Cyclingnews Fitness Q&A - September 28, 2011

Michael Rogers has only recently returned to competition after several months off the bike with a recurrence of his CFS. (Image credit: Rob Lampard)

Topics: Maintaining cycling fitness when you can’t be on the bike, Climbing in the seat or out of the saddle?, Pedaling style, Riding with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Increasing performance when you can’t increase volume.

In the next few weeks I will be deployed to Afghanistan and will no longer be able to race or ride my bike. I will be gone for a total of 9 months which will bring me back to the United States in July of 2012. I understand that my season for 2012 will not be able to happen except for a few races in the fall, but I am hoping that I can continue to progress as an athlete and really make great strides during the 2013 season. Some of my goals for the time that I will be in Afghanistan are to cut some weight off (particularly upper-body mass), maintain my cardiovascular and lung capacity, add strength without additional weight, and continue to build my aerobic base.

I have been reading Matt Fitzgerald's book Racing Weight and I am going to start incorporating that into my current diet plan. I will not have control over the quality of the food I eat, but I can control the quantity. So by running a calorie deficit I should be able to cut my weight from 165 down to 155/150; I stand at 5 foot 8 inches. There should be a treadmill at the base that I am living so doing long slow distance mixed with some intervals should help maintain my cardio and lungs. I am not so sure about the strength training that I should be doing.

The good news is that I will get back with enough time to do a few races in the late fall and go right into base training for the 2013 season without worry of being burnt out. The base that I am living at is around 8800 feet in elevation so that will help increase my cardio and lung capacity just by living there. I should also have about an hour in the morning and evening in which I can work out. I appreciate any advice that you guys can offer my way, and hopefully I can come back leaner, stronger, and ready to ride!

The gym movement that most closely maps onto cycling is the squat. Ideally you should perform free squats (as opposed to doing them on the Smith machine) but other good movements include the leg press, leg curls, dead lifts and the leg extension - however this is a far from exhaustive list, and it is important not to get stale so feel free to mix up your routine. Also make sure to address your core strength through crunches, back extensions and medicine ball work.

Since you sound as if you put on muscle mass easily, and are not racing until the fall of 2012, I would not go through the typical hypertrophy (that is mass-building) phase of strength training. This phase typically consists of eight to twelve repetitions performed at 80-90 per cent of one's single repetition maximum. Instead of a hypertrophy phases, I would stick to lower weights so as to not add any unnecessary mass. However, much like the exercises, some changes in terms of weights and repetitions will be helpful.

For most riders on moderate climbs, seated is more efficient in terms of delaying fatigue while climbing at the same speed, since body weight is not supported on the legs. Thus it makes sense to stand for a quick burst of power to stay with a group or break away near the crest of a climb, but not for a sustained climb. At very low cadences, the ability to drop the body weight on the pedal when standing may allow a rider to keep moving when he's not strong enough to keep the pedals moving while seated.

I've read quite a few articles on how to determine one's pedal style and I seem to be a 'heels down' type. I recently moved my cleats back a tad to compensate and this feels optimal, but with one weird observation: It feels like that I am pushing my glutes back into the saddle when I come over the top of the stroke almost as if I rely on the rearward bracing of my seat to apply proper force. Is this normal for heels down people or is my saddle position just that far off?

There are 2 issues here. Firstly, the change is recent and you probably haven't modified your motor pattern (muscle firing sequence) to accommodate the change yet. I would advise not changing anything else for a couple of weeks as it takes this long for old motor patterns to be broken down and new ones to become embedded. How long is individually variable but can be hastened by only riding at low to moderate intensity. Anything above approximately 75 per cent of max HR and you will attempt to fall back into patterns of motion that you are used to, but that won't work perfectly because you have altered your cleat position.

I've been recovering now for 2 years and am still affected by this horrible illness. I've sought heaps of advice (I've attached a copy of my Mitochondria test). I'm currently following a diet that starts my day off with proteins (eggs and ham) and then introduces low GI carbs in the day (mostly spinach and peppers ) with more protein in the form of chicken or Mackerel. I have gluten-free pasta or rice with meat in the evening. I also have berry fruits and nuts in the day to supplement my diet. I consume 4500 calories a day but have lost nearly 6kg. I used to weigh 69kg and now weigh 63.5kg.

In your current condition, your max training HR probably should not rise over 130 bpm, and that may be optimistic. I have seen a number of people in your situation act on the advice in that book and go back to successful high level racing within 18 months because they followed the recommendations religiously. Why that book isn't required reading for every athlete I don't know. I stress, I'm not a coach and James is. However, I see people like you from time to time, recommend that book and invariably get a call at a later date saying that following the the advice contained within it was what enabled them to become healthy and ride strongly again.

I am a 45 year-old male with a job that requires me to work long hours. Riding more than one day a week is out of the question, and group rides are difficult to arrange, so I ride solo 35-40 Saturdays a year in a variety of weather. My Saturday rides are typically 80-100 miles with around 4,000-6,000 feet of climbing. I try to sprint traffic light to traffic light in the first and last five miles as I work my way out and back into the city. My fitness level has remained consistent over the past two years, with roughly the same average speed and heart rate on each ride. I would like to increase my fitness and ride faster, especially when climbing, but the training resources I have reviewed always begin by recommending more days per week on the bike. Do you have any suggestions given my constraints?

Well, I'm certainly not going to suggest that you go longer on Saturday. What sort of work do you do and do you really have no opportunity to train in any way on the other six days? If you job is very physical, you're probably doing what you can. If not, a short run, spin on the trainer or a few minutes spent climbing stairs in an office building every other day could help improve your bike performance. Any aerobic exercise over 20 minutes is probably worth something. Even a shorter routine of core training and squats done on the floor as you roll out of bed could make a difference. You don't have to ride multiple hours to get a training benefit.

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.

Steve Hogg has owned and operated Pedal Pushers since 1986, a cycle shop specialising in rider positioning and custom bicycles. In that time he has positioned riders from all cycling disciplines and of all levels of ability with every concievable cycling problem. Clients range from recreational riders and riders with disabilities to World and National champions. He can be reached at: www.stevehoggbikefitting.com

James Hibbard progressed from the junior to the professional ranks as a rider and has over 15 years of competitive cycling experience. He is a former Collegiate All-American track cyclist, trained as a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center, earned international medals as part of the U.S. National Team, and was a member of the powerhouse Shaklee and HealthNet Professional road cycling teams.

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.