| By: Karl Taylor | |
Let me first say, there is no magic bullet or magic pill you can take to turn yourself into a cycling machine. Sure, you could take some sort of illegal performance enhancing drug and see some good improvement quickly. However, you still need to get the training fundamentals right to see improvement from that. There are, however, several key ingredients that work in synergy and can provide exponential improvement. In other words, when things work together the affects are multiplied so the increases are greater.
When looking for cycling improvement, we need to ensure that what we do on and off the bike works together in synergy to have maximum effect. So what are the key cycling training ingredients to this kind of cycling success? Here are what we believe to be the essential elements that you need to have working together in synergy to see the maximum results possible. Ensuring the correct timing of your training. One of the most important ingredients to performing well on the bike is choosing what training you do when. Most people DON’T get the foundations right and when they try to build their training up, the walls come crashing down around them. You’ve got to think of your body like an engine. There are certain systems in your body that need to be trained first before you jump in and try to get other systems working. A good analogy is to imagine you want to build a fast race engine for a car. Before you would begin bolting on parts that make the engine go fast, you need to work on the existing block to make sure it is strong enough to handle the horsepower. Once you know that this foundation is solid then you can bolt in a nice cam, a big carb and a turbo knowing that the rest of the engine can handle it. If you made a choice to bolt a turbo and go-fast parts on a standard engine that was not correctly prepared, you couldn’t expect it to go as fast as it potentially should. Even worse, it is likely to break down and damage the engine when pushed hard. You must ensure you’re timing the type of cycling training you’re doing correctly to see maximum results. Selecting the best sessions There is an almost endless array of different training sessions you could select to do on any given day. The question is, which one is going to give maximum bang for buck so to speak? In other words, if you have certain objectives that you’re trying to achieve (for example, building strength), what session is going to yield the best results for the time you invest? This is where experience comes into play. Any number of cycling training sessions might "theoretically" work. It’s only when you try them in practice do you discover what produces the best results. You need to be doing the best sessions available to see optimal performance. Maximizing the use of available time Many people love cycling but don’t have as much time as they would like to ride their bike. This means that they want to maximize the gains they can achieve on each ride. Who’s going to pay the bills if you’re out on your bike all day? That’s why you should be applying the great principle named after a famous 18th century Italian economist to your cycling. It’s called the Pareto principle. It is also known as the law of the vital few. The principle states that the majority of effects come from the minority of causes. To put it in more simple terms, this means that the majority of improvements that most people see in their cycling performance originate from just a few of the things that they are doing right. So if you are riding 10 hours a week, it’s likely that only 2 of those hours are bringing the majority of your improvement. Which of course should make you think. . . why don’t I do more of the hours that are bringing the majority of improvement and fewer of the hours that don’t do much at all? Good question… and one you need to be asking to ensure you see yourself living up to your cycling potential.
Focusing on clear and simple training Cycling training DOESN’T need to be as complex as most people make out. If you’ve ever bought a cycling training book you’ll see just how convoluted and unnecessarily complicated they are. You practically need a science degree to follow them. Your cycling training programs don’t need to be that complex. If you find yourself on the inner circle of the professional peloton, you’ll find that most professional cyclists’ training regimes aren’t anywhere near as complicated as those programs. If you can’t understand what you’re supposed to be doing, how on earth can you be expected to fully trust that what you’re doing is going to work? This is where your mind and body meet. Even if you follow it to the letter, if you don’t believe in what you’re doing, your mind won’t support your body and you won’t see the maximum results. In contrast, when you understand what you’re supposed to be doing on the bike and fully trust that it’s going to generate positive results, you’ll do everything without reservation. You’ll work the sessions harder and keep motivated throughout the whole process. The end result of this is YOU riding faster. Have you ever noticed how champion sports people often make the comment, "I’m just really enjoying my sport at the moment," just after they’ve won a big event? It’s not surprising. When you are enjoying what you are doing, your mind is supporting your body and your central nervous system is more responsive to deliver what your body needs. In the same way, when you’re enjoying what you’re doing, you’re more motivated and more energized and you complete the tasks with increased enthusiasm. It’s only natural that you’ll find yourself getting better results. If you’re dreading getting on the bike because you can’t stand the thought of the training you’ve got to do, you’ll never be able to experience the benefits that these principles bring. This aspect to performance is often ignored. However, it’s fundamental to seeing cycling success. . Rise above with MyCycling.com… We’ve now given you the key elements to cycling success. So are you applying them? Are you following the correct structure and timing of your cycling training so your body is most able to adapt and improve? Are you doing the best sessions possible for optimal outcomes? Are you using your time on the bike for maximum advantage? Are you following a clear and simply structured cycling training program to ensure you stay on track to see the kinds of improvements that you’re capable of? Do you have a supportive crew of fellow riders and experts helping you along the way? If you’re not, you’re riding slower than you should be. It’s as simple as that. But don’t worry, we can help. We’ve got everything you need to see massive improvements in your cycling. How we can help you get this right… first time! I hope at this point you’re asking the question… "So what makes you guys so special? Why are you any more equipped than the next guy to tell me how to ride my bike faster?" While we don’t want to appear to be on an ego trip here, we do know that it’s important to list credentials so you know we’re the real deal. The advice and training we provide is based on real world, in the trenches experience and is backed by results. Here are some of the highlights of the contributing coaches’ achievements: Selection for two Olympic Games Three Commonwealth Games (3 medals) Competition in Eight World Championships Winners of 8 National titles Holders of 18 National Records 24 National Championship Medals Competition in 24 World Cup Events 15 years of Professional Racing Coaching of the Australian National Team Australian Level 2 Certified Coaching Certificate and work with over five national team coaches and their programs, programs that have coached athletes like Robbie McEwen, Michael Rogers and Cadel Evans. With over 90 years of collective experience at the highest level of the sport at your disposal, we know that you will ride faster under our guidance We’re so confident in fact, we guarantee you’ll ride faster or we’ll give you your money back. Join the MyCycling.com Community Today! By joining MyCycling.com, you’ll have unlimited access to: Powerful training programs for time poor people. From the beginner right through to the racing cyclist. Advice and resources created by professional and ex-professional cyclists alike to ensure that you are given the RIGHT information first time. Whether you’re a beginner, or a long time campaigner, we’ve got the training and resources you need.
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