In our most recent post on the blog, DDA associate coach Matt Chatlaong takes an in-depth look at sprint performance on the bike. If you want to start digging into the post directly please click on this link. If you’re short on time here are a few highlights
What powers your sprint
To start with, your body has three energy systems that power movement.
- The Oxidative system
- The Glycolytic system
- The ATP-Pcr system
Understanding the relative contribution of these systems can go a long way in helping you dial in a strategy to improve your sprint. Here are a few of Matt’s tips using the knowledge of energy systems to improve your sprint performance.
- A well balanced training plan is one that incorporates development of all three energy systems
- Consider incorporating strength and neuromuscular power training into your program
- Don’t wait until a group ride, race, or sprint specific workout to practice your sprint. Incorporate short sprints into more of your rides to enhance coordination
- Consider the potential trade-off involved in spending a large portion of your time training your sprint.
Head directly to Matt’s full article by clicking here.
No Excuses
I just finished a book this morning from one my favorite researchers (Martin Gibala), titled “The One Minute Workout”. I first became familiar with Gibala’s research while in graduate school, but this book offers a fascinating look at the history of interval training in addition to sharing a bunch of practical suggestions for designing effective super short interval workouts.
Here’s my personal favorite interval workout after which the book is named. This workout totals 10 minutes, with only 1 minute of hard exercise.
- Warm up for 3 minutes
- Go all-out for 20s followed by 2m of rest, repeat a total of 3 times
- Cool down for 2 minutes
Here’s what the workout looks like in graphical form
That’s right, 10 minutes of total riding, proven to improve not only your cardiovascular health but also your fitness. Now obviously a workout like this won’t propel you to race winning fitness, but it will help to maintain consistency and keep the engine room burning when you’re tempted to wallow in excuses for not having enough time to ride.
The takeaway message, even a 10 minute intense ride can make a difference in your cycling. Don’t pay attention to that voice in your head that says riding is only worth it if you have 1 or 2 hours to spend on the bike. No…excuses…
Nate Dunn
Founder/Head Coach
Data Driven Athlete