Workout Of The Day for Thursday, 11/12…
Howdy folks,
Well, we’re about to hit another one of those crazy weekends, with races both days all over the country and the pace of the races heating up as we creep ever closer to nationals.
All of this craziness weighs heavy on us as we plan out our training and roll on into the weekend, and that means we’re going to hit you with a couple of options for today’s workout.
So, first question:
When are you racing this weekend?
Saturday?
Sunday?
Both days?
Second question:
How are you feeling?
Tired?
Fresh?
Stale?
Freakin’ amped and ready to rip people’s legs off?
Go ahead and enjoy this video while you think about it…
(and yes, these guys were customers of mine back in the guitar shop days. Sweeet.)
So, uhm ok…. back to the workout…
Racing only on Sunday? Feeling Sprightly? You’re doing Form Sprints.
Here’s what this looks like:
Warm up well.
Find a long, flat section of road with little to no traffic.
Get a rolling start; you aren’t going fast, just gently spinning.
Stand up and sprint.
You’re going to sprint hard, but in a slightly smaller than comfortable gear.
Go until you are spun out, then…
sit down.
Accelerate again, seated, spinning the same gear selection even faster.
Go until you are totally spun out.
Sit up, and spin back down to a conversational pace.
That’s one rep.
You’re doing sets of 5.
3 sets is probably enough for most all ya’all.
2-5 minutes rest between sets.
Note: These are called Form Sprints for a reason; you’re doing them in a smaller gear than you would normally sprint in, and you are concentrating on your form. Pay attention to all the little things your body does in a sprint, and work to maximize your efficiency and control. Keep it smooth. Think fast, fluid, and supple with the pedal stroke.
Racing both days this weekend? Racing on Sunday only, but feeling a bit tuckered-out?
Cool.
No, really. That’s what you’re doing today. Chill out a little bit – go for a 1-2 hour moderate ride.
No hard efforts, no blasting for the town lines, just roll, baby.
You’re not doing a recovery ride, so you’re going to want to put some pressure on the pedals, but you’re never going balls-out either.
When you get home from this ride, you should feel like you could-have and maybe should-have gone harder. In fact, that’s pretty much what you want to feel the whole ride – “Gee… I should be going just a little bit harder than this…”
If you’re racing on Saturday only, you’re doing the same ride…
…but if – and only if – you’re feeling good, on the upswing of your fitness, and still building form… skew things more towards the 2 hour side of affairs.
Have fun!
M
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