3 Top cycling training tips

Coaching tip no 1.

Pull back if you get a niggle, stop if you need to. As a coach, there is nothing more frustrating when an athlete tells you that they pushed on when they should have pulled back.

I've often wondered why. Is it because they feel that the coach will be disappointed if they didn't finish the training? Or that they feel they are letting themselves down by not completing a session. Whatever it is let me be 100% clear.

If you get a niggle or something that doesn't feel right or it's painful, pull it back or stop!

Coaching tip no 2.

If you get a cold back off, focus on recovering HARD and FAST.

From experience people that train with a bad cold always seem to carry it longer and are more susceptible to colds later down the line.

My thoughts are if you have a mild cold keep the training volume and intensity low, have a few more rest days and if the cold escalates dont train at all instead, focus on sleep, hydration and eating healthful foods.

Have the mantra "Recover HARD and FAST to get back to feeling great quicker".

Coaching tip no 3.

Easy means EASY.

Fundamentally this is where I think athletes fall down and it's why they don't progress as fast as they want to. They simply push the intensity too hard either in their easy training rides or in the recovery periods between harder sets.

Pushing the intensity carries fatigue over to key harder sessions and by not pulling back enough when recovering between intensity efforts means those training sessions become less effective.

Thanks for reading

Simon

Performance & Nutrition Director
2 X Winner of Gym Based PT, and founder of VPCC