As a coach, one of the points I want my cyclists to understand is that all cycling performance flows from three primary elements: training, nutrition and recovery. You cannot be a successful cyclist unless you master all three.
1. Training. The most obvious element of cycling performance is training. You cannot improve your performance as a cyclist if you do not engage in some type of training program. There have been many books, articles and magazines written on effective training for cyclists and most of these can be helpful, depending on your experience level and goals. However, the simplest way to think about training is through the F.I.T.T. model, which stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. Frequency is the number of times you cycle each week. One of the first decisions you must make is how often you want to ride. This will be based on several variables including the time you have available to ride and your goals as a cyclist.
Intensity is a measure of how hard you work during a given cycling session. Time is the length of the cycling session such as 60 minutes or 20 miles. Generally speaking, there is an inverse relationship between intensity and time. The harder you work in a given workout (e.g., the higher your heart rate), the shorter the session and vice-versa. The key to successful cycling training is to consistently balance intensity and time in a way that facilitates improved performance. Type refers to the kind of exercise you will do during a workout (e.g., cycling, hill training, interval workout, strength training). To optimize the training effect (i.e., the performance benefits you derive from your training regimen), you have to make decisions about how to best apply each of the components of the F.I.T.T. model based on your goals as a cyclist.
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cycling performance,
cyclists,
effective training,
good nutrition,
heart rate,
inverse relationship,
nutritional practices,
performance benefits,
performance type,
session time
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