Get Fast
Army - you ask, we answer!
How can I increase my pace during long runs? Will I ever be able to keep up?
The answer is, yes! However, like in everything you choose to tackle, you must be willing to put in the work. Here are a few steps towards building stamina and getting faster for Cycling.
Correct bike setting and proper form are imperative to build stamina and endurance for increasing your speed drills and fast runs out of the saddle. When you ride your main source of power comes from your foundation: glutes, hamstrings and core. So, what can we do to strengthen that outside of cycling? Mix in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to your cycling schedule. Go hard to train your muscles to go long. HIIT recruits your high-speed fibers leading to a more powerful foundation. Also, your body becomes better at tapping into stored fat to refuel for the next max effort exercise, and therefore, you become a more efficient fat burner.
The more power you exert when pedaling, the faster you'll go. Plyometrics training is a must! Explosive jumping and hopping will train your muscles to move on demand plus, develop more strength and speed. Include jump squats and split jumps during the speed phase of your training. This will cause you to burst off the pedals. In order to fight through the burn, train your muscles to produce power even when you feel maxed out. Next time you're in class, or at bootcamp, don't quit the moment you feel a burn. You can drop to a slightly lower weight or slightly lighten the resistance. Another option is to squeeze out three to five more reps or keep the pace longer. Your fast-twitch fibers are shot after a certain amount of reps, but they account for only half of your muscle fibers. The other 50 percent of your slow-twitch fibers still have untapped strength. Immediately lifting a lighter weight leaves no fiber unfatigued, for more complete muscle conditioning. This type of exercise will increase your metabolism, therefore, you will burn more fat for a leaner toner body.
-Upper body training for cycling.
The simple decline push-up not only makes your arms, shoulders and chest strong so you can hold that low upper body position, but it also activates abdominal muscles that crunches and sit-ups work as well.
You may not need the carbs and calories from a Gatorade, but sipping a sports drink with carbohydrate, rather than plain water, can help spare your muscle stored glycogen. This means you will have more energy for those long runs, therefore, it will improve your performance.
Tight muscles can slow you down, but so can stretching when done incorrectly. Pre-exercise stretching causes muscles to relax, reducing force and power output for more than an hour afterward. Avoid stretching before you ride. Instead, stay strong and loose by stretching right after your workout, when your muscles are most pliable. Target your foundation, hamstrings and glutes. Post-exercise massage or foam rolling can cool inflammation and reduce next-day soreness by 30 percent.
During hard training, load up on B nutrients, which are essential for converting protein and carbs to energy and for repairing cells, by eating plenty of whole grains, dark-green veggies and low-fat dairy. Pop a daily multivitamin.