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pfm Health Club

I can’t remember the right term, it’s something like CPE, but basically the ability to increase strength and power in a muscle without necessarily this meaning a proportional increase in muscle diameter - think wiry men and strong women for their size. Slow twitch physiology also tends towards this.

So in short, you ain’t gonna get bulbous ripped quads in a hurry! And quite frankly I would not encourage you anywhere near weights to try to develop the kind of explosive rapid acceleration I think you’re after. Too big a risk of injury from high impact loaded movements which would keep you off your bike and be counterproductive.

I would look at your training though and mix in some sprint interval sessions on your bike. This is probably the most obvious way of transferring this into your racing.

If your knees and hips are okay it might be good to do body weight squats and build up to jumping squats, with a health warning not to rush this and of course to be thoroughly warmed up before trying any acceleration/ explosive movements.

And look, you’re a skinny endurance athlete - skinny legs come with the deal!
Haha. Not exactly what I wanted to hear but makes absolute sense. I'm already doing intervals (sprints and hills) so that's covered. Might try squats.

Thanks. Sound advice as always.
 
I wish I knew something about fitness...seems I don't have a clue amongst the experts here despite being 49 in over a weeks time and train 5 times a week...but hey.. :D
 
I wish I knew something about fitness...seems I don't have a clue amongst the experts here despite being 49 in over a weeks time and train 5 times a week...but hey.. :D

I think you know about fitness and probably quite fit, for me the problem is a lot of the finer points are difficult to relate to.

Bloss
 
The reason is a need to get more ‘punchy’ when I’m riding. I’m doing a race next month and although I’m more than happy with my endurance and I’m better that I’ve been in more than ten years on long climbs, on the short, steep climbs when I really need to transfer power quickly I’m losing out to people I train with by a few seconds. A few seconds makes all the difference. Long climbs are no problem as my lightness and improved endurance fitness have seen me beating PBs from seven years ago.
Go do some crit racing. I'd suggest Tuesday or Thursday evening at the MK Bowl, 20s at 400W every 90s, hard to reproduce outside the event. IME. Probably there's something near you but it might not have that regular ascent.

Also from a purely vain angle my legs are looking too skinny. They make Froome’s look like tree trunks :)
Now that I find hard to believe..
 
These have been such friendly threads, and full of really helpful replies, I don’t think anyone wilfully ignored you Mr C. In fact I read it and pondered whether I should do more strength work instead of just running. I was going to go back to it, but it then went you took it down.

How’s everyone else getting on? I’ve got a couple of challenges upcoming, an 11 mile race against a train in June, and then the Great North Run in September. Weight stable, maybe slightly falling, average resting heart rate of somewhere between 48 and 50. Always quite shocked as to how much it goes up on Friday night though as I break the weeks beer fast!
 
Steady away here. Lost a little weight, could lose more but there's a chap my age at my present work who's very fit and has his bmi down below 25, and he looks like he's suffering from some wasting disease. No thanks. I was running 3 times this week, no marathons but it gets me out.
 
My weight has levelled off a bit. I was 14st 8lb this morning. BMI just under 27.

Holidays coming up, a week in Devon with the whole family then two weeks all inclusive! They do healthy options on the menu (including low carbs, gluten free and vegan). There is a small gym and exercise classes each day that we will probably join in, plus the swimming pools (I enjoy a good swim, was never much of an endurance swimmer but was a decent sprinter in my time). I expect to return a bit heavier but probably fitter.

Mrs s was complaining that I am no longer her cuddly teddy bear (I have lost most of my body hair due to the hormone treatment for my cancer) and I have changed shape in the last year, the beer gut I spent many years growing has almost gone now.
 
Women are funny like that. When I came back from my climbing holiday in Morocco, fit as a butcher's dog after 10 days of marching up mountains, healthy food and no booze, bmi about 26, Mrs sc67 complained that there was nothing to get hold of and I was all bony when she wanted a cuddle. Pointing out that according to medical professionals I was still half a stone overweight cut no ice, I can tell you.
 
My BMI is currently 24. Am now hoping I don’t look like I have a wasting disease :)

No need for you to worry. I just did mine and I'm 21.7. Yes, I look lean but according to the chart I'm bang in the middle of the healthy range. That said, I wouldn't want to look much skinnier.
 
Remember kids, freely given advice is free to be ignored :p

Anyways, my own activities have been altered somewhat by the arrival of a big beautiful Foxhound who has took up a lot of my time in training and play, on top of at least 10 miles of brisk walking a day. We’ve had her about 10 weeks and so you can add up the miles, but I’ve definitely dropped a few pounds.

So my 3 runs a week have gone out the window for a bit, but I have been lifting 2-3 times a week. I’ve had chronic probs with tennis and golfers elbow on my right arm so I’ve had to carefully train around it. I’ve de-loaded massively and instead of going heavy I’ve been going for constant tension and mind muscle feel to 10 reps a set, 3 sets max per movement. Then the next session I add a tiny amount using fractional plates on a Oly bar and again go for 10 super strict high tension reps.

It certainly great for getting a pump on your target muscle in compound movements, and triggering your stabilising muscles too. Will probably keep going till i plateau and the reps start dropping too much although at the moment I’m a deliberately working away from max RPE and failure.
 
I sympathise with the elbow problem. It has taken me several months to get over the damage I did overdoing a one armed hang. Lots of finger exercises with elastic bands and wrist curls. Had to stop my pulling exercises for a while.
 
Had to stop my pulling exercises for a while.

Yep that's largely how I'm training, I've got enough grip strength to do overhand barbell rows (but my lower back hates these, so usually one arm rows are better), but can't do chin ups or bro-curls at the moment.

Last time I had elbow trouble it took 6 months to clear up.
 
Had my first bit of time off this year over the past week and ate/drank accordingly, I can't half pile weight on in no time, clothes feel even tighter after only 5 days, my work clothes were already a bit too tight beforehand so god knows what embarrassment tomorrow will bring.

I really must do something but I've got the motivation and will power to do nothing about it, echoing the mental health thread, I haven't been in the best place mentally for the past few months which saps my motivation even more so, even at my peak I struggle so it doesn't take much to knock me back and send me the other direction.
 
Had my first bit of time off this year over the past week and ate/drank accordingly, I can't half pile weight on in no time, clothes feel even tighter after only 5 days, my work clothes were already a bit too tight beforehand so god knows what embarrassment tomorrow will bring.

I really must do something but I've got the motivation and will power to do nothing about it, echoing the mental health thread, I haven't been in the best place mentally for the past few months which saps my motivation even more so, even at my peak I struggle so it doesn't take much to knock me back and send me the other direction.

Just a little step in the right direction might bring about a bit of positivity and confidence. I find getting outdoors and enjoying the countryside helps my mood, so a nice long walk is always a boost.

But whatever it is for you, just doing a little and enjoying it might send you in the right direction?
 
Just a little step in the right direction might bring about a bit of positivity and confidence. I find getting outdoors and enjoying the countryside helps my mood, so a nice long walk is always a boost.

But whatever it is for you, just doing a little and enjoying it might send you in the right direction?

Possibly, it's just a case of finding that thing. I quite enjoy sitting around drinking beer and listening to records but I guess that's not what you meant.
 
Possibly, it's just a case of finding that thing. I quite enjoy sitting around drinking beer and listening to records but I guess that's not what you meant.

No, it not ;)

I like drinking and listening to records to but I see that as a treat I earn by being busy and active doing other stuff.

A vivid and powerful incentive/ goal would probably help but only you can know what that could be. We generally don’t do difficult things unless there’s something strong enough to motivate us past the resistance.
 


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