It's not always easy coming up with topics for articles, especially this time of year. In late winter, early spring there is an abundance of topics to cover. Base miles, strength training intervals , and losing weight while eating only grapefruit and chocolate, etc. I'd love to turn to my favorite magazine 'Bicycling Lite' for inspiration, but darn, they always have the really good ideas wrapped up. So, at a loss for a topical subject, let's dive into Base Training.
It's the same mantra you've heard and practiced for years, Base Miles, Base Miles, Base Miles. But what does that really mean? Is it the long slow distance (lsd) workouts advocated by so many? Or perhaps it's those Saturday club rides in January that are an easy pace (for at least a 1/4 mile). It's not too late (well almost) for this season to change your paradigm on Base Training. Base Training should include Strength training, lsd miles in HR Zone 2, and some short intervals to help build strength, power, and leg speed. A common mistake made by cyclists is focusing only on energy systems through heart rate zone training, and neglecting specific training for the leg muscles that do all the work.
Let's start with Strength Training. Ideally, a period of eight to twelve weeks are spent in the gym (yes, the gym) lifting weights to prepare the muscles for producing more on the bike. Some strength training can be done on the bike, but ideally as a compliment to gym work, and not instead. A proper weight-lifting routine includes a period of stimulating muscle growth,(hypertrophy), a strength phase, and a power phase. Once you're through the strength phase, one can begin adding strength intervals on the bicycle, and intermingle those with your power workouts in the gym. On the bike, the work intervals are 8-10 minutes in length, with half that amount in a rest phase. Use as large a gear as you can turn smoothly at 50-60 rpm. The purpose of these is to recruit as many of the leg muscle fibers that you have. There is moderate heart rate response in these intervals. Once you've done a couple of weeks of those, twice a week, you can add power stomps and power starts to your routine.
Power Stomps are intervals with a 20 second work interval, and 5 minutes of recovery. For these, start at a moderately paced roll (15-20 mph) and shift into your biggest gear. Once again, turn the cranks as smoothly as possible. Power Starts are a variant of Power Stomps. This time, start from a very slow roll, in a big gear. Accelerate as quickly as possible for 10-15 seconds. Your goal is to hit a cadence of 120+, so start with a gear that allows you to reach this. Both interval workouts can be done before a 1- 2 hour zone 2 lsd ride, but make sure you warm 'up before the intervals. By combining the intervals with your base (Zone 2) miles, you're not only preparing your legs for volume training, you are doing volume training.
Volume training is necessary to prepare your leg muscles for all the intense Heart rate Zone 4 and Zone 5 work ahead. There are many anatomical adaptations that happen when you spin your bike cranks for two and three hours at a time. Think of it as starting your car. When you turn the key, there are dozens of things that must happen for your car to start. If you don't have a starter in your car, you can get out and push it to get it going, but that will lose it's charm quickly. Your muscle physiology is the same way. For you to be able to be efficient (i.e. fast) on a bike, a lot has to happen. Luckily our bodies adapt to stress, so unlike the car without starter, your get-up and go will develop, but makes sense to focus on a plan to develop sooner, rather than later.
