Cycling is a very popular sport and pastime today, especially with the emphasis there is today on exercise and physical fitness. Whether you consider yourself in good physical shape or out of shape, it’s important to do some sort of stretches. There are a variety of different types of stretches available. If you’re in doubt as to what kind of stretches you’ll want to do, you can do as many do and do all body part stretches. In fact, there are all body part stretches that can be done while you’re cycling after you’ve already warmed up.

These all body part stretches are called this because they’ll take care of all of your important body parts used for exercising. They are, however, different stretches for different part, rather than one particular stretch.

Examples of Excellent All Body Part Stretches

An excellent stretch for your calf is to stand on your bike pedals having the cranks go up and down, while keeping the heel and leg that’s the lowest in a straight position. Lower the heel of the other leg past the pedal frame and hold for a few seconds. Repeat this procedure with the other leg. A good stretch for your hamstrings takes place by standing on the pedals with your bike crank horizontal. Most of the stretch will be felt in your front leg in this exercise. Keeping both of your legs straight, move your body so it’s almost on top of the handlebars. Lower your shoulders and tilt your pelvis until you can feel your hamstring stretching. Hold this position for a few seconds, then change pedals and do this with the other leg.

There are also several different stretches that can be done while you’re off your bike. These are also some great all body part stretches that only take a moment or two. While keeping your shoulders level, tilt your head to one side and hold it there for a few seconds. Now you can switch to the other side, making sure to not let your head rotate. This is a great stretch for your neck. A combination lower back and legs stretch requires you to lie on the floor with your lower part of your back flat on the floor or ground. While grasping your leg right below the knee, pull it towards your chest and hold it for a few seconds, then switch legs.

Don’t Forget the Hams

Hamstrings are a part of the body that is often injured in sports activities so it’s important that they always get properly exercised and conditioned. A good hamstring stretch is lifting your leg to waist height and resting it against a wall. Bend the other leg a little while keeping the lifted leg straight. Bend your body close to the leg that’s supporting you and hold this position for a few seconds then switch legs.

While often exercising sounds like a tiresome job, it’s very important to condition your body before physical activities, especially with these simple all body part stretches, which only take a few minutes.

Causes of overtraining
You can push yourself over the edge of overtraining if you fail to adapt to the stress of sustained, high intensity training. If you perform your high intensity training before you have had a chance to adapt to this type of training overtraining can have a fast on-set. As few as ten days of increased training can result in overtraining in some athletes. A lack of proper recovery can also result in overtraining.

The main cause of overtraining
However, the main causes of overtraining is a poorly created program. For example, a rapid increase in your training volume, intensity or protracted schedules of high volume training in addition a recovery and rest period that is not adequate will cause many athletes to risk overtraining. If an athlete fails to consider other stresses they may also be at a higher risk. Even an athlete with a carefully created program can over train. Studies show that standardized assessments of training and secondary sources of stress may not be useful in predicting the risk of a stale program for groups or teams. This variability alone can stress the importance of paying attention to your personal limitations for an increase in volume and the intensity of your training. Over training is a complex condition with prolonged overload without proper recovery being the main cause. Other factors such as competition related monotony ad tedium, travel, psychological, environmental and medical conditions can all add to the risk of overtraining.

Signs to overtraining
The number one sign to overtraining is an unwanted decline in performance unrelated to factors such as an illness or an injury. This drop may come after a period of maintained performance for a greater cost. Other symptoms of overtraining include but are not limited to mood disturbances, fatigue, malaise associated with the loss of energy and vigor and feelings of heaviness in the limbs. Changes in sleep patterns and your appetite have also been seen in people whom suffer overtraining.

Identify overtraining early
It is very important to identify overtraining as soon as possible. This is when short-term interventions may still be helpful. If you do not watch for and heed the warning signs of overtraining, you may be on the road to disaster. As a rule, your body tells you what it needs. You may want to eat everything in sight the morning after a 100-mile ride you. On the contrary you may have no appetite after a very hard effort. You need to be thoughtful and smart about your eating habits. Make sure that you are consuming a sufficient amount of carbohydrates if you begin t feel the signs of overtraining. Match your intake day to day to your training load. Your body will not run on empty any better than your car will. Feed your muscles with carbohydrates at the same rate you are using them.

Overtraining is as individual as you are
Overtraining is as individual as you are. Just because a program is right for your best friend does not mean that it is the right program for you. Effective training is knowing your body’s ability to adapt and recover. Overtraining is poor program management. You can train hard and still not over train if your program is designed correctly with rest and recovery periods. The best way not to overtrain is to “know you”. Pay attention to your body and its signals. Keep a detailed training log, use a proper tapering program before big races and by stepping back and analyzing what you have done you can avoid overtraining.

Solo Training

Committing to commitment
If you want to be a successful cyclist, you have to find your limits and expand them so you can be the best you can be. Psychological readiness, training and talent are three factors that limit your potential in cycling. The combinations of these three qualities are what make a cyclist better. Regardless of your fitness, strength or skill levels, the difference between winners and losers is your psychological state, especially motivation and determination. If you stand at the start of any race and look at the faces of the racers, you will see who is ready and who is not ready to race and do their best by placing mind over matter.

Potential and talent
Every rider has a certain amount of potential and athletic talent. Part is a gift from your parents and the other part is improvement from training. Regardless of your developed ability and inherited talents, even the most athletic of cyclists will not always win races. Winning is an act of will as much as an act of the body, so you need to think about the mental side of your training as well as the physical. Tough and more motivated ones often out perform unmotivated cyclists.

Commitment
Commitment will bring all of the qualities of being a good cyclist into focus for a competitive cyclist. What you do with your talent is commitment and it answers questions like, “how much training am I willing to go through to prepare for the national championship?” or “during the off season, how hard am I willing to train?” commitment is how mad you want to win.

Ideas to help you
Here are some ideas that can help to enhance your commitment to cycling. Set realistic goals and attainable targets, be tough on yourself, know yourself and have a plan for success.

Think like the best
If you desire to be a good cyclist, you have to think like the best. Have a mindset like, “I am the best and I have to be both tough and tough on myself to be successful.” You have to want success badly enough to give 105% of yourself to attain it. Start NOW, not tomorrow. What are you waiting for start with today’s workout? Use as many resources at your disposal as possible. What kind of support do you have; equipment, coaches, family, friends, etc… how can they all help you in your quest to be the best cyclist you can be?

Concentration
The most important factor psychologically in competition is your cycling concentration. Both coaches and cyclists have agreed upon this. Your ability to focus on the race, the race environment, weather factors, your competitors and changing tactics is key to your success in competition.

Think about what you are doing
Several years ago a study was performed on marathon runners and their thoughts during a competition. As athletes of all levels were conversed with a consistent distinction was observed. The top competitors in a race spent time thinking about what they were doing and how they felt at each stage. This was done almost without exception by the top competitors.

Within yourself
Most all successful cyclists will check various factors within their selves during races. These inner factors include how their fuel supply feels, speed, pedaling RPM, the feelings of their legs and other parts of their body. In comparison, the less accomplished runners whom wish to escape the discomfort and pain tended to think about other responsibilities while competing. These responsibilities may include school, work, family, and other similar responsibilities. A less successful athlete strives to consciously ignore the signals their body is sending to their brain by keeping his mind on responsibilities other than the task at hand. It has been determined by this and other psychological studies that the most successful athletes are best at narrowing their attention under pressure

Focus recovery
Here are some guidelines to help you focus or recover your lost focus: become more connected to what it is that you are trying to focus on during a competition. If your form is where you want your focus then try to concentrate on your shadow. If you are trying to hold a consistent pedaling RPM concentrate on a rhythmic beat or if you are trying to keep up with the rider ahead of you on an incline, pedal stroke for stroke with them. A distraction may only be a distraction if you see it as a distraction. Focus on the race in general and the other competitors if you are beginning to doubt yourself. This way you will take your thoughts away from your pain and suffering to external factors. Do not let the environmental factors of a course lower your performance level. Visualize your less prepared opponents having more troubles than you do. Stay off from the start line for as long as possible. Arrive for the race right before the start gun. This way you will avoid all of the confusion that takes place before the competition start or before a specific stage of a race.

A daily record of your program

You training diary is your daily record of your program progress, successes and failures. In your daily training diary you will track your physical conditioning such as your waking and activity heart rates sleep patterns, morning body weight, your physical feelings during your training and racing and your competition performance. You can buy pre-printed training diaries through catalogs, from the internet or bookstores.

Diary guidelines

In your diary, you will want to:

• Record your training sessions in detail. What distances you worked on, the interval types, your riding partner, if any, the route rode and the environmental and weather condition.
• Record your bedtime and wake time and the time you laid down and woke up from any naps. If you are going to bed late, sleeping less and waking up tired you may be overtraining.
• After you go to the bathroom in the morning, weigh yourself. If you have lost several pounds since the morning before you may be dehydrated and it is important to drink many fluids before you train again. If you continue to lose weight this way over several weeks, it is a strong sign you are over training.
• When you wake up measure your heart rate for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 then write this number down in your diary. If your pulse has raised more than five or six beats per minute in the early morning, you may not have yet recovered from the previous day or you may be getting sick. Do not train hard that day. If your pulse is five or six beats per minute higher in the morning for several days, you may be experiencing a very serious form of overtraining. Take a few days off until your waking pulse rate returns to normal.
• Write down how you feel physically each morning when you wake up. Create a rating scale that will reflect how you feel from, “feeling great and cannot wait to train” to “feeling horrible and do not even want to see a bike”.
• Do not only record your physical feelings but also your mental and emotional feelings and more importantly your goals, focusing on your motivation level. Your goals are an important part of your program and most riders lose sight of their goals. Reaching your goals is a great confidence booster.
• Create a comments area in your training diary. In the comments area you will write down any and all illnesses that you experience, state of well-being, enthusiasm level, motivation level at various points (i.e. practice or competition) in your training, arousal and psych-up levels, race and training conditions and any physical, mental or psychological testing.

Map your success
As with any activity in your life, you cannot know where you are without knowing where you have been. By designing a training diary, you are creating a map that shows where you have been and where you desire to be. Maybe every week or every so many days your training diary should have an occasional summary.

There are three energy sources

The energy sources for cyclists comes from three sources. These three sources are fat, carbohydrates and protein. The fat energy comes through the bloodstream provided by adipose tissue or from the intestines out of the foods you consume. Your fat energy can also be supplied by stored fat in your muscle tissue. Carbohydrate energy is supplied by the liver from your stored glycogen, amino acids that are metabolized, from carbohydrates that have been absorbed by your intestines or from the glycogen stored in your muscle tissue.

Fruit Bars

Heart rate and activity levels

Your heart rate corresponds to you activity level as follows:
Low activity level = 65% of maximum heart rate
Moderate activity level= 75% of maximum heart rate
Maximum activity level = 90% of maximum heart rate

Carbohydrates are metabolized on the basis of your respiratory exchange ratios which were Traditionally believed to be at a much higher rate than they now are believed to be. This ratio is determined by the relative concentrations of the carbon dioxide and oxygen that are expired.

Electrolyte Drink

The newest techniques of calculating this ratio suggest that the fat contribution is greater than anyone had previously been able to determine. Most recent studies show a rate of 85% of your energy is provided by fat at low intensity exercise levels. About half from fat at moderate levels and at high exercise levels about 70% of the energy provided comes from carbohydrates.

Where does your energy come from

Fat from the bloodstream supplies most of your energy at low activity levels and at higher activity levels your fat calories come from fat that is stored in muscle tissue. As your activity level rises fat contributes more absolute energy but less relative. Triglycerides or intramuscular fat energy supplies less than one-third of your energy as that of the glycogen stored in your muscles at a moderate activity level.

At a high activity level the absolute fat contribution dwindles to almost nothing as the stored glycogens take over. Blood fat and glucose levels are contributors to muscle energy supplies even when your activity level is high, but compared to glycogens the contribution levels of fat and glucose are quite limited. If glucose is consumed then the glucose contribution will rise. It is futile to consume fat for energy contribution since the absorption rate is lengthy.

Consume carbohydrates

About 250 calories per hour of consumed carbohydrates may be a factor in muscle energy. If you consume carbohydrates for energy it will reserve your stored levels of glycogen in your muscles. This consumption of carbohydrates will allow your activity level to increase and prolong it for a greater period.

Fruit

Glycogen is the fuel of choice

Although, training can increase the use of muscle fat for energy and the rate for which the body uses the fat in the bloodstream at a given activity level at high activity levels glycogen is the fuel of choice for the body.

Information regarding adequate values of maximal and submaximal intensities have been given in various literature. A group of professional world-class cyclists have been examined and tested using a protocol in the preceding section, Padilla et al. (1999, 2000a, b). The report showed the Wmax values ranging from 349 to 525 watts ( 5.7 and 6.8 watts per kilogram). This shows that when friction accounts for 9% in the transmission system of the ergometer then one of the cyclists attained a Wmax of 572 watts, which is a remarkable achievement.

The same cyclist attained VO2max values of 4.4 to 6.4 liters per minute (69.7 to 84.8 millimeters per kilogram per minute), HRmax of 187 to 204 beats per minute, and peak BL concentration at the end of the previously mentioned incremental testing protocol of 6.9 to 13.7 mol per liter.

Ideal professional road cyclist has to have a power output of 334 watts (76 percent Wmax), an oxygen uptake of 4.0 liters per minute(77% VO2max)and a heart rate of 163 beats per minute(84% Wmax). Typical values corresponding to the OBLA are 386 watts( 87% Wmax), 4.5 liters per minute(86% VO2max), and 178 beats per minute(92% HRmax).

A five-time winner of Tour de France was studied and the results showed a power output at OBLA of 505 watts and an oxygen uptake at this intensity of 5.65 liters per minute (Padilla et al. 2000a). Professional road cyclists also show a mean mechanical efficiency where an average of 23% of maximal and submaximal cycling intensities is taken.

For professional cyclists the physical work is given much importance. The aerodynamic resistance is considered which mainly depends on FA, air density, and speed of motion. The rolling resistance depends on BM, pressure in the tires, and the characteristics of the road surface and tires. Hence the physical endurance of a cyclist determines the physiological factors.

Ergometer shows the reading in the laboratory setup but the actual road setup shows the interaction of the cyclist with the environment. For more accurate prediction of the cyclist’s performance potential in the outdoor field it is necessary to assess his or her physiological capacity relative to anthropometric characteristics, (BM, FA, BSA). This procedure is known as scaling. Scaling can be done for maximal, submaximal power output and oxygen uptake by relating these values with individual anthropometric characteristics, which include BSA, FA, BM, BM0_n, BM0_32. It has been proved that uphill cycling ability can be best predicted by oxygen uptake and power output values relative to BM and BM0_79. Cycling on a flat terrain can be predicted with the help of BM0_32.

For a professional cyclist the laboratory offers a non-competitive situation. It helps in analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the cyclist. Differences between two top riders are usually attained in time trial and mountain stages. It can be a matter of only very minimal time like 60 seconds but laboratory measurements ignore such differences.

An athlete or a sportsman expends lot of time and energy in training programs to win competitions. It is essential that no part of his time goes unproductive. The regular training constitutes the actual part of activity while the supplemental training increases the flexibility of the muscles and tendons in the participant’s body. For an ideal coordination of the muscles and the brain, supplemental training helps a lot. There by, the regular training sessions are performed at ease and competitions are won at the end of each training levels.

Since each person’s body constitution differs from the other, the responses shown by the people vary for the same stress training schedule. So each sportsman should discuss with the instructor in devising the stress training and supplemental training program to suit his needs. Flexibility exercises must be given more importance. It takes a long time for these exercises to pay dividends. Stretching or cross training for short periods show no signs of visible improvements. The sports enthusiast knows for certain the locations in his body which could give hurdles during the stress training sessions.

Stretching routines should be organized as to apply slight tensile force or compressive force to these sections which needs only few minutes a day. Initial bearable pain should be a positive sign of improvement in these areas. Without these stretching routines, if the sportsman pursues stress training, he is prone to injuries due to overexertion. He should take care not to stretch an injured portion which can inhibit the healing process.

Warming up for 10 to 20 minutes in the early morning increases the blood flow to the muscles and heats up to create more flexibility. Jogging over little distances and brisk walking at least 3 kilometers in the early morning is helpful. The athlete can wear warm clothes to allow his muscle fibers do necessary chemical reactions. Stretching exercises should be started at the top and worked down. The physiotherapists help the sportsmen when they are afflicted by sprain or cramps. They either apply infrared heat or stretch those areas. Each part should be held in the position and pressurized for 20 seconds to get the desired effect. Stretching exercises should not be accompanied by any jumping action. There are chances of muscle fibers getting torn.

Increased flexibility of muscles improves the brain’s control over the muscular action and the bio feedback. Overall posture of the sportsman increases during the game.

Cyclists doing the stress training course should take up running exercises as cross training program. It is very similar to the cycling since the same muscle groups are being worked. Due to the thudding of the foot on the ground in every step, running improves the strength in leg muscles which cycling motions lack. Practice in running as cross training improves endurance, increases VO2 max and aerobic capacity. The cyclist’s muscles in the torso and shoulders are developed while moving the arms during running which cycling does not provide. The control on the bike is improved by this exercise.

Running requires more energy than cycling. A person can cycle for more duration of time than running. The circular wheel and the gear system help in pushing the body weight and the cycle weight forward whereas in running, the muscles have to do the full work of taking the load. Running as cross training stresses the cardiovascular system quicker. It is definitely useful for the cyclist during the uphill training and for improves endurance.
Running expends more energy than cycling and brings out the body heat to a greater extent, which keeps the runner warm in the cold climate. The cyclist moves faster on the bicycle and the wind chill that is formed makes him impossible to travel for longer periods of time whereas the runner has a slower pace so that he need not bother about the chilling effect. During cold seasons, the cyclist can practice indoor training and run outdoors to overcome monotony within the four walls.

Running should be used as a cross training infused with base training in cycling. After the heavy schedule of cycling workouts, the cyclist should take adequate rest before he switches over to running. The cyclist can run as much for 45 minutes per week on the rest days in between the stress training schedules. The instructor’s secret to the success formula lies in making the training format harder and the resting days more relaxed. In fact, each cycling tempo schedule in a day should be backed up by easy running at dusk. This combination helps in the recovery of the leg muscles.

Running is an injury producing activity because of the high impact it generates, at every step. The injury is due to eccentric contraction wherein the muscle lengthens as attempt is made to shorten it. The calf and quad muscles experience this contraction while climbing down the stairs and not during climbing up. So it is advisable to run on grass or on sea sand rather than on hard concrete roads with canvas shoes.

Some sportsmen seem to have misconception about enhancing strength training because it might lead to increase of their body weight. A rise in body mass need not diminish cardiovascular performance. Practical experience shows that strength training increases aerobic capacity of the practitioner and strengthens the leg muscles for pedaling on the bicycle. The main advantages are developing bone mineral density, improving connectivity in muscle tissues, enhancing lactate threshold and preventing injuries due to over exertion.

A cyclist has to do the circular motion of his legs on the pedals for long distances and hours. Certain muscle groups are not properly toned to take the stress and they give way leading to injuries. The muscle imbalance results in the hip region and thighs due to the pedaling by the legs. This imbalance is corrected when the cyclist performs strength training, which concentrates on the hamstring muscle group. Thus a proper strength ratio and optimal joint stability are maintained. It is the bone in the body that is responsible for weight bearing activities.

MTB Training

Run Training

The cyclist should lie flat on his back with his knees bent and feet flat on the ground near the buttocks. By pressing the hands on the floor and contracting the pelvic muscles, the back is raised up to two inches above the floor and returned back to the original position for many number of times. In the raised position of the back, the alternate foot is raised few inches and lowered. This exercise is repeated 10 times with each foot. In the same raised position of the back, instead of raising the foot, it is straightened alternately in the same number of times. With one knee held near the chest, the other leg is stretched to the maximum and the exercise is repeated by interchanging the legs. The number of repetitions is tentative and depends on the individual’s endurance of pain.

This exercise is slightly difficult but has more advantages for the back muscles. The practitioner lies on his stomach with his arms stretched above his head. Here, he has to raise opposing arm and leg (left arm- right leg) for 5 seconds and lower them. He has to change position of the limbs. The next exercise will be to stand on the two hands and knees and repeat the earlier workout. Crunch exercises improve abdominal muscles. The cyclist has to lie on his back with his hands folded below his head. Tightening his abdominal muscles, he should raise his head and shoulders a few inches above the ground and slowly lower. This can be repeated as many times as possible by the participant. This exercise can be slightly varied to improvise the tone of the muscle groups.

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