the odd chance actually ride one myself.
At present I am sick and am carrying a knee injury so my focus shifts fully to the riders I coach. I won't mention them here by name as their success is a result of their effort and they can make their own blogs if they want to brag.
I will discuss some of my own training concepts in the hope that others will comment and share. I experiment frequently with my own training. I am fortunate to train with a power meter so I know exactly what I am doing each session and using CyclingPeaks software am able to predict what effect the training will have on my future performances. All very high tech but it is the best way to ensure that time is spent wisely in the pursuit of excellence.
I have a degree in Psychology so also look to seek whatever mental strategies one can use to understand their motivation, set better goals, take control of their performance, deal with competitive stress and balance sport with other aspects of ones life.
Quite a few of my early blogs here will be some of the things I have posted to other sites. I have included my favourite sites in the links section.
Thanks for reading, please make comments if you have time.
Hamish
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