{"id":69990,"date":"2021-07-28T11:59:33","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T18:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/?p=69990"},"modified":"2021-07-28T13:52:22","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T20:52:22","slug":"how-to-improve-cycling-economy-for-increased-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/how-to-improve-cycling-economy-for-increased-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Improve Cycling Economy for Increased Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"lead\">Raising your functional threshold power and VO2 max capacity aren\u2019t the only ways to get faster. Improvements in your cycling economy are also on the table and can come with major performance benefits. Here\u2019s how you can actively target your cycling economy with additions to your training and adjustments to your form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Metabolic Efficiency: Does it Change When You Go Harder? (Ask a Cycling Coach 314)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Jq9n0bZRKgQ?start=1478&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Cycling Economy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Pedaling your bike takes energy. Specifically, it takes calories. During <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=r2m2MNNHTPU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">aerobic metabolism, <\/a>calories (kcals) are burnt to deliver oxygen and produce energy in the form of ATP. The end result is power to the pedals. Not every athlete gets the same amount of mechanical energy from the calories they expend, though\u2014some athletes have a better cycling economy than others.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally speaking, cycling economy is analogous to your miles per gallon on the bike. It\u2019s determined by how efficiently mechanical energy is produced from \u201cfood energy.\u201d In other words, cycling economy is the power produced for the energy expended or the amount of oxygen consumed to produce a given amount of watts. Athletes with greater economy generate more mechanical energy from the same amount of calories burned.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As humans, we aren\u2019t perfectly efficient at producing mechanical energy. Roughly only 22% of the energy an athlete produces during physical activity is mechanical energy, while the rest of the \u201cfood energy\u201d is lost to heat production. Fortunately, it appears that this number isn\u2019t set in stone. An athlete\u2019s mechanical production can land anywhere between 18% and 26%. Most notably, it can be improved, and improvements come with major benefits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Improving Cycling Economy Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/31804519\/Determinants_of_endurance_in_well_trained_cyclists\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">In a study conducted<\/a> on 14 well-trained cyclists, the cyclists with better fuel economy used a smaller portion of their VO2 max capacity to reach their lactate threshold. When the same group rode at 88% of their VO2 max, the cyclists with a higher fuel economy lasted twice as long as their counterparts. The group that performed better in either test demonstrated better utilization of oxygen, greater aerobic capacity, and lower acidity in the muscles\u2014 even with very similar VO2 max capacity values to their counterparts. Sounds pretty great, right? So what did these cyclists do to reach this particular capacity? Though several variables play a role at a baseline level, it appears that this efficiency can also be trained over time, even when FTP and VO2 max aren\u2019t changing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"at-cta\" class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"adaptive-training-cta-image\">\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"cta__copy\">\n        <p class=\"cta-title\">Adaptive Training<\/p>\n        <p><strong>Get the right workout, every time<\/strong>\n        with training that adapts to&nbsp;you.<\/p>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/adaptive-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"btn btn-primary\">Check Out TrainerRoad<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This is apparent at the highest level of competition in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/249883653_The_Physiology_of_the_World_Record_Holder_for_the_Women%27s_Marathon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Andrew M Jones\u2019s 2006 paper<\/a> on previous world record holder Paula Radcliff. The study looked at the relationship between VO2 max and race times. Over eleven years of training, Paula\u2019s VO2 max remained constant\u2014even as her marathon times got faster. Over the same time frame, Paula\u2019s running economy increased by close to fifteen percent. As her economy increased, so did her times. By the end of her career, she was a world record holder. And while it definitely takes a high VO2 max paired with a high economy to set world records, it\u2019s apparent that within your own VO2 max capacity, there\u2019s an opportunity to increase economy. Here\u2019s how.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to Improve Your Economy<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Improvements in your energy economy are bound to be subtle. In the short term, you may not even notice them. Over time, they can compound for major performance improvements. There are three ways you can improve your cycling economy. You can continue to improve it by spending a lot of time on the bike or directly target it with strength training and improvements in form and technique.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Time on the Bike<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a direct correlation between how many miles you have on the bike and your cycling economy. Years of riding and maintaining volume amount to increases in cycling economy. Athletes can continue to take advantage of this progression by maintaining a high training volume relative to their abilities. If you\u2019re following a TrainerRoad training plan, there are numerous ways you can safely add additional volume to your training plan. For more information, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/how-to-safely-add-volume-to-a-training-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Safely Add Volume to a Training Plan<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many athletes, it\u2019s not realistic to mount on additional training volume, though. In fact, most athletes will find a low-volume training plan is a lot more productive for a number of reasons. When this is the case, there are two other ways athletes can target their cycling economy, the first being strength training.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Strength Training<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The benefits of strength training make it one of the most effective ways to directly target cycling economy. Strength training can increase force capacity, improve motor patterns, promote stability, and iron out imbalances. An increase in your force capacity means that you can push on the pedals harder and recruit more muscle fibers for increased efficiency. Better stability and motor patterns can lead to better coordination, which can help prevent wasted movement. Anytime you eliminate wasted movement, you\u2019re getting more power from your energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With strength training, it doesn\u2019t take a lot to make a positive impact. If you\u2019re interested in getting started with strength training, you can integrate a basic strength training routine into your cycling training schedule with the resources below.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group key-takeaway\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Strength Training Resources<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/strength-training-basics-for-cyclists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Strength Training Basics for Cyclists<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/five-tips-for-getting-started-with-strength-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Five Tips for Getting Started with Strength Training<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/strength-training-maintenance-for-cyclists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Strength Training Maintenance for Cyclists<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Improve Your Technique With Drills<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><br>If it\u2019s not realistic to mount on additional volume or incorporate consistent strength training, you can address inefficiencies head-on with a focus on riding technique. Everything you do on the bike costs oxygen. Athletes can lose a lot of energy to bad form, imbalances, and unnecessary movement. Even just clenching your jaw or holding tension in your shoulders has an oxygen cost.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Focusing on being a more relaxed rider is an easy way to improve your economy. Doing drills to prevent pedal mashing, bouncing, and body tension will make your pedal stroke more fluid, and therefore less oxygen-costly. You can prevent deteriorating mechanics and reinforce good habits with drills. Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/eight-indoor-cycling-drills-for-efficiency-and-strength\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Eight Indoor Cycling Drills for Efficiency and Strength<\/a> for more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raising your functional threshold power and VO2 max capacity aren\u2019t the only ways to get faster. Improvements in your cycling economy are also on the table and can come with major performance benefits. Here\u2019s how you can actively target your cycling economy with additions to your training and adjustments to your form.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":69992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[154,192,4144,1407,4146,4145,4147,4143,2260,431,883],"class_list":["post-69990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training","tag-cycling","tag-drills","tag-economy","tag-efficiency","tag-efficient","tag-force","tag-indoor-drills","tag-metabolic","tag-metabolic-efficiency","tag-muscle","tag-strength-training"],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"","source_text":"","source_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69990\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}