Burst Into Spring
Build power ad endurance in just 30 minutes a day.
Drop the hammer and blow them off the back. That's the dream-to start the season not as a middle-of-the-pack cyclist riding into shape but as an unstoppable force. Come in like a lion.
This year, you can pull that fantasy from your head and lay it on the pavement with our special program focused on power endurance-what coach Vern Gambetta, owner of Gambetta Training Systems (gambetta.com), calls "the ability to exert force into your pedals over and over, stronger and longer than anyone else."
The secret: "You need exercises that mimic pedaling action," says Gambetta. His prescription: a stepping session you can complete in just half an hour. "Use low steps and high steps to strengthen your prime pedaling muscles, and lateral steps to strengthen the insides and outsides of your legs, which keeps you stable as you drive forward."
You not only get stronger, you're also more likely to avoid tendonitis and other overuse injuries that occur when you ride harder than your legs are prepared to go. For best results, you should have about 12 weeks of strength training already under your belt. And to stay strong, keep it up. "Many cyclists concentrate all their strength training in the off season, then completely ignore it once they're riding regularly. You can start off strong and end even stronger if you thread power training throughout your season," says Gambetta. Here's what to do.
4 Workouts To Power Into A New Season
Along with a regular strength-training routine, which should include exercises for all major muscle groups, add these three step moves and the core stretching exercise.
Reps, Sets & Frequency: Do 20-30 step-ups, 10-15 reps per leg. Do five sets: three stepping forward and two stepping laterally. Start with two days a week of low steps. Progress to one day of low steps and one day of high steps, finally working up to two days a week of high steps. Do at least one day of stepping throughout the season.
Proper Form: Abs tight and back straight, with eyes looking ahead. Don't hunch forward or sway back.
Add Weight: For low steps, you should progress to the point where you can perform the move with 50 percent of your body weight as resistance. For high steps, progress to a resistance that's 15 percent of your body weight. You can use dumbbells, but a weighted vest works better.
Low Step
Stand in front of an exercise box or bench that's about 3? of your shin height. Step up with your right leg and plant your right foot on the bench. Lift your left foot and lightly place it next to your right foot. Step down with your left foot, followed by your right foot. Step up again, this time with your left foot first. Cadence: one rep per second.
High Step
Plant your right foot on a knee-high bench, with your left leg extended and barely supporting your weight. Press down with your right leg and extend it, lifting your body to bring your left foot to the top of the bench. Return your left foot to the ground, keeping your right foot on the bench. Repeat for a set. Switch legs. Cadence: one rep per second.
Lateral Step
Stand to the left of the bench. Step up to the side with your right leg, putting your foot on the far-right side. Push with your right leg and bring your left foot up next to your right and let it lightly touch the step. Step down with left, then right. Complete a set. Switch legs.
Build a Strong Core
Many cyclists have legs of steel but cores of Wonder Bread.
If you wobble as you step up onto the box, you need to strengthen your stabilizers with this move.Push 'N' Plank
From a push-up position, bend your elbows and lower your chest to the floor until your shoulders and elbows are in line. Push back up and roll to the right, tightening your abs and obliques. Support your weight on your right hand (arm ex- tended) and your feet (which are on their sides). Straighten your left arm and point your hand to the ceiling. Hold three to five seconds. Roll back to a push-up position. Repeat to the left. Alternate to do five to six planks per side.