Bike Training Specificity


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Bike Training Specificity

Triathlete Magazine Article

Bike Training Specificity
By Coach Troy Jacobson

The purpose of this article is to explain how the principle of specificity can be applied to cycling and improving the quality of your training for the sprint, Olympic and Ironman distance.

As a cycling and mulitsport coach for over 15 years, I believe that athletes need to focus on the basic fundamentals when designing an effective training program. The science of training has not changed very much over the past 30 years but the 'packaging' of it and the way we measure results has changed and improved considerably. It's easy to get caught up and confused with all of the information floating around out there regarding power training, heart rate training and periodization but the reality is that it all boils down to the basic fundamentals that athletes have been using successfully now for decades. I encourage you to read and stay current on the latest training trends and research but don't fall into the trap of 'analysis paralysis' as I've seen many well intentioned athletes do.

One of these basic fundamental principles is that of specificity. Simply stated, specificity is 'training according to the physiological demands of the event'. When training for a race, you'll need to address the energy systems and intensity required to compete effectively during your training in preparation for that race. So, if you're 'A' priority event this season is an Ironman distance race, the bulk of your training focus should be towards improving the specific energy systems and demands for riding 112 miles. The same idea would apply to training for the sprint distance , Olympic distance and the Half Ironman distance.

Before you start training specifically for any event however, you need to first address the fundamental principle of developing your aerobic base or foundation. I like to put it this way in terms of aerobic base, "The depth and quality of the roots dictate the taste and nutritional content of the fruits." In other words, the more expansive your aerobic base (the roots) becomes through putting in the miles over the months, years and even decades, the better your results (or fruit) will be. So if you wish to harvest excellent fruit, start off by focusing on creating a stronger and more expansive root structure.

In preparation for a season, after you have done your aerobic base work for 8 -- 16 weeks, it's time to begin transitioning into work that is specific to the demands of your upcoming event. During this period, which should last anywhere from 6 -- 12 weeks, you'll be focusing on key weekly 'specific' workouts in addition to other workouts designed to maintain your aerobic base. Note that as the race distance becomes shorter, (i.e. sprint triathlon), the weekly intensity component increases and as the intensity component increases, the risk for injury and overtraining also increases so be careful to pay attention to your individual recovery needs.

In the next section, let's look at a few specific workouts for each distance. While training on the road is certainly important for developing bike handling skills and a 'feel' for the road, I want to encourage you to perform your weekly 'key' training sessions on the indoor trainer. The exception may be those of you training for Ironman distance events as spending over 90 minutes on the trainer is a mental challenge for most people!

In regard to your training intensities, I advise that you determine your various training zones for heart rate and/or power. The easiest and most effective way is to do a simple (yet intense!) 15 minute time trial either on a flat section of road or on your trainer. The scope of this article doesn't allow for great detail on this subject but once you do your field test, determine your average power output (Avg. P) and average HR during a 15 minute time trial. The reason we use a 15 minute time trial is because it's an easily repeatable test that shouldn't overstress your systems. Do this test towards the end of a 'recovery week' in your training cycle. These numbers are likely to be 5-15% above your lactate threshold, depending on your experience and ability. So if your avg. HR was 160, use the following equation to determine your approximate LT:

And this formula to determine roughly your power at threshold if your Avg P = 300 for the 15 minute field test:

For the workouts described below, we'll use the values discovered from your 15 minute TT field test. In the above example, the heart rate (HR) = 160 and the average power output (Avg. P) = 300 Watts

Some benefits of training indoors, among others include:

lack of distractions like road signs, cars, etc.
safety when 'head down, going hard'.
Perfect control over intensity and effort
Convenience
Repeatability

KEY:

Sprint Distance Training

Suggested Sprint Workout Session:

Warm up 10-15 minutes
5 minutes Set

10 sec. on / 10 sec. off (bg ring / 15) (Go 95% on the 'on' effort and soft pedal on the 'off' effort)
2 min. soft pedal (bg Ring / 15)
10 x 1 min. hard (bg ring / 15, 85-95 rpms, HR(15) + 5-15 bpm OR Avg. P +10-15%) @ 1 min. rest (sm ring / 15)
3-5 min. soft pedal
5 x 2 min. hard (bg ring / 13, 80-90 rpms, HR(15) + 5-10 bpm OR Avg. P + 5-10 %) @ 2 min rest
3-5 min soft pedal
2 x 5 min hard (big ring / your choice of rear cogs, 75-85 rpms, HR(15) + 5 bpm @ 5 min. rest OR Avg. P + 5%)
Cooldown 5-10 minutes easy

OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRAINING

Suggested Olympic Distance (40K) Workout Session:

20 min set (choose any gearing, cadence 85-95 rpms, HR (15) -- 5 bpm OR Avg P -- 5%)
5 min. soft pedal
15 min set (choose any gearing, cadence 80- 90 rpms, HR(15) OR Avg P)
5 min. soft pedal
10 min set (choose any gearing, cadence 75 -- 85 rpms, HR(15) + 5 bpm OR Avg. P +5%)
3 x 5 min. set (choose any gearing for each rep, cadence 75-85 rpms, HR (15) + 5-10 bpm OR Avg. P + 5 -- 10%) @ 5 min rest
Cooldown 5- 10 minutes

IRONMAN DISTANCE TRAINING

Total Duration of Ride: 4-5 hours Warm up 20-30 min easy then during the course of your ride maintain an aerobic HR and power output (HR(15) -- 15 to 40 bpm and Avg. P -- 30-50%) and a cadence between 85-95 rpms. At the 'top' of each hour, do a 20 -30 minute 'tempo' effort whereby you take your intensity up to and slightly above (2-5%) your projected race pace After a short recovery after each 'tempo' effort, maintain a steady aerobic HR at a cadence above 85 rpms before your next rep. Make certain to pay special attention to your calorie and fluid needs during this workout.

Incorporate these key'specific' cycling workouts into your training program for your next race and you'll be amazed with how well you do on race day.

Troy Jacobson is a former pro triathlete with a top 20 overall finish at Ironman Hawaii to his credit and a 2nd Overall finish at Ironman Florida in 1999 with an Ironman PR bike split of 4 hrs 39 minutes. An internationally known coach since 1992, his Spinervals indoor cycling workout DVD's set the standard for indoor training workouts on DVD and other media.

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