EFFECTIVE INDOOR CYCLING FOR TRIATHLETES


W


inter weather does not have to affect you or your client’s key race this season. As a coach, i


find my clients avoiding the cold basement and indoor trainer and suffering a bad attitude because of this. Taking the winter off is one option, and this may be best for athletes who have raced into the fall and need the physical and mental break. others can use this time to focus on im-


portant training aspects. The indoor trainer is the perfect place to perform an effective workout; in fact, many triathletes do most of their key sessions inside all year round. i will share some ideas to help motivate your athletes and help to make the minutes (or hours) fly by. The specific focus of each workout


depends on the limiters of the athlete, the training phase (transition, base, build, peak) that he/she is in and the timing of the first key race. A few tips to consider (or to rec- ommend to your athlete) before attempting a successful trainer ride include environ- ment, bike comfort and a pre-ride warm up.


Create a motivating environment The training area should be motivational — include festive lighting, race photos, pictures of pro triathletes, bright colors, aromather- apy (candle, room spray), a Tv, an ipod or CD player and a fan, if needed. A table next to the bike is also recommended for snacks, magazines, channel changer and towels.


Warm up well The first part of each type of workout is a 15-30 minute warm-up. This can be a spin, high cadence, or, for triathletes, it might be a dynamic warm-up with an easy run. A dynamic warm-up consists of walking, high knees, arm circles, hamstring kicks, heel walking, toe walking and other movements to warm up and increase circulation in the muscles and aid in injury prevention.


Bike comfort An expert bicycle fit is crucial for longer rides outside and for indoor trainer workouts. Before you or your athlete begins training seriously for a race or bumps up training volume, bike fit is important. This will ensure optimal seat comfort and will reduce the chance of major chafing and injury preven- tion, allowing for better performance.


page 12 | PERFORMANCECOACHING FOCUS/TYPE


Aerobic Endurance/ Fat Burning


Muscular Endurance


Skill Focus


REASON Iron ride


DESCRIPTION


A 2-3 hour ride at an easy, aerobic effort. This can include “skill focus” and pick-ups. heart rate zones 1-2, or 60-70 percent of max. (no warm up necessary)


Long climbs A 1-2 hour ride with long hills. Short bursts of climbing out of the saddle on steeper climbs. The focus is the climbs (2-3) with 10-15 minutes in heart rate zones 3-4 or lactate threshold.


Full, balanced pedal stroke


A 45-60 minute ride with a focus on high cadence and a full pedal stroke. After a 15-minute warm- up, take one foot out of the pedal and spin with one leg. hold until fatigue, working up to a few minutes on each leg, varying gears. Spin a few minutes in between drills to feel the full pedal stroke.


Skill Focus


Improve Cadence


This will be a 45-60 minute ride, or can be in- corporated into a warm-up. Cadence drills will include 3-minute intervals, starting minute 1 at a comfortable cadence and increasing this each minute to reach 90-100 in minute 3 or if bouncing in the seat, back off.


Lactate Threshold (LT) Testing


Functional Threshold Power (FTP) Testing


LT or FTP Intervals


Sprints


Heart Rate Zones


This is a 30-minute time trial. After 10 minutes, start the heart rate monitor and record the aver- age for the last 20 minutes of the effort. This will be a starting point for the athlete to calculate heart rate zones. (details below)


Power Zones


Muscular Endurance/ Aerobic Capacity


Speed


This test is similar to the above LT, but the average power is taken from the entire 30-minute time trial. This will give the athlete an estimated FTp to establish power zones (details below)


After a long warm up, perform 2x10-15 minute intervals at just below LT or FTp. in between, spin easy, high cadence for 10-15 minutes. Long cool down.


This can be a 30-60 minute ride, incorporating short sprints at a high speed and cadence with re- covery between each. example: 5x2 minutes with 3 minutes recovery in between. or, 7x1 minute with 2-3 minute recovery between each.


By Sally Drake USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach


now the stage has been set for the ride! This table offers suggestions for effective indoor trainer workouts.


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