splattingly

Hi Guys,

I'm new to this forum and just want a bit of advice to get my training going in the right direction. My 'fitness history' has largely stemmed from rowing at University, but after completing my degree I have decided to focus my attention towards cycling. The recent track cyling in the Olympics has also given me incentive to begin a more intense training schedule.

I was wondering if anyone had any know-how as to what kind of training these guys do, e.g. Chris Hoy. I've been training with weights for 3 years now and developed some good muscle size and I just feel I could transfer this explosive strength to this type of cycling. Is a lot of the work done in the weights room for this short distance of cycing? I heard that some of these cyclists can squat over 200KG! I'm apologise if I appear rather naive on this topic, but any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Chris M

RiPHRaPH

sprinting, or top-end speed is very elusive. yes, weight training will greatly increase your chances of gaining top speed. but you'll need to do speed intervals on the bike tom enhance this new power. sprinting can be as much a function of lung & mental play as muscle fiber recruitment. intervals that take you from 24mph to 28-29mph quickly is a great way to use the muscle you made in the gym.
squats has you use quick bursts of power, as does leg presses, but the constant power needed for an extended sprint needs bike time. unfortunately, this isn't something you can do more than twice a week, and that's if you are careful about not overtraining during your other rides.

this is just what my experience is. nothing replaces the time put in on the bike. i find that weight work lays a good foundation, but i need the cadence and power of turning cranks to perfect this need for speed. and the little nuances that you'll need takes time to hone.

Dane

I agree, nothing can replace time spent on the bike...I'm not a "sprint cyclist", but I have been cycling for a while and know what it takes. Pedaling effectively and efficiently is actually very neuromuscularly oriented (muscle memory)...this means using clipless pedals and applying torque to the cranks at every crank position...pushing down on the front of the stroke, pulling backwards on the bottom of the stroke, and pulling up on the back of the stroke ("spinning" the pedals as opposed to "mashing" the pedals). This takes some time and practice. If you could do some bike resistance training (sprinting uphill, adding weight to the bike and accelerating, biking with a drag chute...just a few ideas) as opposed to simply weight training you could improve muscle strength AND muscle memory.

Also keep in mind that you are concerned with power output...not simply brute force.

Power = Force X Velocity...or Torque X Rotational Speed

That means not only will you need to develop your muscle memory for spinning the pedals, but you will also need to spin a high cadence for a high power output. A skinny guy spinning at a high cadence with good form can make more power than a big guy who squats twice his body weight and mashes the pedals at low speed.

And think of Newtons 2nd Law (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction)...if you apply a downward force to the pedals greater than your own body weight, you will lift yourself upwards...there is a limit to how much force you can apply to the pedals (in other words, squating a million pounds can become an overkill at a certain point)...another reason why its important to spin instead of mashing the pedals.

Even though it is "sprint cycling", cardio fitness is still going to be key, a strong heart is just as important, if not more important, than strong legs. Accelerating to high speeds is a sustained effort, and you need to be able to send oxygen to your muscles. Since you will be focusing on fast twitch muscle fibers, sprint repeats should be good for developing both fast twitch fibers and cardio strength...and you should also add some long steady rides to build up your aerobic capacity.

I'm not saying that I'm "anti-weight training"...I'm just saying that its no substitute for the real thing.

Dane

Oh...and another thing to consider about top speed being elusive. Air resistance increases with the square of velocity...in other words you will face 4 times the air resistance at twice the speed.

Then take into account that power = force x velocity

Force is proportional to velocity squared

power = (velocity^2) x velocity...and that means...

power = velocity^3

If you want to double your speed cutting through the air, you need to put out 8 times as much power (2^3)...and thats for moving at a "constant speed", you need to put out even more power to accelerate. Just something to think about as you strain against air resistance above 25 mph...

Ric Stern

research conducted on elite endurance cyclists and track sprint cyclists using force instrumented pedals shows that the above is not the case: in endurance cyclists -- better trained elite cyclists push down more and pull up less (i.e., "mashing") than less trained cyclists who push down less and pull up more (i.e., "spinning") even though the less trained cyclists (who pull up more) produce propulsive forces in the recovery phase, the 'stompers' go faster.

when sprinting, or pedalling at high cadence the velocity of the cranks is such that the muscles in your leg have to "fire" at a high rate, which is above the speed of contraction of type i fibres. This means that at high cadences your leg has to start "firing" the muscles to push down well before the 12 o'clock position, consequently, sprinters are actually the biggest "mashers" around.

this isn't necessarily true -- if you can't generate big torque on the downward stroke, then even if you can pedal fast you may not generate that high a power output.


during the kilo TT for e.g., ~ 40% of the energy is derived aerobically, and thus kilo (and 500-metre) riders do need to do some volume work. They also need to do lots of weight work as well, and lots of sprint bike work too. these sprint distances are one area where weights are important.

ric