Not sure how to train..?

owen21

Okay so currently i commute to work, do a few short road rides and also encorporate hill climbs, starts and sprints etc on my road bike. My main aim is to race Track, (sprint, keirin) but im not sure how to best utilise my time off the track to train specifically

I currently lift weights at a decent standard so i feel i have sufficient power/strength at the minute, but i know i need to get fitter in general and improve my cadence, lactate tolerance and work capacity.

I shall learn my track craft on the track once i am accredited (wont be long).

I dont want to lose all my power doing long road rides but understand some may be necessary. I have access to a fixed wheel bike, road bike & rollers.

Can anyone help please? Intervals, long distance, sprints??? Not sure.

bahzob

I'd suggest buying the "Time Crunched Cyclist" book. It will provide you with all the information you need and includes 12 week training plans tailored for specific goals. There is nothing specific for track but if you use the "race" plan the short hard nature of the workouts will provide you with a fitness base that you can work on with track specifics. It also has suggestions for how to integrate commuting into your training.

Do this and you will improve very quickly. If you then have questions on specific topics you can come back here and ask them.

PS. Since others will say it if I don't. Weight lifting is of limited benefit in terms of helping cycling. The routines need to be specific and well designed. So, if your primary focus is cycling, I would plan on putting these on hold for the time being and spend 100% of the time you have available for training on a bike.

If you have time when you are free but can't use a bike (e.g. on business trips) then this time can be used to develop core strength. Tim Danielson's "Core Advantage" book is a good buy in this case, it provides cycling specific workouts that can be done in limited space and require no equipment.

markwb79

bahzob wrote:

I'd suggest buying the "Time Crunched Cyclist" book. It will provide you with all the information you need and includes 12 week training plans tailored for specific goals. There is nothing specific for track but if you use the "race" plan the short hard nature of the workouts will provide you with a fitness base that you can work on with track specifics. It also has suggestions for how to integrate commuting into your training.

Do this and you will improve very quickly. If you then have questions on specific topics you can come back here and ask them.

PS. Since others will say it if I don't. Weight lifting is of limited benefit in terms of helping cycling. The routines need to be specific and well designed. So, if your primary focus is cycling, I would plan on putting these on hold for the time being and spend 100% of the time you have available for training on a bike.

If you have time when you are free but can't use a bike (e.g. on business trips) then this time can be used to develop core strength. Tim Danielson's "Core Advantage" book is a good buy in this case, it provides cycling specific workouts that can be done in limited space and require no equipment.

100% agree with the weights vs bike.....other than when training for the track

Friends that race on the track (90% of the ), even on a training camp will go to the gym once a weekish.
But also did longer rides to build their base for the pursuit.

napoleond

It would appear that you want to be a track sprinter rather than 'endurance' cyclist.

This is some good advice...

http://www.ridethetrack.com/pdf/train_paulrogers.pdf

I like the line about the easy 'long' rides of up to two hours being there just to keep them out of the pub...

Eddy S

You are going to get a lot of contradictory information here from people who don’t ride track and don’t understand sprint events and haven't got a clue how to train for them.

I am a (semi-retired) track sprinter who trains almost exclusively on the road FOR TRACK SPRINTING. I got to quite a successful level without every going to a gym but these days I do also weight train through the winter months.

You’re not going to get much love for weight lifting here because most don’t understand it's relevance to sprinting.

Although having said that, there are a handful of recognised track coaches that don’t believe that weights are necessary for speed/power and that the development of speed and power can come solely through time on the bike. The jury is still out for me as I enjoy the gym work.

There are lots of sessions and intervals you can do on the road with total relevance for your chosen disciplines and you don’t need to do them on a fixie either. However, I'm not going to share those here – I have a coach who work on this with me and it would be unfair to him (and to me) to start posting my sessions all over the internet.

If this is really what you want to do, you need a plan to be specific to you based on where you are at and your goals, not random internet advice.

I’d suggest and recommend that you find a track specific coach who can work with you. It will be your best investment of time and money.

To get you going, have a read of this http://upupup.aboc.com.au/ - some great info, guidance and advice which gets updated when the author has time. Also search out the TrackSprinting group on FB – lots of knowledgeable people there plus usual weights verses riding discussions 8)

LegendLust

Eddy S wrote:

You are going to get a lot of contradictory information here from people who don’t ride track and don’t understand sprint events and haven't got a clue how to train for them.

I am a (semi-retired) track sprinter who trains almost exclusively on the road FOR TRACK SPRINTING. I got to quite a successful level without every going to a gym but these days I do also weight train through the winter months.

You’re not going to get much love for weight lifting here because most don’t understand it's relevance to sprinting.

Although having said that, there are a handful of recognised track coaches that don’t believe that weights are necessary for speed/power and that the development of speed and power can come solely through time on the bike. The jury is still out for me as I enjoy the gym work.

There are lots of sessions and intervals you can do on the road with total relevance for your chosen disciplines and you don’t need to do them on a fixie either. However, I'm not going to share those here – I have a coach who work on this with me and it would be unfair to him (and to me) to start posting my sessions all over the internet.

If this is really what you want to do, you need a plan to be specific to you based on where you are at and your goals, not random internet advice.

I’d suggest and recommend that you find a track specific coach who can work with you. It will be your best investment of time and money.

To get you going, have a read of this http://upupup.aboc.com.au/ - some great info, guidance and advice which gets updated when the author has time. Also search out the TrackSprinting group on FB – lots of knowledgeable people there plus usual weights verses riding discussions 8)

Good post. I hope the OP takes your advice

owen21

thanks for the replys, eddy S i shall PM you, thanks

Tom Dean

NapoleonD wrote:

It would appear that you want to be a track sprinter rather than 'endurance' cyclist.

This is some good advice...

http://www.ridethetrack.com/pdf/train_paulrogers.pdf

I like the line about the easy 'long' rides of up to two hours being there just to keep them out of the pub...

Interesting stuff. thanks