What happens when you do high intensity efforts during base training, what it was like for Amber to be a pro domestique, and tips for beginner racers on their first year of racing and mountain bike stage races. Tune into Episode 281 of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast for this and more!
Every athlete faces obstacles on the way to reaching success. For first-time triathlete John Tarrant, a history of injury and a demanding family life combined with the restrictions of lockdown to make his season a challenge. But with thoughtful planning, a positive attitude towards goal-setting, and the flexibility of TrainerRoad, John came out on top.
Will Stinger went from dead last in a road race to fifth place in the longest one-day USAC race. Along the way, he raised his FTP 64 watts and suffered a terrible crash that he came back from even stronger. He did all this while balancing a demanding career as an OBGYN and married life with four children. Whether you want to race LoToJa or conquer a big ride, Will’s got some tips for you.
Here at TrainerRoad, structured training is at the heart of everything we do, and we get a little defensive when we hear some of the misconceptions about structure. Let’s set the record straight.
Structured training, in its most effective form, is both periodized and progressive. To get faster, your hard work needs to stimulate specific, physiological adaptations. Training periodization divides your season into distinct phases so that your hard work pays off.
Life happens and plans change. If your events have been canceled or rescheduled, don’t worry. Plan Builder can help keep your training on track. You can adjust your training plan, event schedule, and calendar to make sure you can reach peak fitness on race day.
You don’t need an event on your Calendar to benefit from a structured training plan. If you are an athlete who doesn’t race but wants to get faster or just maintain fitness, you can use Plan Builder to build a custom training plan. A custom plan can help you build the fitness you need to achieve your everyday cycling goals and the power needed to take on those bigger training goals.
A busy schedule can make it tough to stick to a training plan. While balancing your training and a busy schedule can be tricky, there are plenty of ways to make a low volume plan fit for you. Picking the right training plan and learning how to make adjustments to this plan can help you get faster and achieve your goals.
Pro tips for racing in heavy crosswinds, how cyclists should deal with “adaptive muscle shortening, using your commute to get faster and more is all covered in Episode 243 of The Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast.
The nature of mountain biking can make it difficult to take structured workouts out onto the trails, but reinforcing bike handling skills is an important part of any off-road athletes race preparation. Implement these planning strategies to get time on the mountain bike without sacrificing the effectiveness of your training plan.