The Season Starts When?

When does the Season Start? For some, it never ends..we go from road bike racing to cyclo-cross racing or mountain bike racing right into indoor interval workouts through the Winter. For most of us however, the road bike racing season ends in September and we take the month of October and November off and start training again in December. But, does the season really end or is it just a continuation of training with less volume? For me, it's definitely less time on the road bike and more time on the mountain bike and a return to the gym (for resistance training). Therefore, volume/duration (as well as intensity) is at an annual low..due to the shorter days and colder/rainy weather. In addition to volume & intensity of training being at an annual low I must admit my weight is at an annual high. For me it's hard NOT to gain weight because I'm spending less time outside and more time inside drinking beer, eating junk and watching football. No, I don't get FAT but I do gain anywhere from 5-10 lbs. in the off-season. I can tell you from past experience that you do NOT want to put on more than 5-10 lbs of weight in the off-season because it's hard as hell to lose in the Spring/Summer when your rides are longer (and higher intensity) where you'll be relying on a high Carb high calorie diet to keep from bonking.

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Start your season now! Drop that Jelly Donut and get out on your Mountain/Cross bike or get in the gym and spin and/or lift weights. (Notice I didn't say drop the beer or pizza? You'd have to pry the beer out of my dead hand this time of year) Yeah, I know it sucks to do indoor interval trainer workouts which is why I DO NOT do them until the weather really gets nasty and cold in January/February. And, when I do them, I try to do them in a group because it's too easy to quit on them if/when you do them on your own. Until then, I find every excuse to ride my Mountain Bike, join an indoor spin class (where you spin at high cadence and low intensity), go to the gym to lift, x-train, etc. If you start an indoor interval workout NOW I guarantee you that you will be burned-out (mentally and possibly physically) BEFORE the start of the road racing season in April. If you do engage in an indoor workout on the trainer..work on speed drills, endurance, cardio, etc. (see prior blog).

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In a nutshell..this is what you should be doing now and in the future:

Nov/Dec- base endurance training, hypertrophy resistance training, and x-training
Dec/Jan- build training for strength, strength resistance training and x-training

Jan/Feb- power training, power resistance training

Feb/Mar- muscular endurance training, muscular endurance resistance training

Mar/Apr- race prep training, maintenance resistance training

Apr-Sept- race season, maintenance resistance training

Oct/Nov- off-season?, maintenance resistance training

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For more detailed workouts, email me: mullerrj@gmail.com