When the forest officer Karl Drais presented the first bicycle as an alternative to riding horses in 1871, he hardly thought about the effect cycling has on the human organism and what training strategy would make him the fastest cyclist.
Today almost everyone knows the effect of training, the curve of the desired supercompensation is in their heads. But how do I achieve this balance between stress and relief that makes me a little bit better and a little bit faster every time? How can I ensure that my training is good and that my motivation is always at a high level?
The cyclist multiplication table
In the dense jungle of training data, it is important to be aware from the outset of what is important to me! Which values should I keep in mind in order to train sensibly and efficiently, which values are good to know, but have no real relevance to whether my training will be a personal success or not.
My bike computer and my heart rate monitor provide me with a vast amount of data. With the new weather app, even the weather behind the next bend, the next pass, is no longer a secret. In order not to get lost in this labyrinth, we have a Cyclist multiplication table compiled. It describes a ranking according to the value of the data in order to be able to assess and control the effects of the training in the best possible way.
Physiological and psychological quantities
Above everything and no matter what is seen on your monitor, your feelings are the order of the day. Your subjective feelings should always be the focus of your attention. Sports scientist Thomas Freimuth explains: "First I listen to my body, then I look at the heart rate monitor." Of course one should not become too sensitive and listen to every little noise of the body but be completely honest with oneself. Because an assessment of my mental and/or muscular freshness or tiredness forms the basis for training planning.
The most important objective value to be able to optimally control the training is the heart rate. It shows me the intensity with which I am on the road, am I still doing basic endurance training and do I need relatively little recovery time, or am I already above my personal threshold, the anaerobic range, and need much more time for regeneration in order not to run the risk of falling into the training basement.
In order to determine these training zones, it is highly recommended to complete a performance diagnosis and to compare the heart rate values with lactate and VO2max.
Because the heart rate can deviate from normal values due to external factors such as weather, altitude, but also internal factors such as tiredness, not enough fluids or illnesses.
Performance figures on the go
If you treat yourself to a power meter, you naturally have a very objective performance indicator that offers very good comparison options under all circumstances, the watt. More information can be found in the endurance network article Training with a power meter. [Link]
The speed, on the other hand, depends heavily on the profile of the route and the weather conditions. Don't let her put you under too much pressure! Because even an average speed of 26 kilometers per hour can mean an intensive training session for a good cyclist in mountainous terrain and a pinch of headwind. It takes experience to be able to estimate the speed, so the reference values have own feeling and heart rate clear priority in recognizing the effectiveness of training on me.
One parameter that shows me how much I'm straining my muscles is the cadence. The Ironman and sports scientist Mathias Flunger states that “A higher cadence delays muscle fatigue and protects our joints, ligaments and tendons. A cadence of 80 revolutions per minute is ideal.”
The distance
Besides the weather, everything depends on it, the track decides how my training goes, all I can do is adapt to it.
The altitude difference plays a major role. The training stimulus for the athlete is very different, whether he is out and about in the low mountain ranges, the Alps or in the lowlands. The cadence changes, on longer climbs you inevitably leave the basic area and continue in the strength-endurance area. The training intensity, the load is higher which has a decisive influence on the regeneration time.
The situation is similar with the length of the route, the distance.
Sports scientist Thomas Freimuth points out that "As a rule of thumb, you should plan on sleeping half an hour more for every hour of training! If I'm on a long tour on Sunday, I have to make sure I get to work on time on Monday!"
The gradient is directly related to the altitude difference. the saying steep is cool like for some mountain flea are valid. For tactical training reasons, however, it is always important to consider how steep the terrain in which I move will be. Because the steeper, the higher the intensity, the greater the energy expenditure and the longer my recovery time.
If the forest officer Karl Drais had known in 1871 which aspects had to be taken into account in training, he might have stayed with the horse.
Endurance Network – Transalp: Be there!
By the way, you can of course also get live tips from us. You can get a good opportunity to do this as part of our Road bike Transalp Summer 2014! More information is available at www.ausdauernetzwerk.net. [Link]
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