Cycling-Related Strength & Conditioning

Jayloo is so suffering from accumalated fatigue. I doubt a banana while riding is going to do all that much.

Making the most of the glycogen window is a start. And a good one. You'd be surprised how many riders get off their bikes and don't eat anything for ages afterwards.

If you want to do a ramp test (king's cycle test, wingate, blah), you might be able to exploit some university research. The last time I did that kind of testing was as part of a hypoxia (altitude/oxygen deprivation) study at UCL.

Good tip.
I will see what I can find,

@ DFP - Thanks for the offer, but I'm all set for the winter of iron-chucking. Got a few imbalances to sort out first - so my "quality" will greatly improve thereafter.
I'm between the Uni gym and the new 24hr gym in the city centre. Good for a few 5am starts.
@Jayloo - do a food diary for a week? Record foods and liquids - and how you feel after certain foods. On the days where you feel strong - make a note of what you consumed.
This glycogen window as BMMF mentioned (and i'm sure you aware of) is sooo important to recovery. I can't stomach much food after training, commuting etc, but i force myself to, and believe me, it does wonders for replenishment - but also for curbing that "i'm gonna eat everything" rage i get later on.....

@ DFP - Thanks for the offer, but I'm all set for the winter of iron-chucking. Got a few imbalances to sort out first - so my "quality" will greatly improve thereafter.

The lifts man, the "LIIIFFFTSS" !

Will not require prior correction of imbalances. They will in themselves correct imbalances.

If your at the uni gym, then Big dave is there for advice.

I'm not sure you are fully tuned in to my wavelength DFP.
Thanks all the same.

Everything said, "half tank", "accumulated fatigue", "eat when you get off the bike" and "food diary" are making a lot of sense to me. I have no idea what my output and input are. I have no idea how fast I go, but I generally do my commute in approximately 35 minutes. I try to slow down but it's impossible.

I had been eating fruit, plain yogurt and honey within a half hour of arriving at work, and when I did that and was consistent with water, I felt a lot better. I've got back into it but haven't been using honey, have been substituting a Go Ahead "oatie bar" b/c I keep forgetting to buy honey.

I've also been drinking too much coffee; I strongly suspect it is linked to all this, b/c I didn't drink that much three months ago. I'll have one cup before heading out, then at least two during the day, sometimes three or four. I'm adding two scoops of a chai drink mix b/c it tastes lovely, some milk, but no extra sugar. If I have tea, it's milk no sugar. Need to get that food diary thing back onto my phone.

My sleep has always been fractured, I fall asleep quickly but wake up frequently, and is more so now because twice a week my husband has to get up at 5:30 in the morning, when I get up at 6:40. I've mostly cut out alcohol, allowing myself one drink per week until the end of October, but I may drink a few more on Halloween. I think I'm going to continue this except allowing one drink per outing during the week, up to three pints/glasses of wine per week. More allowed at weekends.

Three pints of wine per week sounds good. Count me in :p

Nice work Jayloo. Sounds like you are adding/removing things sensibly. Keep tabs on how you feel after certain things, so that you recognise those foods that refuel you well, and others that make you feel lethargic.

A lot of people totally overhaul their diet, and never functionally understand what their trigger foods are or were. Sounds like you are figuring all that out.
(As for coffee, thats my greatest vice. I may as well just set myself up with an I.V. drip.......)

take a look at this article. very interesting, where it says that off the bike weight training on the legs can actually worsen your on bike performance with the exception of the upper body where strength and conditioning can help with back pain and climbing.

In other words it says that HIT and explosive training is more beneficial to cycling specific strength than off the bike weight training would achieve.

Learned a lot from that article.

Three pints of wine per week sounds good. Count me in :p

one and a half bottles?

is that all?

I had been eating fruit, plain yogurt and honey within a half hour of arriving at work, and when I did that and was consistent with water, I felt a lot better. I've got back into it but haven't been using honey, have been substituting a Go Ahead "oatie bar" b/c I keep forgetting to buy honey.

That's not very much protein considering you've been fasting all thru the night and don't eat until after you've arrived at work, or do you have something before you leave the house? Consider adding some nuts/sunflower/pumpkin seeds to your post commute snack or have something before you set off - a smoothie or bowl of cereal? A tbls of peanut butter, half pint of milk, banana and a bit of honey blended up makes an easily digestible, macro-nutrient rich start.

one and a half bottles?

is that all?

Sounds about right. Half a bottle three times a week - decent amount of antioxidants. Beer and spirits on the non-wine days.

I'm very moderate these days. One has to be, as a keeper of the issue desk.

take a look at this article. very interesting, where it says that off the bike weight training on the legs can actually worsen your on bike performance with the exception of the upper body where strength and conditioning can help with back pain and climbing.

In other words it says that HIT and explosive training is more beneficial to cycling specific strength than off the bike weight training would achieve.

Learned a lot from that article.

Huh, how about that then. Apologies to babydino and bigtwin for falling into the usual "common sense would suggest ..." trap

take a look at this article. very interesting, where it says that off the bike weight training on the legs can actually worsen your on bike performance with the exception of the upper body where strength and conditioning can help with back pain and climbing.

In other words it says that HIT and explosive training is more beneficial to cycling specific strength than off the bike weight training would achieve.

Learned a lot from that article.

"For elite level cyclists, introducing explosive strength and body weight exercises is likely to improve sprint and short hill climbing performance."

I have read a few articles like this, and certainly met with clients who also have read this kind of information, and you'd be surprised at how many of them believe themselves to be elite.....
"I want to introduce explosive strength and body weight exercises to improve my sprint and climbing performance please"
"O.K., can i just ask how many miles you would normally cover each week on the bike?"
"About 40 - 50 miles. Enough to keep the engine running, you know. I just want to have the edge over the other cyclists"

Of course you do...... Let me just take you into the weights room and see how quickly i can pop your kneecaps.

Following this with interest - a lot of this stuff is ringing major bells with me. Normally I ride everywhere giving it 100%, don't let anyone overtake me on my commute, find it very hard to ride slower etc. etc.

But I did 95 miles on the day of the ride to Clacton (furthest I've gone in a day fixed) then got a nasty bug and I've not been right since - just felt really tired and like I've got no energy in my legs. Obviously some of this is due to the effects of quite a nasty virus on my body, but I know I don't help my recovery by eating crap, drinking too much alcohol and not enough water and not sleeping enough. And forcing myself to go out on training rides when I really shouldn't have done (last weekend being a classic case in point).

I've tried to be good this week, eating better, sleeping more and drinking lots of water. It seems to have helped and I feel like the lurgy/man flu is finally going. I'm meant to be doing the joy of Essex ride tomorrow and just don't know if I should or not. It will be quite a relaxed ride, not too far with rest stops and food built in, but not sure if I'd just be better resting completely?

Everything said, "half tank", "accumulated fatigue", "eat when you get off the bike" and "food diary" are making a lot of sense to me. I have no idea what my output and input are. I have no idea how fast I go, but I generally do my commute in approximately 35 minutes. I try to slow down but it's impossible.

Sounds like your immune system took a battering whilst rolling 95 miles fixed my friend, and the poor recovery programme has kept you "in the red".
I'm not sure (personally) what to suggest about tomorrow, because i know only too well how the concept of a good ride will 'override' intelligent thinking.
However, try this. Its often a good way to test the waters....
Head out for a slow ride this evening for about 20mins? Get a hill involved, and throughout, make note of how your body responds.
If your heart rate raises rapidly, early on, and your legs feel like they are flooded with lactate - I would say that you need to spend a day in bed with some anti oxidants. These are just two little indicators that your body is struggling to maintain your activity requirements, whilst fighting off a possible viral illness (in very, very basic terms).
I really hope that makes sense?

Yeah I think so, I think you've hit the nail on the head with the immune system thing, I reckon I must have picked it up before Clacton or just after. I didn't help myself by getting back on the bike first thing the next morning either, with hindsight that was dumb - it was to do something I'd been waiting five years to do, but should've just got a bus!

So will head home via Highgate and see how I feel, but I suspect the answer will be shit and I should listen to my intelligent thinking, not my craving to get out and do some miles in the Essex lanes =(

Good luck mate. I grew up in the Highgate area so i know that there's a route home there that should test your legs!
Flood your system with natural foods my friend - and ones that aren't too taking to digest too. Makes things as easy as you can for your system - and catch up on some sleep? All the best.

If you intend on getting quality miles/training done on rides other than your commute, it's mental to go 100% on your commute and 'win' all the time.

Great way to burn out, or hit a plateau that you'll never get past.

Sorry to be blunt, but it's stupid stupid stupid. I've said it before on here, and I've been a twat and done it myself.

Since slowing down and just rolling along in commuter mode, even allowing - shock horror - hi-viz nodders to 'beat' me, I've arrived at work more composed and less sweaty, taking an insignificantly longer amount of time to get there, and been able to work harder when it counts. Net result: faster, stronger, recover better, less stressed on the way to/from work.

And how happy are we, as cyclists/pedestrians, when we have to deal with people racing to/from work using other forms of transport. Not very. It creates unnecessary risks for all involved.

Sorry to rant (except I'm not).

Nah, it's not a rant and I know you're completely right. Before I got all sick and slow I'd got into a pattern of doing 60-75 mile rides every weekend, and maybe some laps of Regent's Park mid-week, which I'd then be tired after so I'd let myself go slow the rest of the week and let nodders overtake me thinking 'well you've not done 75 miles yesterday or been racing the roadies in RP have you!'. I just didn't manage it for very long. I need to get back into this mindset - reign in the stupid pointless competitiveness and go for quality over quantity.

Pistaboy I think on reflection if I tackle any hills tonight I will roll over and die. So I think I've answered that question already. But will definitely follow the rest of your advice, ta.

Nah, it's not a rant and I know you're completely right. Before I got all sick and slow I'd got into a pattern of doing 60-75 mile rides every weekend, and maybe some laps of Regent's Park mid-week, which I'd then be tired after so I'd let myself go slow the rest of the week and let nodders overtake me thinking 'well you've not done 75 miles yesterday or been racing the roadies in RP have you!'. I just didn't manage it for very long. I need to get back into this mindset - reign in the stupid pointless competitiveness and go for quality over quantity.

Pistaboy I think on reflection if I tackle any hills tonight I will roll over and die. So I think I've answered that question already. But will definitely follow the rest of your advice, ta.

I totally understand how you feel Fox, and yes, that's a clear indication of needing an easy few days - and to be fair to yourself - you probably deserve it. Keep telling yourself that too. Enjoy.

If you intend on getting quality miles/training done on rides other than your commute, it's mental to go 100% on your commute and 'win' all the time.

Great way to burn out, or hit a plateau that you'll never get past.

Sorry to be blunt, but it's stupid stupid stupid. I've said it before on here, and I've been a twat and done it myself.

Since slowing down and just rolling along in commuter mode, even allowing - shock horror - hi-viz nodders to 'beat' me, I've arrived at work more composed and less sweaty, taking an insignificantly longer amount of time to get there, and been able to work harder when it counts. Net result: faster, stronger, recover better, less stressed on the way to/from work.

And how happy are we, as cyclists/pedestrians, when we have to deal with people racing to/from work using other forms of transport. Not very. It creates unnecessary risks for all involved.

Sorry to rant (except I'm not).

^ I'm just getting this carved into a stone which shall be set at the top of the forum for all to prostrate themselves to.

I forgot to mention that you don't have enough control over variables, and that you're gasping in some of the worst quality air available all week too.

Sorry if the stonemason's already on their way home.

take a look at this article. very interesting, where it says that off the bike weight training on the legs can actually worsen your on bike performance with the exception of the upper body where strength and conditioning can help with back pain and climbing.

In other words it says that HIT and explosive training is more beneficial to cycling specific strength than off the bike weight training would achieve.

Learned a lot from that article.

Been saying this for a while now....

If you intend on getting quality miles/training done on rides other than your commute, it's mental to go 100% on your commute and 'win' all the time.

Great way to burn out, or hit a plateau that you'll never get past.

Sorry to be blunt, but it's stupid stupid stupid. I've said it before on here, and I've been a twat and done it myself.

Since slowing down and just rolling along in commuter mode, even allowing - shock horror - hi-viz nodders to 'beat' me, I've arrived at work more composed and less sweaty, taking an insignificantly longer amount of time to get there, and been able to work harder when it counts. Net result: faster, stronger, recover better, less stressed on the way to/from work.

And how happy are we, as cyclists/pedestrians, when we have to deal with people racing to/from work using other forms of transport. Not very. It creates unnecessary risks for all involved.

Sorry to rant (except I'm not).

this is one of the hardest things for most people to get, MOST/ALL of your commuting especially on the way in should be at recovery ride pace. end of