Cyclists? - Which DVD's helped?

Netta

Netta

Cathlete
This is my 5th season of road cycling. I'm wondering which Cathe workouts would help me to gain more speed and endurance for metrics and century rides. I'm currently doing a full body weight workout 2 times a week, with cardio (Low Max, Imax 2 and some Kickboxing and Hi/Lo) 4 times a week. I'm looking for more leg strength for climbing but also have to watch that I don't do a hard leg workout too close to a bike ride or the ride suffers. I ride a couple times a week, shorter but intense ride of 20 to 30 miles mid week and longer ride of 40 to 60 miles on the weekend. Don't really like to ride more than that as I still need to devote time to my horse (too many hobbies :p)

After 3 months of working out with Cathe, I can tell my core strength on the horse is so much better. My lower back hasn't been so fatigued on the bike rides when I really push either so I think somethings working. I have a trainer in the house for the bike, but refuse to use the thing, it is just WAAAAY TOOO BORING!

Thanks in advance for any help.

Jeanette
 
ack! i'm sorry.. i was supposed to answer my thoughts on this for you! i'm hoping there are other cyclists on here who can give some insite!

i started to answer you when you first asked me.. but realized that i'm not sure what i do really helps!

the things i do know is that doing cathe helped me become a stronger cylist quicker.. but i'm still far from being a strong cyclist.. like you.. i'm good at climbing hills.. but a lot of that can probably be attributed to being small...

you already know about not doing leg workouts too close to important rides.. believe me.. you will suffer! lol! i've done legs in the morning.. then tried to ride after work.. and i just feel so BLAH! so i've learned i never do legs on fridays!

i too hate my trainer.. hubby keeps telling me that i need to ride it to make me stronger outside.. well. i HATE it.. and i "hate" coach troy.. ok.. so i "hate" cathe sometimes too! i will say doing a spinerval beats trying to ride and watch tv or a movie.. but i still prefer being outside!

i do know that the core work is a big help cuz i guess we use a lot of core on the bike! (but again.. you already know that! see.. i'm no help!)

my best, not so cathe to bike educated guess: do lots of her lower body or legs workouts and lots of core workouts! balance it with upper body (even though you know that a lot of people will argue that cyclists don't need to train in the "gym".. tough nuggies.. "I'M" gonna do it cuz i like how it looks... with the exception of my shoulders!) and you DO pull on the handlebars when climbing.. so cathe's upper body workouts do help! (oh.. i've noticed if i've done PUB then gone out on the bike.. OWIE!)

i've also been trying to do kick max and the leg drills a lot lately! they way i know that either cathe or cycling is making me stronger: i don't hate ice breakers anymore!

(you could be ME from the way you ride... weekends.. mid week! and hating the trainer!)

hopefully someone else has some words of wisdom for us! (i was thinking of asking for some of the rotation gurus to make a cathe/cycling rotation!)


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cute work out clothes are good for AT LEAST an additional 10-15 calories burned!
 
Hi Jeanette,

I would suggest doing a split routine so that you can chose a lower body workout that includes floor work so that you can isolate abductors & adductors. When your mileage is high, work in the floor work once or twice a week even if you don't do the standing work. (Legs & Glutes is unique in that it has standing isolation work.)

Chose cardio that includes a lot of lateral movement since that's missing from cycling. Kickboxing is good, but monitor how your hip flexors are doing. That with cycling could be too much.

Core work will not only help the lower back but will help your climbing. I'm finding Core Max doesn't have as much back work as I like, it feels unbalanced to me (compared to yoga & pilates). A split routine will allow you to do a bit more targeted back work compared to total body workouts.

Flexibility training will help your range of motion & the smoothness of your pedal stroke. And help your recovery. I've found a really long stretching routine like Scott Cole's Millenium Stretch or a shorter Karen Voight really help recovery after long rides or any endurance work.

Hope that gives you some ideas. Everyone has to tweak to find what works for them.

Debra
 
A cycling rotation, that's a great idea!

I will try some kickboxing, don't have Kick Max (yet), but will try some kickboxing from CTX and my Timesavers, see how that goes. I do notice that on some of the little short hills where I climb while standing, higher gear, powering to the top, I'm having an easier time because of my core and holding the bike straight, instead of the bike swaying so much from side to side. Know that is because of better upper body strength too.

No fun when your legs start out sore from a leg workout and you've got climbing to do. Our club puts on some informal time trials (12 mile course with a couple of hills). The first one for this year starts in April. I'm anxious to see if the step interval training helps. My fastest time last year was 37.5 minutes for 12 miles, yes, I was dying!

Thanks for the advice, I will try some of those leg drills.

Too bad you're not up here in Northern California, we could ride and talk Cathe!

Jeanette
 
Thanks for answering Debra :)

I do have the Timesavers Legs & Glutes so will try to work in some of the floor work on that. When you say lateral type of cardio do you mean step workouts?

I know my hamstrings are pretty tight so I should start spending more time stretching them out, also my calves. Did a fast ride yesterday and my calves were really cramping (not painfully though) about 10 miles into the ride. Unusual so I popped some Enduralytes, swigged more Cytomax and tried to spin more. I know I was really hydrated so that wasn't the problem. Think I just pushed too hard (was riding with a couple of guys). Could be I'm not stretching enough after the step workouts?

I plan on going back soon to a rotation with a split routine so will seek to target the back more.

Will the leg presses and lunges help my spin and climbing?

Thanks again for the help. I know that cycling more times per week would help too, but I don't have that much time to devote. I've found cycling can be very time consuming so hoping I can cross train doing Cathe workouts.

Jeanette
 
A roadie for 5 years! Wow!! I'm working on year two, so I don't think I'll be of much help, but I thought I'd chime in anyway. Maybe you can help me with the hills:) . I try to put any leg work after a cycling session. If I separate it out from a cycling day my legs just can't recoup for the next ride. Doing one or two UB part(s) a day helps control workout time. I only hit the core twice a week (sometimes less) because of time. Other cardio is swimming, running, and Cathe, but I can only rotate Cathe cardio in once a week because of other workouts.

L&G is great as are the timesaver options on the new DVDs. Warning, though...I did all of GS Legs and was sore for 4 days!! I still got on my bike but it was tough.

I think "lateral" means anything that would make you move side-to-side rather than simply forward (cycling). Kickbox is great for that.

Unlike others, I adore Coach Troy of Spinervals. If you hate the trainer- but could fit more time in the saddle if you used your trainer- you might want to check out Spinervals. Using them all winter has really helped my aerobic base which in turn has helped my other cardio activities. Coach Troy uses squats and lunges to help develop cycling-specific leg strength.

As for cramping, I have nothing. I'm still trying to figure out what's best for me...sometimes I feel great on the bike and other times I want to hurl...even doing the same workout!!

HTH
CinDee
 
CinDee:

Hills, what can I say? I'm a fairly good climber cuz I don't weigh that much, but a lousy descender for that same reason too. I get left way behind in a group on a long descent. Hills, always tough if I don't know the route, you wonder, man, is it going to get any steeper? I'm already almost out of gears and I'm still slowing down. On tough climbs it helps me to have a song in my head and sing it to the cadence of my spin up the hill. Montgomery Gentry's, "I'm alright, I'm okay, it aint nothing but another day", and repeat all the way up the hill. I just get into a rhythm with my breathing and pedaling and I can go and go. Not fast, but steady.

I hear good things about GS Legs. May have to check that one out soon. I just got my high step so have only done a few sessions of leg presses. Wondering if those will make a difference. It is really tough to cycle with sore legs. Before my metrics or centuries I like taking a few days off before, maybe just walking or yoga beforehand. I like fresh legs!

We had a long, hard winter this year, lots of my friends rode their trainers and it sure shows. Must be something to the Spinerval thing. Might have to get a TV for the spare room (and a fan) and give them a try.

I usually ride stronger in the morning than after work. Cycling is an activity that you seem to get better at each year. I ride with lots of folks that are pretty tough and they're in their 50's, 60's and one pretty fast guy is in his 70's. We all have fun, but we keep it moving at a pretty good pace too.

I've had leg cramps before, but usually toward the end of a hard ride and they usually come right above my knees, the left one and then the right. Mostly I think they are from just pushing too hard and my muscles are protesting. On hot days I take a couple Hammergel Eduralyte capsules every hour and they seem to help too. It takes a while to figure this stuff out. Mostly I'm learning that I'm not really burning as many calories as I hoped so I really don't need all of those fig newtons, pastries, cookies and such that they have at the rest stops on organized rides. Have you done any organized rides? They are a lot of fun and fun to ride with other people.

Take care and thanks for the advice.

Jeanette
 
I'm not familiar with much of Cathe's cardio, but do have all of her kickboxing, plus Low Max & IMax 3. If Low Max & IMax 3 are representative, they provide plenty of lateral movements. The explosive nature of the blasts will also help you kick it up when the hill gets steeper too.

Consider adding GS Legs to your routine, at least until you can ride more days. The standing work is slow enough that you can go heavy to build strength & it has my favorite floor work.

I'm big into cross-training, but it means that you're not building your aerobic base on the bike. I have mixed feelings about Spinervals but use them for interval training. Just food for thought.

Debra
 
Thanks for the suggestion on GS Legs. I think that one's in my future, wasn't sure if it had floor work or not. Must view the description soon. I'm thinking the interval training on the Imax's will help. It's hard for me to do interval training on the bike (just not motivated enough, I guess), but much easier with Cathe telling me to "Work Hard!" on a DVD. I imagine it's got to help though.

Jeanette
 
you'll love gs legs.. just make sure to do it early in the week if you have an important ride coming up on the weekend!

i swear you are me when you write! i have the same issues descending! lol!

i mainly wanted to bump this up to get more ideas from people!

p.s. if you like cathe telling you to work hard.. you'll like coach troy telling you to work hard.. they are two "evil" trainers (cathe and coach troy!)


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cute work out clothes are good for AT LEAST an additional 10-15 calories burned!
 
Sorry this took so long, Netta. I've done a few supported rides and really enjoyed them. I wish my husband and I lived closer into town so we could join a club for group rides. I know I'd be faster if that happened. We just did a ride in February and I simply didn't feel like tackling the hills...plus I started getting a little dizzy and nauseated (that whole nutrition/timing thing still gets me) so I walked a couple of them. That really disappointed me so my goal for March and April is to not give up whether I'm outdoors or doing a Spinerval. Hopefully I'll have a better mental motivation when it gets warmer. There's this one hill I'd love to clean...

I think you'd like Spinervals, too, since you say you like the video motivation. Most of those workouts leave me gasping for air over my handlebars!! If you go to their site you can view the video clips. Spinervals has worked out great for me since I don't like to go out by myself and it's dark when DH gets home (that will soon be changing with Daylight Savings!!Yea!!). If you decide to buy, you may want to consider Bending Crank Arms. It is much more strength oriented than the others. Big Gear Strength is also a good one for strength as you do everything in your toughtest gear...and I suppose you could make it tougher by tighetening your trainer tension!

CinDee
 
CinDee, I'll have to check out the Spinervals clips. They sound like they could help, but Spring is here so I'll be outside unless this wind keeps up. We did a group ride on Sunday, a circle of around 40 miles. Going out was okay, but at the turnaround point a terrible cross wind had developed. I was glad I've been working on the core strength. The problem is that with gusts sometimes it's tough to get ready. Wasn't pleasant at all. Also while climbing a not so steep hill, I actually got blown off of the road into the dirt by a hard gust! Don't want to repeat that one. I normally would not have gone out in weather like that, but it developed after we started. Later, I drove past that spot on my way to Reno and saw that a large tractor trailer truck had overturned in that very area! They had unhooked the trailer and left it there. Very severe winds!

Walking hills, years ago (1977) I did the western part of a ride called Bikecentennial (Portland, OR to Pueblo, CO). I hadn't prepared by doing any hill work here (pretty clueless at the time) so when we started on the Coast Range, guess who did a bunch of walking that first day? I was riding a Schwinn Varsity with full panniers and was probably about 30 pounds overweight myself. Boy, I sure wondered what I'd gotten myself into. When we got to the next big town with a bike shop, I replaced the freewheel in the back to give me some lower gears. Also, someone gave me the advice to just take my time up those hills and not fight them. That advice stuck and I never had to walk those hills again. Oh to be 18 again!

On one of my supported centuries last year, we encountered a hill called "Table Mtn." That one kicked my butt, I had to stop a few times (plus it was hot). I look forward to doing that one again, this time without stopping. Sometimes it's a mental thing and if you know the top comes pretty soon, you can hang on. I'll bet anything that soon you'll be conquering that tough hill. It's a great feeling when you do.

Have fun riding and be safe!

Jeanette
 
Yikes to wind!! DH and I have a 35 mile loop we love and once there was a cross wind on a stright-away that left us going a full 3 mph slower than usual. I'm sure it could be worse but to mentally push through that was tough. And I hear ya on getting thrown by gusts! Plus the wind on the sweat...no matter what I'm wearing I'll get cold if its below 65 or 70 degrees. I'm really looking forward to the extra daylight and sun! I live in the Pac NW and it's icky and rainy so I'll be on my trainer today.

CinDee
 
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