SPIN SCIENCE-PART 1

[Bob P]

Feature Articles and Q&A With
Coach Al Lyman, CSCS
(Developer of the 12 Week CORE/ZEN Off-Season Cycling Templates)

SPIN SCIENCE-PART 1
Testing for Your Optimal Cycling Cadence

Dear Al and Graeme,

Q: What is the purpose of spinning at such a high cadence in many of your drills in the 12 Week Plans? Neuromuscular and aerobic training? Could you explain the science of that? When outside I use the middle ring in the front my cadence is rarely ever above 100 rpm's because if I am faster I don't feel like I have much power. It seems that I am getting no where fast. -Jamie Hoffpauir

A: Hello, and thanks for your question. It gets directly at why the 12 Week Off-Season Plans are constructed the way they are. I’m going to answer your question from two perspectives:

1. Pedaling cadence as it relates to you, the individual cyclist and TESTING yourself to find YOUR optimal cadence. (PART 1)

2. How you should train your leg strength and core strength to develop the POWER to go ALONG with your on the bike cadence drills on a daily basis in the off-season and pre-season to be a better, faster, stronger cyclist. (PART 2)

First, anyone who has done any amount or type of group riding or watched a bike race knows that when it comes to pedaling cadence, each and every rider has his or her own idea of what works for them. As a cyclist, you may have asked yourself: How should I decide what cadence to use on a daily basis in my training? What about racing? Should I be pedaling at a high cadence like Lance has done after his bout with cancer, when he was on his way to seven Tour De France wins?


Regardless of the amount of high cadence spinning that you may be doing in your 12-week off season plans, or in your own training, two things that science and practical experience seem to tell us is:


• Pedaling cadence is individual. You should never try to copy high-cadence riders like Lance until you determine if that’s your most efficient style. To do that...you're going to have to experiment with different cadence drills like the one's already built into the 12 Week Off-Season Plans and test using the cadence protocol in this article from Max Testa.

• Generally speaking, a faster cadence is more efficient. When you combine strength and pedaling efficiency achieved by high cadence drills like the one's found in the 12 Week Plans you are setting the stage for more power, more speed, and improved performance.

As an aside to the above, when you are training with power, you learn very quickly that a key to maintaining higher wattage is to keep your cadence UP. Many riders who don’t know what their power output is think that the higher torque generated when one pushes a bigger gear (big gear mashing) is better for producing watts (power). This is generally NOT the case.

Remember that power = force X speed. So...

The key to being able to produce more power is to push the biggest gear you can while maintaining your optimal cadence.

Back in 2000, I was sitting on the Kona,Hawaiipier one day after the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, having the typical debate with another coach about what is better for cycling: a faster cadence pushing an easier gear, or a slower cadence pushing a larger gear.

Among others, we were specifically discussing Natascha Badmann (5-Time Ironman World Champion), and marveling at the way she absolutely blew away the field on the bike on that October day. One thing we both agreed on: cyclists are aerobic machines! Natascha had done what Lance has also done, which is, she has trained her body to tolerate an extraordinarily high aerobic load. By pedaling faster, she saved her leg muscles from undue fatigue early in the race, so that she would have more energy (and less leg muscle trauma and fatigue) late in the race. Pedaling faster makes sense when efficiency and energy conservation is the goal!

You must train your body to withstand the extra aerobic load of high cadence training. It's not as simple as gearing down and spinning faster. It takes discipline, strength, established power and practice, practice, practice!

Lance is similar of course: his enormous power output (a combination of his tremendous strength and force producing ability on the pedals, combined with his tremendous aerobic development through training using high cadence drills) gave him the ability to sustain his very high cadence of over 100 rpms during the most difficult stages of the Tour De France.




To delve into why high spin cadence may not be best for everyone ( at least not yet) , I’m going to refer back to something I read a while ago that came from Allen Lim, a doctoral student at the University of Colorado who has studied power output in cyclists as much or more than anyone else I know. This statement, more than any other single thing, conveys the point I’m trying to make.

Lim said: “A fast spin isn’t a technique for producing power. It’s a result of having power!”

That means that just increasing your cadence for the sake of increasing your cadence isn't enough! You must have the power and strength (leg strength, core strength, low back strength, etc.) to go with it, otherwise you're just spinning your wheels! We'll talk more about developing this leg strength, core strength and power in PART 2.

When you have the strength and power developed from your training ALONG with some high cadence practice in your training...You have MORE POWER POTENTIAL while preserving precious energy!

In the end, the only benefit we have by improving cadence is if it can save us energy for later in a race/ride or it improves our efficiency on the bike leading to faster speed and improved performance. Fast cadence isn't for everyone and we're going to have to work to determine what your best cadence is. This work will come from you testing your cadence using the Testa Test listed below:


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The Testa Test for Finding Your Optimal Cycling Cadence

How do you determine what cadence is best for you?

There is one test for determining your optimal cadence created by Max Testa, that I believe is perfect for most of us to use as a reliable testing protocol and it also happens to be a great way to find out what your strengths and weaknesses are on the bike, i.e. whether you need further development in strength vs. aerobic conditioning.

Testing Your Cadence With Hill Repeats (The Testa Test)

One of the best ways to experiment with different cadences is when you are in the middle of doing “hill repeats” in a specific hill repeat session.

Your body will tell you what style cadence works for you by the feedback you get as you hit maximum on your climbing repeat test (Testa Test).

You must pay attention to your body's reactions (HR, breathing, power meter, speed, perceived exertion, and INSTINCTS) during this test to get an accurate determination about what cadence style suits you best and you will have to repeat this test several times to get an accurate measure.

Testa describes one possible reaction as: "Do you shift to a lower gear and spin fast because if you go to a bigger gear and grind your legs, you’ll die? In that case, you need to be stronger."

This need for more muscular endurance and force production can be addressed with the functional strength and core training you'll develop from CORE and ZEN that is integrated into the 12 Week Plans. (More on strength development in PART 2)

Testa also describes,"But, if you use a smaller a gear and spin, and your breathing goes out of control, you need more cardiovascular development."

Higher spin/cardiovascular work is included in many of the on the bike drills in the 12 Week Plans and will help you establish the cardiovascular efficiency you need to compliment your gains in strength and thus your improvements in pedaling cadence and efficiency.

Optimal Cadence Testing Protocol (Testa Test)

On a day when you are well rested and feeling good, get on the bike and ride to warmup for at least 20-30', bringing your heart rate up into your zone 2.

While you warm up, ride toward a fairly steep hill (but not REALLY steep - about 6-10% on avg. will work great!), and do 3 x 3-4' HILL repeats, all while seated and all hard efforts, with an easy spin down recovery.

Important: Choose a gear and cadence for these repeats that feels most comfortable to you! It may be slower, or it may be faster. Choose your most preferable cadence, and then work it!! Since you are going to perform 3 repeats up the hill, be sure to pace yourself on the first, so that you can finish all three reps strong!, and then cooling down for the day.

On the second "repeat", you’ll be warmed up but hopefully not yet “toasted.” When you’re near the top or the end of the climb, push as hard as you can! Near the top, at the point where you begin to lose power and your pedal stroke gets ragged, shift to a harder gear and try to maintain the same speed. Pay attention to what happens (HR, speed, perceived exertion, etc.)

Then recover (4-5 min) with a light spin and prep for repeat 3...

On the third repeat, when the going gets tough, shift to an easier gear and try to spin at a higher cadence. Compare your feelings, sensations, and SPEED to the first and second repeat.

Done several times, this experiment should tell you whether you’re more efficient as a spinner or a grinder. It should also reveal if you need to work on leg strength and power or cardiovascular conditioning in order to become a better climber and cyclist.

Obviously, if you are training “with a power meter,” that can be an excellent way to gauge what’s happening. With the benefit of being able to see BOTH heart rate and watts, you can instantly tell which “way” is more efficient.

Keep in mind that this is only a representation of a test that you could do, over the course of a couple of different sessions, to hopefully see a pattern over time. Be patient, one will eventually emerge. If you’re listening closely to your body and feelings, you’ll find that cadence “sweet spot,” and you’ll be much more in tune with your body when racing.

Finding your cadence "sweet spot" takes practice and discipline. Be patient and LISTEN to your body!

Just one more reminder: all this talk about finding a cadence “sweet spot” doesn’t take away the fact that when it comes to cadence, you should nearly always err on the side of caution by turning an easier gear, rather than a larger one. This transfers stress to your cardiovascular system and saves the leg muscles from undue fatigue.

Train smart! Get ready for the SECRET WEAPON of how to develop the POWER to spin a higher gear in SPIN SCIENCE-PART 2 coming out Friday!

- Coach Al Lyman


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Hi everyone! Please, keep this resource from Coach Al and look out for PART 2 later this week. Seriously! It's helped me so much in my own performance!

My experience with combining my functional strength trainging from CORE, ZEN and SPEED along with high cadence work like Coach Al has in his 12 Week Plans has been remarkable!

My average cycling cadence has jumped from about 85 RPM to 92 to 95 RPM and as a result of having more strength I am cycling at 1-2 mph faster than I was just a year ago. Plus, I'm feeling fresher and more energetic on the bike!

In reagrds to my climbing, I've never felt better! I was able to strip 7 minutes off my Appalaichan Gap time in one year and I was spinning up the mountain at almost 90 RPM instead of about 60 like I was the year before! What a difference! My hill repeat testing has reveled that I'm right in the middle wit my cadence and optimal just under 90 RPM on most gradients.

Coach Al's integration of CORE and ZEN into his 12 Week Plans with the use of high cadence drills, floats, One Legged High Cadence Drills has been producing remarkable results for our customers and laying the foundation for serious gains in speed come spring with the release of our Build/Peak Training Plans!

Get on board NOW and be ready to turn your new found strength and cadence into great results! It's NOT too late to get started!

-Graeme

[Bob P]

SPIN SCIENCE-PART 2
Developing the Necessary Strength to Make a Faster Cadence More Efficient and Powerful

In SPIN SCIENCE PART 1, I stated that generally speaking, optimal race cadence is individual, and all things being equal, a faster cadence is more efficient. I also alluded to the fact that as cyclists, we are aerobic machines, but ONLY IF we train our body to withstand the extra aerobic load of high cadence riding through persistent, disciplined, daily practice AND we have the leg strength, core strength, and established power to make a higher cadence beneficial!

Remember my reference to Dr. Lim and his important point about cadence and power...

Lim said: “A fast spin isn’t a technique for producing power. It’s a result of having power!”

Thus, in SPIN SCIENCE PART 2 we're going to spend our time analyzing how utilizing the CORE and ZEN workouts along with my specific on the bike strength drills to develop your leg strength, core strength, low back strength, and flexibility will add the power you need to make your neuromuscular gains from PART 1 with High Spin Workouts a reality of added power and speed on the bike.

Let's break this down into specific regions of the body, and look at the challenges that every cyclist faces along with the solutions to those challenges!

Developing Functional Leg Strength

The need to develop leg strength is obvious, BUT not as you might think! Yes, of course leg strength, otherwise known as the ability to produce a greater amount of force to the pedal, is key! The greater your force production ability, the easier it is for you to climb steep hills, and the greater the strength of your slow-twitch fibers, the faster and more powerful you will be at a lower AEROBIC effort levels necessary for endurance!

The leg strength balance problem: Most cyclists are quadriceps dominant, and don’t have enough strength in the glute-max (butt) and hamstring region! This imbalance leads to a loss of potential power (sometimes large amounts) while on the bike. Not to mention the common development of low back fatigue and pain.

The glutes are the largest muscles in our body, but most cyclists don’t pay attention to developing strength in that region………AND, even if the glutes and hams are attacked through a more traditional strength training program, the coordination of that strength (and the stability of the entire region) as it relates to ON THE BIKE performance, can be sorely lacking.

Developing Functional Leg Strength for Cycling & Balance: I love the Core and Zen programs because the exercise modules that contain Body Weight, Functional, and Core Directed Circuits all specifically develop strength in the glutes, hamstrings, calves, and yes the quads too, as a single kinetic chain. That means the exercises are designed to "balance your body" as you perform them. This has huge benefit and can save us all a lot of time and future injuries and imbalances.

Graeme's expertise using functional exercises in his CORE and ZEN programs allowed me to position his various Functional Leg Strengthening workouts into the 12 Week Plans so you can maximize not only your strength as it pertains to cycling, but you can do it in a time-effective way. (who doesn't need that?!)

As you progress through the 12 Week Plans building strength with CORE and ZEN, I systematically add in the one the bike strength drills that will maximize your strength gains. Below are a few examples of these on the bike strength drills full detail and structure in the 12 Week Off-Season Plans:

Power Accelerations: Repeated interval work that is designed to increase force/strength and explosive power on the bike. You should always use a very BIG gear for these, and they should be done on a flat road or on a trainer.

BIG GEAR Work: Overload the cycling specific leg muscles and build strength by forcing the legs to work against greater resistance. Specific and stressful!

One-Leg-Only Drills: Done with a fairly large gear and effort level, no other on the bike drill is more effective at increasing strength all of the way AROUND the pedal stroke!


Here’s a tip: When doing one-leg drills, think of your pedal stroke like a box! That is, at the top of the stroke push straight ahead hard, through the “top of the box,” then push down hard through the “front of the box,” then pull back hard through the “bottom of the box,” then pull up hard through the “back of the box.” Visualize a box!

During the middle and later stages of the 12-week training plans, you will notice increasingly challenging “higher intensity” zone 4/5 sets are gradually introduced, including some challenging sprinting sets, that when combined with the above leg strength work and spin work, fully maximize your power output!



Developing A Solid Foundation of CORE Strength

A strong and powerful core is not only important to your long term health, it's critical for on-the-bike comfort and performance! Simply put, having stronger legs means NOTHING if you can’t TRANSFER that increased strength from one leg to the other via a solid foundation of core strength and stability!

Getting In Quality CORE Training: The major problem I see as a coach with most of my clients is a complete lack of core strength. This lacking strength throughout the entire trunk region leaves an individual without a center of strength to drive power into the pedals. Most of my clients say they do core training, but that usually means they do crunches and sit ups. This is not effective core training for their goals and adds little benefit. They need quality core training! I was lucky enough to find that quality in CORE and ZEN.

Quick CORE Solutions: The first week that I asked my own clients to begin incorporating the core workouts from Cyclo-Core and Zen into their training, they told me they instantly felt more stable, comfortable, and powerful on the bike. You will notice following the 12 Week Plans that I will incorporate a wide variety of core challenging workouts from CORE and ZEN and this balanced approach will help you develop the stabilization and powerful core strength you will use to transfer to the bike.

Core Stability: In addition to strength development, perhaps the key word which could be used to describe the essence of the core work in Core and Zen is “stabilization,” because unless you have stability throughout your core, YOU CANNOT control the transfer of power in any sport, let alone cycling. Most typical core strength programs don’t train the musculature properly for strength AND stability, but Graeme's programs are different. Not only will you gain more core strength in the next 12 weeks, but you will develop the stability you need to transfer more power to the pedals! This is the whole idea right?

Getting to the CORE of Your Pedaling: NOW that we are understanding that our CORE strength is vital for the stabilization of our bodies while we pedal, we can start to understand how core strength is directly tied into a faster, more powerful spin cadence. In the 12 Week Plans I will take your improving core strength and put it to work on the bike with BOTH neuromuscular enhancing drills like the Super Spins and high cadence One Leggeed Drills, but also generate more core strength with my on the bike strength drills outlines above.

Getting the Work DONE! As an athlete and coach, I love the fact that all you have to do with these programs is plug in the DVD and go. I know the chances of my clients actually DOING core training has gone up dramatically as a result! At the end of your 12 Weeks you will be pedaling faster, more powerfully, and more effectively because of the systematic core work that I have intertwined into the cycling plans. You're gonna be amazed with the results!

Developing Low Back Durability

The low back region is the area of our bodies that every cyclist knows is important, but rarely does the average cyclist pay any attention to it, UNTIL they have low-back pain, or until they can’t tolerate being in the drops, or on the aero bars, for more than a few minutes at a time. The key word is balance! If we are talking about developing the strength and stability of the ENTIRE core, then we have to include the low back region.

Only as Strong as Your Weakest Link: As a coach and a seasoned cyclist and triathlete, I know that the most vulnerable parts (and weakest links) in a cyclist’s body is at the muscle-tendon junction. If we don’t maintain a flexible, strong, and balanced core (including the low back), then we are going to have pain and not be as comfortable on the bike, which is going to limit our training time, minimize our effort, and limiting the amount of power production we can produce to spin a higher and more effective cadence.

Balancing the Back Through Consistent Work: The low back specific work from ZEN combined with the balanced work from CORE is integrated into your 12 Week Plan so you are constantly and consistently strengthening, stretching and maximizing your low back. Wait until you see what happens to your climbing this year! As a coach, I am confident that my clients and you will be more comfortable, aerodynamic, and powerful, because of improved low-back strength and flexibility as long as you follow the 12 Week Plans consistently! It's the combination of Graeme's simplistic workouts along with the your commitment to using them that will make the difference. I think you will find that the 12 Week Plans eliminate the potential for skipping the low back work and boy...what a difference!

THE BIG PICTURE: Developing the Body as a UNIT

Lastly, when considering all of the topics I’ve discussed in this two part series, one of the most important things I can convey to you is the importance of seeing the your body, your core training, your strength training, your neuromuscular drills, and your recovery workouts as one unit working together. You must look at the BIG PICTURE and realize that you must balance your training and plan on what you are going to do to accomplish your goals.

Think LONG TERM for maximum results! If we step back for a minute and look at the big picture, we know that the best way to be able to generate and sustain a higher power output at whatever your goal race distance is, is to build from the bottom up by first using the off and pre-season time period to improve efficiency, skill, and strength, and then after that, APPLY that improved skill and strength in the next phase of training (that should include more “race specific” workouts and preparation) leading into the racing season.

Don't worry, I'm already working on the Build/Peak Training Plans along with the new addition of Graeme's Cyclo-SPEED program that is going to take what you've gained in the off-season and explode it in the build/peak phase. Get excited for March 1st!

Your improvement in cycling cadence and power production doesn't happen overnight. It happens by intelligently combining and applying the concepts of leg, core, and low back strength covered above, with the kinds of on-the-bike high cadence spin work that I talked about in SPIN SCIENCE PART 1! I have gone to great lengths to assure you that the 12 Week Off-Season Plans will offer you just what you need to accomplish these goals. You just have to follow them.

The bottom line is that if you build greater core and functional strength NOW and work on improving your skill and ability to spin faster and more comfortably, you WILL be able to push a larger gear faster when the spring rolls around! And, you’ll be perfectly prepared to move on to a more specific build/peak training plan that is designed to maximize your power production! It’s this simple...


(Increased Neuromuscular Efficiency + Greater Leg & Core Strength) =

(Increased Pedaling Cadence + Improved Pedaling Power) =

GREATER SPEED, POWER, AND CYCLING PERFORMANCE!




Here’s a quick review:

• We will develop greater leg speed and pedaling efficiency by systematically challenging our neuromuscular system with the high cadence drills in the 12 Week Off-Season Plans.

• We will build and develop our leg strength, core strength, low back strength and body flexibility with CORE and ZEN workouts that will directly effect our stability, pedaling proficiency, and power potential.

• We are laying the groundwork of strength and neuromuscular development that will allow us to turn over a larger gear at higher cadences once we move into our next phase of build/peak training.

• We will be stronger, fresher, and more balanced through following a well coordinated core training and cycling plan.

NOW, ride safe and smart and be prepared to take it to the next level come spring time. Happy riding!

- Coach Al