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20-02.-2008, 02:13 PM
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#1 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Reading, Pa
Posts: 7
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Looking for speed on the bike
What is the best way to build speed for sprinting? There are days during my spinning classes we sprint but sometimes I feel like I dont have enough sprint speed but my endurance is good but how do you work on building that in the gym and what exercises are good for building speed so I have enough for riding on the road during the cycling season.
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20-02.-2008, 02:33 PM
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#2 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 490
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
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20-02.-2008, 04:05 PM
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#3 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,386
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
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But is that what you're really after, there's a big gap between "I have good endurance" and "I need speed for sprinting". Can you climb with the leaders, hang in tough crosswinds, match repeated speed jumps out of crit corners and maybe most importantly for sprinting, can you stay near the front in the final laps possibly going deeply anaerobic in the process so that you have a clear shot at the line when the sprint winds up? If all the pieces are in place except that explosive final jump, then yep a dedicated sprint day with sprints from speed, long sprints, maybe some slight uphill sprints, leadouts if you have cooperative friends, etc. can help. But an awful lot of folks lack fitness in that big zone between endurance and the final jump and sprints alone won't bridge that gap. -Dave |
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21-02.-2008, 01:11 AM
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#4 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 490
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
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24-02.-2008, 06:23 PM
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#5 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 410
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
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Push harder on t' pedals lad. Unless Cheryl's ass is looking mighty fine right infront of you in that spin class, put your head down and go at it like it's all over after that one sprint. Oh. Spin class... please hand your "man card"® in at the door, I don't think you'll be needing that for a while.   |
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25-02.-2008, 01:39 AM
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#6 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 40
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
I'm not the fastest sprinter in the bunch, but I'm usually in the hunt. Here's what I believe, at least, based upon what I know. (I'm not an MD, so these are simply personal opinions from my research and experiences)
Sprinting ability comes from two places and/or a combination of them. (1) Fast twitch muscle fibers; the ability to run very high RPMs and change cadence very quickly) and (2) Power. Lance was 1/2 and Ulrich was clearly more of a 2. I personally have a moderate (1) ability so I focus on power. In order to increase my sprint power I, (a) do a lot of power intervals, keeping the cadence moderately high. I do these on shorter hills and blast up them and (2) do a lot of town line or fixed point sprints. For me, sprinting has a lot to do with timing as well. If you go too early, you die. I shoot for about 200 meters (1/4) mile, or less for an all out effort. It hurts a lot, but if you do intervals for power and do all of the town line sprints in your group rides, have the right gearing for your style (53/11 for me), and learn tactics like drafting, you will get better. My number one complaint about spinning, at least the classes that I have done, is that the instructors (mostly female) have generally not spent any time on a real road bike. As such, they do very unusual and even dangerous things. They change cadence and load violently, run too high of cadences (120+) and such. I personally believe that spinning can really mess up a good rider, and so far as I know I have never been trounced by someone whose primary training is a spinning bike. I have two trainers at home. One is a spinner (which I use for recovery, watching cycling videos) and the other is a Computrainer which I cannot recommend strongly enough. With the CT you can use proper form (and even improve it based upon the Spinscan technology). You can also train with power (wattage) as well as your heartrate so you get the highest quality workout and feedback. One person's opinion. Happy trails. |
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02-03.-2008, 07:07 PM
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#7 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 632
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
I should do sprint training and may be this season I will but what really helps me the most....RACING and having to SPRINT for the finish. Ok, so having rides with others makes this happen too but its not nearly as good as turning up on a Saturday and trying to claw my way through the bunch to the line.
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03-03.-2008, 01:51 PM
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#8 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 37
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
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Hi dave, Waht sort of intervals would you suggest for both sprinting out of corners and repeated accellerations/attacks in a race? Thanks |
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03-03.-2008, 03:27 PM
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#9 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,386
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
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Don't forget that a racer's ability to make "repeated accelerations/attacks in a race" is limited by sustainable power. L6 work can help you deliver higher power or hold it longer during your anaerobic efforts, but it's going to be Threshold fitness(FTP) that determines how frequently and how many times you can put out those efforts. -Dave |
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04-03.-2008, 01:14 PM
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#10 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 37
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
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Ok, so I think I'm on the right track, At the moment I am doing a 4 week block of 3 mins at 70-75% MHR then 2 mins max effort then 3 mins at 70-75% then 2 mins max effort. I do this 3 times with 10 mins rest between each effort. After this I intend to do the following: 8mins at 80-84% MHR then 2min max effort then 8mins at 80-84% MHR the 2 mins max effort. I will do this twice each workout with 10 mins rest in between. Do you think I am on the right track? Cheers |
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04-03.-2008, 01:32 PM
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#11 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,386
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Re: Looking for speed on the bike
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First, I gave up on setting workout levels by HR, especially max HR a couple of years ago. Oh, I was a believer for decades, but it didn't work so well for me and training with a power meter showed me why. But I realize not everyone is going to buy a PM so lacking that I'd go with overall perceived exertion over relationships to your max HR, especially for the shorter efforts. Secondly, if you want to target sustainable power which is part of the goal in HOP workouts as opposed to pure L6 efforts you need to hold those efforts for at least 10 minutes and longer is better. Your 3,2,3,2 workout with 10 minutes of recovery just barely gets you there and it's biased towards the anaerobic with those two minute max efforts. More typical HOP workouts would be longer(H, stands for Hour and that's a good target length for these efforts) the steady Tempo work is quick but sustainable, gets you breathing deeply and steadily, but is very reasonable for the duration. You could watch HR for the first effort to help settle into pace if that's the way you train, but on subsequent efforts your HR will be less useful as the bursts will drive it up and you don't want to back off the base Tempo pace. The bursts come every 2 to 5 minutes but only last about 15 to 20 seconds. Those will target the repeated accelerations you asked about better than two full minutes of max effort. You're really targeting a couple of things here. One is the ability to engage muscle fibers on demand to accelerate quickly. Another is to recover from that burst at a Tempo or harder pace much like you'd do in a race. Personally I wouldn't do 2 minute max efforts the way you describe. If I targeted pure L6 work with minute to two minute maximum efforts I'd recover at a much easier pace so that I could put all my energy into the subsequent effort. The HOP work is very bursty with an emphasis on acceleration more than sustainable anaerobic power. Try to settle into a quick but sustainable Tempo pace that gets you breathing deeply and steadily but one you think you can sustain for half an hour to an hour. After you've established your pace try a quick seated 15 to 20 second burst every few minutes and after each burst settle right back into that Tempo pace. Try to hold that pattern for an entire hour if you can or as long as is reasonable. That's the kind of thing I was talking about for getting used to the frequent jumps in crits. Good luck, -Dave |
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