Elite Cycling Fitness Rules For Training and Rest

Top Ten Training Tips

These Rules For Training and Rest apply for every keen sportsman or woman, whether you are a seasoned athlete, bike rider or a beginner, whether you are a top triathlete or new to cycling and contemplating some testing sportives. We have learned our training methods through many hours and days riding with some of the world's top riders. Here is a brief summary of some of the points that we feel really matter. It's important to keep a training and eating diary too, for every day's activity and calorie consumption. But just track your weight once each week. We suggest Monday mornings, because if you feel you are behind on your weight-loss goals, then you can normally put in a really strong Sunday training session and then be really careful with Sunday lunch and tea-time food quantity and calories!



Rest every third day

The more that you train or race, then the more important this rule is. Do not overtrain. It can set your form and fitness back for weeks. Only the pros can ride every day at full tempo. But they have to, in order to be conditioned for three week stage racing. And the pros can often grab 14 hours of sleep some days, to support the body's recovery process. Your body will need to recover from training. In fact the less fit that you are, then the more this rule should apply. Getting on the bike again after a rest day will feel fantastic!


Do not train when you feel hungry or unwell

Either will drain you and you will do your body more harm than good. After eating good carbs more than one hour before, you can train for 90 minutes without re-fuelling your muscles with some more glycogen. Never feel that it is making you stronger by 'running on empty'. You can deplete muscle strength and it ruins your body's fat burning capabilities. If you ever feel at all unwell, pushing your heart rate can be extremely dangerous. So just treat it as a rest day. Never feel guilty about interrupting any training regime if you feel any symptoms of flu, nausea, or any other illness. And if you are on any painkillers, do not train until 24 hours after a course is completed. Again, just treat it as rest and then feel refreshed and ready when you can get back out on your bike.



Train alternate days for leg rides, tempo and intervals

Variety really is the spice of elite cycling or athletic life! Unless you have the free time to train twice a day (and then get the requisite rest), try to get your body used to race conditions. So, for an average sportive or club rider, two example week's' cycling training would be:

Week One

Monday.       Rest
Tuesday.       60km tempo
Wednesday.   One-hour intervals
Thursday.     Rest
Friday.         80 km easy
Saturday.       80 km tempo
Sunday.         Rest

Week Two

Monday.       One hour intervals
Tuesday.       100km easy
Wednesday.   Rest
Thursday.       60km tempo
Friday.         One-hour intervals
Saturday.       Rest
Sunday.         120km easy

For an average standard racing cyclist during the season, we recommend as much racing as possible to achieve real leg speed. It beats lonely painful intervals every time, when you are pumped up with adrenaline during competition. However an elite rider or athlete will need easy days too, training one day for 4-6 hours midweek, between weekend races. Check with your club coach or more senior riders in your own training groups. Just remember to follow the rule to rest. Enjoy that day off and you will relish the next day on the bike even more! We hope these Elite Fitness Training Tips have given you some insights on achieving more through your training. See:
http://www.elitecyclingfitness.com