Three Ways to be a Better Cyclist (without actually riding your bike!)

Ok, so the title of this article probably sounds a little odd – becoming a better cyclist without actually riding your bike! However, it’s often these additional actions that you take when you’re not actively participating in your sport that can result in big dividends.

Here are three factors to consider that will help improve your cycling performance, no extra hours on the bike required.

A Planned Program:

You’ve probably heard the old adage, “fail to plan and you plan to fail?” It applies particularly well to sport. Although it can be great fun to head out for a ride without a particular plan or goal in mind, it may not necessarily improve your cycling fitness or athletic performance.

It’s not only fun to map out a plan to achieve various goals to train for, the benefits to your performance and enjoyment are enormous. A planned program improves performance by applying the principles of specificity, recovery, progressive overload and consistency.

When there is an event to train for, a well constructed plan gives training meaning. How much you plan depends on what you wish to train for. For example, if you are training for a season of racing, culminating with a State or National championship at the end, the creation of a yearly plan, consisting of various training cycles – what we exercise and sport scientists call macrocycles is optimal. Various parts within a training cycle can be broken down into even smaller chunks, known as microcycles.

Not only does a carefully constructed plan improve fitness and performance with an appropriate exercise prescription and programming, commitment to following a plan can improve exercise adherence as it adds a level of accountability. Thirdly, focusing on the process rather than the end goal can free an athlete up mentally. In other words, if you’re following a professionally prescribed program, there’s no need to be concerned about whether the training is “right”.

Adequate Sleep and Recovery:

Exercise and sports scientists describe recovery as “where the training magic happens”. It is after the training is done and we are recovering/sleeping that adaptations to training load occur. Studies demonstrate time and time again the negative impacts of too much or too little sleep.

Tom Rath, in his book, “Eat, Sleep, Move”, describes sleep and activity being complementary. “Eating right makes it easier to be active. Being active makes it easier to sleep. Sleeping well helps you avoid non nutritive foods, and so on.”

Most of us need a solid seven to nine hours’ sleep, so if you are getting up early to train, plan accordingly!

A planned program is also complementary to the notion of recovery. A properly constructed exercise prescription will build adequate recovery into it, which can be monitored by various fitness software applications such as Training Peaks or Strava Premium. If you are training hard, consider the requirement for extra sleep. This can be difficult, particularly if you have other commitments such as work, family or study. Ensure you achieve the best quality sleep by undertaking simple steps such as making sure you darken your sleeping environment as much as possible, maintain a cool room temperature (17-18 degrees is optimal) and avoid caffeinated beverages after midday.

To ensure you recover well from your training sessions, consider choosing nutrition that replenishes muscle glycogen stores. Hint – this is usually a carbohydrate rich snack with a little protein – it will kick off the repair and rebuilding process for muscle and red blood cells. Ensuring adequate recovery also has a protective effect upon the immunue system.

A Strong Trunk/Core:

The terms “trunk” and “core” are often used interchangeably and refer to the musculature around the spine.

Developing strength and endurance in this area improves stability, may reduce the likelihood of injury and can help improve cycling efficiency.

Even though it appears we mostly use our legs for cycling, generating leg power from a stable platform (ie the trunk), ensures an efficient transfer of power through the lower limbs. If stability is compromised and there is excessive sideways movement of the trunk when riding, efficiency is reduced.

In distance riding the trunk muscles such as transversus abdominus, rectus abdominus, obliques, latissimus dorsi, spinal extensors, quadratus lumborum work hard to help the rider maintain an upright position on the bike. Losing good technique on the bike also means a loss of efficiency when you ride. Hence, strengthening these muscles and training them for strength and endurance can benefit your riding.

Stability through the trunk and hips provides a stable platform from which to initiate an explosive sprint, so if your event requires quick starts and sprinting, ignore strength and conditioning at your peril.

The best core/trunk training protocols involve learning how to use the slower acting deeper muscles of transversus abdominus and multifidus with activities such as pilates, then achieving global strength by incorporating hybrids of pilates and strength training movement. For example, a single leg bridge where deeper muscles are activated and a neutral spine is effected will achieve a better hamstring activation as strength is being applied with stability.

In conclusion, using these three performance hacks will improve your riding within a few training sessions. To ensure you get the best program that suits your lifestyle and training time available, consider using a coach with tertiary qualifications in sport and exercise science.