V-CLUB TRAINING CORNER
We’ve teamed up with Marilyn Trout, certified USA Cycling Elite Coach to answer V-Club members’ training questions. You can view her coach profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mountainpedalscoaching80903
Send your cycling inquiries to Marilyn, and for a limited time, if yours is selected to be answered in our V-Club column, VeloWear will send you a $20 gift certificate that can be used towards any purchase on VeloWear.com. To submit your inquiry, e-mail her at trout_mic@msn.com, and type “V-Club Training Question” in the subject line of the e-mail.
V-Club member Pete van der Hoeven is our 43rd winner of a $20 VeloWear gift certificate! His question follows and refers to last week’s training tip, “Training the Right Stuff at the Right Time”.
Best Time to Add Intensity? ... Depends
Marilyn,
Are you suggesting for masters athletes that the period after the 12 week aerobic base that more intensity be added in or that the intensity be sprinkled into the 12 week build up or during all of the off season? I'm having trouble understanding when you are saying aerobic base is less important - i.e. only for those with less than 5 years of training?
Peter
Peter,
My apologies for any confusion. The answer to your first question regarding when intensity should be added to a training program is "yes" to all the above. It depends mainly on time but also on goals, races, events... Generally, masters athletes don't have an abundance of time to fulfill the demands of the typical endurance training program. LSD training (long slow distance) is a big part of that model. Inserting this aspect into a masters program is just not an option because there's no time. Since time (volume) + intensity = workload, manipulating the intensity is the key for stimulating training adaptation for time in limited supply. A rider that has more than 10 hours/week is able to spend more time at a moderate intensity whereas one who has 6-8 training hours will better spend his limited time with several one hour sessions of intense intervals, recovery rides and a weekend ride of 1.5-3 hours.
Q#2 If a cyclist has spent much time in the saddle in previous years, even if there has been a training hiatus, fitness will come back much sooner than a newbie. Once the oxygen transport system has developed its capillarization, it doesn't go away. It may have become inefficient due to lack of use but will kick into gear sooner than one who has sat on the couch. Thus the need for a huge aerobic base is diminished. From my experience, young riders who have time on their hands and lack the aerobic development or older riders who have the money (retired) and want to race in the Senior Games because they rode a bike as a teen, both benefit greatly from a broad aerobic base. They "need more miles in their legs" as we'd say.
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