The most common questions I receive from fellow cyclists are regarding my view on off-season conditioning. It is no secret that my perspective is a little out of the mainstream (Winning, Dec,/Jan, 1991) of conventional cycling wisdom. In short, I am convinced that most cyclists waste a lot of time in their training efforts and that much can be done to condense the training program and still maintain the desired effects.

This no nonsense approach to optimal training is based on a bottom-up evaluation of the physiological needs of a competitive cyclist and a consideration on modern periodized training theory. The essence of this approach is the 'weak link" theory of physical performance, which suggests that your ultimate performance will be limited by the weakest link in the chain of factors that contribute to this performance. The problem with weak links is that they usually don't show up in training. In fact, they tend to show up only at inopportune moments during important competitions. Unfortunately, the only way to improve a weak link is to systematically isolate and overload it on a regular basis in training. Obviously, if it cannot be evoked in training then it cannot get trained. Hence it tends to persists.

A better approach to eliminating weak links is to use an alternative form of training (sometimes called cross-training) to more effectively isolate, invoke. and otherwise overload the weak links. In cycling, the off-season is the perfect time to do this. So what are typical weak links that can be addressed in the off-season? Specifically, the cyclist needs to have adequate physical strength, anaerobic and aerobic power, and endurance. Strength is important for explosive efforts such as sprinting and accelerating. Anaerobic power is essential for mounting and sustaining (not to mention surviving) those painful attacks that are to typical of the sport of cycling. Aerobic power and endurance are obviously important because cycling is an endurance sport that requires a highly developed cardiovascular system.

The question is what is the best way to isolate and train these weak links. By far, the best way to build strength is through a program of resistance training. Strength training can vary from simple programs based on three sets of 10 repetitions performed three times per week, to more complicated programs based on repeating cycles of variable and repetitions. However, the bottom line is that load and working your muscles against a resistance will make them stronger. Therefore, almost any program of resistance training will tend to increase muscle strength. I personally recommend a three-per-week, 12-week program based on 10 or fewer repetitions performed in sets of three. The lower body exercise appropriate for the competitive cyclist include: leg press, leg curl, leg extension, hip extension, squat, balance squat, and toe raises. Appropriate upper body exercises include: bench press, lat pulls, triceps extension, biceps curl, military press, push-up’s, pull-ups, and dips. You can walk into any health spa these days and receive expert advice (for a fee, of course) on the proper technique for these exercises, A reasonable time for this phase of your training would be from November to January.

Three days in the weight room still leaves four other days in the week when you can still ride your bike, in-line skate, cross-country ski, or just run. Run? Should any serious cyclist ever consider running. My answer is, yes. Spending a couple of hours running each week for a couple of months out of the year is a very good way to improve all the connective tissue and muscles that allow you to walk and otherwise move around in our busy world. There is also evidence to suggest that the stress of weight bearing exercise may be necessary to ensure optimal bone health. So don't be afraid to shock your body for a few minutes each year; just don't get carried away. And remember, running will remind your body why it is you like to ride a bike.

OK, so you spend two or three months lifting weights and doing base aerobic maintenance activities like riding, running and in-line skating - then what? By now it is almost January and time to start thinking about the other weak link; anaerobic power. When most professional cyclists spend the month of January riding long, slow miles, you are actually way ahead of the game because you are already strong, thanks to your resistance training efforts. As a result, you are ready to begin an interval training program based on 60-second all-out efforts performed twice a week. A good way to do this is to use a magnetic or wind-load trainer. Warm up for 25 minutes; do 15 60-second all-out effort with 60 seconds of recovery in between; cool down for 15 minutes, and you're done. Simple! The other five days a week you can ride your bike, ski, lift weights or exercise any way your heart desires. This 'power" phase of your training, as I call it, should last about eight weeks, which will take you into March. The goal of the period is to build your capacity to endure those short intense 90 to 100 percent all-out efforts that regularly occur in cycling, Therefore, the emphasis of your training should be devoted to the simple interval efforts described above. The remainder of your training should be spread among your favorite activities. This is a good time of the year to get a few LSD rides, if you have the time. But again, the important part of your training is the two days of interval effort each week. By March the weather will usually be good enough to permit you to take longer and longer rides. The days are long enough to let you get out before or after work, or both. Because you have already built a strength base through weight training and have expanded your power capacity through interval training, you are ready to jump right into a normal road racing training program.

There are several of these to programs. I prefer a simple program that consists of two interval days, usually Tuesday and Thursday; a longish (two-plus hours) ride on Wednesday; easy days on Monday and Friday, and as much racing and riding as I can fit in on the weekends. The hour per week progression is regulated by hours of daylight and the weather. Typically, I ride about 12 hours per week in March, 14 hours per week in April, and 15-plus hours per week from may on. This training approach may be overly simple, but that is the beauty of it. It is actually derived from a period-based strength-power-endurance training program that is consistent with modern training theory, However, I also believe that another very important reason to follow a periodized program, like this one, is for your head. Doing the same old thing all year long can be a drag physically and mentally.  Switching sport during the winter can improve your outlook on the sport and on your life. So give it a try, and l'll see you next spring.