 Over the past 6-7 years, more and more athletes that I work use a smart trainer for their indoor cycling, and some of the new athletes that sign on to work with me only have experience with a smart trainer and ERG mode on for indoor workouts.
So is this a good thing or bad thing or is it neutral? Like most things, this is not a binary decision of “good” or “bad”, but a continuum. My initial thought was that there’s more bad than good, but I wanted to find out more.
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 The Godfather of endurance coaching and author of the Training Bibles, Joe Friel, recently wrote a whole book, called Ride Inside, on indoor training. Indoor training has become increasingly popular, and with the interactive platforms such as Zwift and RGT, and the more "realistic" equipment available, riders are logging more hours indoors. Some athletes are actually dedicated and sponsored indoor racers! Being forced inside during 2020 certainly added fuel to this fire.
Riding indoors has it's own set of challenges. Last week, I wrote about Cardiovascular Drift, which is not uncommon during indoor training due to increasing body temperature and dehydration. There are steps you can take to help avoid this as well as more considerations about your setup. Here's a great article by Joe Friel that was posted on the TrainingPeaks Blog about setting up your indoor training area: Making Your Indoor Cycling Setup Work for You https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/making-your-indoor-cycling-setup-work-for-you/ If you don't have a dedicated smart bike, if you have a second bike that you can leave on your trainer, I find this eliminates one of the barriers that often exists for athletes. Little things like that can really help to make sure you get on your bike for your workout. It doesn't need to be fancy, but with a little thought, a couple of box fans, a little entertainment, and plenty of fluids, you can have a much more enjoyable time. To sign up for my remote indoor training classes, click here: Remote Indoor Training Classes If you want to get more out of your indoor AND outdoor training, I offer customized training programs that will upload to all popular training platforms and head units. If you're interested in setting yourself up for your best year ever, drop me a line. Email Coach Brian Coach Brian BJL Coaching and Cycle Craft teamed up again this winter for our seventh annual Winter Trainer Sessions. The block of ten classes is now complete and was a success. Congratulations to all who attended and chose to get in a solid mid-week workout on the dark and dreary winter nights. And a special shout out to the folks who were able to attend and complete all ten classes: Chip (been there all 7 years) Andrew Geoff Scott Kevin Cathy Tony Well done, ladies and gentlemen! Our final class was extra special this year, as we had a guest speaker, Lisa Fleming, who presented on Nutrition for Endurance Athletes after the class was complete. Lisa is a personal trainer, nutritionist, and health coach. In addition to numerous certifications and specialties Lisa has a BA in Sports Medicine and an MS in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Currently Lisa is the tier 4 manager at Equinox Summit where she leads small a team of elite personal trainers and nutritionists who focus on optimizing performance. Lisa gave us a super presentation, and was kind enough to share the slides (see below). If you are interested in learning more about this very crucial component of endurance athletes and how it can integrated into your own training, give me a shout ([email protected]), and I'll put you in touch with Lisa. Happy riding! Coach B.L. It's going to happen this weekend! Ugghhh...the clocks go back and the temps will drop. While we can dress warmly and head out in the cold weather, we can't do much about the daylight. However, there's a great way to stay fit and strong into December, especially for you 'cross rassers out there!
We are holding our Third Annual Fall Trainer Classes at Cycle Craft again this year, beginning the week after the clocks go back. The classes are structured to keep the intensity high and help us all have some fun. If you've never ridden indoors with a bunch of other folks, it's way more motivating than watching re-runs of your favorite show in your garage or basement. So come join the fun! All classes begin at 6:45 pm, but feel free to arrive as early as 6:00 pm to get an extra warm-up and ride time. The classes run for an hour thirty and will definitely work up a sweat. The dates are: Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Tuesday, November 10, 2015 Tuesday, November 17, 2015 Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Tuesday, December 1, 2015 You can also go here: Register for Trainer Sessions to register and find out more. Of course, if you have a question about the classes or other services that BJL Coaching has to offer, shoot me an e-mail. See you there! Coach B.L. The BJL Coaching / Cycle Craft Winter Trainer Sessions started of with a bang! We had record attendance, with a bunch of new faces along with the usual suspects in the crowd. It was a pleasure working with these dedicated athletes, and I'm excited to watch everyone progress.
The drills for the night included one legged pedaling, high cadence work, "climbing", and some muscle tensioning intervals. Next week we'll build upon this workout as we slowly increase the intensity over the ten weeks to create long lasting fitness. I also introduced the BJL Coaching Odd Number Challenge: Attend 5, 7, or 9 classes to be entered into a raffle. Why not 10? Who's perfect? ; )
Two winners will receive one free month of custom coaching with BJL Coaching and a free Lactate Threshold Field Test. One prize per person. The threshold test will be scheduled by the end of April with the free month to follow the test. With nine classes left, literally everyone is still eligible to earn 3 entries into the raffle. And, more importantly than that, attend the rest of the classes and you'll hit the "warm" weather with a solid foundation. But remember, even if you can't attend all the classes, every class you do make will be beneficial for your cycling and fitness goals. For more information on the trainer sessions and to register, click HERE. Thanks again to all who attended for a great first class! - Coach Brian |
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Coach B.L.Coach B.L. is the head coach at BJL Coaching and an avid racer and cycling enthusiast himself. Archives
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