OFF-SEASON TRAINING FOR THE CYCLIST

By Dan Carey, Phd., Univ. of St. Thomas

Like most cyclists, you are anxious to see the temperature rise and the winds subside so you can get outside on the bike. Maybe you have gained a few pounds over the winter because it is just too hard to burn calories sitting on your indoor trainer/stationary ergometer. You are also wondering how your fitness for cycling has changed. Maybe you have elected to do some cross-training in the winter and have done virtually no cycling.

The concept of specificity says that if you want to be “bike fit”, you better spend most of your time cycling. However, from a sport physiology perspective, there are 2 components of endurance fitness 1)central factors, including the heart and lungs, and 2)peripheral factors, or the specific muscles used in a given activity.

If you have maintained some training intensity over the winter, you have maintained your “central” fitness. The heart and lungs do not know where they are sending that oxygenated blood. They just know that they must pump blood(heart) and breathe air(lungs) if the muscle is to be supplied with adequate oxygen. An excellent supplementary activity for cycling is cross-country skiing. Cross country skiers are generally reported to have the greatest VO2 max(maximal oxygen consumption) of any endurance athlete. It has been one of the better winters in recent memory for this activity.

Running is another outdoor activity that can be used in the winter to maintain fitness. While many cyclists will say it is too cold to run outdoors, I contend that the only smart thing to be doing outside in cold weather is generating heat.

Other winter endurance activities are elliptical training and the treadmill. Research on the elliptical cross-trainer support its value in improving/maintaining endurance fitness and burning calories. Many consider walking on a treadmill as an inadequate stimulus for endurance fitness. Anyone who has set the speed at a brisk walk(4-4.5 mph) and put the incline at 10-15% will quickly realize the intensity of this activity. Studies which have examined which piece of aerobic equipment in the health club results in the expending of the most calories and produces the highest heart have shown the treadmill as the winner of this distinction.

Finally, the winter is a great time to improve your muscle strength and endurance. Research has supported the fact that a once- per- week weight training program is adequate to maintain muscle strength/endurance. What you develop in the winter can be maintained in the spring and summer relatively easily, especially when you want to spend most of your time on the bike.