Crosssports's Weblog

Howdy folks,

Well, if the responses I got to yesterday’s workout are any indication, folks had a… good? time with the Half & Half yesterday.

Nice.

“Puddles of sweat,” as one reader wrote, conjures up images of this…

…but today you’re probably feeling more like this:

So, we’re going to focus on technique over strength today, and do our Wednesday Skills Work, special edition…

The One Thing…

Guess what?

We’re really going to focus today.

I want you to pick one thing that you’re really good at skills-wise.

Barriers, starts, bunny-hopping, foot-out turns, pedaling turns, whatever.

The one thing that you do better than your peers.

Identify that skill, and hold it in your mind for just a second.

Got it figured out?

OK.

Now think of the one thing you stink at.

The one thing that gives you fits, that always gets you dropped in the races.

Again, barriers, turns, starts… whatever.

Got that?

Ok.

Now…

– warm up for 10 minutes on the bike, then run for 5-10 minutes easy.

– Stretch out.

– 10-15 minutes drilling your best technical skill, whatever that is.*

You’re looking to transform a skill that you’re good at to one that’s an absolute killer, a race winner.

Good at barriers?

Stop being good, make ’em perfect.

Become so darn good that the opposition can’t ever let you come into a barrier section first.

Good at starts?

Get great at starts.

Work it ’till you know that you’re coming off the line with a 5 bike-length lead in your next race.

You get the idea, right?

Whatever skill you choose, sharpen the heck out of it until it’s an even better weapon than it already was.

– spin for 5 minutes.

– 10-15 minutes drilling your worst technical skill, whatever that is.*

You’re looking to transform a skill that’s a liability to one that, if not a strength, is at least no longer a weakness.

Stink at barriers?

Stop that now. Figure ’em out.

Become good enough that the opposition can’t ever assume they’re going to drop you in the barriers.

Terrible at starts?

Yeah. No more.

Work it ’till you know that you’re coming off the line right next to that guy that’s been dropping you all season.

You get the idea, right?

Whatever skill you choose, figure it the heck out. No more avoiding the painful reality of a liability.

– spin for 5 minutes.

 – immediately, spend another 5 minutes drilling your best skill again. Really nail it.

 – Recover for a few minutes, then Finish the night with two 5- 10 minute race-level  interval efforts on relatively easy terrain.

Include a feature that will force you to use both of the skills you worked on tonight.

Spin out when you’re done, and call it a night.

Have fun,

M

* Lots of info on here on ways to hone your skills, with specific drills & suggestions for the various skill elements. Best way to find ’em is to type “Wednesday” into the search box below the Facebook plugin on the right side of the page, and read through the posts that come up. Feel free to drop me a line if you can’t find a workout for the skill you want to work on…

~ by crosssports on October 17, 2012.

Posted in The Workout Of The Day