Want to make year your best yet? You’ll need to start by building, or maintaining, your fitness through winter training. We’ve put together this simple guide to show you how planning your training can impact your performance.
Start with a goal
If you read our recent blog about goal-setting you’ll know that setting a clear goal will give you laser focus. This is important when planning your winter training because it steers you toward sessions, training plans and preparations which all contribute to your overall goal.
Identify areas for improvement
Looking at your goal, is there anything you need to change or improve in order to get there? Be as specific as possible here. Maybe you need to increase your Watts by 10% to ensure you don’t get dropped on the mountainous Haute Route, or perhaps your need to balance your pedalling technique and enhance your speed to win the local 10 mile TT series.
If you’re struggling to identify an area, think about your endurance, strength and cadence and choose an area which may need improvement; then underwrite it with a goal to get there.
Have a plan, but remain flexible
Training plans, especially when they are designed to meet specific goals, are a blessing which remove the need to think about each session. Rather than leaving your goals to chance, you spend more time training towards them effectively.
However there will always come a time when you need to approach training flexibly and adjust your plans. When things get busy around the festive period, you may find that you miss a training session, or bad weather means you can’t get to they gym, but all's not lost.
Be prepared to re-work your plans; for example, re-planning longer sessions for when you are less busy. While it’s very important not to over-train and to ensure you give yourself enough recovery, it’s ok to revert to some shorter, more intensive sessions when times are busy. Just don’t over-do it.
It’s good to have back-up strategies in place; perhaps you ride to work, get to a gym, or do your session on a Wattbike if the weather is bad or you’re likely to be busy.
Base miles or interval training?
During this early part of the season, the main focus is typically to develop a solid aerobic and endurance base. More intensive, high-end training can be adopted into your approach as you build towards your sportive or racing objectives later in the spring or summer.
However, it is believed that the level of base miles you may be able to achieve for practical gains will vary depending on the time you have available and your current fitness and performance level. Rather than just concentrating on getting in the miles, it’s about training smart.
Here’s a useful article on how to make the best of your time in winter depending on your current fitness and time available.
Make it easier by training indoors
Even with the best intentions, the weather and dark nights can play havoc with your winter training. If you plan at the outset to do a portion of your training indoors, this can help take the pressure off, meaning you can train when you want to, rather than when the weather dictates.
But it’s also important to keep up your outdoor sessions to build technique. You can start to build more outdoor sessions in gradually or choose a day of the week when you know you can regularly get out. Don’t fall into the trap of sitting cooped up in an office all week waiting to get out, and then push yourself too far. Consistency is the key to success, and planning some indoor sessions can help you to regularly achieve this.
Tackling Christmas
You don’t need to be at race weight all year round, so before jumping on the scales in a post-Christmas panic, it’s a good time to remind ourselves that it’s ok to carry a little extra healthy winter weight. If it’s really going to be a struggle to keep the Christmas treats at bay, allow yourself some time to over-indulge if you must, but keep it moderate. Instead, drink a glass of water before every meal and concentrate on staying hydrated. This can help you to feel fuller for longer and prevent the need for snacking. If you plan to address the over-indulgence in the New Year, be mindful of giving yourself enough time to adopt a safe and appropriate weight management plan that is in line with your goals.
Getting off the bike
A good winter plan should always include some time to strengthen performance away from the bike. Whether it’s yoga, pilates or some simple mat-work at home; it’s advisable to take some time off the bike to develop core stability, control and improve flexibility. It’ll also help curb the boredom that repeated sessions can bring. Consider incorporating strength training into your plan to develop sport-specific strength and range of motion for one or two sessions a week.
If you follow these simple steps you’ll be well on the way to effective winter training and making this year your best yet. Click here to find training plans which will help you achieve your goals.