General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Active.com article - TRIATHLETES: DEVELOPING FORCE ON THE BIKE Rss Feed  
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2004-04-30 9:29 AM

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Subject: Active.com article - TRIATHLETES: DEVELOPING FORCE ON THE BIKE
I got the latest weekly newsletter from Active.com that had a good link I feel is worth sharing for those that don't get their weekly newsletter. It's on developing greater pedal force to increase bike speed. I like the quoted motto, "Hills make you strong for the flats, but flats don't make you strong for the hills." Being I live on the east coast of FL the only real "hills" I have to ride are the bridges over the intercoastal!

http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=10592&sidebar=26&category=...

Since February I have stopped lifting weights since I had to pickup my tri training. I was running into problems of over training when lifting weights, especially my legs. Now I see my strength is reduced and need to start working in more weight training. This force article would be a good thing for me to do on the bike to maintain or increase my leg strength while limiting my leg weight training to the minimum.

Don


2004-04-30 10:37 AM
in reply to: #22122

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Subject: RE: Active.com article - TRIATHLETES: DEVELOPING FORCE ON THE BIKE
good article! when i was 15, and just made my way up to A grade, I would always have the other riders (the big 'men') telling me to shift into a harder gear to keep up, because I would be riding along, trying to keep up by spinning @ a high cadence in the easier gears. It had worked well in training, and helped me improve a lot when i was younger... but it just didnt work when i rode in the A pack - as the article explains.
However it shouldnt be forgotten "after a rest period, depending on the length of your rest period, allow several weeks to build your endurance. During this time, athletes should do rides in their small chain ring only, to get their muscles and tendons used to the cycling motion." This idea also applies to children - by starting to spin in a easier gear (at a young age if possible) and building up, one can push, or spin in a harder gear much more easily and effectively later on in life when the muscles are developed enough to do so. This is the reason for gear restrictions in the younger age groups - really annoying, but there for a reason...

aidan

Edited by Pro_rider 2004-04-30 10:46 AM
2004-04-30 11:26 AM
in reply to: #22122

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Subject: RE: Active.com article - TRIATHLETES: DEVELOPING FORCE ON THE BIKE
I enjoyed the article also! And good advice from Aidan! :-)
2004-04-30 12:15 PM
in reply to: #22122

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Subject: RE: Active.com article - TRIATHLETES: DEVELOPING FORCE ON THE BIKE
That's how Glauco told me they train for the hour record. Get a long gradual hill and do hill reps in a big gear and get used to the suffering.
Almost all of my bike workouts are climb after climb after climb. This way I know I am ready for anything. I wouldn't recomend that type of training to anyone who is just starting out though, you need the base first.
2004-04-30 12:33 PM
in reply to: #22132

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Subject: RE: Active.com article - TRIATHLETES: DEVELOPING FORCE ON THE BIKE
This will give me heart the next time I'm riding up and down hill after hill after hill. You wouldn't have thought there were so many hills in Iowa.
2004-04-30 7:48 PM
in reply to: #22122

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Subject: RE: Active.com article - TRIATHLETES: DEVELOPING FORCE ON THE BIKE
Thanks for sharing. Great article. Nice to have that validation. I currently do a lot of training that way and have found my speed, ability to push the 53 and hill climbing have improved dramatically. My experience says it really works.


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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Active.com article - TRIATHLETES: DEVELOPING FORCE ON THE BIKE Rss Feed