Training Tip of the Week from
WoJ Coach Sean Leeanerts:
Cycling Season Strength Training
While most cyclists and triathletes tend to want to shun strength training out of fear of gaining too much muscle and thus too much weight, adding it to your training schedule can pay off in terms of endurance and power on the bike. Strength Training does not mean you have to hit the weights and lift tons of pounds. There are many methods for endurance athletes to gain strength and it is wise to consult with someone in the field to help you put your own individual program together to accompany your other workouts. It is not a matter of only high rep/low weight and vice versa but also a matter of combining various methods to work various energy systems to achieve the benefits of each type of workout. For example: Jack has a criterium coming up: the bike is flat and fast. Jill, on the other hand, has a race with steep short hills on bike. It would be more beneficial for Ja! ck to d o more of the high rep low weight work to improve Muscular Endurance (ME) and Jill should have a good 6-8 week period of more Muscular Power (MP) work with high weight and short explosive movements. Jill would benefit better from this phase only after competing a good phase of ME and Muscular Strength (MS). Jack can still do this phase but should focus more on ME workouts with only 3-4 weeks on MP.
Coach Sean
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Sean Leenaerts
Xcel Performance Training
The X-Factor for Performance!
USA Cycling Level 2 Certified Coach
USA Triathlon Level 1 Certified Coach
National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Personal Trainer
Phone: 720.272.8492
www.xcelperformancetraining.com
If you're interested in reading an article about WoJ Cycling Coach Sean Leenaerts (who won a slot in this year's Ironman Hawaii), go to www.ironman.com. There's a big article entitled "Testing His Limits: Leenaerts Is Off To Kona". Kinda cool!
Sean will be riding with us on our training rides on May 19 (Chatfield Reservoir loop through Dear Creek Canyon,Evergreen, Golden and Morrison and back to Chatfield), June 16 (Mt. Evans, Squaw Pass) and July 7 (TBD), to train us in skills such as ascending/descending and pace line riding. Sean has also created a special Wheels of Justice training plan that is attached to this e-mail. To schedule a coaching private cycling coaching session (or an ergonamic analysis of your pedal stroke) with Sean, please contact him at sleenaerts@comcast.net. Sean will be offering special discounts to WoJ riders.
