Cycling and Endurance Sport Training Information

Keeping Up With The Small Stuff

By Jeb Stewart BS, CSCS, Coach

   In the beginning of the season, much like a new year, many of us start off with high resolve, doing everything right and by the book. We benefit immensely from this and improve our performance drastically and feel good both inside and out about our efforts. As the season wanes, and we reach a high level of performance (or not), it becomes easy to start to slack off on the little things that helped get us here in the first place. I know how busy life can be, I am living it as we speak. However, if we start to neglect the little things such as stretching, warm-ups, proper rest, nutrition, hydration, and positive self-talk, all our efforts that lead to this point can end up being in vain. It would be such a shame to allow this to happen and can be easily avoided by sticking to the plan that got us here to begin with. As the volume of our training lessens to accommodate our racing schedule and the time of year where we are in peak fitness and focusing more on quality rather than quality, there should be enough time to keep these vital components in our program.

As we all know by now, (I hope), putting in time on the bike is only part of the equation, without which we are definitely not going to perform at any level of proficiency. However, rest and recovery, both active and passive are probably the most crucial components to improving performance in conjunction with the appropriate training stimuli. Eating & hydrating properly and at the right times before, during and after races also plays a huge part in your performance. Getting enough sleep is another crucial component without which we will really start to backslide. These are all crucial components without which our performance will suffer significantly.

Stretching is something that seems to go out the window before anything else, (if it was ever in there to begin with), and it is not long before we start to have anatomical issues as a result. Please don’t let this happen to you. Stretching for just 10 minutes several times a week can improve performance, prevent injury, promote recovery and is a key element in any performance program.

Warm-ups are so critical to race and even training performance and they get slacked on more than just about anything. If your body is not prepared for the rigors it is about to endure, then it will suffer immensely and under perform. This is why we write very specific warm-ups for the task at hand for our athletes. There are different demands in every sport and every sub-discipline within each sport and the warm up needs to reflect the demands, which will be imposed upon the body in the event. When a race is only 40 minutes long, and it goes out from the gun at 100% and does not let up, only those who are warmed up properly will even survive, never the less excel. Let’s keep those warm ups in the routine and thorough. You have the fitness now, the warm up is not going to wear you out and may be the difference between first place and getting dropped.

Last but not least, positive sports and personal psychology is so huge I can only touch on it briefly in this article. What we think has an extremely significant impact on how we perform. Our thoughts become our reality and if we tell ourselves that we do not belong, or that we aren’t good enough, then you can bet that you are not going to suddenly end up in first place. We all have doubts and are all scared to some degree when we get on that starting line. If we weren’t we wouldn’t be human. The difference between the winners and the runners up is that the winners feel the fear and do it anyway. It takes courage and discipline to be positive, especially in a world that promotes just the opposite. Be courageous and believe in yourself, be gentle with your words when talking to yourself and think positively. Some may say this is a naive approach. To them I say, try again and go peddle that to someone who’s buying it. People who take the risk of being different and positive take heat sometimes but always end up being people who others want to follow, emulate and be around. It is a small price to pay for the benefit in the end. So be a leader, and believe on the possibility and talk nicely to yourself. It can be one of your most valuable tools in your performance tool chest.

Now we have covered a lot in a short time. I do not expect you to remember it all but do hope that you try to incorporate at least some of it back into your programs one little bit at a time until you are up and kicking butt! If you are like the rest of us, you are probably better in one area than another. If this is the case, work on your weak areas first and most often, and if you need help or suggestions with any of this, ask your coach or a friend for help. We would be glad to be of assistance in any way we can. So here’s to going back to the next level and beyond. Enjoy the journey!

Cycling and Endurance Sport Information by Jeb Stewart