2015 New Years fitness resolutions

Well, thanks to all this internet banter, I figured I had better do a little less chatter and a little more "at'er", lol.

I did the ESD Week 1, workout B which took 35 mins including a short warm up and cool down; intervals of 3mins on 2 mins off. The workout A takes 45 min. Both workouts increase in total time as the weeks progress, hence the estimate of 45-60min workouts.

I'm going to give this program a go and see how it compares to what I did last year. If all else fails, I'll just focus on racing my moto this year instead, ha!

this is because steady state training will not help with power or sprint type work. this is where Reductimat was bang on with adding strength training to your training routine as it will help your sprint and power capacities which is something that's important for DH riders.

however, spinning classes or a spinning type workout can be effective for improving aerobic and anaerobic performance, it just depends how the workout is setup and of course how hard you work. high intensity intervals if properly executed on a spin bike can make a difference and are effective in terms of time management as you can accomplish a lot in 20 min or less of work.

i was strength training as well doing squats , deadlift , etc. i was working with a trainer as well who helped me . the benefit of spin was improved cadence and some reduced lactic acid burn during some sprints , that being said as soon as the terrain became really physical on the rider that all went out the window .

i now use combined movement when exercising , something that has my heartrate up and down and my body being worked in various movements , for me this has greatly improved my trail riding conditioning and recovery .

i was really able to notice it when racing the Bear Enduro last spring , part of the last stage of the race was on the DH course which i have raced half a dozen times or so over the years . as i was grinding thru one of the flatter more pedally sections i was still feeling strong and was no where near the exhausted shape i was typically in when racing DH years before .

Ninja singletrack skills are mostly technique and core strengt but it won't hurt to keep the legs in good shape over the winter too, no?
all this talk of a roller trainer doing nothing for your climbing skills seems iffy.. if nothing else you're at least maintaining or building leg muscle - surely no less than going for a road ride or a light XC ride. After 30 minutes on the stationary I feel a bigger burn than after most trail rides and am certainly targetting a different group of muscles than riding a snowboard or skinning on splitboard.

even if i'm completely out to lunch on those ideas I can at least say with certainty that after a week on the stationary I realized how choppy my pedal strokes were and started focusing on smoothing out my pedal stroke and I know that'll be a big benefit down the road

This is my personal experience and what has worked for me.

A couple seasons ago I actually started to strength train for riding and racing DH. I was doing strength training and a lot of intervals. That season for me was not very good and I had trained hard from oct to May then eased off for the season. I was tired at the races and felt like I didn't have the leg power on the sprints but my lungs were good to go.

Last season was much better for me as I changed my training routine. I started to focus on squats , dead lifts and more core stability as well as other movements and only did intervals once to twice a week. This was my program from oct to May again. For me this program worked well. I wasn't nearly as tired at the races or long days in the bike park and I could put the power down on the sprints and my legs could keep up with my lungs.

I find that super setting or "giant setting" exercises weather it be upper body or lower body (especially for leg strength for riding) really helps me with my conditioning.

Eating clean also plays an enormous part in being strong and fit. You put shit fuel in , you won't perform. You put premium fuel in , you'll be an energizer bunny.

No resolution. Event instead…April 12th Paris Roubaix-Almonte.

Ninja singletrack skills are mostly technique and core strengt but it won't hurt to keep the legs in good shape over the winter too, no?
all this talk of a roller trainer doing nothing for your climbing skills seems iffy..

It depends what your definition of climbing is. If I think of improving climbing performance I tend to think of things in terms of XC riding and racing because that is what I do…punchy singletrack climbs at max effort and long,4 climbs 2+ hours into a race. That may not what others mean. Doing a steady state workout (spinning at relatively the same effort for a set period of time) will not help that, and that is what I meant. However I agree with you that doing that vs. not riding at all over the winter is beneficial.

It's kind of like this whole strength training thing we are all arguing about while agreeing at the same time. I am of the opinion that strength training done during the off season help prepare you for intense, on bike training and riding during the season. However, unless you are a pro and training 30 hours a week, you are taking time away from on-bike training to strength train (especially during the season) and that will not improve your performance on the bike (again I am biased towards thinking about XC riding and racing…if you are racing DH or doing park laps all summer your mileage may vary)

I have some tough climbing trails close to home so I'll probably take Syncro's advice and get more dedicated to riding them regularly and timing myself.

Thanks for the input.

Try riding with people who are better climbers than you and punish yourself trying to keep up with them. You'll likely smash them on the descent and end up faster in the long run ;)

However, unless you are a pro and training 30 hours a week, you are taking time away from on-bike training to strength train (especially during the season) and that will not improve your performance on the bike (again I am biased towards thinking about XC riding and racing…if you are racing DH or doing park laps all summer your mileage may vary)

you're right on this, especially in the light of limited training time. but, you can still fit some strength work in and have it be beneficial even if you are focused on xc riding. so if you are going to add in strength training the solution is to highly prioritize what you do and keep intensity properly scheduled and at a level that does not interfere with the riding. it may be as easy as two workouts per week, maybe 20min total, one for speed and one for strength/power. the key is really stepping back and seeing how the workouts can fit in with your bike training while not having a detrimental effect on recovery.

it can be successful but it requires careful planning.

Try riding with people who are better climbers than you and punish yourself trying to keep up with them. You'll likely smash them on the descent and end up faster in the long run ;)

or she could just get bryan to pace her up the hill on his trials moto while he's taking the dog out for a easy run as well.

i was strength training as well doing squats , deadlift , etc. i was working with a trainer as well who helped me . the benefit of spin was improved cadence and some reduced lactic acid burn during some sprints , that being said as soon as the terrain became really physical on the rider that all went out the window .

i now use combined movement when exercising , something that has my heartrate up and down and my body being worked in various movements , for me this has greatly improved my trail riding conditioning and recovery .

i was really able to notice it when racing the Bear Enduro last spring , part of the last stage of the race was on the DH course which i have raced half a dozen times or so over the years . as i was grinding thru one of the flatter more pedally sections i was still feeling strong and was no where near the exhausted shape i was typically in when racing DH years before .

so it sounds like you noticed more of an improvement when you started using the right training methods to assist with your bike training. the effect you're getting is similar to a high intensity interval type workout which is boosting your ability to generate higher levels of power via added strength and an increased lactate threshold as well as improving your recovery time (shorter time to recover) which allows you to do more short and intense bursts.

Try riding with people who are better climbers than you and punish yourself trying to keep up with them. You'll likely smash them on the descent and end up faster in the long run ;)

Everyone I ride with is a better climber than me. I ride with some pretty fit xc guys at times and do lots of punishing rides. Luckily they always wait for me. Although I always want to get faster going down, my dh speed isn't problematic.

What do you think is limiting you on the climbs?

What do you think is limiting you on the climbs?

from her earlier description i would say sleep and recovery. it sounds like she's always riding on half a tank.

I'd actually say that it isn't. Even when she is rested up she struggles. It could be the laziness of her husband that is causing her poor climbing.

I too suffer from poor climbing but do nothing to correct it.