Originally Posted by
bigfred
Store refrigerated:-( I was hoping for fully preserved cellar storable product. You know? The kind that could be safely shipped to the dark of a New Zealand winter:-)
Just because I suggested, at some point, that you might be better served by a coach than asking a bunch of internet misfits does not preclude me from future questioning:-) With regard to "strength" and "energy systems": I don't disagree that a lot of cyclists would be most greatly advantaged by training their sustainable power. However, there is a time and place for "strength" training. There are natural surges in group rides, as well as the occassional hill, where having trained additional short term power is critical. And, having trained one's legs to be stronger frequently increases the output that they can sustain over longer periods. We all benefit from having both strength and endurance.
I ride with one individual who is a perfect example of someone who would benefit from some strength and speed work. He's a senior who rides around 350km/week, almost entirely in zones 2 and 3. He has incredible endurance and his cardiovascular fitness seems excellent (his heart rate plummets at stop lights or if the pace is decreased) and can ride at 30kph all day long. However, he has nothing to draw from during surges or short hills. Hills of 8 or 9 minutes or more he'll do just fine at his threshold. But, short'ish ones of less than 2 or 3 minutes, where others just increase their effort without really shifting down and he's out the back. The same if the pace picks up into the upper 30s or low 40s on the flats for even a few minutes. I'm not the only one who has mentioned to him that he would benefit from including just a few high intensity intervals into his normal riding or spend some of his gym time training leg strength. Meh, he's not unhappy with what he does, even if we have to listen to him whinge every time the pace gets a bit quick for him.
Anyhow, nicely done on the Cinnamon Roll = Massage play. What have you learned with the power meter so far?
Sorry Fred, you're own your own jam wise, I'm afraid.
See my previous response to [MENTION=140600]LAJ[/MENTION] re:strength training. I totally believe in interval training, I benefited from that greatly previously. I also 100% agree that if you don't push yourself to work hard, you'll always stay the same. The long hills we do are great opportunities to push yourself. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It depends on what I have on my agenda to accomplish that week, and someties how I feel. On yesterday's ride, for example, I could really just push it as much as possible because this is my taper week, I don't have anything hard coming up. So I could really go all out to stick with Mr Hillclimber as long as possible on the hills, eventually I'd drop off but I got a lot of good work in. Sort of like interval training. I think that's what the author of the power book is advocating as "strength training".
Im now thinking I should have let you menfolk in on the cinnamon roll trick. Now your wives will have more trouble managing you.
