Training for a bike race can be very frustrating if you life in an area that does not have good weather year round. There are many alternatives that can come in handy when you are not able to ride your bike outside.
The first alternative that many people turn to is riding an indoor exercise bike. There are a lot of people that will discount all of the help that a machine can give you when you are really training to ride outside.
First, you want to make sure that you are teaching yourself the course that you are going to be riding when you are outside. This requires that you have a very in depth knowledge of the course that you are going to be riding on.
When you are trying to simulate your course on an indoor bike you have to make sure that you are doing so properly. You should be increasing the intensity and the resistance for the times that you will be going up hill.
When you are going down hill the resistance should be lowered and when you are riding on the flat areas the resistance should be average. If you train with high resistance you will be much more prepared to ride out in the open.
There are some conditions that you will definitely not be able to train for when you are indoors. The wind, rain or any other type of weather problem that you may be faced with on your race day will complicate your race.
As you start to workout indoors you have to make sure that you are going through the same routine that you go through. This routine is a great way to make sure that you are comfortable indoors and outdoors on a bike.
Your routine should include some of the most important aspects of your workout. Before you even sit down on your bike you have to make sure that you are prepared to put in a good workout that will be beneficial.
Stretching is a great way to get started. You have to make sure that you are getting all of your core muscles warmed up to ensure that you can push yourself to your limit every time that you sit down on the bike.
If you sit down on the bike and you start to workout without warming up your muscles you can put yourself at high risk for injury. Your muscles require you to warm them up before they can reach their full potential.
After you have taken the time to stretch you should also participate in a warm up. This means that you should establish how you are going to warm up your muscles after you stretch and you are sitting on the bike.
After warming up you should take the time to make sure that you are motivated throughout your whole workout. Because you are indoors it can be very hard to keep yourself at the same pace that you would outside.
Even though you are going to have a difficult time making sure that you are pushing yourself as hard as you would outside, you have to find a way to make it possible. When you are on your bike you want to capitalize on every minute you have.
Pushing yourself to a new level on an indoor bike can be extremely frustrating. A lot of bikers will videotape a race that has professionals racing in it to watch while they are on their bikes inside.
When you are watching tape of the racers that you are aspiring to be like, you may be able to push yourself harder than ever before. Other people will record a video of the course that they are looking to race.
No matter what you need to have when you are on your indoor bike to ensure your workout is intense, you cannot go easy on yourself indoors. Although you may feel like you cannot do what you could outside you can still make progress.
After you have gotten to know your body you will be able to tweak your workout to help you get prepared for your race. Whenever you can race outside you have to make sure that you are taking advantage of the outdoors.
Although outdoor riding is of the most importance you should try to do your best from your home. Take the time to understand what kind of progress you can make and work hard to do all that you can while you are indoors.
Tom Selwick is a personal trainer and has authored hundreds of articles relating to physical training and spinning bike. He has been a health expert and physical trainer for over 15 years.
Contact Info:
Tom Selwick
TomSelwick09@gmail.com
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