Archive for September, 2010

Torque it up

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

How much weight do you need to be lifting?  Try checking the torque.

This is the time of the year when most riders are (or should be) gradually transitioning into some off the bike training, and although there still some (well, more than some) debate about it, one of the cross-training classics is weight lifting.  But how much weight should one lift?  Some argue that high weight/low reps is the way to go; others that low weight/high reps better mimics the demands of cycling.  Most coaches, however, recommend a progressive combination of these approaches (for example, the plans laid out in Joel Friel’s Training Bible books).

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Late Season Races: Riding the CTL Wave

Friday, September 17th, 2010

How well you do in late-season races depends on how well you ride the CTL wave.

This past weekend I ended my road season and that got me to thinking about how riders deal with those late season races.  Generally, the riders I coach as well as myself as a rider peak in early July for the Superweek races in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.  This means that they should hit peak Chronic Training Load (CTL) sometime in mid-June and begin tapering down and sharpening for a few weeks.  It also means that there really isn’t enough time to rebuild and peak again for early September races.  So what are riders to do?  Well, as with so much in cycling, a lot depends on the rider’s individual situation and season goals.  Usually these fall into two or three broad categories: riders who need a substantial break, riders who need intensity to keep sharp, and riders who are focusing on cross.

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Smartphones and Sports Psychology

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

Can a smartphone actually help you disconnect from the world?

A few weeks ago I joined the 21st century (I’ve never been an early technology adopter when it comes to non-cycling tech) and got a smartphone  (HTC Incredible/ Android).  Of course, the first thing I did was to see in which ways it could help me with my cycling.   There are the usual range of apps — GPS run and ride trackers, workout journals, and calorie counters for example – aimed at the athletic user, but here I want to mention one family of apps that don’t readily spring to mind when thinking about smartphones: meditation aids.

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