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Mental Cross Training for Cycling

If you are looking forward to the upcoming cycling season and you plan to work as hard as possible to improve your abilities, cross training is a great way to gain the edge you are looking for. It is a great way to improve your abilities. Mental is as important as physical cross for a complete endurance cycling training.

Although, nothing replaces cycling as a form of training, cross training is a great way to improve your cycling abilities, increasing your aerobic endurance and make your body more efficient, faster and stronger. Every type of physical activity from basketball and swimming to weight lifting and golf can be used in a cross training routine. Some activities are better suited to be used for cross training than others are.

mindMental cross training

If you want to become a better cyclist, you need to cross train your mind, not only your body. The athlete that posses’ superior psychological strength is believed to have a hidden advantage over other athletes and competitors. If you think positively at all times and remain goal oriented you can easily train your mind and gain this psychological strength advantage.

If your training becomes stale and boring, dig up old equipment and use it. Take the speedometer off your bike, do not worry about the distance you have traveled or how long you have trained. You may want to train, just to train for a few days.

The psychological edge

Another method of psychological training is to repeat a word or phrase repeatedly to yourself or even aloud while you train. This is most helpful at times when your training is at a difficult point. You can even create a rhythmic phrase or set of words that can be recited as you pedal. These words or phrase can be to help give you encouragement and to improve your bike endurance while training.

Sometimes the encouragement or strength gained from the recital of a set of words or a phrase can be “just what the doctor ordered” to help you over the top. Your body will respond to what your thoughts tell it to do. If you become your own personal motivator, you are more likely to perform better.

Just like a coach whom yells at you while they train you, you can coach yourself and talk yourself through your training sessions. After you have decided on a word, set of words or a phrase to use for self-motivation you can practice motivating yourself. After your practice has become habitual, your body will respond almost instantly to your self-motivation. Your self-motivating will signal to your body that it is time to work.

Written by Sam · Filed Under Training