Post Number 9: You Lose Some, You Win Some

Well, it's fair to say that this week has been a typical example of how awkward my work / life / training balance can be! Trying to squeeze in 40 hours of teaching, plus something similar in Lego building and then add in the complicating factor of some stressful negotiations with an important client of ours is never going to be conducive to smashing out a few hours of aerobic, low intensity training on my bike (as was my goal).

You can see from my Strava stat's that I have only managed a dismal 41.8 miles in 3.5 hours of cycling! For the 'Stato's' amongst you, to save you getting a calculator out, that's an average speed of just under 12 mph!! 

I always knew that this week was going to be a difficult one from a training goal perspective... Therefore I did what any good fitness professional would do and I changed some of the variables in my training. Generally speaking, fitness programming works around four principles: Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type (FITT Principles). I couldn't do the time this week, so I upped the intensity instead. 'How so? You averaged under 12 mph!' I hear you say... Well, I put in a bit of extra effort in the strength training sessions and I also chose to ride up a big hill near where I live called 'The Wrekin'... twice. The Wrekin allegedly has the 'Highest ascent for it's circumference around it's base in the whole of Britain'. I'm not sure that's completely true, but it felt like it two days ago - particularly the second time up!

The Wrekin is an off-road climb to be done on a mountain bike. At times the gradients make you slow to near walking speed. Even once onto the false flat over the top there is still a sting in the tale that is 50:50 whether you'll make it up without pulling a foot out to avoid an embarrassing, slow speed 'topple'. It takes 13 minutes on a good day to get to the top. The day I went up was not a good day, weather-wise or state-of-training-wise! 

The Losses

So, I'm a little behind on one of my goals already (30 hours of cycling in January including a ride in North Wales and the Peak District). I could get down about this I guess, but, there have been a fair amount of 'out of my control' obstacles put in my way this week. As mentioned right at the start of my blog, I'm not going to worry about those sorts of things. I'm choosing to concentrate on getting the things in my control right. However, there are also some positives to reflect on too!! (One of the many advantages of setting a number of 'Process' goals).

The Wins

I've managed to up my loads in the 2 big strength exercises I do (Squat and Deadlift). I'm now lifting 10kgs more than over Christmas (see pic to the right for weights) and I feel like I can go on from that over the next couple of weeks too! Usually, you would expect to progress by around 2.5-7.5kgs every 5 weeks or so (that's a typical length of a strength training mesocycle). I guess my progression has been a bit quicker due to me getting more 'familier' with the 'skill' of lifting. Along with this increased strength has come slightly bigger quadriceps and glutes (approx 1 cm in circumference since the start of training in November). Coupled with an actual decrease in bodyweight of 1lb, that's all the proof I need that my body is changing for the better!

Perhaps though, the biggest positive to take from my training so far, is that I felt 'strong' riding up the Wrekin, despite DOMs in my legs limiting my riding intensity. I got to the top as comfortably as is possible up there - never pushing much harder than 7/10 effort. I was 3 minutes off my best time up the hill, but actually think I'm not too far off my best fitness of last year already and I definitely think I'll be challenging for the Strava KOM up there in the Summer! (This is another of my goals!).

The Week Ahead

So overall, I'm pleased with how things are progressing. This week I do have some extra time due to work being quiet, so I'll try my best to get in some long rides alongside the heavier weights sessions. I'm also going to have a go at a 2 Rep Max Deadlift Strength Test at the start of Monday's strength session. Mainly because my training partner, Pom, did one last week (watch Pom's self-glorifying video below!). I won't get very close to his mark, but I'm intrigued to know what I can do! Of course, I'll report back!

Don't try that at home folks...

Paul

Post Number 5: Statistics, We All Love Statistics!

I've been dreading this blog for a while... It's the one where I have to come clean about my current (lack of) fitness! Rather than bore you with all of the measurements I've taken, I'll keep it short and sweet with just the important ones.

Body Butter

Firstly, weight and bodyfat... Now don't get me wrong, I realise that I'm no pro' and that 4% bodyfat is unachievable for me. However, it's fair to say that in the last two or three years, a fair old amount of 'body' has appeared where it once wasn't! In short, I need to deal with it before it turns into a permanent lardy addition. 

The extra weight I'm currently carrying isn't going to slow me down massively (I'll talk more about this later). However, I'd like to be the best I can be, and if the marginal gain of losing some adipose tissue can be had, then I'll take it! I need to lose this weight (it's mainly bodyfat!) the right way though. I'm not going to 'diet' or do 'fat burning' rides on an empty stomach having consumed black coffee (many cyclist's preferred method of torture). I'm just going to 'eat clean' and limit the amount of 'empty kcals' such as alcohol and chocolate I consume. This, along with some natural weight loss that occurs during longer rides, should get things back into the realms of athleticism without impairing my ability to train hard because I have a kcal deficit and no energy. 

'Athletic weight' to me I reckon is 11 - 11,3 in imperial, which is around 70kgs. I'm currently at 11,11 (75kgs) having managed to come down from over 12 stones (79kgs at one point!). 

Of course, I also need to be careful that I don't lose any muscle mass from the wrong places (legs) as that might knock my power output down a bit (which would have a far greater effect on performance than losing a few lbs in weight). To keep a check on things, I'll calliper test myself to determine my fat levels in different areas. I'll also take some circumferential measurements as an additional guide as to how my body is changing. I'll log them all in a table and of course, publish them all for you to see in the next blog!

Watt Power?

Power to weight ratio is really important if you want to ride a bike as fast as possible. I've already talked about my weight, so let's focus now on the power I can produce. 

Firstly, there are many different 'types' of power a cyclist can produce including; 'Max Power' (max output over 6 seconds usually), 'Max Minute Power' (highest average power sustainable over a minute) and 'Functional Threshold Power' (average power that can be held for one hour). For more details on these have a look at www.wattbike.com - there is a real simple explanation of everything on there! Obviously, all types of power are important for a cyclist, but some are of higher value than others in certain disciplines. I've decided that  for what I'm doing, I'm interested in the more endurance based measurements.

The type of power we are good at generating is largely trainable, but there is also a strong genetic element to it. The old saying 'You can't turn a donkey into a racehorse' certainly applies in my case. My previous experiences in cycling have also told me that I'm not a particular specialist in any area either. So I'm going to be realistic in my expectations of what power outputs I'll be able to produce. 

I won't be training to pre-determined power values using a powermeter either. I don't like the idea of 'prescribed' training as it is often very difficult to get training intensities perfect for that particular day. I'd rather play it by ear and get 'in tune' with my body. For me, powermeters are a great way of reflecting on what you've done - not dictating your ride. Fail to reflect on your training, and there's a fair chance of not getting anywhere near your potential. Training is largely an evolution of ideas, implementation and the results you get from them, so make sure you have a coherent plan and reflect on it regularly!

Instead of powermeters I'll be relying on 'feel' and a few 'Hill tests' to check my fitness progress every so often. These tests will use my Garmin linked up with info off Strava (you may have noticed that I've added a Strava widget to my blog). Combining info from both of these, I can work out an important value called 'Watts per kg'. It's a number that is specific to the length of the climb you're riding up, but it's a value that is widely used in cycling and will allow me to see my ability over different types of terrain. I'll be using the 'Ferrari' method for determining this measure of power to weight. 

Last year, over climbs of 3-10 minutes duration, I was producing around 5.5-5.9 Watts per kg. Anything over 10 minutes though and that number dropped to horrendously low levels (less than 4 W/kg. This was probably due to two reasons: Firstly, my bodyweight will have meant that I was trying harder than I should have been right from the start of the climb - meaning that I will have been using and exhausting my anaerobic energy system (high energy but with lactic acid as a by-product) after the first five or six minutes. Secondly, my aerobic energy system and anaerobic thresholds, will not have been as efficient or high respectively as they could have been due to a severe lack of time on bike (I averaged around 3 hours riding a week last summer!). If I can use my anaerobic system more sparingly by using my aerobic energy system more effectively and perhaps also pushing my anaerobic threshold up higher so that when I am trying hard I can push myself that little bit more, then hopefully I should see my climb times tumble! 

My power to weight goal this year, is to up my Watts per kg on climbs lasting 10-30 minutes duration. To do this, I therefore need to sustain the power output that I can already achieve for longer by training my CV and muscular systems (particularly my aerobic energy system). If I can also reduce my dead weight by 5kgs too, then that could make a speed difference worth having. 

In numbers:

A weight loss of 5kgs could cut up to 1 min 20 seconds off a 20 minute duration climb. A sustainable power gain of 20 Watts could make a similar saving. They, therefore, are my objectives. If I achieve these, then my big goal of achieving 6.2 W/kg over the shorter climbs I have locally should be achievable.

Hope that wasn't too dull! All feedback gratefully received!

Paul