I have come along way in the last few years, in part at least because of the advice people so freely give on this forum, but here’s my latest "how the hell do I do that " question:
I look at the kind of power the pro’s are putting out (average of 300+ watts over the Hawaii 112 miles (e.g. Faris Al Sultan - http://www.2peak.com/tools/hawaii3.php?newLanguage=it) and I think to myself how the hell do they do that??
I’ve dropped 55 llbs with about 15 more to go, my cadence is pretty high (higher than Faris’ in Hawaii last year!!) but yet my power is pathetic in comparison to those guys - so here’s the question:
What are the top 10 ways any of you have found to improve the power of your pedal stroke?
(Thanks in advance for the “pedal harder” type responses, but I was really looking for training ideas, technique issues, position issues - anything constructive any of you have to share, and some “pedal harder” type responses will be fine too - as always many thanks,
One thing that many triathlete mortals might find suprising is that virtually all of the pros include regular cycling sessions on their trainers (CompuTrainer if possible) throughout the entire season. Riding the trainer gives you the ability to focus on what you’re doing and get a very efficient high quality workout. I’m not suggesting you replace all of your putside riding with trainer work but you shoould have at least one (if not 2-3) workouts on your trainer no matter what part of the season you’re in. Trainers aren’t just for winter base building.
Allen/Coggen had some good workouts in their Racing and Training with a Power Meter book.
Great…I just bought that book. Guess i better put it at the yop of my reading list.
Advice I got from a ST’er last year has worked great for me. JasonD suggested it on a 5 hour ride we did through some hills. Lots of time to chat about things when I get three flats (crappy tires). It is very simple if you want to go faster he said. Just push on the pedals harder is all you have to do.
I am relatively new to tri cycling as well and I have been doing a ton of BRO rides. I ride where there are quite a few hills and I have a 27 on the back so it is an easier set up the most people probably have on their bikes. A lot of my BRO rides have been in the 1-3 hour range staying in the big ring and at all costs trying not going above the 23 unless I really need to bail out. I can now just about do the entire Honu HIM course this way in three hours which for me is a huge improvement. Part of it has been improving body comp so I can climb faster, but my power has really increased as well.
Body Composition
Reduce your body fat while retaining muscle mass and instantly improve your power to weight ratio on the bike, a critical limiter for hilly bike courses. More importantly it significantly decreases the pounding your legs and joints will take during your run training, enhancing your ability to remain run-healthy for the entire season. Running consistency is everything! And on race day you’re simply lugging around less weight for 140 miles. So before we get all geeked out over threshold this and that other cool training idea, it’s probably more effective to focus our attention on removing that 30lb pack off your back! For specific guidance and tips, please read the Paleo Diet, Modified for Endurance Athletes and Training Nutrition Summary.
TT or sets at or above LT (e.g. 2x15min, 3x5min, etc.)
Personally I really like to TT up hills, ranging from low grades to steep hills. Fighting gravity kind of automatically forces you to produce more power. A “false flat” course is perfect to TT on IMO.
Very, very good point. Increasing power is what we are all trying to do, but my overall bike program has me for the most part has me trying to improve my steady/IM endurance.
I think one thing that is often missed is the workload to be able to push the higher watts. Unless you are used to doing 3-5000 KJ of work (just as an example) then trying to push a higher overall workload that you aren’t used to isn’t going to happen or will take a lot out of you. This is why having a solid base is important and where you need to get used to that. After a good base, I do a full month of Tempo training, getting up to 1.5-2hrs at a certain wattage, then its a month of LT training (2-4x20min) to round it off. After that, I’m in great shape for the road race season (I’m a roadie). But it is steady progression; its taken me 3 years to get to an elite level, so don’t expect results overnight unless you are a genetic freak. But training smart should get you stronger each year.
Losing weight helps the w/kg ratio as much as pedaling harder, so that’s another thing to look at. My FT is lower this year than last, but I’m about 5lbs lighter, so net-net I’m about the same speed (and faster running now too, since I have 5 lbs less to tote around for that as well).
I’m a big fan of short TT’s (12-20 miles), and hillclimbing TT’s as a great workout, that also helps you gauge your improvement.
I can’t take credit for the term, but “Always Be Pushing” when on the bike.
One of the top 10 would definitely be to make sure you have good tires on your training rides since flat time will give you too much rest If I had known it was going to take you sooooo long to change em I would have done the hills twice!!!
Hmmm - that must have been a general comment and I’ve offered up my core bike workouts here a few times. Jay, I’m more cryptic with you for a reason The program has changed slightly, but probably has the same effect. Yes, you do have to push yourself and make it hurt. No pain…no gain.
If I had known it was going to take you sooooo long to change em I would have done the hills twice!!!