Clarke Boulter Cycling Coach

YOU CAN BE VERY FIT AND STILL BE WEAK.

Cycling builds a strong aerobic engine. But it does not fully protect the strength, muscle and bone that become increasingly important as we age.

That does not mean lifting is a shortcut to a higher FTP. The cycling research is mixed and mostly in younger riders. But strength work can help preserve physical capacity that cycling alone does not fully maintain, and may help you hold a hard effort later in a long ride.

This week’s email includes a simple gym-based strength workout for cyclists. Next week, I’ll break down the science and where strength training can benefit cycling performance.

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MORE HARD RIDING ISN’T WHAT TAKES YOUR FITNESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

It is easy to assume that getting fitter means simply adding more rides or making every ride harder.

But real progress comes from putting the right structure around your training.

Hard VO2 max work needs to be correctly placed and recovered from. Low-intensity riding needs to be consistent enough to build your aerobic engine. Strength training gives you the physical capacity to keep progressing, particularly as a masters cyclist.

These things work together, but the right balance depends on your current fitness, available time and recovery.

That is what I help clients put in place through coaching, including tailored VO2 max workouts and personalised strength programmes.

Start with a Personalised Performance Review. Link in the first comment.

TRAINING HARDER COULD BE THE REASON YOU’RE NOT GETTING FITTER.

Every ride creates stress and fatigue. The improvement only comes afterwards, when your body has enough time to recover and adapt.

If you begin the next session before you’ve recovered properly, fatigue can reduce the quality of your training and gradually hold back your progress.

The goal is not simply to do more. It’s to create the right training stimulus, then recover well enough to absorb it and complete the next important session properly.

Are you giving your body enough time to adapt?

PLATEAUED? DON’T JUST TRAIN MORE.

If you are already putting the rides in but your fitness has stopped moving forward, you have two choices: add more training volume or give your training some structure.

For most cyclists, structure is the best place to start.

Keep most rides easy enough to build your aerobic engine and recover properly. Then include a smaller amount of genuinely hard work, such as VO2 max intervals, to give your body a reason to adapt.

A simple 80/20 split gives every ride a purpose.

What if one second took away your biggest goal?

My ribs have just about healed in time for the race, but that newly knitted bone isn’t yet strong enough to withstand another crash. Pulling out was disappointing, but it was the right decision.

There’s no point dwelling on things I can’t change. The work before the crash wasn’t wasted.

I’ve set myself new goals. Now it’s time to start working towards them.

Hard sessions need to be spaced closely enough to build on each other, but far enough apart for you to recover properly.

Too close and fatigue compromises the next session. Too far apart and you lose the progression.

Getting fitter isn’t just about how hard you train. It’s also about when you train hard.

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Fitness isn’t built through a few exceptional weeks. It comes from completing sensible training consistently enough for the adaptations to accumulate.

That doesn’t mean doing the same training all year. When your main events finish, the volume, intensity and focus can all change. Taking a short break is also sensible.

The important thing is not allowing reduced pressure to become months without direction.

For over-50 cyclists, consistency also depends on recovery. Training only compounds when you can absorb it and return ready to train again.

A simple plan you can sustain will nearly always beat an ambitious one that is repeatedly interrupted.

An expensive bike can make you faster. But compared with what better training can achieve, the difference may be relatively small.

One of my over-50 clients increased his FTP from 140 to 240 watts in a year. Then there are the gains available from a more aerodynamic riding position, better pacing and smarter tactics.

Enjoy the expensive bike. I do. Just don’t assume it’s your biggest opportunity.

Want to know where your biggest performance gains are? Complete my free Performance Review. Link in the first comment.