gyming to improve power

closesupport

easy rides are used to relax the muscles, time off is to aid in recovery.

srength training the carmichael way, lift lower weights at high repetitions, in the range of 15-20 reps to increase muscular endurance.

but since chris carmicheal coaches lance throughout his training regimn and lance has won the tdf 1999,2000,2001,2002,2003, now 2004 . So i guess you know better than he.

and in the training guide wrote by chris carmicheal that i have here infront of me states this, down times, fitness diet etc, you would like to correct him on some of his many mistakes, since you know best.....

ric_stern/RST

Actually, i believe it's Ferrari, but that's a different issue.

Anyway, LA (or any pro) would not take a week *off* every 4 or 5 weeks or whatever it was you rambled about. Are you sure you're reading the passage correctly -- having a recovery week every 4th or 5th week is more believeable, but not having a week off?

ric

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closesupport

thats pretty much very similar to what i do after accellerating, i'll sit back and pull up on the bars using my arms to generate more force on the pedals, then when i obtain my desired speed i get to drop the gear and mash out the 12 then when i begin to tire i'll drop to 14 and spin it off to try and maintain it, then agin when i achieve optimal speed returning to the 12, then when i require a rest i'll relax one leg pushing down and pulling up for a few minutes alternating between the pair then return to a double stroke to spin to a max speed.

Carrera

I had a friend way back who took every 4th week off his training. He wasn't a cyclist but I remember many of us were dumbfounded by this idea.
The thing is, though, that when this guy trained he really trained so, by the end of 3 weeks, he was ready for rest.
Personally I still think too many athletes overtrain so the idea of taking a week off is probably a good idea. Plus the knees get a rest.
I don't know who was in charge of Paula Ratcliffe's training but to me it seemed like she was overtrained and hardly to blame for what happened to her in the Olympics. Apparently she still had a virus in her system and was on antibiotics when they shoved her into a major race in far from ideal condition.
If you read Roger Bannister's account of his 4 minute mile, he only trained 4 hours a week while at Oxford and beat a major contender who was training 4 hours a day.
I think there has always been an idea that more is better but so many athletes fall fowl of this temptation (including myself)

ric_stern/RST

in an elite or even non-elite athlete, if you took a week off, especially on a regular basis you would detrain. having a week off is different to having a recovery week.



do you mean Paula Radcliffe... or is Paula Ratcliffe a friend of Paula Catcliffe



unfortunately, the Olympics weren't able to wait until she was better

ric

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n crowley

You imagine you are effectively pulling or using your arms to increase the
pedal power when riding at speed in the saddle. As B. Hinault in his book
states, at most all you can do is clutch the bars. The only benefit that you
can get from arm power is when you pull yourself out of the saddle for a
bit of out of saddle riding.
The proof, using a bike on a trainer, lock the back wheel and with the
right pedal set in the 3 o'clock position or slightly past ( the area where
normal pedallers apply max pedal power ) apply that max pressure to the
stationary pedal, now try and increase that pressure by pulling with the
right arm. With the correct technique, the increase in power application
would be so great that something would have to give, equipment part or
one of your muscles. In your case, all that happens is, you pull yourself
out of the saddle.

closesupport

I KNOW IT IS STATED IF ONE SUFFERS FROM OVERTRAINING, OR COLD AND FLU, IF THE ILLNESS TAKES 2WEEKS TO RECOVER, THEN THAT PERIOD SHOULD BE DOUBLED FOR COMPLETE RECOVERY.

PLUS 1 DAY OFF A WEEK IS NOT ENOUGH A REST PERIOD, UNLESS ONE USES STEROIDS TO BOOST RECOVERY, NOONE CAN GO ALL OUT 110% INDEFFINATELY, YOU WANT TO OVERTRAIN GO AHEAD.

BUT ITS MORE OF ONE WEEK OFF, 1 WEEK LIGHT SPINNING AND BACK UPTO PERFORMANCE , SO ONE AVOIDS PLATEU.

and yes paula radcliffe was suffering from ilness, she wasn't 100% recovered, she was also overtrained, she didn't take on surficiant electrolytes, so yes the wall was more than likely caused by a fluid imbalance (fluid to electrolyte) its a shame really the fact that she quit. unless you have hit the wall you can't possibly understand how it feels. when people compare bonking with the wall i don't recall any similar effects.

where fluid and electrolyte imbalance is responsible for the wall in running, and glycogen stores being exhausted and depleted to cause one to suffer during cycling. my experience of the onset of the wall was much pain in calfs shins feet. I felt for paula that day, i could imagine what she was going through, the backs of her knees the tendons would have been in excruciating pain, her shins and calfs would have felt like the oxygen and blood supply had been stopped.

have you ever tyed a piece of string tight around a finger to stop circulation, after a while the finger begins to hurt, imagine that feeling from your quads down, so if fluid and electrolyte imbalance ain't corrected, more and more lactic is formed and one is forced to stop.

my partner and others, i recall on a number of occassions claiming that paula stopped and didn't complete her marathon because she was soft. that isn't the case...........................

closesupport

NO! your attempting to pull yourself back down into the saddle with every pedal stroke.

when your accelerating, lean above your bars, on your downstroke, pull hard up on the bar, you'll probably find that you generate alot more power and the back wheel will more than likely spinn or bounce' imagine you weigh 11st, pulling down on the bars will increase ones body weight, if you can offer an additional 200lbs force pulling down on the bar you have just increase your body weight. so now you have the ability to apply an additional force to the pedals.

ric_stern/RST

And? your point is?




i didn't say there wouldn't be a recovery period, i said you wouldn't have 7 days off. you'd detrain.

turn YOUR CAPS OFF!

ric

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closesupport

not over several days, not enough to prevent you reaching peak within 1 or 2 days of light spinning - heavy training.

n crowley

In your earlier message you were referring to what you did when you had
finished accelerating. What you refer to now is the action during acceleration.
Could you keep that up for the duration of a 25 m TT. Test it on the trainer
with the test I mentioned above and let me know what the increased power
felt like. Remember, you are seated in the saddle not lying over the
handlebars like G Obree and be careful with your back, any advantage from
attempting to pull on the bars puts the lower back under increased strain
when you are using the incorrect technique as you are doing.

ric_stern/RST

could you write a coherent sentence please, as i don't follow what you mean?

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closesupport

its exactly the same as i do when i'm riding, i can do it at 30+ i used to ride like that all the time when racing BMX's amongst friends, i only use scoop bars. for some reason i can't generate anywhere as much power using drop bars. its hard to explain. but with the incorporation a slight rocking motion from side to side.

as for 25miles no i only do it to get above my desired speed so i can comfortably drop to around 24/25mph then pick it back up to 35 - 40, then begin to drop to the speed i so desire, i would'nt ride like that over 25m, i prefare getting upto speed and slowly dropping to my pickup marker of 25mph then back at 40'ish, its back into aero and slowly drop in speed and recover at around 25mph with one leg intervals giving each leg a break over a period of time maybe 10/15 revelutions per leg this enables me to maintain 25mph until i feel each leg is adequately recovered. then its back up to speed.

is that how G obree rides, i have no idea.

ed073

you got own3d pal!



Nicely done Ric....