2010 March | Stronger Cyclist

The how and why of plyometrics

posted on March 16th, 2010 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Strength Training by Stephen

This month is plyometric re-introduction for my clients. I say re-introduction b/c my regular clients have done them before, however they have not done them for some time now. The reason for this is in the overall picture of the training plan, plyometrics are like the tip of the pyramid. My clients have been doing isometric and strength training all through the winter, and now that we are getting into the Spring events it is the perfect time for the plyometric workouts that will create the needed power for these events.

But, before we get into plyometrics let me explain some things.

For a strength training plan for a cyclist – just like Long Slow Distance is the base, isometric and strength building exercises are at the foundation of the pyramid. These are the base upon which strength is built. Then finally topped off with plyometrics. Caution should be used because rips can possibly occur when overworked or worked too soon. A solid base of 4-8 weeks of Isometric and strength training should be done before attempting any plyometrics. Learn the moves carefully. Plyometric moves range from simple side-to-side ankle hops to more advanced depth jumps.

Plyometric movements, are movements in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence. Plyometrics are used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions, providing explosiveness for a variety of sport-specific activities.

Plyometrics occur anytime that the body is landing, stopping, and immediately taking off again. However, just like an airplane, the landing is the most important part of the movement. Many people do not land properly when doing box jumps and plyometrics. Injuries that may occur with landing to hard are: jammed knees, torn ACL’s, and muscle tears.

Plyometric exercises involve an increased risk of injury due to the large forces generated during training and performance, and should only be performed by well-conditioned individuals who are under supervision. Good levels of physical strength, proprioception (the bodies awareness of where it is) should be achieved before commencement of plyometric training. Proprioception aids the important components of balance, coordination and agility.

The landings should ideally be soft, but the shock of the landing should be absorbed through several joints of the body. So, with jumps, the leg muscles that control the ankle, knee, and hips all act as shock absorbers for the body to smooth out and soften the landing.

Plyometric exercises use explosive movements to develop muscular power. The ability to convert strength to speed in a very short time allows for athletic movements beyond what raw strength will allow. If the muscle is lengthened while loaded just prior to the contraction, it will produce greater force through the storage of elastic energy. This effect requires that the transition time between eccentric contraction and concentric contraction be very short.

Caution should be used because rips can possibly occur when overworked or worked too soon. A solid base of 4-8 weeks of strength training should be done before attempting plyometrics. Basic plyometrics should be introduced about a month before a competitive season, and continued for 4 weeks, along with strength training maintenance. After a good warm-up, clients will do 3 rounds of varied plyometric exercises, then 3 rounds of strength training exercises. So we do plyometrics while the client is still fresh, then work on strength and stability after.

However, when done properly the effects of plyometrics are great explosive power! Tim has been doing plyometrics for about a month now and just won the Pro1,2 Perry-Roubaix GA cup Road Race (a course that goes over packed dirt as well as pavement) March 2010 – Awesome job Tim!!!

What mistake do you notice in this exercise?

Untitled from Stephen Carhart

This was Tim’s first attempt in ‘lunge jumps’, so take it easy on him pls!

Train slow, move slow, Train Fast and Move with Power

posted on March 10th, 2010 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Reviews, Ride Reports, Strength Training by Stephen

Train slow, move slow – train fast, and move with Power!
This doesn’t just mean that if you train fast you will have power……

I went out for a spin on a Friday before some Gold Sprints at Peachtree Bikes – but I realized I would waste my time attempting to sprint that night. My legs didn’t have the turn-over required to spin a gear that fast to do well in the sprints. I was having to put too much effort into attempting to spin much above 100 rpm’s…. but it is to be expected, especially when you consider where I am in the training plan.

Although this is disappointing, it is not unexpected, I have been doing a full cold, wet, snow/ice winter of gym workouts this year. Not a lot of heavy lifting, but more true strength building exercises, including weighted lunges & single leg squats. To complement the work in the gym, I have been doing hill repeats at least once a week. When I’m doing the hill climbing my RPM’s are around 70, and the focus is on leg strength – not cadence or Heart Rate. So currently my legs are more used to slowly grinding their way uphill, not turning over the pedals for the county line sprints. So, to suddenly ask my legs to turn over 150 RPM’s for 60 seconds is not suddenly going to be possible!

The good thing about a training plan is things are in phases and I know that the leg turnover comes around much faster than the strength building. Although it has taken most of the winter to build the strength of doing 1 leg squats, it will only be a matter of several weeks to get the legs to increase their turnover again.

As the strength from climbing is combined with the efficient pedal turnover the end result will be power to the pedals. And now that we are into the plyometric phase of the training regime, this is already taking place.

As disappointing as this is b/c I’m not racing in a great event, I know that as I add more speed to my training that the form and turnover of my legs will be a greater reward for the small sacrifice. This is truly where having a plan for the season allows small things like this much more understandable when you are able to look at the big picture and remember the seasons goals, not just what sounds fun this week.

When you are training for a big goal or event sometimes the mind and body respond in funny ways. Some weeks are very challenging physically and sometimes they become challenging mentally. I always let my clients know ahead of time that this is part of the process of becoming stronger. I can even tell them which week in their training plan it will happen & why it will be better the following week.

I find that 1 of the best things about accepting these thoughts as part of the process is although they still pop-up, you don’t dwell on them. Although this does not prevent these self-defeating thoughts from entering the mind, it does help you accept them and push them aside, understanding that it is expected and only temporary. And that just around the corner from this is growth and Strength!

How to take a bike through a doorway

posted on March 4th, 2010 in Cycling, Cycling Tips by Stephen

I see it all the time at many different places – many people are challenged by how to get a bike through a door-way and/or up an elevator. I used to see how awkwardly people would wheel their bikes in and out of the bike shop. Then I saw it at the races that we would go to – in and out of hotels, up and down elevators. The first thing many people think of just after a crash is how is their bike, so why would you want to have it get scraped just going through a hydraulic door? Do you push the bike through, then push the door a 2nd time? There is a better way, and I will show you how to do it with just 1 hand.

The surprising thing is just how easy it actually is to get you and your bike through a doorway – even a hydraulic door. I used to have the same difficulty of wheeling a bike in and out of hotel doorways with bags or luggage – when it finally clicked was when I had to get me, a duffel bag, & my bike through a door and into an elevator, allowing room for other team mates and guests as well.

What I have found has got to be the easiest way to get through a doorway with 1 hand. Just stand on the left side of the bicycle (which is the non-drive train side) and grab the bicycle by the stem with the right hand. Now raise up the front wheel so that the bicycle is vertically up and down. It may take you a couple times to get used to balancing the bike and keeping it upright, but it gets easy. Now that you have control with just the right hand, you will be able to walk up to the door and get the front wheel against the left hand side of the door, now give the door a gentle, but firm push. Now that the door has swung open, get you and the bike quickly through before it closes, which should be much easier because the bike is going through the door as you are – upright.

Here is a quick video which shows you how I do it. As always, Apollo is right on my heels when a bike is involved!