The Workout Of The Day for Saturday, 11.17.12. “Rockin’ Homer”

•November 16, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

It’s Saturday, and many of you are out racing today. In my neck of the woods, it looks like the weather is going to be full-on ca-razy bad; windy, cold rainy… blech.

Warm-ups for the race will be on the trainer. Just enough time on the practice laps to get the flow, the feel, and the lines, and then? Under the tent & onto the trainer to finish warming up.

Those of you that aren’t but are racing on Sunday?

Well, you need to do Openers today. When it’s really crappy out, I do those on the trainer as well.

Why risk getting cold, wet, and maybe sick the day before a race?

So, hey… how about a trainer-specific workout  that does double-duty as a warm-up routine, or as an opener?

How about doing…

The R.S.W.O. – 

– Get on trainer. Spin for about 5 minutes.

– Shift into big ring/largest cog combination.

– Ride 30 seconds in this gear, then shift up one cog.

– Ride 30 seconds in this gear, then shift up one cog.

– Repeat until you hit the hardest gear you’ve got, or can handle.

– Ride 30 seconds in that gear, and then shift all the way back down to the Big/big combo.

– Ride 30 seconds in that gear, then immediately shift to hardest gear you can handle.

– Full gas sprint, out of the saddle, for 30 seconds.

Back to big/big combo.

– Spin for two minutes.

– 5-10 minute effort at your 2×20 output level (5 minutes or less as a warm up, 10 minutes as an opener.)

Repeat the entire sequence (Usually minus a 2nd 5-10 minute effort if you’re doing these as a warm-up.)

Have fun!

M

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The Workout Of The Day for Friday, 11.15.12. “Srsly?”

•November 15, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

It’s Friday! Finally done with the week, now we can get on with the fun stuff, preparing to race this weekend.

 

So, assuming you’re racing this weekend, what days?

If you’re racing on Saturday, today you’re doing…

Can Openers –

Like, srsly? People need directions to use a can opener?

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 start efforts on a straight section of paved road, level or slightly uphill.  You want to begin these from a dead stop, with one foot unclipped. Do not stop until you get at least 3 perfect starts in a row, and I mean perfect; this is the cross equivalent of practicing free throws. make ‘em count.

… spin out legs, go home and rest. Get ready to race tomorrow.

Not racing tomorrow, but racing on Sunday?

You’re doing a…

1-2 Hour Moderate Ride –

Get on your bike.

Go ride for 2 hours.

No hard efforts, but do throw in a couple of moderate ones. By moderate, I mean just that. You can sprint for the town line, but you should be laughing while you do it.

You’re not doing a recovery spin, so you need to put a little bit of gas into the pedals… just don’t go out and kill yourself.

Check out the view, smell the flowers, just do it while you’re putting a little bit of effort into the pedals.

1 notch above a recovery ride.

Have Fun!

M

 

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The Workout Of The Day for Thursday, 11.15.12. “All Downhill”

•November 14, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

Well, it’s Thursday (or at least we’re talking about Thursday’s workout…) and as per usual, Thursday is our second interval day of the week.

Monday we recover from the weekend

Tuesday we do longer intervals (assuming we’re recovered!)

Wednesday is skills day…

Thursday?

Well, that’s today.

So, yup… we’re doing some intervals today.

Be smart, though. If you’re doing something crazy like the three day Jingle Cross weekend?

Maybe take it easy today.

Go for a Moderate Ride –

Get on your bike.

Go ride for at least an hour, preferably more like two.

No hard efforts, but do throw in a couple of moderate ones. By moderate, I mean just that. You can sprint for the town line, but you should be laughing while you do it.

You’re not doing a recovery spin, so you need to put a little bit of gas into the pedals… just don’t go out and kill yourself.

Check out the view, smell the flowers, just do it while you’re putting a little bit of effort into the pedals.

1 notch above a recovery ride.

Make sense?

Not doing some ridiculous racing overload this weekend?

Phew.

Good call!

Today, you’re doing some…

Downhill Sprints – 

 

Start by warming up well, a bit longer than usual – 30 minutes or so.

Find a gradual downhill that lets out on a flat section of road or trail. The ideal setup for this workout is a downhill that’s about a block long that turns into  a flat section of road another block or so in length.

Extra bonus points if you can loop back to the start without having to turn around – that would be perfect.

You’re going to do 3-5 sets of 5 sprints, full gas. Here’s how the sprints go:

Roll down the gradual descent in a comfortable gear. You want to hit the bottom of the hill going fast, but not yet in a sprint.

As soon as you hit the flat section at the bottom of the hill, get out of the saddle and give it full gas.

Sit back down as you get up to full speed, and try to go even faster.

Go until you are spun out.

Spun out means that your legs can’t go any faster, your form goes completely to hell, or you start bobbing up and down on the saddle a lot.

Ideally, a little bit of all of those things.

That’s one rep. You’re doing sets of 5. Ouch.

Each sprint should take just a few seconds. Recover for 30 seconds to a minute between them, and 5 minutes between sets.

Stop when you hit 5 sets or just aren’t getting the same leg speed you were on the first couple of reps.

When you’re done, spin out your legs and go home.

Tips –

– You should start the sprint in a pretty big gear, and spin it out. How big? It depends on how fast you’re going and how strong you are. You’re working on speed here, so don’t try to lug a giant gear, but the gear needs to be big enough that you accelerate when you hit it at the end of the downhill.

– Important, let me reiterate: stand up out of the saddle when you start to sprint, and gradually sit down as you begin to spin up into your sprint.

– Don’t forget to breathe. Seriously. Too many people hold their breath when they sprint. Don’t be one of them.

Have fun!

M

 

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The Workout Of The Day for Wednesday, 11.14.12. “Three R’s”

•November 13, 2012 • 1 Comment

Howdy folks,

It’s Wednesday, and that means that It’s…

 Cyclocross Skills Day!

Today we’re going to start the process of reducing, replacing, and refining our skills in the waning days of the season.

Here’s what I mean by that…

Refine.

– We’re at the point in the season where we really need to be putting our “whole package” together. For many (most?) of us, the end of the season is right around the corner, and while we can always work to expand our skill set, the best use of time for many of us is buffing the rough edges off the skills that we have now.

Reduce.

– Every Wednesday, we’ve been working on different, discrete skills. Now we start to put some of them together… and take some of them away. We’ve talked about different ways to approach turning, barriers, dismounts, re-mounts… you name it. Now it’s time to identify the approaches, variations, and individual skills that suit you the best. Don’t throw out the things that you haven’t quite figured out yet, but put them in the closet. You’ll come back to them next season…

Replace.

– Do you have a rockin’ Cowboy dismount, but a lackin’ “step-through?” Cool. Next season you’re working on the step-through. Now, though?

Focus on the Cowboy. Nail it. Perfect every time.

Are you railing the corners when you pedal ‘em? Not so much when you’re foot-out, sliding?  Focus on what’s working. Nail it. Perfect every time.

Here’s the drill for tonight:

– warm up on bike, 10-15 minutes.

– Brief run. 5 minutes.

– Active stretching, as discussed in previous posts.

– Barrier skills, 10 minutes.

Try a couple of different approaches/skills. Figure out what’s working best for you. Ditch what isn’t.

– Technical skills, 15-20 minutes.

Here again, try different approaches to the various obstacles on your course – off cambers, tight turns, wide/fast turns, mud, sand… figure out what’s working for you. Ditch what isn’t. Reduce, replace… Refine.

– Starts

Full-gas starts from standing, foot on the ground. Just like the beginning of a race.

Each start effort should include a second effort: after you’ve gotten up to speed and settled into the saddle, get your ass back up off of it and hit the gas again.

Go until you get 5 perfect starts in a row.

Try starting a couple of different ways; Ass on saddle, ass off saddle. Pedal at 3:00, Pedal at 1:00. 3 cogs down, 2 cogs down.

Figure out how you start best.

Drop what isn’t working, and forget about it until next season.

– Race simulation. 3 x 10 minutes, 2 minute rest between efforts.

Take everything you just practiced, and use only the select approaches and skills that worked for you. Really nail ‘em. Go F-ing fast, and use whatever skills get you there.

Forget about everything else.

– Warm down.

Go Home. Eat. Recover.

Have fun!

M

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The Workout Of The Day for Tuesday, 11.13.12. “Like a kick in the…”

•November 13, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

Yep.

It’s Two by Twenty Tuesday!

If you don’t know what I mean bu that, go check out the Classic 2×20 .

That’s your workout today.

If you didn’t click that link, it probably means you’ve been with us for a while, and you’re pretty darn familiar with the 2×20.

You might even be sick of the darn things, even though we didn’t do ’em for a while right up until last week.

If that sounds like you, maybe you shouldn’t do ’em today either.

Instead, have a go at a set of…

3×10 Over-Unders.

Right up front, a word to the wise; If you do these right, they’re going to be painful…

– 3×10 means you are going to do 3 of these, 10 minutes each.

– “Over-under” means that you are going to be working right around the level of your threshold, both above and below. What is your threshold? Well, for our purposes, we are going to reference the Classic 2×20 workout we all know so well. Whatever wattage, heart rate, or gear ratio you did that workout at is going to serve as your threshold today.

Haven’t done that workout?

OK.

Stop reading this, go back to the top of the page, and click the link to the description of that workout.

We’ll wait.

*************

OK?

Onward…

Start by warming up well.

Now that you have read that 2×20 post, an have an idea of what level you’re going to use as a baseline, you’re going to ride at that level for 5 minutes.

Get a solid idea of the wattage, heart rate, or tempo you are riding at, and get it firmly stuck in your mind. This is important; you are going to bounce above and below this level for the rest of the workout.

After the 5 minute baseline effort, spin easy for 2 minutes. Then begin the first interval…

Here’s how the first (and second, and third…) over-under interval will work:

Ride for one minute at your baseline level.

At the end of that minute, ride 10 seconds at 25 watts, 10 beats, or 1 gear higher than the baseline level.

After those 10 seconds are up…

…ride 20 seconds at 25 watts, 10 beats, or 1 gear lower than the baseline.

After the 20 seconds, you go back to the ten (over,) followed again by the 20 (under,) etc., etc.

Got it?

1 minute baseline, 10 up, 20 down, 10 up, 20 down.

Repeat the up/down efforts to the end of the interval.

Rest 5 minutes.

Repeat the first interval.

Rest 5 minutes.

Repeat again (or not…)

Spin around to recover, then go home and relax. Think masochistic thoughts.

Notes:

– The ”over” and “under” of the intervals I have given above is approximate. You are looking to go as hard as you can for the “over” while still recovering enough with the “under” to complete the interval. Keep the “under” barely under, though. Don’t go easier on the under to allow yourself a harder “over.” Do these a few times and you’ll get the hang of it – I promise…

– The idea here is to get you better at attacking and responding to attacks in a cross race. You’re motoring along at your limit, all of a sudden someone attacks; what do you do? You follow the attack, and look to recover a bit when the tempo drops just a little bit… get it?

 

Have fun!
M

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The Workout Of The Day for Monday, 11.12.12. “Rest Hard”

•November 11, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

Well, if you’re like me, you had a pretty hard day at the office on Sunday, and you need to recover from it today.

(OK… check that… hopefully you didn’t hit any trees on Sunnday… that made for a long day…)

So, today?

Get right down to it, and rest.

Recover with every bit as much intention and intensity as you race.

Start with a…

1 Hour Recovery Spin –

– Get on your bike. Roll out into the street, and just spin around for an hour.

– Really small gear, no hard efforts – heck, no medium effort.

– Spin. You’re looking to move your legs around in circles, almost like there is no chain on the bike.

– The idea is to get your body moving, flush the systems out, and speed your recovery.

– Just get out on the road and spin aimlessly. At a certain point, your legs suddenly feel better.

– As soon as that happens, turn around, go home, eat, stretch, and put your legs up.

Relax.

Try to get to bed early tonight. Maybe get a massage.

Whatever you do, all day long, whenever you can… get off your feet.

Never run when you can walk.

Never walk when you can stand still.

Never stand when you can sit.

Never sit when you can lie down.

Remember, you deserve a break today.

No creepy f-ing clown necessary.

M

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The Workout Of The Day for Sunday, 11.11.12. “Rock Zone”

•November 10, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

It’s Sunday, and that means it’s time to…

Go Race!

Seriously, that’s pretty much it today. Get in car. Go to race. Warm Up. Race.

Wait… warm up?

Hmmm…

I’ve written some pretty long sermons on the topic of warming up on here (you can find them via the search box at the bottom right side of the page…) but for today, here’s something you might find useful, it’s…

The RSWO -– The Rock Stupid Warmup & Opener

– Get on trainer. Spin for about 5 minutes.

– Shift into big ring/largest cog combination.

– Ride 30 seconds in this gear, then shift up one cog.

– Ride 30 seconds in this gear, then shift up one cog.

– Repeat until you hit the hardest gear you’ve got, or can handle.

– Ride 30 seconds in that gear, and then shift all the way back down to the Big/big combo.

– Ride 30 seconds in that gear, then immediately shift to hardest gear you can handle.

– Full gas sprint, out of the saddle, for 30 seconds.

Back to big/big combo.

– Spin for two minutes.

– 5 – minute effort at your 2×20 output level.

Repeat The entire sequence (often without the 2nd 5-10 minute effort – play it smart.)

This is a great way to warm up on the trainer, especially when it’s super crappy out, and/or there is just too darn much action going on around you to concentrate on anything complicated, or get out on the road for warm-ups. You simply get the old headphones on, hop on the bike, and crank through this out about an hour and a half before your race.

Have fun,

M

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The Workout Of The Day for Saturday, 11.10.12. “Nys Work”

•November 9, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

Yay! Saturday! Race Day (well, for many of us…)

Not racing today?

That probably means you’re racing on Sunday.

Cool.

Today, have a go at some opener-style efforts by doing…

Ignition

You’re going to be doing a series of short, hard sprints midway through a 1 1/2 hour ride, so give some thought to where you can do these effectively.

A flat, straight, low-traffic section of road is what you’re looking for.

Even better if it’s about a :45 minute ride away; that will make things nice and simple.

Hop on your bike and roll out the door.

Ride steady, at a moderate pace for 45 minutes – 1 hour, eventually winding up at the aforementioned stretch of road.

You’re now going to do a series of Hard out of the saddle sprints.

6 sprints, 10 seconds each.

1 minute between each sprint.

After the last sprint, roll back home spinning easily to recover.

Budget about 20 minutes for the spin/ride back home.

Put your feet up, relax, and get ready for the next day’s race.

But, Hey! You’re racing Saturday, or both days this week?

Sweet.

Go Race!

But before you do, watch this video…

Why are you watching this?

Well, first of all ’cause it’s an awesome race.

Most importantly, though? So you can watch in awe as Sven Nys turns chicken s**t into chicken soup, and comes back from a nearly disastrous broken chain to an almost podium position.

Wow.

None of us can do what he does (dude is the G.O.A.T.) but we can all learn from his example.

When things don’t go exactly your way in a race (and when do they?) don’t panic.

Stay calm.

Get your s**t back together.

Get rolling again quickly but calmly.

Get back in the groove.

Go for it.

After you’ve had your disaster for the day, you’re playing with house money. Might as well ride as if you have a chance to win.

Who knows, you might wind up with a good placing anyways.

Have fun!

M

 

 

Posted in Cyclocross, The Workout Of The Day

The Workout Of The Day for Friday, 11.8.12. “Friday <3"

•November 8, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

I really do like me some Friday.

It’s the end of the workweek, and racing is right around the corner… what’s not to like about that?

But what the heck should you do for a workout today?

Well, it depends.

Racing on Saturday this week?

Sweet.

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 start efforts on a straight section of paved road, level or slightly uphill. You want to begin these from a dead stop, with one foot unclipped. Do not stop until you get at least 3 perfect starts in a row, and I mean perfect; this is the cross equivalent of practicing free throws. make ‘em count.

… spin out legs, go home and rest. Get ready to race tomorrow.

(…also, hey… don’t forget, you might be better off with Ignition as your opener session today. Check it out. )

Not racing tomorrow, but racing on Sunday?

You’re doing a…

2 Hour Moderate Ride –

Get on your bike.

Go ride for 2 hours.

No hard efforts, but do throw in a couple of moderate ones. By moderate, I mean just that. You can sprint for the town line, but you should be laughing while you do it.

You’re not doing a recovery spin, so you need to put a little bit of gas into the pedals… just don’t go out and kill yourself.

Check out the view, smell the flowers, just do it while you’re putting a little bit of effort into the pedals.

1 notch above a recovery ride.

Have Fun!

M

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The Workout Of The Day for Thursday, 11.8.12. “Balance”

•November 8, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Howdy folks,

We’re reaching the time in the season where your training schedule becomes a balancing act.

Too much training, and whoops…

Over the edge you go.

Too little?

Darn it. The machine thinks it’s time to get some rest in, starts to shut down, and you just can’t get rolling on race day.

This is tough stuff, and it’s hard to offer much in the way of advice to deal with it, other than, well…

Think about what you’re doing.

Try not to over do it, try not to back off too much.

Balance.

Having said all that, here’s something else to think about with your daily workouts: Specificity.

If you’re racing a lot, you can’t train all that much, and what training you do do, should be targeted.

Last week we did a workout that was specifically designed around the demands of a couple of the World Cup courses, but also made sense for a fair number of domestic races.

Today, we’re going to put our climbing legs on, and do some work on the short, sharp efforts found in all but the most flat, dirt crit-ish races.

We’re doing…

Short Hill Repeats – 

Ideally, these are done on a climb that is big-ring-able, but just at the edge of being a small ring climb.

Each effort should take 7-10 seconds.

30 seconds rest between efforts, 2-5 minutes between sets.

Warm up for approx. 1/2 hour, then…

Begin the first effort with an out of the saddle, full gas, race-pace effort.

ATTACK the climb.

7-10 seconds, full throttle.

It’s OK to sit down 1/2 -3/4 way through the effort, this is largely a question of style. Just make sure to keep the gas on.

Try to maintain intensity through the interval, if you find yourself slowing down significantly, you need to back it down closer to the 7

than 10 second side of the ledger.

You’re going to do 5 reps. That’s a set.

2 minutes between sets.

You’re going to try for 5 sets. If you can’t maintain the wattage/intensity of the first set in later sets, you’re probably in a little bit over

your head – which is alright – just don’t dig a deep hole. Call it a day if/when your wattage drops way below your initial efforts.

Spin out & warm down after.

Have fun!

M

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