Coaches Corner

Ed: Throughout the year we’d like to bring our readers a few training, riding and lifestyle tips from Varick Olson and Elmer Colyer. Both are U.S.A. Cycling coaches and allow us to tap into a wealth of knowledge within the team.

We hope to provide a series of short articles covering different aspects of cycling over the course of the year, most likely once a month. This is a bit of a work in progress so it may change a little as we go, but we can all take the ride together and see where it goes.

I will add a tag to each of these postings for “Tips and Training” and post them on their own page “Coaches Corner” on this blog after they run.

If you have ideas, or questions you would like Varick and Elmer to address please post them to this site in the “comment’” area under the post or contact us at bigringflyers@hotmail.com

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No “Off” Season!

In my last training tip, I encouraged you all to take a break from racing and structured training for one to two months. However, this does NOT mean that you should stop exercising entirely.

 Indeed, there really is no “off” season any more for pros, for top amateurs or for the rest of us either. Or at least there should not be a time when we stop exercising entirely. This is especially true for those of us who are masters racers. The older we get, the more important this is. After 40 and especially after 50, we need to be exercising year around.

When we stop training entirely, within a week we start to lose core fitness, withing a few weeks we lose our aerobic base. This is a HUGE problem, as it can take a month to six weeks to rebuild what we have lost when we start training again.

Indeed, this is why some racers who detrain every year for a month or two, do not make gains in fitness and improve their racing from year to year. They start out the new training season one to two months behind. By the time they regain their core fitness, racing season has begun and they do not have the time to increase their muscle strength, endurance and aerobic fitness, the foundation upon which we increase our power for racing.

So while I give all athletes I coach a month or more away from structured training, I still have them doing some workouts to maintain their core fitness. We can maintain that core fitness with around four workouts a week, depending on level of racing and fitness.

Here is what I suggest . . . Get in one longer aerobic endurance ride a week. How long you ride depends on your level of racing and fitness. It should be a least as long as your longest race, unless you are doing REALLY long races of four hours or more. This long ride is to maintain your core aerobic endurance. It is great to do it as a group ride, but be careful NOT to turn it into a race. You do NOT want to do much anaerobic effort at all during this long ride.

It is also helpful to get in one ride aimed at maintaining muscle strength and endurance. Climb some hills in a big gear that gets your cadence down under 60rpms (IF your knees can handle it) or do some “force reps” in a big gear where you drive the pedals down for 12-15 revolutions. Spin easy for 3-5 minutes and then do another set of 12-15 reps. You do not need to do a lot of either of these to maintain your muscle strength and endurance.

In addition to these two workouts each week, add one medium ride, with some time in the tempo zone. If you are feeling well-rested include one fourth shorter ride where you do a few harder intervals. These should not be maximal efforts, but rather hard efforts that access your anaerobic system without adding a huge amount of training stress.

But do not do many of these intervals. They are just too stressful. Remember that the goal for this transitional period of a month or so is to get rested and refreshed without totally detraining.

It is also fine to do some cross-training in addition to these workouts or as a substitute for one or more of them. Just remember that the goal is to maintain your fitness. Do NOT try to do too much.

If you are racing cyclo-cross, you can still treat part of your cyclo-cross season as a transition time. Do just one cyclo-cross race a week!

Get in one long ride and then do one or two other shorter rides without a lot of intensity. Your cyclo-cross race each week will provide all the stimulation your body needs to maintain muscle strength and endurance. Ya, you will not be in top cyclo-cross form, but you WILL be in a much better place in terms of fitness and rest when you begin structured training again.

Give this method of maintaining your core fitness a try during your off season this year, and you will see what a huge difference it makes when you start up formal training again for the 2012 racing season.

El Colyer

Colyer Coaching

USA Cycling Licensed Level 2 Coach

elcolyer@gmail.com

 

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Why You Need to Take a Break From Racing

I know, I know, the last thing you cyclo-cross racers want to hear is that it is time to take a break from racing! For those of you who focus more on cyclo-cross than road or mountain bike racing, this is your real race season. So go for it! You can take your break when cyclo-cross is over.The real issue here is that everyone needs a break from racing and from regimented training at some point in the yearly training/racing cycle. We accumulate training load not simply from day to day and week to week, but throughout the entire season. Racing, in particular, is extremely stressful, not simply because of the sheer intensity and length of the races, but from the travel, the excitement and stimulation that are a part of racing. All of this adds training stress/load. And load accumulates over an entire training/racing season.

It takes several weeks without racing and with a lower training volume to shed this core fatigue that develops from an entire year of training and racing. Plus we all get mentally fried with the regimentation of training and racing and need a break from that as well.

I have all athletes I work with take a break from racing and regimented training for at least a month and up to two months. The goal is to get completely rested (without putting on 10 pounds in the process!!). We want to shed all that accumulated fatigue so that when we start formal training again in November or December, we are fully rested, completely recovered, and optimally ready for focused training again.

No one can stay in top form year around, let alone race year around. Not even the pros attempt to do that.

Try taking a break from racing and structured training for a month or six weeks, focusing on getting rid of extra stress in your life and getting extra rest, and you will quickly see why pros and top amateur’s include it this in their training cycles. If you do not shed that accumulated fatigue, you start the new training cycle for the next season two steps behind. You are not fully ready to train and you inevitably impede your progress because your body is still trying to shed stress from the previous season.

In my next training tip, I will focus on why this month away from racing and formal training should NOT be a total break with no training/riding at all. A month away from racing and structured training does not mean a month of no exercise at all. That will also put you way behind when you begin training for 2012. What you should do during the month break will be the subject of my next coaching tip.

By the way, I still have a couple of opening for coaching for the 2012 season if you are interested.

El Colyer

Looking for a coach? Contact El.

Colyer Coaching

USA Cycling Licensed Level 2 Coach

ecolyer@gmail.com

 

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Transition Week

It is mid-summer. Many of us have been racing now over three months. Some have been training and racing for seven months. That not so magical “220-250 day” mark is upon us. Even the experts do not fully know why it happens, but after around 220 to 250 days of focused training and racing, racers, even pros, start to lose motivation and move toward burnout. Read any of the good books on training and they all warn about this phenomenon.

How about you? Are you beginning to get worn down, tired of racing, and maybe even low motivation riding your bike? Has you diet taken a nose-dive in the wrong direction or has your training become lackadaisical? Check you calendar!! If you have been training since December. January or February, you may be reaching the infamous 220-250 day threshold.

If the last two paragraphs sum up where you are at, you probably need a transition week.

This is one of the reasons why coaches often encourage racers to consider two peaks during a race season, one in late May to mid July and another toward the end of the season: it is a way to break up the year by build in a one to two week transition period so as to avoid that 220-250 day burnout ordeal.

A transition week is simply time away from structured training and racing. It is a break in that mental, physical and emotional regimentation that goes with serious training and racing. It is a “time out” to rejuvenate, to regain perspective, before jumping back into the remainder of the race season.

Before you freak out at the thought of a break in structured training and racing, let me address what is the great fear most athlete’s express feel over launching a transition week: loss of fitness. This tape starts to play in the back of the bike racer’s mind: “Everyone else is in the groove training hard, so if I take a week away from the routine, I am going to be a week behind the competition and I will never catch up!” VERY unlikely!

If you are in pretty good race form, there is very little chance of losing significant fitness if you take an entire week off the bike. Indeed, if you are at all on the edge of over-training, you might actually gain fitness with a week off the bike by of shedding residual fatigue.

Besides, a transition week does not mean that you can’t ride at all or can’t get some exercise in. A transition week is a break in the routine. A chance to decompress physically and even more so, mentally and emotionally.

So instead of doing no exercise at all, try doing something different. If you are primarily a road biker, take a couple of days completely off the bike, go for a walk or a swim. When you get on a bike, make it your mountain bike. If you are a mountain biker, do the same, but ride your road bike. Do a social ride with some friends or a fun ride by yourself.

A word of caution on running . . . I suggest walking briskly during a transition week, if you have not been doing any running for several months. Running is jarring to the joints, tendons and muscles when you haven’t done if for a while.. I have seen several biking friends side-lined with injuries in recent months because they decided to do a 5k (or 10K) run at a good pace out of the blue. Not a good idea!

Make sure that whatever you do during your transition week is FUN! Get some extra rest. Skip a race or two and take a nap! You will amazed at how revitalizing extra sleep is emotionally and mentally as well as physically. If you are like most racers, a week of transition away from structured training and racing will help snap you out of that 220-250 day funk that hits nearly every biker, including the pros.

– El Colyer

 

Build your skills

Training is “the ride”, number of miles, intervals, H/R, power, etc.  Too infrequently the skills of “bike handling” are not practiced.  Skillful bike handling makes you a safer rider whether in a race, on a training ride or just riding. 

Bike handling skills need to be part of your training program.

Skill practice can be divided into three categories: those to do alone, those to do with a partner and those to do with three or more.

All skills have two basic principles: 

 Keep your bike perpendicular to the road, leaning the bike means you are closer to the ground and will more easily crash. 

Keep pedaling, power to the rear wheel keeps you upright, no power and you lose control. 

Skills need to be practiced in areas of minimal to no vehicle traffic.

Skills to Practice alone:

Practice pedaling, shift down and practice spinning, shift up and keep your spin.  This is an important skill when turning and coming out of a corner.  Practice shifting down and then spin when climbing, do not come out of the saddle.  This skill will help you avoid a “backward movement” when climbing. 

The backward movement disrupts other climbers and can cause a crash.

Ride a straight line, practice looking backward under your arm and maintaining your line.  Practice looking backward over your shoulder and maintaining your line.  Become proficient right and left. 

This is a VERY IMPORTANT skill in pack riding so you learn to LOOK before changing your position.

Place 6 sponges in a line about 1.5 bike lengths apart.  Ride the line steering between the sponges, do not hit the sponges.  Do not lean your bike, keep it perpendicular to the road and learn to steer your way through the line of sponges.  Practice various speeds. 

At higher speeds you may feel you need to lean your bike-DON’T-learn to move your body and keep your bike perpendicular to the road.  This skill will help you avoid debris on the road, sudden movements of other riders and maybe a fallen rider.

Place a water bottle on the road.  Ride toward the bottle and reach down and pick it up.  Turn around and ride back and place it on the road.  Become good reaching left and right.  As you improve place a riding glove on the road and pick it up. 

To make a few dollars tell a friend you can reach down and pick up a 5 dollar bill placed flat on the road, if you can’t you owe $5.  Just make sure you have practiced so you can’t loose.

Ride along the edge of a road with a minimal drop-off.  Drop-off the road and learn to keep pedaling, shift down and spin, and RIDE back onto the road.  Practice RIDING back onto the road rather than “bunny hopping” as “bunny hopping” requires you to stop pedaling and you will have poor control when returning to the road. 

As you improve try dropping off at higher speeds and different terrain.  This skill will make you a much safer rider no matter where you ride.

Cornering: Turning left move as far right as possible, into your drops shift down and turn into your lane, spin to accelerate up to speed.  Turning right move as close to the center line as possible, into your drops shift down and turn into your lane, spin to accelerate up to speed.  DO NOT CROSS THE CENTER LINE! 

Practice this skill as if your life depends on it- it does!

Practice corning two ways.  The most frequently used method is to lean your bike into the turn with the inside pedal up so it does not hit the road.  This is an exception to the rules of “keep pedaling” and “keep the bike perpendicular to the road”.  Beware that you need excellent control as this method places you closer to the road with minimal control over the direction of your lean. 

Another way to corner is to keep your bike perpendicular to the road, into your drops look over the brake hood in the direction of your turn, pull up on the bar toward the turn and push down on the bar opposite (this keeps your bike perpendicular to the road) and steer your bike around the corner — KEEP PEDALING. 

This method is very useful in wet conditions, loose gravel and when the group has slowed a bit as you now keep your bike perpendicular, pedal through the turn and can accelerate away from the group.

Skills to Practice with a partner:

Ride side by side and place your hand on your partners shoulder, keep pedaling and both of you ride a straight line.

Put the sponges on the road.  One of you slaloms by steering between the sponges, the other rides as close as possible leaning his body, not the bike, toward the slaloming rider.  By leaning with the body and keeping the bike perpendicular to the road the leaning rider can support the slaloming rider if the need arises. 

Try it.

Practice picking up a water bottle from the road with your partner riding beside you, first left then right.

Practice dropping off the road with your partner beside you and “riding” back on the road without disrupting your partner’s line.

Practice cornering riding side by side.  Which method (leaning the bike or steering) works the best when you are the outside rider or when you are the inside rider? 

Practice cornering following your partner and learn how to accelerate to get on her wheel.  Not only will you become more skilled at staying on a wheel but also your skill of cornering will improve.

Skills to Practice with 3 or more:

Put the sponges on the road, one rider slalom (steer) between the sponges, with a rider on either side riding as close as possible.  The side riders lean their body toward the slaloming rider and keep their bikes perpendicular to the road. 

Take turns in the middle and on either side.  How fast can you go?

Practice riding a revolving pace line.  When you reach the front LOOK under your arm and when you see the front wheel of the front rider in the slow line, move your bike over then your body. 

By moving your bike first you are able to keep your bike perpendicular to the road.  When you are at the end of the slow line accelerate and move your bike toward the fast line and move onto to the rider’s wheel. 

Again by moving your bike first you are able to keep your bike perpendicular and KEEP PEDALING.

Bump and Out: In an open grassy area make a large circle marked with water bottles.  Riders ride the same direction inside the circle and attempt to ride other riders out of the circle.  The last rider in the circle wins.

The slow finish.  Select a finish line and assemble 75 to 50 meters from the line.  Begin the race, no turning around, no foot on the ground; the last rider to cross the line wins.

Varick Olson, PhD, PT, is a Level 2 U.S.A Cycling coach and long-time member of the Big Ring Flyers.

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How to Ride Your Fastest TT

They call it the “race of truth”! And there is a reason for that designation. In a time trial it is just you, the bike, the road and the clock. There is no place to hide when you are riding it and there is no place to hide when the official posts your time.

That is why I LOVE time trials. And that is why I HATE time trials.

So how do we ride time trials faster? I get asked that question a lot, but there is no single answer to that question. We ride our fastest time trials when a whole bunch of facets involved come together. Most of the things we must do to ride fast TTs have to happen BEFORE — some long before — we put our front tires on the line.

1. Train on your TT bike. Power is specific to position on the bike. If you do not train on your TT bike your body will not produce as much power and speed when you are doing the actual TT. You are some MUCH more prone to injury when you do not train on your TT bike.

The general rule is to train the same percentage on your TT bike as you will race on your TT bike. If 20 percent of your races are TTs, then around 20 percent of your training time should be on your TT bike.

2. Have a expert evaluate and tweak your position on your TT bike. Over the years I have been a USA Cycling coach, I have found very few riders whose positions could not be tweaked here and there to yield what we call “free speed.”

 The more aero you are (within various limits that can affect your power output) the more likely you are to go faster.

3. Get a TT helmet. In fact, get the “right” TT helmet. A good TT helmet will increase your speed around as much as a pair of aero wheels. But not all TT helmets work with all riders. This is something I discovered over the years working with a number of different rides.

Of course, the more aero all your equipment is the better.

Frames, wheels, bars, brake levers, the right kind of shoe covers, a tight skinsuit with no wrinkles, especially in the upper arm and shoulder area, all contribute to your fastest TT.

4. Thoroughly warm up before you start your TT and arrive at the starting line within 5 minutes of your start time, if possible. There are many physiological changes that happen to our bodies when we warm up. We simply cannot ride as fast until the changes have taken place.

And yes, you need a bit different kind of warm up for a TT than you do for a road race.

5. Break the TT into segments and prepare your mentally for riding each segment of the TT, including setting some goals for the segments. It is mentally easier for many racers to tackle part of the TT at a time.

Success in the early sections breads success in the later ones as well.

6. DO NOT START THE TT TOO FAST!! Yes, we all know that, but in my years as a USA Cycling coach analyzing hundreds of TT files, only once have I seen a race file where the rider started too easy! I have seen dozens where riders started way too hot, even with watt meters!!

When you begin too fast you load your muscles and body up with lactate and hydrogen ions, which interfere with various metabolic processes and force you to slow down. You will seldom fully recover and have your fastest TT when you start too hot. Begin a bit below your LT power and build up to in over a minute or two. Then gradually raise your effort as the TT unfolds.

7. Drop your chin and tilt your head up so the back of your helmet is close to your back. Dropping your chin closes up the frontal around when the wind flow between your arms, TT bar and chin into your body area. Think of that area as a basket that you are pushing into the wind: the smaller the basket (generally speaking) the more area.

Tilting your up so that the back of the helmet is close to your upper back cuts down on the turbulence that is created when you head is tilted down and the back point of your TT helmet is pointing up to the sky.

 8. Stay in your TT position. Learn to take wider corners and climb longer gradual hills without getting out of the TT position. I virtually never get out of my TT position on a hill.

9. Do not hammer hills too hard. It is good to power over rollers and to increase your effort some on longer hills to carry your momentum into and up the hill as much as possible.

 But if you hammer the longer hills, you run the risk of loading up with lactate, just like when you start the TT too fast.

10. Empty the tank over the final couple of miles. Yes, I know, doing that is exceedingly painful. But you can often save quite a few seconds putting the hammer down at the end.

 For me it works best to gradually increase my speed starting around 3-4 miles out.

If you perfect all ten of this points before your next TT, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much faster you will be.

El Colyer

Looking for a coach for 2011? Contact El.

Colyer Coaching

USA Cycling Licensed Level 2 Coach

ecolyer@dbq.edu

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Coaches Corner (Special Edition): Balancing

Team Timex triathlete Tim Hola addressed the Big Ring Flyers about balancing life and training. The discssion was hosted at the team’s spring camp in Hudson in Apri.

Here’s his presentation:

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Coaches Corner: Warm Up

Warm-up before a race seems to be the thing to do, but why?

Road races usually start fast, literally sudden strenuous exercise, in order to keep up with the pack. 

Warm-up at 60% to 70% of maximum prepares you and your heart for the sudden strenuous exercise of the fast start.

Warm-up has been shown to improve performance by accelerating VO₂, improve muscle blood flow and muscle energy metabolism at onset of intense exercsie⁴ and increase core temperature which improves muscle power. 

Moderate to heavy-intensity warm-up has been shown to improve cycling performance by 2 to 3% despite a mild latacidosis at the onset of the race.  

In addition, warm-up has been shown to lower the viscous resistance in muscle and thereby increase efficiency, allow hemoglobin and myoglobin to dissociate more oxygen at the working tissue, decrease the vascular bed resistance by vasodilatation and increase nerve conduction velocity.

So how much and at what intensity should you warm-up? 

 The general advice is low intensity (60 to 70%) for 15 to 25 minutes.  There may be times when you want to warm-up at race intensity for 2 or 3 intervals after a warm-up at 60 to 70%. 

Warm-up for a time trial is an example. 

You should approach the start so you have only 5 to 10 minutes to wait; you still want to have that warm feeling at the start.

Each person has her/his own “warm-up time”.  This time may change as we become better conditioned.  Age usually influences the time needed to warm-up. 

 You should determine your own “warm-up time”. 

 You know you are warmed-up when you reach that “aha feeling” my spinning is easy; you have reached a steady state.  Practice so you know your warm-up time.  A heart rate monitor often helps determine steady state.

An example of a warm-up is a “step warm-up” based on your anticipated race speed.

Begin by spinning for 5 to 10 minutes.  If you plan to do the race at an average of 24 mph.  Then ride at 18 mph for 1 minute, 20 mph for 1 minute, 22mph for 1 minute, 24 for 1 minute and 26 for 1 minute.  Progress at 1 minute intervals back to 18 mph.  Ride at 16 to 20 mph for the remainder of your determined warm-up time. 

Approach the start line ready to go.

  If the day is hot you should warm-up with caution.  In fact, hot and humid days may require only a brief and in some cases no warm-up. 

Seek shade on hot days.  

Warm-up is to increase oxygen and blood flow to muscle so you are ready for exercise.  Warm-up in the heat moves the blood to the surface for cooling and away from the muscles. 

Varick Olson, PhD, PT, is a Level 2 U.S.A Cycling coach and long-time member of the Big Ring Flyers.

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Why You Should Be Doing Sub-Threshold Intervals Now

Race season is around the corner. Training is starting to get more exciting now that races are on the horizon. We want to push the pace and starting hitting interval work. Group rides at this time of year can turn into mini races.

Before you start really hammering in group rides and doing hard interval work at and above lactate threshold (LT–the power you can sustain for an hour time trial, is a close approximation of LT), you might consider spending some time training in the sub-threshold or what some call “sweet-spot” or “steady state” training zone.

 The sub-threshold zone is around 88-94% of your lactate threshold power. It where tempo training merges into the threshold power zone for training.

There are big benefits to training in this sub-threshold zone at this point right at the beginning of race season.   This is an excellent place to increase your power at lactate threshold without the huge training stress generated when we train at and above LT. 

Training in the sub-threshold zone will help keep you in the lead pack when the races really get rolling.  It will improve your time trialing ability and it will help prepare your body for the rigors of hard intervals at LT and above.  

But because you are training a bit below your LT power, your body will not produce as much lactate, which is so very taxing to the body, but there will be enough lactate that your body will have to work to clear and buffer it.  Sub-threshold work can be done outside on a fairly flat stretch of road on the trainer where it is easier to keep your power constant. 

workout:

Warm up thoroughly. Then gradually ramp up your LT power (Yes, you can use heart rate to do this workout, but power is better, since there are so many variables affecting heart rate. If you use HR, the sub-threshold zone should be more like 92-97% of LT heart rate.) And hold that power for 2-4 minutes. Then spin easy for 5-10 minutes. After that begin your first 10-15 minute sub-threshold effort.

Try to keep your wattage constant at 88-94% for your LT power (or HR) and do not be pressing the upper limit all the time. It is ok to bump up to 94-95% over a small hill or when exposed to a gust of wind. What is more important here is the amount of time you spend in the zone.

 Your cadence should be in the 85-95 range. After the first 10-15 minute effort, spin easy in the recovery zone for 12-15 minutes. Then do another 10-15 minute effort in the sub-threshold zone.

Do two of these workouts a week, gradually building up to 20 minutes or more in this zone at a time. Then move on to your harder intervals at or above LT power.

 As you progress, you can mix it up adding an additional 30 minutes tempo after two sub-threshold efforts or do the sub-threshold efforts at a higher cadence of 100-110) You can also try adding 10 seconds bursts where you spin up your power to 120% or more of your LT power. Then go back to the sub-threshold zone for 2-3 minutes before doing another 10 second burst.

Give these sub-threshold intervals a try and I think you will see why they are so popular with coaches and elite level athletes.

 

El Colyer

Looking for a coach for 2011? Contact El.

Colyer Coaching

USA Cycling Licensed Level 2 Coach

ecolyer@dbq.edu

 Full bio here: Colyer Coaching

 

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CALORIES – Do We Eat Too Many?

What are calories anyway?

 A calorie is a measure of energy. Specifically it is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg (1 liter/ 33oz.) of water 10 C. The Calorie (kilocalorie) is the measure of food energy.

For example, a Clif bar has 240 calories and contains the equivalent heat energy to increase the temperature of 240 liters of water 10 C. To use this energy we need to metabolize the Clif bar, which requires oxidation. The oxidation process results in the production of free radicals. This increases the potential for cellular damage (oxidative stress).

We are most likely familiar with the term free radical as a result of exercise. Any time an oxidative process occurs free radials are produced. Consequently the more calories we eat the more free radicals are produced. If the free radicals accumulate our cells under go oxidative stress and cellular damage results.

This is the basic concept which supports the notion of calorie restriction. Much has been published regarding the positive outcome of calorie restriction1,2,4,5,8,9,10. A review of the titles in these references points out the benefits of calorie restriction for the health of the arteries, heart, blood pressure and importantly for athletes mitochondria, the engines of the cells, and modulation of muscle loss associated with aging.

So how much calorie restriction is right? On the basis of current research the best diet to gain the benefits of caloric restriction is one low in saturated fats and high in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.

That is, eat a diet rich in nutrient dense foods. Your body sees a calorie. It does not ask “is this a calorie from a snicker bar or an apple?”

ALL calories are just calories and count toward your daily caloric requirement.

As endurance athletes we need to eat as many calories as we use, maintain a calorie balance of zero. This is the principle of calorie restriction for the endurance athlete. This will maintain our weight and provide the energy needed to perform well without creating oxidative stress from overeating.

 If we need to loose weight we will need a negative calorie balance, which is eating fewer calories than we use. This should only be done when we are not training hard.

We need to balance our calorie need to perform optimally. A net calorie balance of zero will prevent the symptoms of “over training” such as a feeling of tiredness and immune system stress. In this case the “over training” is over nutrition training by having a negative or positive calorie imbalance.

In a nut shell we need to “nutrition train” by counting calories. An integrated training program includes the integration of nutrition, recovery and physical activity. The only way to train for a TT is to measure the time. The only way to “nutrition train” is to measure by calorie counting.

Read food labels and get to know the serving size and calorie content.

Where to begin

How many calories provide me with a zero calorie balance? First, determine your resting metabolic rate (RMR). This is most accurately done by measuring heat production through direct or indirect (oxygen consumption) calorimetry. Either of these techniques requires sophisticated laboratory equipment and of course associated cost.

To eliminate the need for calorimetry a set of equations have been calculated which estimate RMR. The most reliable are the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations6. These equations were developed from calorimetry data of 498 normal and obese male and female subjects’ ages 19-78 years.

MEN: RMR=9.99Xweight in kg+6.25Xheight in cm – 4.92Xage+5

WOMEN: RMR=9.99Xweight in kg+6.25Xheight in cm – 4.92X age – 161

1 kg = 2.2 lb. 1 inch = 2.54 cm.

 

For example a 40 year old man weight 150 lb (150/2.2= 68kg) and height 5’ 10” (70 inches x 2.54 = 179cm) has a RMR of 9.99X68+6.25X179 – 4.92X40+5= 1606 calories. This RMR estimate is the number of calories required for 24 hours at rest.

Of course we don’t rest all day, at least most days, so how is the 24 hour caloric requirement estimated for an active cyclist? Start by determining your RMR per hour. In the example, 1606/24 = 68 calories per hour. If you sleep 8 hours and watch TV for 2 hours you use 680 calories (10×68).

To determine an estimate for the remaining 14 hours the following activity factors3 can be multiplied times the RMR per hour times the number of hours the activity is performed.

ACTIVITY FACTOR:

Very light: Seated and standing such as driving, lab work, writing, typing, cooking, playing cards. 1.5

Light: Walking on level surface 2-3.0mph, house cleaning, golf, bowling. 2.5

Moderate: Walking 3.5-4.0mph, gardening, baseball, volleyball. 5.0

Heavy: Walking with load uphill, aerobic dance, cross country skiing, cycling at 16 to 18mph. 7.0

To complete a 24 hour day caloric estimate let’s say this person did very light activities for 6 hours resulting in (1.5 X 68 X 6) 612 calories, light activities for 6 hours resulting in (2.5 X 68 X 6) 1020 calories and heavy activities for 2 hours (7.0 X 68 X 2) 952 calories. This results in 680 + 612 + 1020 + 952 = 2346 calories for this 24 hour period. This gives an estimate for a zero calorie balance (calorie restriction) based on the person’s energy needs.

 The calculation of your daily estimated calorie needs may seem “putsi”, but the only way to know if we are improving is to measure, whether it be by a power meter, heart rate monitor, stop watch or distance. Nutrition training is measured by counting calories and knowing the best sources to obtain your calories.

The forgoing equations to estimate RMR are for adults. For children, 6-11 and teens equations adjusted for race should be used. The above activity factors and cycling calories burned chart can be used after the RMR is determined.

Males: RMR= 0.037 X weight(kg) – 4.67 X 1/height2(cm) – 0.159 X race – 6.792

Females: RMR= 0.046 X weight(kg) – 4.492 X 1/height2(cm) – 0.151 X race + 5.841

Race factor: Black = 1, White =0

 

References for this article can be found here

Varick Olson, PhD, PT, is a level 2 U.S.A Cycling coach and long-time member of the Big Ring Flyers.

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Shedding Some Pounds

Thanksgiving through the New year celebration, those fun-filled (read way too much food and drink and way too little sleep) six weeks have left you a bit heavier than you want to be and more than a bit less motivated to do anything about it, haven’t they? 

So what is the big deal about carrying around an extra 10 (or 20 or !!) pounds during racing season?  

 It will MAR your performance.  

M = mass.  It takes more effort to get it moving down the road and especially up the hills. 

A = aerodynamics.  Yes, extra pounds means extra surface area and that reads less aero, especially deadly if you do time trials. 

R = rolling resistance.  Increase your weight and you increase your rolling resistence. 

All of the above translates into, “no that extra weight is NOT a good thing!”  You already knew that didn’t you.  So what are we going to do about it?  Here are three suggestions and a little primer on nutrition.

 1.) Do NOT give up even before you get started!  The fun is done and so is the damage.  This creates a double-edged motivation killer.   Race season is still several months away, so there is no immediate pay-off for getting with it.  And that scale just stares back at you with the naked truth of just how much you have to lose. 

Well the good news is that there IS still several months before race season and you CAN be a lot lighter than you are now.  BUT, you have got to get with it right away.   Do yourself a favor, contact another racer who needs to shed some pounds and agree to support and hold each other accountable to getting down to race weight, staring tomorrow!

2.) Do NOT try to lose it all in January!   Try to lose 1-2 pounds a week.  That is doable without putting your training and recovery into jeopardy because you are so nutritionally and caloric deficient.  

You need sufficient nutrition, including carbohydrates to fuel your reworks and your body’s recovery from those workouts.   So lose it slow, 1-2 pounds a week.  That means that if you stick with the program you CAN be 10-25 pounds lighter by mid-April.

3.) DO develop a plan to lose those extra pounds.  I have found that most bike racers do not plan their nutrition.   So here is a little primer on nutrition to give you some background information before you develop you plan.

During workouts we stress the body, over-load it, tear it down, cause it to over-reach what it can comfortably handle.  It you could look at your muscles under a microscope after a hard workout, it would look like a war-zone with evidence of cellular damage everywhere. 

 The same is true of many other of the body’s systems.  This is also why we are so much more susceptible to getting sick during the 6 hours after a hard workout or in the 3rd week of a mesocycle before a rest week.

It is during times of rest, utilizing the nutrients you ingest, that your body rebuilds what has been broken down during training, and rebuilds it all a bit stronger—what we call super-compensation—the crucial step in making gains in fitness. 

So the TRUTH of the matter is this: ALL YOUR GAINS IN FITNESS COME WHILE YOU ARE RESTING ON THE BASIS OF QUALITY NUTRITION and not during your workouts!   Athletes need to be as committed to excellence in nutrition as they are to excellence in training.

You have heard them say it: “think of food as quality fuel.”  There is a reason why virtually every book on training for racing has a chapter on nutrition.  It is REALLY important. 

Eat Often. Eat the Right Amount. Track Your Intake.

Eating every 3-4 hours provides your body with a constant stream of energy and nutrients.  You are also less likely to over-eat.  Try 3 meals and 3 snacks with a balance of carbs, protein and fats for each.   

Bicycle racing is an endurance sport where athletes burn a lot of energy (fats and carbs, primarily carbs when the intensity is high).  Nutrition should reflect this.  So we are talking about a diet of around 50-60% carbs, 20-25% protein, and 20-30% fat. 

Most experts on cycling nutrition suggest adjusting those percentages depending on what part of the training/racing season one is in.

Total calorie requirement varies greatly from person to person and from day to day, depending on the type and amount of exercise you do.  So you will need to experiment to figure out how many calories you need to take in.   To cut some weight, simply eat around 500-700 less calories than you burned for the day.

It is helpful to keep track of your calorie consumption, as well as your carb, protein and fats (macro-nutrient) intake.  It takes a little time at first to record what and how much you eat and track the calories and macro-nutrients it contains.  You will need a book the lists this information.  You can get one at any book store for less than $10.  After a week or two, you will remember the figures for a lot of foods.  After a month or so, it only takes a few minutes a day.

Macro-nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fats): Quality and Balance

It goes without saying, you want to get your carbs from quality sources: fruits, veggies, whole grains foods.  Theses foods are nutrient-dense.  You do not want empty calories from junk food. (Yes, it is ok to indulge once in a while.  I like hot fudge sunday after an “A” race.)  

There is no universal agreement on the amount of protein that endurance athletes need.  The general consensus in between 1.2 and 1.7 grams per kilo body weight per day. 

I also suggest that men eat lean red meat 1-2 times per week and women 2-3 times per week.  It is one of the best sources of useable (heme) iron.  The studies of endurance athletes reveal alarming trends regarding iron.  One study revealed that 17% of male and 45% of female high school cross-country runners were low on iron.  Another study found an astonishing 80% of women distance runners had low iron. Athletes most susceptible to iron deficiency (in order) are runners, women, endurance athletes, vegetarians, heavy sweaters and yup, you guessed it, dieters.

Good fats are an important part of nutrition.

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) are tremendously beneficial for you, and a cornerstone of the so-called “Mediterranean” diet.  Bicycling magazine recently ran an article citing a Harvard study in which those who included 20% of their diet coming from MUFAs lost more weight, especially around the waist, than those on low-fat diets. 

MUFAs digest slowly and thus provide a prolonged energy source especially helpful when you are trying to cut a few pounds.  They are part of 34343 rule, that I will explain below.

Micro-nutrients (Vitamins and Minerals): Variety and Supplementation.

Micro-nutrients, vitamins and minerals, do not contain energy, but they are crucial to releasing energy from the food you eat and they play key roles in various processes of growth and repair.  They have received a lot of attention recently.  Indeed, research (contrary to what some at USA Cycling think) has demonstrated that much of the food we eat today is not a nutritionally-dense as the food our grandparents ate. 

More and more health and nutrition experts are recommending supplementation to ensure that we get enough of the essential 13 vitamins and 22 minerals our bodies need to functional optimally, especially as athletes.  This needs to be done with care because some micro-nutrients are caustic, even deadly, when taken is excess.

Fruits and veggies contain copious amounts of micro-nutrients, as well as “phytochemicals” rich with antioxidant properties and fiber.  The USDA recommends 5 servings per day, but most nutrition experts say 4 servings of each, 4 veggies and 4 fruits.  Remember that a serving is the size of a baseball or a cup of raw fruit or veggies.  Aim for variety in color.  Different colors indicate different micro-nutrients.  So here is my 34343 rule for a healthy diet:

3—3 servings of MUFA a day, a handful (2 tablespoons) of nuts/seeds, 10 olives or MUFA rich oil, 1 tablespoon (canola, flaxseed, olive, etc.), and 1 ounce dark chocolate 70% cocoa

4—4 servings of veggies, some cooked, some raw (releases different micro-nutrients)

3—at least 3 different colors with your 4 veggies

4—4 servings of fruit

3—and at least 3 different colors with your 4 servings of fruit.

(A serving is roughly a small to medium piece of fruit or the a cup full or 3-4 ounces.)

 Since is it difficult to get all the micro-nutrients a day from the foods we eat, most elite cycling coaches and nutrition experts suggest supplementation when it comes to vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

But here is the rub, and here the folks at USA Cycling are correct, the dietary supplement industry is only very loosely regulated by the government and so the quality of what you are getting is often in question.  So I suggest sticking with only reputable companies. 

 A good multivitamin/mineral supplement, especially one that chelates the appropriate minerals (this makes them more absorbable or useable to our bodies) is what most of the experts recommend.  You might consider extra antioxidants, like vitamin C, especially during hard training.

So PLAN YOUR NUTRITION.   I plan what I am going to eat for the next week on Sundays and often pack all my lunches and snacks for the week at that time.  Then I am ready to rock despite the hassles, interruptions, and other things that “life” throws at me and disrupts my eating healthy.  If that is too organized for your taste, then find your own way to plan your nutrition.  

 I will see you at the starting line in April and I will be at race weight, so you better be there too.

Here are some suggestions for further reading:

Cordain/Friel, The Paleo Diet for Athletes: A Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance (I think this is the best book out there right now on the subject.)

Chris Carmichael, Food for Fitness: Eat Right to Train Right

The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Sports Nutrition (It is really an excellent book.)

El Colyer

Looking for a coach for 2011? Contact El.

Colyer Coaching

USA Cycling Licensed Level 2 Coach

ecolyer@dbq.edu

 Full bio here: Colyer Coaching

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Race to Live

ALL road races are on open roads, open to all traffic, unless stated by the race director at the race start!!!!  No exceptions!!!

This means that all traffic laws are applicable.  In Wisconsin, as in most states, the bicycle is a vehicle and each rider is responsible to obey the law. 

 The basic reason vehicle laws work is that each vehicle operator is predictable.  Each vehicle does not cross the center line.  Each vehicle stops at stop signs. 

 In the case of bicycles, only two riders abreast are allowed so motorized traffic is not delayed.  Turns are signaled.

It doesn’t sound like much of a road race would be possible.  Yet we have the opportunity to race because local authorities and volunteers make it possible.  They direct motorized traffic, provide road signs alerting drivers to “bike race in progress”, marshal corners, provide lead and follow vehicles and safe start and finish lines.

 We have a responsibility to race safely within this framework.  To do otherwise is to risk our lives, the lives of our friends and the possible elimination of open road racing!

Road racing safety is about tactics, tactics are about physical and mental skills.  You must race “savvy” to stay upright and finish. 

If you don’t finish you can’t win. 

Plan your race around this concept.  Find a place in the pack so you do not EVER need to cross the center line.  When you come to a right turn move as close to the center line as possible. Make your turn into YOUR lane. 

When you come to a left turn move as close as possible to the road edge.  Make your turn into YOUR lane. 

Practice these skills. 

Practice accelerating out of turns so that you can “catch” onto a wheel quickly.  Practice riding a straight line. 

In group rides learn how to be predictable, no quick moves. Train to be safe. If you don’t train it you can’t race it.

Safety requires excellent bike handling skills.  Place a water bottle on the road and practice picking it up.  Learn to do this equally well from the right and from the left.  Learn to make turns with minimal lean of your bike. 

 Keep your bike perpendicular to the road and first lean your body not your bike when changing positions in the pack.  The more your bike is perpendicular to the road the more control you will have.

Safety is your responsibility.  To be competitive you need to out think your opponent not just out pedal them. 

What are the primary goals in every race?

Finish is number 1. To place is number 2.

Cross the center line and you are disqualified or dead!!!

Varick Olson, PhD, PT, is a level 2 U.S.A Cycling coach and long-time member of the Big Ring Flyers.

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Off-Season Training Tips: the Two Biggies

 Ok. Bike racing season is over for many of us and nearly over for those die-hard cyclo-crossers (I never can get my mind around a race when it takes me longer to clean my bike than it did to do the race!). Now what?!? Sit and veg in front of the TV after dark (5pm in a couple of weeks)!?!?

Here are the two best things you can do to prepare for 2011 and the two biggest mistakes you can make in the off-season: stay aerobic fit and slim or get fat and slow!

Ya, that’s it in a nutshell.

But what can you do to stay aerobic fit and slim? Don’t eat junk! Stay away from anything processed, anything white, anything super high in carbs, like potatoes, pasta and especially chips. Eat a couple of 6oz servings of lean meat and all the fruits and veggies you want and watch the scale every day. Put on no more than 5 pounds between now and January 1.

On the aerobic endurance front, do not give up your aerobic endurance base as it will take you 6-8 weeks to rebuild it. Do a SMART ride once or twice a week.

S . . . Saturday (and/or Sunday)

M . . . Maintenance

A . . . Aerobic

R . . . Ride

T . . . Together

SMART rides are 2-3 hour rides (depending on your level of fitness) at an aerobic endurance pace – NO HAMMERHEADING!!!

SMART rides are NOT race-like training rides! They are aerobic endurance rides in a social setting. SMART rides are opportunities to maintain our aerobic endurance base together.

Do one or two SMART rides a week, plus a couple other different kinds of rides, and you will have a leg up on the competition come Spring.

El Colyer

Looking for a coach for 2011? Contact El.

Colyer Coaching

USA Cycling Licensed Level 2 Coach

ecolyer@dbq.edu

 Full bio here: Colyer Coaching