Training and preparing for off-season
Working out, getting the right mixture of indoor cycling and weightlifting with the right nutrition and enough time for recovering. There are so many aspects to think of, and so many possible ways of failure, not to mention our bodies are all different. When I first started road cycling, I never thought I'd begin with weightlifting and gym. But as years passed I realized that was the only way to make proper progress.
Using the trainer with your roadbike is a good way to keep fit and push that FTP (functional threshold power), but in the long run you'll notice your body needs other training as well. As I noticed this summer, I underrated the importance of the core, and by doing so had back injuries that kept me off the bike for a too long period of the short summer.
So while all coaches recommend you to begin cross training, activating and building your core, you might wanna know what you're about to do before you begin. There are several books and blogs about this subject, and later on I'll review some of the books I found were the best and most useful.
I have recently built up a training-plan and for the next weeks I'll be reworking it, listening to my body, carefully developing it to avoid further injuries. It is important to remember, there are no certain blueprints on how to successfully become better, but you'd be a fool If you wouldn't carefully read what the professionals and the scientists have been writing about the topic. So in the next couple of weeks and during the winter I will let you know more about my training methods and also about the possible mistakes I make so you can avoid them! Hopefully you'll find it both interesting and useful!
Until next time, take care and remember to relax!