In keeping with the off-season theme, I thought I would share one of my all-time favourite workouts to do inside during the winter. Training inside can be an integral part of your race prep and in our neck of the woods, a necessary evil.
Bike Training:
Indoor bike training can make a huge difference to your early spring fitness. A wind trainer can be purchased for around $200 (of course, you can spend more if you like). Make sure you get the little foot (that's what I call it) to prop up the front wheel. This way you don't feel too much pressure on your shoulders and elbows.
Here is one my favourite sessions:
- Warm Up: 10 minutes easy
- Drill: 8 x 90 seconds alternating right leg only and left leg only. NOTE: Try to be as smooth as possible through the entire rotation. . . don't bottom out and stall at 6 o'clock
- Main: 45 minutes as 9 x 5 minutes (3 min 90 RPM & 2 min 110 RPM) Put the chain in the large gear in the front and 2 or 3 gears down from the top on the back. Your heart rate won't be especially high but boy will you sweat!
- Cool Down: 10 minutes easy
I really like this workout because it doesn't take too much time and it has a bit of everything: drill and quality. I do this session once a week throughout the off season. I can easily make it longer by adding sets of 5 minutes. The other training advantage of these rounds of 5 minutes, it teaches you to sit in a pack (draft legal races) and to surge out front when necessary. When you see a break away in a cycling race, those guys who "jump" off the front (technical term) they only put in a huge effort for a few minutes and then they are away. . . . . That is the strategy anyway.
Okay readers, if you have a great bike workout. . . post it! I love trying new stuff. It really shakes the cobwebs out and keeps us all motivated till spring :)
Start spinnin' Divas!!
No comments:
Post a Comment