Cyclingnews Fitness Q&A - November 11, 2010

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It's all about blood. Increasing the ability of the blood to deliver oxygen to the muscles is a potent performance-enhancer. Athletes are prepared to go to tremendous lengths to beat the tests.

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One way to determine if the anemia is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12 or folate versus iron is the appearance of the red blood cells. Both vitamin B12 and folate are needed for cell division, so without enough of these vitamins the red blood cells enlarge without dividing. Consequently, they appear abnormally large, but have normal pigmentation because iron (which gives them colour) is adequate (macrocytic or megaloblastic anemia).

There are many causes of cramps. Bike fit is certainly one of them, and your fit should be checked whether or not it is the cause of your cramps just because bike fit makes a huge difference to the power you can make and sustain. Another possibility is under-training for your event distances. If you are routinely doing 14 hours per week and racing races of 2-3 hours, that's not the problem you are having.

Finally, you may be getting cramps because you are training too hard. This is a less common cause, but three days of high intensity per week is too much for the vast majority of athletes independent of whether they are getting cramps or not. I'd suggest you back off to 1-2 hard days per week when you don't have a race coming up. In a week with a race, the race should be the one hard day. More frequent hard rides may help you bring on good form, but once it is on, continuing them only makes you unnecessarily tired.

But what about strength training for the upper body? I have heard sports medicine experts stress the importance of keeping the whole body in condition, even muscles that are relatively unused for the particular sport. This keeps the body 'in balance' and reduces the chances of injury. Clearly a cyclist doesn't want to develop large and hence heavy upper body muscles but should you spend some time in the gym on upper body muscles eg using light weights but multiple repetitions?

Not counting massive, body-builder or power-lifter types, It's almost impossible to lose muscle mass on a muscle thats getting any sort of regular workout, so no upper body lifting for people who are trying to lose weight from the upper body. People for whom upper body strength training is precluded by injury should actually still be doing a workout, but it should be rehabilitation under the guidance of a physical therapist.

When you are cruising along at moderate power, the upper body doesn't contribute much to the effort, but during an all out sprint or hard, low-cadence climbing, the arms and shoulder can get involved in making power so upper body workouts can help beyond simply maintaining balance and preventing injury. I agree with your idea of doing relatively long sets with lighter weights to maximise strength from existing muscles rather than adding mass.

Scott Saifer (www.wenzelcoaching.com) is head coach, CEO of Wenzel Coaching.com and has been coaching cyclists professionally for 18 years. He combines a master's degree in Exercise Physiology with experience in 20 years of touring and racing and over 300 road, track and MTB races to deliver training plans and advice that are both rigorously scientific and compatible with the real world of bike racing.

Carrie Cheadle, MA (www.carriecheadle.com) is a Sports Psychology consultant who has dedicated her career to helping athletes of all ages and abilities perform to their potential. Carrie specialises in working with cyclists, in disciplines ranging from track racing to mountain biking. She holds a bachelors degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University as well as a masters degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.