Overtraining

From Bill of Potomoc, USA:

The past 3 years have been frustrating because of the training programs I've used which require far more time than I have to spend on training (15+ hrs. per week average) and I seem to fall into a period of overtraining 2/3 times a year which requires time off and starting to build again.

The Coach responds:

The programmes for non-elite vets usually involve no more than 12-14 hours a week maximum, depending on the phase. Riding heaps of kms is a waste of time. Every ride counts in my program. Training should be an instrumental thing - you train to race, not to enjoy it necessarily. If you see cycling as a recreation and prefer to ride around the countryside with some mates, stopping here and there then my approach is not for you.

My single most important cycling homily:

People go too hard when they should be going steady, and not hard enough when they should be going hard. Patience is the key in the first 5 weeks. Stick to E1, relentlessly.

Overtraining occurs because you try to do too much - obviously. How can this happen?

  1. Mixing modes - strength/endurance should come first. You should not mix this with hill strength, nor speed work. You should not mix distance with speed, or hills. Rolling hills and distance and steady pace (75-80 per cent of max HR) are good for Phase 1.
  2. Not enough rest days. Depending on your recovery it should be alternating hard, easy. Too many riders get anxious and feel they are neglecting speed. But they haven't got strong enough to actually develop the speed properly so they get tired and go nowhere fast.
  3. Most riders do not stretch enough. It is better not to stretch before a ride. Definitely after a ride.
  4. Most riders do not massage their legs enough, especially the iliotibial band (which runs down the side of the leg from the hip to the outside of the knee). Many knee problems come from this area being too tight. I have a compound rubber device which is shaped like the back of an elbow and my legs get really heavy work at least 4 times a week with it. Recovery is quicker and flexibility is enhanced. I work sore spots with the point and just dig in really hard to loosen the tight spots and lumps. Then I use long smooth strokes up and down to give the muscle length and softness.