Training for mediocrity

Before you take offense, please read a bit further.

If you ride for enjoyment or other social aspects of cycling, this entry doesn't apply to you. However, if you have a desire to ride faster than you have in the past, this is for you.

Have you taken the time to examine how you ride and train? If you train the way you always have, essentially, you get dropped by the same people every year. If you expect a different outcome, you have to do something different with your training.

That said, let's look at a couple training concepts:
1) LSD training. (Long slow distance) : Contrary to popular opinion, riding slow and long does not make you fast. It does make you aerobically fit!. But it doesn't make you fast.
2) Hammer all the time training: While you will probably ride faster than the LSD guy, you will not achieve your maximum potential because you can only stress your system to a certain degree. Ultimately, you will only achieve high medium potential. Will you drop people? Yes. Will you win some races? Yes. Will you be the best you can be? No.

Training is about stress. If your training doesn't cause stress, your body will not accommodate. A good training program is about stressing the right systems. There are specific metabolic energy systems that react when load is placed on them. Just like weight training, if you challenge the muscles with a heavier load, you will get stronger. Also, there are technique stresses such as hill climbs, bridging efforts, break away efforts. These technical activities rely on energy systems but they also have certain physical and mental skills associated with them.

I continue to be pumped about working with clients. The information that I gathered this weekend at the USA Cycling Coaching program filled in the gaps for me. Having the physiologic background for performance enhancement is key. Now, I plan to integrate these programs for each client so that they get the benefit of profitable training.