Similarly for running when training for a race of 2 miles what is the best way to train??
Just turn up.
tango_kid said:
Hey,
looking to build muscles in legs and get more power so that hill climbing and flat out speed goes up. So i was just wondering what the best method for this is, is it in long (for me) rides of 20 or so miles or is it going on an 8 or 10 miler and going for pace and a high average speed???
I would say that in order to improve on speed/distance you need to do some good training at least 3 times a week. Twice a week will maintain fitness/give you a very slow improvement...so try at least 3 times a week.
Step 1 to building fitness: Build the base. A base fitness is essential, I would say just put in at least 500-700 miles of riding however you like without overdoing it before you start specifically training. Rushing in to training can cause injuries pretty easily, and unless you have a base fitness, if inactive for a period of time then you can loose fitness really quickly.
Step 2 - make sure you rest up and eat correctly.... Basically get your beauty sleep, have at least 1 doctile day a week and cut out the Maccy D's.
I would really work on your base fitness, as unfortunately in cycling terms, 20 miles isn't really too far ..... but still a decent distance to get a good workout, don't get me wrong.
Ok...so now you have put in a fair few miles, you want to get some training under your belt. Fortunately, you obviously do running aswell, which can be abused for cross training - as cycling and running are both hugely dependent on cardiovascular fitness, they will benefit each other.
I would say cycle 3 times a week, try to space these evenly over the week...this can be increased as your fitness increases
Ride 1 - hard interval riding. There are thousands of examples of intervals...ranging from going flat out for a few minutes, with a period of rest in between going flat out again, and simply hitting the hills over and over. If you want to get better at hills.... find a long hill, blast up it, roll down. repeat.
Ride 2 - this is just a recovary ride. Make an effort to keep this slow and relaxed. You should be able to hold a convorsation throughout this ride.
Ride 3 - Distance ride .... most likely to be the most time consuming so best done at the weekends. Join a cycling club, you will be surprised that you can actually knock out a 40-50 miler....but if you have to ride on your own, try and just push your max distance. Aim to go somewhere...i.e. a cafe which is 15 miles away.
To help with the 2 mile run, I would say you just need 1 run a week ontop of that cycling....just to maintain the "running muscles" .... if you are feeling rubbish and you need to do a run, even a 1.5miler will do .... but try and push the run out to around2.5 - 3 miles... and dont worry about working out your pace until nearer the event.
