Stamina and speed
- Thread starter Belovedad
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Sounds like you need a proper structured training plan. If you don't mind doing a lot of your training indoors then the Trainerroad training plans are superb. I've had excellent results using their plans.
I am not a pro when it comes to training and I admit that I know so little. However, let me relate what I know in training horses for cyclists are practically in the same field - racing. My father who was a trainer would start slow for long distances, meaning the training is not too harsh but it builds stamina. After that, the horse can run a mile but slower. The miler training for stamina (slow) is mixed with the half-mile training for speed. I just cannot tell the formula for a person but I think it would work.
That something wise, we should try out different things and then follow with the one that works best for us.
Unless you are professional level, you can increase both your speed and stamina.
The simple way is to try to ride faster and try to ride further. After a while you will be able to determine what works best.
LOL - A bit hit and miss in my opinion. A well structured training plan than has a balance of intervals, easier workouts, endurance workouts and adequate recovery will get you going faster and longer in a reasonable amount of time.
A new rider will improve just by going out and riding their bike but at some point just adding extra miles won't make that much difference. That's when you need to start a training plan assuming you want to progress further.
Yeah, that's the basic, going out and riding, at the same time we do need something extra so that the body can recover if the effort is too much.
You cannot gain speed and stamina at the same time. And the first thing you need is stamina. You can use a structured training program which is described in many publications or you can simply ride. As you ride your speed will automatically increase with your stamina but if you are speaking of "speed" in a racing sense you need to specifically train for that as well. And almost everyone trains incorrectly for speed since that is something that you cannot do continuously and almost all amateurs attempt to do. Get a copy of Joe Friel's training manual and actually read it before attempting to train for speed.
Balance is hard to achieve and it requires a plan. Very good one but since you are not a pro you should focus on two things. Strengthening your thighs in the gym with squats, lunges and that hamstring and kick machine. Go with more weight and less reps. The other thing is stamina that is something you acquire from years of running and cycling. I am also an amateur but I know how I react and my stamina is better than explosiveness. Yet again I am quite fast also and I do this type of training. For example I can run a marathon but I also run 100 meters dash sometimes under 11 seconds which is a big thing for me since I am 173 cm.
You can join some riding programmes. When I was a newbie, I joined a riding programme and it helped me and my speed increased. Well, the speed will not be increased by just practising it one day. You will need to practise over and over again for several days and then you need to work on your stamina. Just follow the step-by-step method and soon, you will be perfect. Good Luck.
I've noticed that it's almost impossible to maintain both at the same time. What I've been working on for the past couple of weeks is my stamina. Been doing a lot of running and high intensity workouts. After doing a timed sprint (cycling) on a previously done route back in January, I was able to shave 2 minutes off with less effort that I needed initially. I guess, getting one thing will lead to the other.
For both speed and endurance you'll need a cardio program to increase your fitness, along with trying to strengthen the leg muscles at the same time.
While cycling can do this as you're going along, if you are working at a gym or on a fitness program anyway, those are probably the things to concentrate on when your doing off bike exercises aswell.
While cycling can do this as you're going along, if you are working at a gym or on a fitness program anyway, those are probably the things to concentrate on when your doing off bike exercises aswell.
Although it's a little more complicated than this, speed and stamina can be thought of as being inversely related to one another when it comes to max performance in both (this is dependent on how you define your terms here, but let's not be pedantic just yet). So if you had a training plan that improved one of those things, you might expect performance in the other to decrease.
Now, this isn't really what happens if you strive to improve stamina as much as it applies if you're trying to improve speed. Physiological improvements in stamina will probably lend improvements to speed, in so much as it'll improve work capacity which improves training volume for speed work etc. However, speed work which brings about increases in that metric will probably come at a cost to maximizing stamina.
But like I said, it's complicated. Read Steve Magness's stuff on running for a better idea.
Now, this isn't really what happens if you strive to improve stamina as much as it applies if you're trying to improve speed. Physiological improvements in stamina will probably lend improvements to speed, in so much as it'll improve work capacity which improves training volume for speed work etc. However, speed work which brings about increases in that metric will probably come at a cost to maximizing stamina.
But like I said, it's complicated. Read Steve Magness's stuff on running for a better idea.
You need to set up a plan and with enough motivation and courage, you should perform it really well. It will take time and effort, but it will be worthwhile nonetheless. I would start off low near your level then intensify each week.
.I think you raise an important point and it us going to take time to build up to a certain level, and I think that's where people go wrong the most.
They'll try and do to much, to soon and overdo things at the beginning, so that stops them from carrying on.
Read the "Its killing be but..." thread that is pinned in this section (or the first 50-60 pages of it anyway. That is a classic tale of someone who had the same issues as you and, with the guidance of a coach, developed a plan and stuck to it (and chronicled his progress along the way). I disagree that you cannot work on stamina and speed at the same time, they are two sides of the same coin which is known as your fitness. Get more fit and you will be able to maintain higher speeds for longer periods of time. That is the point of training.
For increasing your stamina, you can do some basic exercises. You need to make yourself fit. Fitness is really important and you should focus on it. You can also join some fitness programs. If your body is fit, your stamina and energy will definitely increase. I would strictly recommend you to stay away from the artificial supplement. You need to do some exercise instead of taking some shortcuts.
It's one thing devising a plan, but when it comes to sticking to it, that's when a lot of people will fall down. Training is easy on paper, and even easy for the first few weeks that we decide to do it, but long term goals are only reached by long term training, and that's something that a lot of people don't understand.
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