Boost Cycling Fitness with Base Training and More


If the Tour de France has inspired you, you might be shocked to learn that your leg muscles aren’t the only important part of cycling fitness? Your gluteal, back, shoulder, arm and neck muscles are all activated by this versatile activity — so you really need to focus on total-body training. And don’t forget, base training is just as important if you want to improve your cycling fitness and performance. Set the wheels in motion with comprehensive training and get yourself ready for cycling season so you can enjoy the many benefits of this sport.

Important for Beginners:

You’re usually full of motivation right at the start. Ready to hit the road pedaling, you begin biking under the motto “the more the better.” Put the brakes on that mentality to avoid excessive strain on your back and your joints. Ease into a training routine, gradually increasing the intensity and frequency of your rides.

Tour de France level cycling fitness doesn’t happen overnight. It happens over tens of thousands of kilometers of solid aerobic riding. This is the worst-kept secret of the world’s best bike riders. You will spare yourself much heartache if you learn to enjoy the process of slow, steady improvement.

How to boost your cycling fitness with Base Training

Cycling Fitness Includes Strength Training

If you want to boost your cycling fitness, the first thing you’ll think of is probably leg training. “Basically, you’re not wrong to think that. But make sure to remember that you’re going to do more than enough leg training while actually cycling,” explains extreme sports athlete Gerhard Gulewicz. “This means you should devote your prep time to total-body training. Try to dedicate only a quarter of your training time to leg strength and focus on your other muscles the rest of the time.

Flexibility is Important for Staying Healthy on and off the Bike

If you really want to be fit cycling season, make sure to mix flexibility training into your fitness routine. Our cycling expert recommends: “Take at least 10 minutes to stretch properly before every ride to actively support your recovery. Don’t forget: you’ll only see the benefits if you’re consistent and dedicated in your efforts.

Train Your Coordination Skills

Training coordination skills not only has benefits for your cycling fitness but also general wellbeing and injury prevention. They will ensure you can master most tricky situations safely. “There are lots of different ways to train your coordination skills. You can take a class at your local fitness center or try these exercises to improve balance and stability.” Again, consistency is key is here.

Note!

Coordination training should always be done before strength or endurance training, and after you’ve completed a warm-up.  You can only train your coordination properly if your muscles aren’t already exhausted.

A woman is boosting her cycling fitness with Base Training

Endurance Training is the Key to Tour de France Level Cycling Fitness

Don’t underestimate the importance of endurance training during your cycling season prep. Be sure that you don’t overdo it in the beginning — no high-intensity training with unfamiliar levels of muscle strain! “Increase the intensity and volume of your training gradually over time to see slow, but steady improvement. And never forget to include sufficient recovery time – avoid making these mistakes on your rest days!” says Gerhard Gulewicz.

This approach has two major advantages:

  1. You reduce the risk of injury if you don’t overwork your muscles
  2. You continuously improve, which keeps you motivated.

Tips for Endurance Training:

You should spend more than 80% of your total training time in Zone 1 or Zone 2 — this will help you boost your performance.  

What are these zones? They are used to measure training intensity based on your max heart rate. Zone 1 is 60-70% of your max heart rate and Zone 2 is 70-80%. Let’s look even closer at the difference.

How can you tell if you’re training in Zone 1 or Zone 2?

Check your breathing:

  • You’re training in Zone 1 if you are breathing easily. For example, if you can breathe for 5 minutes only through your nose, you’re definitely training in Zone 1.
  • You’re training in Zone 2 if you can easily hold a conversation with a training partner despite light to moderate exertion.

Zone 1 Training Info

Zone 2 Training Info:

  • This is how you can really improve your carbohydrate metabolism. Simply, this means that your body will be able to more easily convert carbs into energy. During more intense training, your body will be better able to use carbs from your glycogen stores as fuel. This means you definitely need to replenish those stores after your training session.

How long should an endurance training session last for beginners?

Zone 1: 60 minutes or longer, but no longer than 2 hours in the initial training stages.    

Zone 2: 3060 minutes. For slightly more experienced cyclists, no more than 90 min.

Don’t forget to do at least a 10-minute warm-up before your base training session, and follow up with 10minute cool-down riding at a relaxed tempo.

1-Month Couch to Half-Century (50 KM) Training Plan

 

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 Stretching/preparation 30-minutes Zone 1 Coordination skills 30-minutes zone 1 Off or active recovery 1-hour zone 1 Coordination skills
2 Stretching/recovery 45-minutes Zone 1 Coordination skills 45-minutes Zone 1 Off or active recovery 75-minutes zone 1 Coordination skills
3 Stretching/recovery 1-hour Zone 1 Coordination skills 1-hour zone 1 Off or active recovery 90-minutes zone 1 Coordination skills
4 Stretching/preparation 30-minutes Zone 1 Coordination skills 30-minutes zone 1 Off or active recovery 1-hour zone 1 Coordination skills

Exercise Bikes or Normal Bikes?

Any bike will be sufficient to begin building a solid base of fitness. Exercise bikes have improved and come down in price over the years. They have also integrated entertainment elements like classes and screens to make the ride more enjoyable.

You can also purchase a regular bike (i.e., not a stationary bike) and a home trainer setup to have the best of both worlds. adidas Running integrates with platforms like Zwift to turn cycling fitness into a fun and social game. It also features thousands of cycling workouts and dozens of training plans. 

Just make sure you use the adidas Running app to track your workouts no matter what you do! Never lose track of your progress across all your sports again!

Summary:

If you want to take up cycling in the future, make sure you don’t take on too much at once. Base training is an important part of cycling fitness, as well as strength training. Don’t forget coordination skills and recovery. “Even if you firmly believe that more is better when it comes to training, that is definitely not the case with cycling. While you’re riding, your muscles are being stimulated, but the real improvement to your performance ability comes while your muscles are resting afterward,” concludes biking expert Gerhard Gulewicz.

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