VelocipedeSalon WOD: Workout of the day

[MarkC]

I'm jealous of your ability to do base through Jan. Pre-season crits are happening now and the first races are just about a month away.

Mid-Atlantic schedule vs So Cal schedule :-) You guys finish cross and go right into crits for a never ending season. Was a runner when I lived in San Diego. Was so nice to never need more than a long sleeve t-shirt.

My season is 100% based on time trials which run from roughly April to Sept. We have an early season blast of 7-8 races in our Cup series which run April and May. Crappy weather but for state park and shore courses that is when we can access the roads before it gets too busy with spring. After that block of early races there is a bit of a break in June then another clump of races July and August. We're fortunate to have such a great calendar but it forces decisions on when you want to peak or just try to be good for many months. Depends on talent and goals.

It is easy to get into good shape for June/July/August, but if a rider wants to be "good" for April and May it requires a commitment to base and build November - February. That means a lot of indoor training time to do quality work. Gym / strength work you either just fit in, or need to be hitting the gym Sept, Oct, Nov.

The problem for a hobbyist is wanting to ride and have fun during the fall. That is prime riding time and riding is supposed to be fun so taking that block of time and dedicating it to prep for the next season is a non-starter for most. Some try to do the TT season and the CX season. That is tough to do well.

Last couple seasons I've simply not worried about the March to May events. I race them but with whatever fitness I have knowing I'm working toward a later season objective by targeting races in June, July and August. That works well. Irony is after many years of trying, in 2017 I decided to deprioritize the TT Series. Due mostly to serendipity but some good strategy and race execution, finally won an overall title for the series.

2018 looks like we will have some nice 40 km events on the mid-atlantic schedule. I'd like to finally break into the 55's so thinking about prioritizing those events. 40K events are getting harder and harder to find and I'm not getting younger so it's soon or never for popping that type of result.

The biggest reason I do gym work is health not cycling though. Got tired of being a 60kg guy that struggled to put a bike on the roof rack. Figured that was not good for health later in life and better do something now. It has helped. Plus, I can say "How much ya bench yo"? and only get kinda laughed at.

[bigbill]

I've got to figure out a plan to increase speed over distance. My goal for next year is the 12-24 hour TT championships in November. I want to do the 12 for my first year and learn what it takes training and equipment wise to do a 24 hour in 2019. I'll finish up this year with around 8500 miles but my speed is down over past years, much of that is due to more gravel rides. I'd like to work up to 21-22 mph for a 12 hour attempt on a flat course.

[false_aesthetic]

I started doing pull-ups in July 5 sets of 3. Here's the progress since October 5th. I wonder what will happen if I ever ditch the 15lbs I keep talking about. Right now the goal is 5x10.

5 5 4 5 3 2 = 24
6 6 6 4 3 = 25
6 6 6 4 3 = 25
6 6 6 5 2 = 25
6 6 6 6 2 = 26
6 6 6 6 3 = 27
6 6 6 6 5 = 29
6 6 6 6 6 = 30
7 7 7 5 4 = 30

[MarkC]

I guess it is a good thing if your squat and deadlift program results in sore arse muscles....

[false_aesthetic]

About 5 years ago I forced myself to do 2x20s a few times a week for about 10 weeks leading up to San Dimas + Redlands. Apart from that I've never been able to do the trainer thing -- I live in SoCal after all.

Picked up the Kurt Kinetic InRide and the Kinetic Fit app -- free version. Doing the 4 week intro to power plan to see if I can stick with it. A week in and I'm digging it. So far the hour is broken up pretty well and I'm not bored and I'm not drifting in speed/power.

On another front, I picked up some elastic leg bands to help out with some leg tracking issues. Monster + later walks as a warm-up and then if I notice my knee being funky during a squat session I'll do a short set and it seems to help. Side benefit is that my glues seem to be "turned on" so that I'm drive more with them and struggling less.

[rec head]

Something else I do with bands while on the trainer is to wrap them around my elbows to pull them inwards while riding. I don't use a lot of pressure but getting the elbows in feels better for my back but just isn't natural for me so I always let them stick out while riding.

[false_aesthetic]

Made it through the holiday w/out missing a day on the trainer.
Gym, what gym?

[Too Tall]

I got sucked into another 30 day "challenge". Thanks internet ;)
This is putting a real kink in my usual winter time olympic weights and running. Thank You Todd Holland, saved.

Don't mistake this for grumping. I've finally cracked 30 pushups, 3 min. plank and am up to 75 bicycle crunches. I'll leave the massive amounts of squats to folks with less sense than myself.

[false_aesthetic]

What's the 30 day challenge?

Toots I think we all want to see you hit 50 push-ups by Jan 31st.

[guido]

Back in the gym, hitting a nice rhythm and consistency.
Maximum overload style leg press, followed by weighted walking lunge, calf raises, hip abduction/adduction, lots of assorted core, balance and pulling/pushing upper body work.

[mmoore]

been doing my normal pushup regimen with my toddler on my back.

last night she wasn't into it, smashed 60 self weight pushups out.


Im told we are doing NYE pushup competition between friends. maybe after a few beverages I will push past the pain threshold and get a few more pushups.
Two of the paricipants im worried about - a midweight fitness trainer and a midweight mma type guy who was recently in a feature fight so is still pretty shredded. my power to weight isn't what it was last time we had a go at it. #dadbod

[false_aesthetic]

FTP tests SUCK!

Onto the rest of the day.

[adamcw89]

Temps went back to the teens and XC Ski trails wont be very good until tomorrow, so I got my long day in on the trainer:
5x15 @ 93%
2 hrs @ 75%
Somehow I didn't hate being on the trainer for 4+ hours but hopefully I can get my Sunday session done on skis.

[popandmod]

Home gym strength yesterday
Started with a warmup from a Dan John seminar (the bootstrapper squat is awesome!!)
Double kettle bell (35) front squat
Double kettle bell (50) deadlifts
Rows push-ups and swings (trying to work up to 100+ with the 50)

Really like the home gym for the ‘no excuses’ factor but don’t really have a way to go for heavy lifts or things like the leg press.

Looking forward to the rollers tomorrow.

[false_aesthetic]

Tweaked my back last Monday. Spend Tues - Fri unhappy.

Sat: Feeling better so I made myself hurt: 1 min/1 min intervals on Sat (3x3 @ Z6)
Today: 2 min/2 min today (2x3 @ Z4) + back to the gym.

[DOOFUS]

try these -- 2 x 20 fartleks

coming from a swimming background, I think of these as 100s on the 1:15 or 200s on the 2:30. If it helps to think of them as "over-unders," ok, you could call them that. They are zone 4 with a zone 5/6 twist. The average power should end up being 95-100% of FTP, but the work sections are harder than that, and the initial accelerations of each "on" interval create a lot of the overload on the aerobic system. My guys are loving/hating me for prescribing them once or twice a week in late Base.

version 1:

16 x 1:00 min @ 110%+ of FTP, :15 pedal through recovery. Best not to shift -- spin 105-100rpm on the "on" sections, ease off to 85-90 on the short recoveries. Leg speed and snap!

version 2:

8 x 2:00 @ 110% of FTP, :30 pedal through recovery. Again, no shifting. Leg speed.

sometimes the "on" sections drift down to 105-107%. That's ok as long as you hold an average power of 95% FTP or better for the duration of the interval. As your lactate clearance improves, you'll be holding that 110% after a few weeks.

These are a great bridge to VO2 work, and also a way to keep some speed open without overcooking yourself or compromising aerobic development during Base.

Have fun!

[false_aesthetic]

Created and Added!
IMG_1828.jpg

[false_aesthetic]

I spoke to a weight coach yesterday regarding my silly idea that I'd like to rep 225lbs (bench) by EOY. Went over what I currently do + what my 1 rep max is. (5x5 @155 w/90-120 sec rest + 185lb). He was a little confused

"Your 1RM should be over 205. Is your main sport endurance based?"
"Yeah I ride a bike a lot."
"You're not a sprinter are you?"
"Nope."
"OK, this makes morse sense. Looks like you're mostly slow-twitch otherwise you'd be a lot closer to your goal. It's going to be an uphill battle to develop those fast-twitch muscles."

New routine is:
3 weeks 5 sets of 3 w/3-5 min rest.
2 weeks 5 sets of 2 w/3-5 min rest.
1 weeks 5 sets of 1 w/3-5 min rest.

We'll see how things go.

[MarkC]

New routine is:
3 weeks 5 sets of 3 w/3-5 min rest.
2 weeks 5 sets of 2 w/3-5 min rest.
1 weeks 5 sets of 1 w/3-5 min rest.

Interesting. I've been on a slow quest to increase my bench to 200 pounds. With a weight of 135 +/- depending on season and age >50 this seemed a worthy goal. Back of mind I'd like to get to 225. Because two big plates on each side is "cool" and I'm just as vain as the next guy.

My current max is right around 185-190 so 200 is just a matter of time and training.

Over the holidays I did a couple cycles of the Smolov Junior progression for bench. The final day was 10 x 3 with 167.5 pounds. Made it through but was very hard. Considered going right into a third cycle but decided to take a few weeks of recovery as I hit it hard for several weeks through New Year's Day and was concerned with overdoing it.

Interesting that you've been prescribed sets of 3, 2 and 1 reps. Makes sense along the lines of if you want to lift heavier. How many times per week and what weights did your guy suggest?

FWIW - I usually lift 3 days a week. Have a basic set of exercises split into two day routines and just keep rotating through those. Plus core of course.

--Mark

[MarkC]

FWIW - While lots of folks are getting into Zwift and the social aspects of that are very cool, I've become hooked on the Trainer Road interface. Not using their plans as I build my own. But I do like their workouts and the workout builder. Nice toolset and more fun / engaging than just setting up an interval timer. Am on eMotions and pretty good at controlling power so am not taking advantage of smart trainer aspects.

For folks that need a bit of entertainment in their training, TR is definitely worth checking out.

My set up is a MacBook with an ANT+ stick. Video out to a 24" monitor and audio out to some powered speakers for music or podcasts. Rollers and a dedicated training bike with SRm. Very simple to get up and going. Same thing would work for Zwift.