Larry from Illinois asks:I was wondering why the straight back when doing sit-ups.
The Coach responds:b/c then it is your stomach that is doing the work and not the back. that is also why you only should go to about 45 degrees b/c after that the back actually does the work.
Larry from Illinois asks:Where I live,East Central Illinois U.S., there are no long hills,especially steep hill more than 400m long.
The Coach responds:is it windy? i lived for a time in the poldor of the netherlands. dead flat land reclamation on the north sea but very windy. riding into a strong wind is the same as riding up a long hill.but there is no escaping the need to have a long hill. i guess you have to do what you can with what you have got. i cannot help you overcome your geography. the principle is set though. you need resistance and it needs to be big resistance. riding in big gears is not the same thing and will damage your knees probably. ride as many hills as you can when the phase is right to do that. if you haven't any, well, gosh, you will miss out on this part of the programme's conditioning.
Larry from Illinois asks:We also suffer from a highly unpredictable winter,but it is usually to cold,and snowy,to ride outside everyday. How do you feel about indoor interval work.
The Coach responds:i do a lot of it myself on a computrainer. if you can regulate it and have the right motivation, indoor work is actually the best for control purposes. you and your HR monitor will tell the story every time. the only problem is with road skills and they can be obtained when the weather is better.
Larry from Illinois asks:what kind of program do you follow during the height of race season.
The Coach responds:the macros i have on the net are not my own- i follow a harder schedule than that. the programmes on the Web are for graded veterans rather than vets who can still ride open.so the principle is the same i think. it all depends. i go to europe each year and i have ever since i was a junior. there the racing is everyday if you wanted it. so during the height of the season building up to championships, i race and in between i ride at 75 per cent HR steady. hardly anything other than race flat out, and steady days in btw. i usually race 3 days a week (>130 kms each and hard - i race open still), then 3 days steady (really just mucking around) around 3 hours (110 kms), and mondays are alway no riding at all. so i usually end up with around 700 kms during the peak although this can easily drop to 600 kms depending on the race lengths and how i recover. in OZ, where the racing is really only at weekends (in the winter road season - in summer when we race shorter races and crits (the off season) you can race each night in the major cities. clubs put on lots of after work crits - i usually only race on sunday mornings though), you have to keep a better pattern of "peak" training. some of the days i would race in europe have to be structured interval session of the type (intensity not distance) that are in my third macro.
Larry from Illinois asks:How do you peak for the important races,do you peak more than once.
The Coach responds:i always peak twice - april-may for the early tours in OZ, then the early classics, build again in may-jun with a two macro phase, then start getting really serious again for aug (europe classics and championships) and sept (back home for the classics and late tours). then rest nov-early december (active doing about 450 kms at whatever speed i like - usually 75 per cent HR around 33 average kms per hour over say 2-3 hours, 6 days a week, with a 60-80 km race on sundays flat out).
Larry from Illinois asks:What sort of diet do you encourage,do you take any vitamin supplements.
The Coach responds:i have a very rigid diet and always have had.
total vegetarian - but dairy products. i use maxim as my only race food - liquid. i tried power bars but they are not worth the cash and don't work. i use maxim exclusively and it really works.
Larry from Illinois asks:I'm 45 yrs. old, a Cat II, I usually race the 40+ category. Last season was my best,so far. I've been racing for only 5yrs. before that I did some weightlifting, non-competitive. I really enjoy cycling and love racing, but am still experimenting with different routines,and trying different things. I'm getting closer to understanding my body and what seems to work for me,but I think I can still improve.My strengths are my sprint,and short bursts of speed,however I am lacking when it comes to the high speed paceline,and breakaway stamina. After our state Cyclocross Championships,in December, I hope to put together a solid winter program,Hopefully I can incorporate a major portion of your routine into it. If you would kindly respond to my questions I would be gratefull.
The Coach responds:well the early strength-endurance parts of my programmes definitely work. they are critical as a basis for your later speed work. if you haven't got the SE then all the pace in the world will come to nothing when there are any demands placed on you at all in the race by way of course terrain. more races are won on hills than in final sprints (en masse). i wish i had have been able to sprint that is for sure, but i got many top 10 finishes in major amateur classics etc b/c i went up hills fast. i just failed to finish.so the buildup in macro 1 and 2 are very important and where i think most people don't spend enough time and care. it is grinding sort of stuff, but i actually like it the most. i used to say, that at least one of my immediate competitors was always going to be out there on any day (rain, hail or shine) so i had better get out there and grind too. |