It is known that an interruption in cycling workouts of only one week represents a loss of performance. If only a few days cause an abrupt drop in work for several months, a mandatory break, such as the quarantine period, represents too big a drop. Learn how to regain shape in this month’s article.

For those who live the sport with more commitment, the quarantine phase ended up damaging the physical form and training pace. Even if indoor roll training was a good way to replace road training, much of the training rhythm ends up being wasted.

Gradual training cycle
Once the confinement phase is over and the return of the cycling events has begun, the training process needs to be resumed. And this is where we must be careful about how we train again. Assuming that the physical training evolves over several weeks is a good start. The physiological modification of the athlete and the stimuli suffered by him must be directed to produce certain adaptations. In other words, to seek improvements in the individual’s performance through changes in his physical abilities, little by little.

The energy also works!
The training loads of different intensities seek to stimulate the body throughout the cyclical process of energy production over millions of rides, for hundreds of kilometres. The cycling gesture presupposes the execution of force throughout the entire technical gesture that repeats itself every second. Because it is such a dense demand for muscle fibres, the body needs a lot of time to adapt to such a thorough system of energy creation constantly and over several hours. Therefore, the weekly dynamics should be based on the impact that each workout will have on this physiological modification. The inappropriate intensity can lead to a stagnation in the cyclist’s evolution. When recovering from your weekly workouts you should always keep this assumption in mind.

Pedalling even on recovery days
It is common to think that after more intense training or even after a race, the best way to recover is not to pedal the next day. However, this does not bring any benefit. On the contrary. This practice slows down the pace of the ride. Even so, on the so-called recuperation days, you should keep in mind three important tips: good nutrition, especially protein such as soy, hours of a deep sleep, and some leg exercise.

Keeping up the pace requires the method
Progressing in cycling is complicated and many people make irreparable mistakes. Cycling has the particularity of requiring method and regularity to progress and no interruptions are advised. Any break means one month of training to return to the same level. It is important that in this recovery, you manage to maintain a certain pace and method of “work”.

Training tips to progress and earn income
1 – The heating is often a neglected point. The warm-up time must last at least 20 minutes, during which time you must pedal effortlessly (80/90 rpm) and without excessive rotation in order not to cause injury to the ligaments.
2- Avoid making group sessions too intense to the point of returning home totally exhausted. It is counterproductive.
3- Your new season must necessarily start with a background work of (resistance). You must return to a contained rhythm which will allow you to gain a good basis for then works with high intensities.

Now that you know our training tips, get back on the road with your favourite brand of wheels and rims. May your summer be made of good training in the company of Blackjack!