Coach Chad, Amber, Nate, and Jonathan take a deep dive into stretching, if it makes you faster, how you should do it, and more in Episode 351 of the Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast. Tune in for this and discussions on heat training, bodyweight vs. weighted strength training and much more!
Tune in Thursday at 8:00am Pacific!
Youtube Live Video:
Topics Covered in This Episode
Deep Dive on Stretching
Rapid Fire / Live Questions
How to heat train at various budgets
How to drink and eat during interval workouts and not miss a beat
Is bodyweight training a substitute for barbell training?
I’ve never stretched prior/after any activities (skiing, skateboarding, basketball, running and now cycling) over my entire life. I’ll give this a listen and see if stretching will bring on the gainz!
Related to the bodyweight strength training, I have been doing single leg work like the pistol squats, split squats and lunges. I got to a point where I have somewhat maxed out with those and my own weight.
Last night I added a small hip pack with a 5lb weight placed in it to do my full routine. Seems like a small amount, but that little weight made a real difference on those exercises. I also added a handheld 5lb in addition to the weight pack for the split squat and lunges (not the pistol squats). I even considered a filled hydropack from my MTB setup (for adjustable weight), but the hip pack and 5lb weight works really to add mass but not alter my range of motion for the movements.
The result last night was notably more load on my body and really bumped up the work without having to get into bigger weights. Feeling real DOMS this morning backs up the higher efforts from last night. I may end up with a regular add of 10lbs at this rate, but may limit to that over time and just maintain at that point.
This work is far more than I’ve done in the past and I am nearing what I think are my needs for general body fitness and improvements to my BMX & MTB racing needs.
Pistol squats (all way down) are SO hard! I can happily squat 75kg (about same as my bodyweight) with a barbell but can’t do one pistol squat without holding door for balance - I just fall over!!!
I have generally decent balance, but it took me a while to get consistent with them. Even now, I still end up on the floor at least once or twice a session when I get a bit off kilter at the bottom. But I can hit them pretty well now with all the practice.
I am working on repeat efforts on the same leg without touching the elevated foot between drops. I can hit 4 in a row consistently now. It’s honestly a skill that I am kind of proud to have improved on in it’s own right
But I can also tell that I am stronger from all the work behind it, so the main goal is working as intended too
I am naturally very loose. I can easily put my hands on the floor, and touch my foot (either one) to my nose. I work more to maintain muscle for joint stability.
Thought this would be a fun question to ask after today’s podcast. And as a disclaimer, this in no way is supposed to mean you should be able to or it’s a performance benefit.
Two things. Attacking when someone is drinking on the MTB is a great idea. I’ve never had the opportunity/need, but I’ve boxed myself drinking up steep single track climbs and I can see how effective it’d be
Second, this should be a good starting point for the planning for @Nate_Pearson@ambermalika and @chad doing some gravel racing pre Triathlon. Attacking through the aid stations (because you carried your fuel/hydration with you) is a great way to gain an advantage, and possibly wind up some gravel snobs/gatekeepers .
I have never considered that stretching makes you faster but if you run at all it’s all but essential - every time I have been injured running it’s mostly been due to a lack of range of motion…never believed all this rubbish about don’t stretch… …does it religiously in my house and she’s much more agile than me
A good time for mobility/ stretching/ or whatever is at night when you’re watching tv with the family. If that’s what you do, anyways that’s what I do. It’s pretty much a routine I stick to every night, even the cats join on the fun. I take about 10 minutes and hit my hip flexors, ankles back or whatever is giving me some discomfort. Whether it makes me faster or not doesn’t matter because it feels good on my body.
Enjoyed the podcast - I very much appreciated Nate’s comments about the portion of the user base I most identify with – someone who wants to get faster to have more fun – to stay fit, beat personal bests, test limits, have adventures, keep up with my friends, not be so spent that I can’t be a productive member of my family. Looking forward to the more content mentioned in the future on athletes with those goals!
…does it religiously in my house and she’s much more agile than me 
