Crosssports's Weblog

Ouch!

Wow… sorry this is going up so late,  folks; work went super late today. Life interferes!

Yesterday I threw a bunch of options at you, and, well… today is going to be pretty similar. What you do for a workout today pretty much derives from your plans for the rest of the weekend.

So, without further ado, The Workout Of The Day for today is

Go Your Own Way –

Are you racing tomorrow (Sunday)? If you are, today you’re doing…

Can Openers –

– Warm up for 1/2 hour or so.

– Follow with several short attacking efforts, IE 30 seconds at 80% of your max, or pretty damn hard.

– Back off and spin for 5 minutes.

– Follow with 10-15 minute effort at AT level, or CP30, or “I could talk to you if I had to, but I don’t want to” level.

– Spin for several minutes.

– Follow with 5-6 full gas sprint efforts on a straight section of paved road, level or slightly uphill.

Do half of these from a near standstill, and for 1/2 of them, get going at a pretty good clip before you start the sprint.

… spin out the legs, go home, and get ready for the race.

Not racing tomorrow? Have some free time on your hands? Sweet! Have some fun today, and go for a…

Long Road or Mountain Bike Ride –

Look, I know I always say you don’t ever need to ride more than about two hours at a stretch to get ready for Cyclocross, but note the emphasis on the word need.

Sometimes it’s just great to get out and get some miles in, and live on your bike for a day.

Damnit, it’s the summer, and if the weather in your area is anything like it is here, you owe it to yourself to get out and spend the better part of the day on your bike. It doesn’t matter if its on the road, on your cross bike, or hittin’ the trails on your mountain bike, get out there and ride a bucket full of miles, and have some fun while the fun is easy to get.

If you can’t do it today, do it tomorrow.

If you have free time both days, get another long, fun ride in tomorrow, and tell yourself you’re doing it in loving trust for some poor schmuck who is stuck behind a desk on this glorious weekend.

If you need something a little bit more concrete, plan-wise, how about this; Ride 3, 4, or 5 plus hours. Push the pace when you can, try to extend your comfort zone both fitness-wise and skill-wise.

Have more fun than you can stand, and get mentally psyched for the hard work you will be putting in the rest of the summer, work that will make these fun days even more fun…

G’night,

M

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Howdy folks!

I hope the workout went well for you yesterday, and if it was your first day of running this season… I’m guessing you’re pretty darn sore today. If you are, that makes today’s workout a no-brainer.

Take it easy.

For you folks, today’s workout is…

Easy Rider –

Hop on your bike. Spin around a flat, easy circuit for an hour or two.

No sharp or hard efforts, just take it slow and easy.

Enjoy the day.

Stop to smell the flowers and stretch at some point during the ride, maybe about 1/2 way through.

Have fun!

If you are still finishing off the road season, and you have a race on Saturday, your workout today is…

Can Openers –

Here’s the drill:

– Warm up for 1/2 hour or so.

– Follow with several short attacking efforts, IE 30 seconds at 80% of your max, or pretty damn hard.

– Back off and spin for 5 minutes.

– Follow with 10-15 minute effort at AT level, or CP30, or “I could talk to you if I had to, but I don’t want to” level.

– Spin for several minutes.

– Follow with 5-6 full gas sprint efforts on a straight section of paved road, level or slightly uphill.

Do half of these from a near standstill, and for 1/2 of them, get going at a pretty good clip before you start the sprint.

… spin out the legs, go home, and get ready for the race.

If you aren’t racing on Saturday, but you are racing on Sunday, do the Easy Rider today, and the Can Openers tomorrow.

Not racing at all this weekend? Didn’t do the running yesterday?

Well, tomorrow I’m going to have you do something long-ish and pretty moderate, so maybe rewind things a bit and do Tuesday’s workout,

The Classic 2×20 –

https://crosssports.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/the-cyclocross-workout-of-the-day-for-7-26-10-testing-testing/

I think that’s just about something for everyone, so – enjoy.

More fun coming this weekend. Enjoy your Friday!

M

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Howdy folks,

I hope the super duper basic skills workout from yesterday went well, and that it made sense after you got into it… I hope? If you’ve got any questions, drop me a line…

Today, we’re going to do some (gulp!) running…

So, a few words about running for cyclocross before we get going…

First of all, don’t get yourself all twisted up with this running thing. Cyclocross is a Cycling event, not a running race. There is absolutely no reason to train for ‘cross by doing long runs!

Even if you’re racing a course like Seattle’s Steilacoom, with it’s legendary run up, you still spend a very small amount of each race running. If I remember correctly, the total distance of all the running in the Pro race at Steilacoom last year was something in the neighborhood of 1/3 of a mile.

1/3 of a mile! Total! That’s it!

OK, granted – you’re running pretty damn hard for that short distance, but still… tell me again why you think you need to do 5k runs in practice?

I like to run, and I like to run pretty long distances. I do it for fun. I don’t do it during the cross season. Any running I do in-season is short, sharp, and focused on speed. Some of the athletes I coach don’t do any running at all during the season, and it hasn’t stopped them from winning new jerseys in December…

If you’re a runner by inclination and disposition, and you really enjoy those endurance runs… well, get them out of your system now.

Capisce?

Ok, on with the workout… today we are Stairing At The Sun

– First, figure out where you can do the workout. We’re going to be running stairs today, so you need some stairs…

…or a small hill, or a grassy knoll – something you can run up. Stairs are best, but whatever you can come up with will work.

You don’t need NFL stadium stairs or anything crazy like that for this workout. Look for something that’s long enough to give you 10 seconds of running at a full sprint; That’ll be plenty long enough. We’re doing speed work, here. Short, sharp efforts.

On with the workout.

– get on your bike (huh?!) and warm up for 15 minutes or so.

(we’re going to warm up for any running efforts we do, all season, with some time on the bike. )

– Mosey on over to your stairs/knoll/whatever, and get set. Stretch, have a sip of water, turn up the volume on your Ipod.

– Jog up the stairs. Walk down.

Get a sense for the spacing and “feel” of the stairs. You’re going to be flying up these things in a full-on lactic acid bath shortly, so you want to get comfortable with the terrain…

So you don’t have any… problems…

– Repeat x5

– Sprint! up stairs, fast, using whatever stride is most comfortable. Walk down.

– Repeat x5

Rest for 1 minute, walking slowly up and down stairs.

– Sprint up stairs, this time using quick, tiny strides, 1 stairstep at a time. Walk down.

– Repeat x5

Rest again, same as before.

– Sprint up stairs, this time using long strides, several stairsteps at a time. Walk down.

– Repeat x 5

Rest again.

– Sprint up stairs, combining the previous two exercises – 1st time up, long strides; next time up, short strides, etc. Walk down.

Rest again, 2-5 minutes.

– Repeat entire damn thing until you just can’t do it anymore, or you are going so slowly it’s ridiculous.

Get back on bike, spin out your legs, go home.

Notes –

If you can, go really damn hard. If you do this right, it’s a brutal workout.

Don’t go that hard if it’s your first (or nearly first) time running this season. Keep it under control. You want to build up to the point where you are going up the stairs in a dead sprint, and are completely gassed at the end of each set.

We’re going to do this exercise – or a variation of it – every week for a while, so be patient. You will get better at it, and I will throw in some variations that will keep it fun and challenging, including some agility and lateral stability drills. Stay tuned!

M

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Howdy folks,

Hopefully ya’all enjoyed yesterday’s efforts, and if ‘ya did ’em right, you’re probably a little bit tired today…

Perfect.

Today we’re going to dust off the Cross bike, and make complete idiots out of ourselves trying to remember some of the technical skills we had so wired last season.

Yeah, I know… ouch…

Here’s the program:

– Warm up on the cross bike.

– Stop and stretch for a while, paying particular attention to all those muscles you use in ‘cross but don’t even send signals to the rest of the year.

– Start with some suuuuper basic dismount skills…

At a slow speed, unclip your right leg,  swing it back over the saddle, and down behind the leg that is still clipped in.

– Don’t dismount, just coast with the leg hanging behind you.

– Swing the leg back over the saddle, clip back in, pedal a few strokes, and repeat.

– Repeat the whole cycle a dozen times or so, at varying speeds. Work on your balance and control coasting with one leg clipped in.

Next, repeat the last sequence, but rather than swinging the leg back over the saddle, dismount the bike. Think about what you are doing, and how you are doing this super basic skill!

– here’s the secret… Don’t step down to the ground!

– From your coasting position, simply unclip your left foot, and drop to the ground. No step, just drop. Make sense?

– Repeat this a lot, until you’ve got it wired.

OK, now that you’re getting the hang of getting off the bike, time to get back on… with style.

– From a dead stop standstill, take 3 steps (I’m assuming you are re-mounting from the left side of the bike, btw…)

Left foot steps.

Right foot steps.

Left foot steps again, and as you plant your left foot, drive forward off of it, swinging your right leg over the saddle.

DO NOT JUMP, HOP, SKIP, OR OTHERWISE LAUNCH YOURSELF INTO THE AIR!!

What you are trying to do is very, very slowly step over the saddle.

You aren’t landing on the saddle, you’re sliiiiding over, and on to it.

Try not to focus on the saddle, rather think about the pedal on the far side of the bike, and try to step on to (and into) it as you walk over the bike.

Repeat a lot. Super slowly. Walking pace is too fast. Get this so wired that you can do it in your sleep.

Combine the last two excercises. Repeat until bored.

Stop and spin around for a few minutes.

Now, you’re going to repeat the dismount/remount sequence we just did, starting slow and gradually getting faster.

Stop when you bobble, and immediately do 5 of the sequence excruciatingly slowly.

Repeat.

Spin out your legs, stretch, and go home.

More hard stuff tomorrow, and more advanced skills next week…

G’night,

M

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Triple Jump pic from –

http://www.coachr.org/approach_speed_and_performance_in_the_horizontal_jumps.htm .

Cool site!

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Howdy folks,

Welcome back, and I hope you’re ready to go kinda/sorta hard today!

Ok, not kinda/sorta, more like authentically hard. We’re jumping right in at the deep end!

Before we get started, please read this:

https://crosssports.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/cross-workout-of-the-day/

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No, seriously, read it…

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OK? Make sense?

Great. Here we go…

We’re going to start things out with the first Classic 2×20 of the season, and here’s the description of the workout, lazily cribbed from a post last year:

The 2×20 is one of the primary building blocks of your fitness, and is a great default workout. Short on time? Not sure what to do? Do one of these.

So, what the heck is it?

Pretty simply, the 2×20 looks like this:

– Warm up.

– Go as hard as you can for 20 minutes.

– Recover for 2 minutes.

– Go again for another 20 minutes.

That’s the basic version. Success on this is,  however,  all in the details.

The idea here is to go as hard as you can for the duration of both intervals without being forced to go easier at the end of the second interval.  If you run out of gas before you finish the second interval, you went to hard. If your vision isn’t blurry at the end of the second interval, you went too easy.

If you’re doing this with a powermeter, you want your wattage output to be as close to constant as possible. We’re talking 10 watt variance at the most. Keep it steady.

These take practice to do well, and the better you get, the harder they get. This is another workout that works great on the trainer, and that’s how I do ‘em, which is a good thing… because I always wind up flat on my back on the floor trying not to puke after the 2nd interval.

I’m really not kidding about the seeing spots thing. If you can learn to push through your limits when you do these, you will get better and you will get better fast.

(…but, yeah, it will hurt.)

(…a lot.)

(…but, you know, the good kind of hurt…)

That’s the workout, and I’m sure you can’t wait to run right out and get going on it, but here are some thoughts before you leave…

– In the Seattle area, where I live, Tuesday nights are a local weekday circuit race, and that’s what I’m doing tonight. Take advantage of local racing when you have it, while you have it, there probably aren’t all that many road racing opportunities available as the season winds down.

– The 2×20 isn’t just a staple workout, it also doubles as a test session, a regular, oft-repeated metric of your fitness. Keep track of your performance in this, and all of the 2×20’s you do!

It doesn’t matter how you do it – wattage, heart rate, what gear you’re pushing on the trainer – just figure out some way of measuring your performance during the workout, and write it down.

Every time.

We will be referring to these metrics throughout the season, and your level of output in the 2×20 will form the basis for measuring your output in most of the workouts we do this season.

That’s why we’re starting with it as our first workout of the season 🙂

Have fun!

M

Image, and lots of info on swimming pools, at: http://home.howstuffworks.com/swimming-pool.htm/printable

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Howdy folks,

Well, I’m back… for real, this time. Promise. I will fill you in on whats been going on (if you care!) in the days following, but today is a start to your week, and to the workouts. We’re going to start with…

Monday Rest Day!

You probably rode pretty hard this weekend, if the weather was anywhere near as nice near you as it was in Seattle, so take it easy today. Spin for an hour or so max. Get a massage. Do some light core work, with a focus on stability exercises (more to come on this topic in the near future.) Relax.

I’m going to have you work pretty hard tomorrow, so seriously… take it easy today.

M

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Howdy folks!

I’m back!

Sorry for disappearing. It’s been a crazy start to 2010 for me, and one of the crazy-making elements was the premature death of my computer, which happened to coincide with a record slowdown in business at the bike shop.

No $ = no computer.

I’ve got one now, though, so I will be working my way back to the output level that drew (hah!) you here during cyclocross season. Smiley face.

Here’s what I’m working on, got on tap,  coming soon, etc:

– a review of the Fisher Cronus road bike.

Borrowed one from the rep, rode it for a week, took some pictures.

– training through and treating injury.

My back is  jacked again, my shoulders are shot, I had to drain a bunch of fluid out of my ear this morning, and yet I’m still trying to train. How the hell does this work? Does it work?

– Weight training and off the bike excercise.

What, when, where, and why. What has (and hasn’t) worked for me.

– Suggestions?

What would you like to read about? Drop me a comment here, or email me at crosssports@gmail.com

More soon!

M

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Howdy folks.

Thanks for following along, and I hope you had a great ‘Cross season.

I’m going to be writing a fair bit in the near future about the transition to the upcoming season, weight training, cross training – a whole myriad of topics.

If there is anything you would like me to write about, please drop me a line and I will do my best to accommodate.

Right now, the biggest question I seem to be getting is “what should I do now?”

The answer is pretty simple.

Not a damn thing.

Take a minimum of a week off.

If you raced an entire road or mountain bike season, and then a full cyclocross season, take more than that.

What I usually recommend for folks crazy enough to have done the full-meal deal is that they take the rest of the month off the bike.

Mark January first on your calendar.

That’s the next time you should touch your bike.

That doesn’t mean you should sit on the couch and eat ice cream for the rest of the year.

Go skiing. Play some football. Go hiking.

Take a full week to blow off  steam, relax, and eat junk. Have a few beers.

Next week we start cross-training.

More on that soon…

Have  fun!

M

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“Matt, are you going to propose a transition plan for road season prep? Been off the bike since Sunday and worried about getting too much rest, but also recognize the need to rest the mind…would also like to know your thoughts on weight training. Any insight would be much appreciated!”

– Brian

I have received this question from several people now, and due entirely to my slavish devotion to you,  the answer is “yes.”

Coming soon.

I’m working on it…

M

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Howdy folks,

Phew… just a couple of days to go…

If you’re following the plan for the week, you did a little bit of intensity yesterday. Hopefully you kept it under control, and you’re feeling good today.

If you overdid it, or you feel spent, take it easy today – go for a 1 hour Moderate Ride.

If you’re feeling pretty good, the workout for today – and again, we’re assuming a race on Saturday- is The Slow Roast –

https://crosssports.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/workout-of-the-day-for-thursday-108/

It sounds crazy, but it works. Give it a try.

If you’ve been following the workouts all season, you already know whether this works for you… if it doesn’t/hasn’t check back through your training logs for the season, and see what you did mid-week the week of your best races.

Do that today instead.

Have fun,

M

The plan for the off season is to do some follow up posts to the C.W.O.T.D., and try to explain some of the science/theory underpinning the workouts we have done this season. You can be sure The Slow Roast will show up when I get around to doing that!

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