START NOW
Don’t wait any longer and start training ASAP, since you need time to prepare for your challenges. The sooner you decide, the more time you’ll have to get in shape for the races or events you’ve marked on the calendar.
APPLY THE 80-20 RULE
80% of your success depends on 20% of your effort.
20% of a well-planned training session will yield 80% benefits for your body.
“Don’t try to do more. Simply do more of what works.”
GET HELP
Take help whenever you need it. If you’re having problems allocating or understanding training loads, don’t hesitate to find a good professional who can help you with these issues, as this will undoubtedly help you understand the why of each session. And of course, it’ll take you less time to achieve great objectives.
REST
It wouldn’t be a bad goal to commit to getting more and better rest in 2018. If you want to train hard on the bike, resting a good number of hours is essential to achieving the results you want, especially at the muscular level. A fatigued muscle doesn’t perform as well as one that starts a workout fully rested.
It’s best to sleep at least 7 hours, with 8 being ideal to achieve the best results. Mind your rest as much as you mind your training.
Lo mejor es dormir un mínimo de 7 horas, siendo 8 el número ideal para lograr los mejores resultados. Cuida tu descanso tanto como cuidas tu entrenamiento.
THE INDOOR ALTERNATIVE
Think of a trainer as the great alternative if you can’t go out riding. The benefits of riding a trainer are well documented and proven.
Some advantages of a trainer:
- Maximum efficiency.
- A close match between what is proposed and what is done.
- Time-independent.
- You can train with an accurate power reading and do all kinds of tests.
- Safer than riding on roads.
BKOOL CAN HELP
If you use a Bkool smart trainer, you have the advantage of being able to simulate climbs, stages and mythical competitions that, in addition to improving your fitness, are fun and will let you compete against cyclists from all over the world.
EAT WELL
Adopting good eating habits can be of great help in improving your performance both during workouts and in competitions.
Watch how much fast-absorbing hydrates you eat. Cyclists often eat too much of this type of food, which can lead to more than a few heartaches.
Eat a wide variety of whole, less refined foods. Cut down on the amount of meat and meat by-products, replacing them with vegetables, legumes and nuts.
Before buying a bar or gel for your rides or races, I recommend you read the label carefully and then decide. Nowadays there are alternative products to the most popular and best-known brands that are just as valid and much healthier. Buyer beware!
WATTS
These days the power meter is a must for cycling workouts, both for professionals and for those who want to train right.
With a power meter, you can be much more precise in everything. You can see your strong and weak points, get much more from your training time and plan your races right. And it’s much more interesting than the HRM, though the HRM definitely has its place.
If you’re new to power meters, let a properly qualified trainer guide you, since managing all the data can often get a little complicated.
The information you get from the power meter is tremendously useful for planning loads, rest days and races. It will also let you know what your cycling profile is based on a few tests and on your performance during your training sessions.
PRIORITIZE INTERVAL TRAINING SESSIONS
It’s getting harder and harder to find the time you need to get on the bike and go out and train. To take control of your time, make every outing as efficient as possible with short but effective workouts. To do this, you have to include in your plan a lot of interval training sessions with high and very high-intensity systems. But be careful! This type of training has to be monitored by your trainer since it’s very important to know when to do them, how much time to devote to them, what method to use and the rest periods that will have to be included.
Keep in mind that high-intensity training complements and improves resistance training during both the base and competition phases.
STRIVE FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY IN YOUR PREPARATION
More doesn’t mean better. Cyclists are increasingly fine-tuning their workouts so they train just the right amount without investing too much time. Gone are those endless sessions where nothing was tracked and the training value was determined solely by the hours involved. And of course, the more hours the better. Now, with all the technology out there, a coach’s guidance and the addition of new and more tailored training methods, the time required has gone down quite a bit, yielding better results in much less time.
As Joe Friel says, “Train just enough to be successful.”
PLAN YOUR SEASON
Planning your season and knowing your goals will give clarity to your training, since each challenge requires different preparation. Mark your races and/or goals on the calendar. It’ll really help when it comes to planning your sessions throughout the year.
SEEK OUT CHALLENGES AND STAY MOTIVATED
Before you start training, find challenges that keep you motivated year round. Dole out the competitions that motivate you over time. It’s a proven fact that when you train with a clear goal, it’s much easier to continue training and not stop halfway.
SPINNING CLASSES, ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE
We talked about trainers before, but if you’re not thrilled about pedalling alone at home, there’s also the option of going to spinning classes at any gym or doing the classes that Bkool offers in the Bkool Fitness section.
Indoor cycling has changed a lot in recent years. These days, the effort you make during a class can be measured and managed thanks to the excellent metrics in place. You can train by zone, speed, cadence, HR, and all the results can be stored on your smartphone, and from there uploaded to your devices.
It’s an effective and, most of all, very fun option, as the students, instructor and every aspect involved in the activity combine to make a one-hour session fly by.
El ciclismo indoor a cambiado bastante en estos últimos años, ahora mismo todo el esfuerzo que se hace en una clase se puede medir y gestionar gracias al control de unas métricas excelentes. Se puede entrenar por zonas, por velocidad , ajustar cadencias, por FC, además, todos los resultados se pueden guardar en tu smartphone y puedes llevar los datos a tus dispositivos.
Es una opción eficaz y sobre todo muy divertida, ya que tanto alumnos , profesor y todos los elementos que envuelven la actividad hacen que una hora de entrenamiento pase volando.
NO EXCUSES
There are never enough excuses. Cyclists know they can always find alternatives to keep training. And the gap between wanting and doing gets shorter with every workout.
KIM FORTEZA
