Fitness questions and answers for March 15, 2004

Form & Fitness Q & A

Got a question about fitness, training, recovery from injury or a related subject? Drop us a line at fitness@cyclingnews.com. Please include as much information about yourself as possible, including your age, sex, and type of racing or riding.

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.

Kelby Bethards, MD received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University (1994) before obtaining an M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 2000. Has been a racing cyclist 'on and off' for 20 years, and when time allows, he races Cat 3 and 35+. He is a team physician for two local Ft Collins, CO, teams, and currently works Family Practice in multiple settings: rural, urgent care, inpatient and the like.

Fiona Lockhart (www.trainright.com) is a USA Cycling Expert Coach, and holds certifications from USA Weightlifting (Sports Performance Coach), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach), and the National Academy for Sports Nutrition (Primary Sports Nutritionist). She is the Sports Science Editor for Carmichael Training Systems, and has been working in the strength and conditioning and endurance sports fields for over 10 years; she's also a competitive mountain biker.

David Fleckenstein, MPT (www.physiopt.com) is a physical therapist practicing in Boise, ID. His clients have included World and U.S. champions, Olympic athletes and numerous professional athletes. He received his B.S. in Biology/Genetics from Penn State and his Master's degree in Physical Therapy from Emory University. He specializes in manual medicine treatment and specific retraining of spine and joint stabilization musculature. He is a former Cat I road racer and Expert mountain biker.

Since 1986 Steve Hogg (www.cyclefitcentre.com) has owned and operated Pedal Pushers, 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.They include World and National champions at one end of the performance spectrum to amputees and people with disabilities at the other end.

Pamela Hinton has a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and a doctoral degree in Nutritional Sciences, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She did postdoctoral training at Cornell University and is now an assistant professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she studies the effects of iron deficiency on adaptations to endurance training and the consequences of exercise-associated changes in menstrual function on bone health.

Steve Owens (www.coloradopremiertraining.com) is a USA Cycling certified coach, exercise physiologist and owner of Colorado Premier Training. Steve has worked with both the United States Olympic Committee and Guatemalan Olympic Committee as an Exercise Physiologist. He holds a B.S. in Exercise & Sports Science and currently works with multiple national champions, professionals and World Cup level cyclists.

Richard Stern (www.cyclecoach.com) is Head Coach of Richard Stern Training, a Level 3 Coach with the Association of British Cycling Coaches, a Sports Scientist, and a writer. He has been professionally coaching cyclists and triathletes since 1998 at all levels from professional to recreational. He is a leading expert in coaching with power output and all power meters. Richard has been a competitive cyclist for 20 years

Andy Bloomer (www.cyclecoach.com) is an Associate Coach and sport scientist with Richard Stern Training. He is a member of the Association of British Cycling Coaches (ABCC) and a member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). In his role as Exercise Physiologist at Staffordshire University Sports Performance Centre, he has conducted physiological testing and offered training and coaching advice to athletes from all sports for the past 4 years. Andy has been a competitive cyclist for many years.

It's good to hear that you're improving your fitness, with a view to moving up the categories. A coach can further help you with both specific training and practical coaching advice. Often a coach will be able to make the most efficient use of your time, and myself or one of the other coaches in the fitness Q&A at cyclingnews.com would be delighted to help you. Whenever you take on a coach, will help you to improve, and the sooner you start coaching the sooner the likelihood you'll start improving.

Regarding when you might want to begin working with a coach, there are advantages to starting now as well as at the end of the season. Working with a coach right away will help you to address your goals of improving your tactical knowledge and expenditure of energy during races. On the other hand, unless you feel you need to change your training structure, it may be an easier transition if it happens in the off season, after you give yourself a significant recovery break and are mentally ready to make such a change.

I have been reading up on some of your fitness Q&A and read back in November 27 that drinking milk can have a bad affect in muscle recovery due to the lactose levels and Lactic acid build up in the legs, learning this has prompted my to ask my question. I train most mornings on the bike 4-5 days a week and an average of 60km's I never eat my breakfast before I train, instead I have it after my ride, about an hour after to be precise. Could this be having a negative affect on my recovery?

I was not involved in the panel last November, so I hope someone will bring me up to speed on this question. Lactose is a disaccharide made up of glucose and galactose. The metabolism of galactose starts with it's conversion to glucose 1-phosphate, after which it follows the same metabolic pathway the glucose 1-phosphate which is released during glycogenolysis. What does 12-carbon lactose have to do with 3-carbon lactic acid?

I was a panelist then, but don't recall such a response, and in fact checking the question and answer for that day reveals that Jim responded in with a similar response to Scott. Jim, did however, report that a lot of people are lactose intolerant and that mixing recovery drinks with water as opposed to milk might mean faster absorption rates. As Scott and Jim report none of this is to do with lactate produced when training.

I am a 39 year old enthusiastic recreational cyclist. I usually do a few races each year in both MTN biking and Triathlons (sprints). I love MTN biking but it is a three hour round trip before I can even hit the trails. So last summer I bought a road bike just to keep the miles up, around 100 a week. My average heart rate is about 158 on our 21 mile group ride every Saturday. I did Chris Carmichael's three mile fit test in just under nine minutes last fall, but I have yet to do one this season.

I am very confused at this time on how to improve my fitness. I started (road) riding with a local shop last summer later realizing I was losing fitness. This, to say the least, was very frustrating. I have read about building a solid base/foundation level but am curious how strict I have to be during this time. (I am trying to follow Mark Allen's recommendation of 180-39 = 141-5 = for a max foundation building heart rate of 136) Can I still do my hard Saturday ride with the local shop during this phase of my training or should I stay away for a certain length of time? If so, how long? My first race is not until May 19th. At what point should I start putting in harder workouts? My main goal is a race on June 13th. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

First I just want to thank you for all of your expert advice. I have a couple quick questions. I am relatively new to the sport of cycling and am in the base endurance building phase of my training program. On receiving my yearly physical my Doctor happened to mention, out of the blue, that my left leg is 2 cm shorter than my right. I do not notice anything when I am on the bike, but I am wondering, since it is early in my training regiment, should I try and fix this?