Training diary of a cyclist

[grangi71]

Hello everybody,
I like the idea to write here and share my training season to be ready for 2014!

I'm Beppe, cyclist about 61 Kilograms x 174 cm. I prefer race in not to long criterium and road race (about 60-70 Km, at most 100Km).
My bike is a Colnago EPS with DURA-ACE...and I'm still looking for a good saddle; my train is power meter based, I find powermeter is the best with a correct software to analyze the data.


During the winter season I use the gym not for specific training...I'm so thin that I hope to gain some Kg. of muscles.
Usually I train 6 days a week with, of course, one day rest. Next week I will start with my training plan to be ready for March (ih that period we have the first races).

I hope I'm able to fill in this topic as often as possible, and that my english it's good enough to allow everybody want to read to understand!

So, today I got my training in the gym, new schedule from the trainer:

SQUAT 5X5 with 53 kg

BENCH PRESS 5X5 WITH 43kG

CHINS (?) 5x5

BICEPS 2X8 with barbell

BICEPES 1X30 (LOW CABLES)

I normaly do 60" rest every set


After that, it was lunch break, I eated a lot of sweet corn with chickpeas and black beans + 1 apple.

I think tomorrow will be time for a fitness session, like body ABS or other (I'm the only man inside the room, but that's ok. It's a good workout, especially for a cyclist this is always still on the saddle, with constrained -repetitive movements!

[mrbear666]

hi Beppe, ill definately follow your journal i ahve done some cycling in the past but never raced.........will be interesting to follow along! your english is great, dont worry!


mike

[grangi71]

hi Beppe, ill definately follow your journal i ahve done some cycling in the past but never raced.........will be interesting to follow along! your english is great, dont worry!


mike

Hi Mike,

thank you, I'm happy to share my season of races!

For true, I'm a racer but not a winner...I don't know where you live, but in Italy there is a lot of ex-Pro over 40 (like me) that still race with us, poor mortals. It's hard to compete with them...

But, in the end, isn't important.

[grangi71]

Here I am breakaway from th group...don't worry, they reached me just before the finish line!

[grangi71]

Today fitness time!

After 10 min treadmill I start my 1 hour lesson; a lot of step up and down, lunges and in the end abdominal - "core".

Starting from the next week, compared to last year I want to mantein 2 aerobic lessons in my program to prevent back pain and grown strain (I was affected from it in the past).
About strenght and upper body, I'll do two workout a day (when possible) one in the weight room (lunch break) one on stationary bike (befor dinner).
Let's go!

[grangi71]

No work today, the gym it's closed...so, between some houseworks (with Iggy Pop's music) I found the time for a ride.
Just 1 hour and 30' in flat terrain, a quite ride only to resume.

Not to hot, not to cold (12-13°C with a pale sun), it was great!

Later I will open a new profile on Golden Cheetah, for the new season; it's a good free software to collect data with powermeter, but I think it works well with the cardio training too.

[C.O.]

In that picture did you win the race?

[grangi71]

In that picture did you win the race?

No...only 11° if I remember well!
Like I told in another post, there is a lot of ex- PRO racers in our competitions...like this guy, for example, I met this summer in a race:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Ch ... or_results

They still race for passion, they have time to train, they are strong!! So it's very hard to win...anyway my best classification it's a 4° position (no podium:-))

[grangi71]

Today I started my preparation, with 2 sessions, gym and bike:

1. Around 13.00 in the gym:

Deadlifts 6x5 with 30 kg

Bench press 4x8 with 38 kg

Lat machine 3 x 6 with 45kg

seated front military press with 20 kg

french press 3x8 18kg

1x30 pull down with 15 kg

2. After work, around 18.00, on the stationary bike; for true I use the Lemond Revolution bike trainer, so I can stay on my bike without change position, It works very well, stable and very real!

My program was only 1 hour in Z2 (it's a quite ride very aerobic, though it's relative to power) with 4 sprint 15" over Z7 (it means a hard effort over, for me, 380 watt). 10' minuts in the final very light.

That's all, but I learned that it's important start very easy.

Last thing: my back/gorin pain has come back a little... I hoped was behind, I'm afrain I will suffer once again this year!!

[grangi71]

Daily updates. As planned Total body at the gym. Today a lot of isometric works, jumps and abdominals (where I'm a disaster!). I really hard to work sitting while keeping the legs raised, I denote a weakness of the whole area.

Unfortunately my back / hip / thigh is back to bother me. I'm awaiting the 20th of this month to go to hte osteopath (although I have little hope, having already tried everything).

To continue my bike training, tomorrow should reach the triathlon saddle, those that allow you to flex your torso and eliminate perineal pressure.

However, go ahead, it is already hard to come prepared for the season starting from now ...

[The PhytoAthlete]

Hey Beppe,

It is great to see a cyclist here with a training blog! Look forward to reading it.

[grangi71]

Hey Beppe,

It is great to see a cyclist here with a training blog! Look forward to reading it.

Welcome,
thanks stopping by! I'm glad there is people like it!!


Today was a beautiful sunny day in Italy, so time to bike outdoor!
The program was 1 hour alternating between 20' Z2 (easy work) and 5' Z3 (light/medium aerobic work).

In the end I mede 1 hour and half of totally free ride... I found a friend on the road so we started to talk about our team, next season targets and other.
Considering we are in the beginning of the season this is not a problem, indeed it was nice!

Waiting for 7.00 pm time for Pilates, hope help me with my various pains.

Yesterday night I updated my software files for the new season. Goldel chetaah it's great to monitor fitness and fatigue and sustainable critical power refer to time.
In the next posts, I will insert my 2013 profile and other details. Maybe they are a little bit technical, but they works.

[grangi71]

As scheduled today 1 hour of fitness ... a lot of work on the step, heavy bar for the shoulders and the usual abdominal / buttocks on the ground.
I'll see tonight if I'll do 50' on the stationary bike (recovery).

Meanwhile I should start fixing a few goal for the next season.
Usually the preparation start with a period call " base" divided into 3 time of 3 weeks each, where to increase the load gradually working on endurance, skill and alternative work (running, swimming, gym, etc. . ) . The intensity is lower, long workouts .

 Then follow other 2 " Build" phases of 2 weeks each where the work becomes more specific, working on the own weak points and to increase the FTP (functional threshold power - the exercise is the typical 2x20' medium/high intensity , just in between aerobic and anaerobic ).

After that we have the the "peak" period where try to improve strenghts; it's time to perform short stressful jobs ( anaerobic ). Finally its' race period!! workouts are very specific and intense , short , with days of rest. The athlete level fitness in general goes down a little bit, offset by the greater freshness that makes it possible to achieve high performance.
After the race period, we come back to build period to increase fitness again, waiting for the next race stage!

I do not know if such a scheme is applicable to bodybuilding ...


P.S.: this in not my own idea, but I took it from the book: "the cyclist's training bible" by Joe Friel.

[grangi71]

After a friday of rest, yesteday was gym time!

I tired again with the squat, 53 kg with 6 x 5...with the trainer we are thinking about the opportunity to switch in a different tipe of work: 1 minute squat (with lower load) and 30" rest for 2-3 times. This is more functional to the bike effort...anyway for me maybe it's to early, I would prefer try to grown my little legs and later do this kind of specifical work.

5x5 bench press with 43 kg, for the moment I'm not able to handle much load.

5x5 chins

2 exercises for biceps

It's not a lot, but after I had a short ride (1 hour) with 1 uphill 10' always above 220 watt.


This morning abother ride for 2 hours, flat road without push hard. I had not much time, because my vegetable garden needed some works. I like to have my own fresh vegetables, and in this moment remain just: cabbage, broccoli, the very last eggplants and leeks! Tht's enough, the winter is coming...

[mrbear666]

nice that you grow your own veg, iwould love to grow some of my own things i just never get round to it! how is your injury doing?