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Improve Cycling Performance Through Base Training

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By Robert Forster, P.T., PHASE IV Founder & CEO

With summer right around the corner, making sure you’ve put in the work to build an aerobic base is more important now than ever. A lot is happening beneath the skin and improvements are not readily apparent by outward appearance. In fact, the low-intensity “Base Training” is where your most significant fitness growth will come. Impatient athletes may want to rush the early season preparation and get to the “hard stuff” too soon. Developing fitness is a recipe where adding the intensity ingredient too early will ruin the final product. In fact, to the extent you develop Base Fitness will dictate the extent of your peak fitness later. Like a pyramid-shaped building where the foundation needs to be broader than the upper floors, the Base fitness you develop early on must be broader than the ensuing layers of fitness you apply. For these reasons it’s important for the cyclist to intellectually understand the science happening under the skin.

Most cyclists have by now been exposed to some elements of Periodization Training ideology and have incorporated these principles into their training. The Eastern European concept of breaking the training year into cycles or phases is not as foreign as it once was and cyclists now realize it’s the most effective way to train. Furthermore, most understand the importance of a preparatory phase to precede the harder work that follows. However, confusion still exists as to what needs to be accomplished in the Base Training phase of their yearly program.

Developed by Soviet Era Sports Scientists during the Cold War, Periodization Training was developed in an attempt to dominate the world of sport. Specifically designed to avoid the performance plateaus and mental burnout in communist athletes; Periodization Principles were the result of controlled research techniques. In research, controlling variables is paramount and behind the Iron Curtain the Soviets were able to do so with impunity. Each country began, of course, with ethnically homogenous groups (Russians, Bulgarians, Germans, etc.) they then “centralized” their promising young athletes to isolated training facilities.

Ability to control diet, sleep, and environment while ignoring research edicts regarding things like consent, they manipulated exercise stimulus in search of the most effective training program design. The results may have been ethically corrupt; but proved to be scientifically sound. What emerged is a model of human adaptation that provides predictable outcomes when exercise is orchestrated in a scientifically rational sequence.

“FIRST THINGS FIRST”

Research from around the world has confirmed that development of substantial physiological infrastructure must precede the hard work of the competitive phase.

Without the necessary infrastructure developed through Base Training, the hard work to prepare for competition will not be as effective; and in fact may not be tolerated at all, and instead lead to injury or illness. Signs of inadequate Base Training include inconsistent performances throughout training and the competitive season, failure to achieve optimal competition body weight (fat loss or muscle gain), frequent illness or injury, chronic fatigue, and poor attitude and focus. In 35 years of designing programs I have found that athletes who wish to perform well consistently, avoid injury, and reach their greatest potential, must be scientific in their approach to Base Training.

To achieve this there are two distinct areas of preparation to be considered: Metabolic Fitness and Structural Integrity. Metabolic fitness translates to optimal cellular physiology in all the applicable systems of internal bodily functions: cardiovascular system, pulmonary system (lungs), nervous system, endocrine system (hormonal system), and the energy production systems in the muscles themselves.

Structural integrity speaks to the resiliency of the mechanical structures of the body. This includes muscles, tendons, fascia, ligaments, and bone. This aspect of Base Training is the least understood and most underdeveloped in recreational and competitive age group athletes. Too often an athlete in pursuit of optimal cellular fitness is sabotaged by insufficient structural preparation. As you ramp up the intensity of training, you will need a strong foundation of physiological and physical infrastructure.

METABOLIC FITNESS

The main limiting factors of metabolic fitness prove to be the circulatory system and energy production within the muscle cells themselves. (Improved heart and lung function and neurological adaptation to exercise occur more readily). Low-intensity workouts promote better vascularization of the muscles. By working the muscle at low-intensity (aerobic range) the blood vessels open as demand for oxygen increases. This stimulates a profusion or growth of the smallest blood vessels (called capillaries) into the working muscles. This “capillarization” is the vascular infrastructure that will be necessary later, when the increased work demands of interval training stress the working muscles, requiring a more efficient energy system to deliver oxygen and nutrients, as well as remove carbon dioxide and waste products. This process of vascular growth takes 8-12 weeks and requires that exercise intensity remains low.

The second metabolic adaptation necessary in Base Training is an increase of the muscle cells aerobic energy production factories called mitochondria.

These small powerhouse structures use fats and oxygen to make energy while not producing fatigue causing lactic acid and waste. Again, the stimulus for growth is low-intensity exercise of increasing duration. The body will meet the demand for aerobic energy production by increasing the number of mitochondria in each muscle cell. However, any intense exercise will cause the body to meet these demands through anaerobic energy production, and thwart your pursuit of aerobic efficiency.

Here lies the secret to vast improvements in performance. The aerobic machine can and should be developed to a much higher degree than most athletes are aware. Conversely, the improvements in anaerobic energy production are more limited. The challenges for athletes and coaches are determining the proper intensity of training to develop the aerobic energy system and secondly to determine when it is adequately developed.

Intensity training measures where lactate levels increase in the blood and therefore when energy production is primarily aerobic, and at what level of exertion a more significant contribution from anaerobic energy machines occurs.

Determining this LACTATE THRESHOLD is paramount in determining the proper intensity of work in the Base Training phase.

PHASE IV proprietary technology gives accurate, reproducible data that is reliable in determining the heart rate zones which you need to train to enhance your aerobic energy production capabilities. Once developed to the proper extent you will train better, have an easier time recovering and perform consistently throughout the year.

Aerobic training will develop your ability to produce more power (speed) while burning fats, which are in abundant supply, and thus sparing the limited stores of carbohydrates in your body. Higher intensity exercise (anaerobic) begins to burn precious carbohydrate and after they are gone (BONK!!) your day is over! In addition, relying on more of your power from the anaerobic energy systems results in fatigue producing lactic acid production.

These aerobic system adaptations require extended periods of low intensity exercise and can be seriously sidetracked with even an occasional bout of higher intensity work.

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

What happens under the skin is crucial to athletic success. During Base Training the well-conditioned cyclist must develop physical and mechanical infrastructure to withstand the arduous task of hill work and interval training that comes later in the Periodization training phases. The forces developed in these harder workouts put great demands on joints, bones, tendons and fascia. Base training must address two primary areas of structural development: Biomechanical Efficiency and Musculoskeletal Resiliency.

Cycling requires a high degree of mechanical efficiency in terms of sound technique and form. Optimal technique affords the well-trained cyclist two advantages. First, proper technique provides the greatest economy in energy expenditure possible, i.e., movement that produces the greatest power for the lowest cost in energy. Secondly, proper technique avoids excessive stress on tendons, fascia, joints and bones.

Conversely, faulty technique wastes precious energy and overtax the mechanical parts of your body. Specifically, poor technique leads to early fatigue and further breakdown in the technique, which results in poor performance and puts stress on bodily structures resulting in injury. Developing proper technique in Base Training involves a sound flexibility program, weight training, and drills.

FLEXIBILITY TRAINING

Flexibility is defined as the range of motion of bones around a joint. Bones must have the freedom of movement to be positioned just right in the sequence of sport motion we call “proper technique”. Without adequate flexibility the muscles work overtime in an attempt to attain the best position of the bones. The muscles have to work harder as they fight the limiting effects of inflexibility. This exacts a cost on energy demands which accumulates during a race, and as a result fatigue sets in and performance suffers. Regular stretching will improve flexibility and promote efficiency while avoiding injury. (In addition, stretching promotes recovery).

A well-designed flexibility program addresses each of the major muscle groups in positions that promote relaxation of the muscles and associated structures and allows for ease of breathing. The target of your stretching program is the connective tissue elements of the muscular system not the fibers themselves. The red-blood rich muscle fibers are elastic and will stretch without much resistance. Surrounding each muscle fiber and wrapping the muscles into bundles is the white connective tissue, which inhibits range of motion. Additionally, connective tissue is the material of tendons, (which attach muscles to bones), and comprises ligaments, (which attach bones to bones at the joint).

Connective tissue is not immediately elastic and requires the application of slow sustained stretching to lengthen. Permanent lengthening of these structures equates to good flexibility and you are therefore one step closer to good technique. (See sidebar for stretching guidelines.) In bicycling, flexibility in the muscles of the pelvis and spine allow for the correct biomechanical position on the bike. Without this, the hips rock back and forth with each pedal stroke and you are unable to bend forward easily into the aerodynamic position.

STRENGTH TRAINING WEIGHTS AND PERFORMANCE

Done properly, strength training for the endurance athlete is in many ways the quickest way to achieve the structural goals of the Base Training Phase of cycling training: Joint Stability and Musculoskeletal Resiliency. Using light weights and FTS resistance band exercises will isolate the small muscles around each joint; and will not only help prevent injury, but will directly improve performance throughout the season. If you were to do nothing more than the low-intensity strength work of early season training, the payoff in developing musculoskeletal resiliency and biomechanical efficiency will benefit you all year.

JOINT STABILITY

Joint stability describes the blend of proper flexibility and adequate strength necessary to maintain optimal joint alignment throughout a movement. When aligned properly at the joint bones work as levers to multiply the force of muscle contraction, whereas misalignment of joints wastes tremendous amounts of energy and causes trauma and injury.

MUSCULOSKELETAL RESILIENCY

The tendons respond to the stress of the weight training by increasing in size and strength. This adaptation is not obvious on the outside, but is part of what’s happening below the surface that is so important. Likewise, the bones will become stronger through weight training as the muscle tug and stress the bones at the attachment of the tendon. Again this adaptation is critical to avoid injury later.

The Base Training weight program called the “Anatomical Adaptation Phase” must strengthen all of the often-neglected little muscles that surround joints. Typical cycling training creates imbalances in these small stabilizing muscles throughout the training year. Base Training is where these imbalances must be corrected to avoid injury and optimize mechanics. Since these are small muscles the weights must be kept light. For example ankle, shoulder and hip exercises requires no more than 2-3 pounds weights to start. Using heavier weights will only cause the larger stronger muscles to substitute and “protect” the imbalance. Furthermore, light weights and high repetitions will stimulate strengthening of the tendons, fascia and bones while avoiding over training these structures. The result is a musculoskeletal system that is resilient to injury.

Weight training further enhances performance by training the nervous system to stimulate more efficient muscle contractions. Muscle fibers are called into action in recruitment patterns dictated by the nervous system. Weight training fast tracks improvements in this important aspect of sports performance by burning in these nerve-muscle connection patterns quicker than sport training does. In addition, efficient movement requires one muscle to relax while the opposing muscle contracts.

Energy is wasted if this contraction-relaxation sequence is not seamless and smooth. Weight training facilitates this coordination by creating strong nerve impulses to the muscle which creates more coordinated muscle function and thus facilitates good form. The caveats to early season weight training includes using weights that are too heavy, working muscles to fatigue, and not stretching before, during, and after weight training sessions (see strength sidebar for guidelines).

By exaggerating certain aspects of cycling, specific drills are designed to strengthen muscles, improve nerve recruitment patterns and condition the mechanical components of your body. These drills should be done at low-intensity levels to start and only once per week until you are sure they are being tolerated. Drills require good flexibility and therefore stretching before and after is important to avoid injury. Basically, drills convert fitness you gain in the gym into functional gains on the bike.

SIDEBARS:

Base Training: Flexibility and Stretching

Benefits:

Stretching improves flexibility and therefore allows for correct mechanics or technique
Stretching is crucial as part of your warm up to perform better and avoid injury
Stretching after workouts improves recovery by “wringing” waste products out of the muscles and returning them to their normal resting length

When:

Before and after every workout and competition

How:

Long sustained stretches 10-30 seconds in positions that relax the target muscle and allow for easy breathing
How Hard (intensity)
Follow the subsiding tension principle by moving slow into the stretch position and tuning into the tension you feel in the muscle. If tic increases as you hold the same position you have over stretched and you need to back off. If it decreases you may advance the stretch slightly

How Many:

Stretch all muscle groups 3 repetitions

How Long:

Before and after workouts a 10-20 second hold is good, on the evening stretch problem areas lightly for 60 seconds each

Base Training: Strength Work

Benefits:

Increase Musculoskeletal resiliency (injury prevention)
Improve muscle fiber recruitment patterns to improve efficiency of muscle contractions
Improve relaxation of opposing muscle groups (antagonists) to improve coordination (better form)
Balance muscle strength around a joint to improve joint stability

When:

Two to three workouts per week per body part

How:

Moderate controlled movements of body part while exhaling on the lifting portion of the exercise and inhaling on the lowering portion of the exercise
Stop briefly at the end of each movement up and down

How Hard (intensity)

Use only light weights that you can perform twenty repetitions each set while avoiding lifting to exhaustion

PERFORMING IN THE HEAT

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The Science of Performing in the Heat

By CEO Robert Forster, PT

Exercise in extreme heat puts great stress on numerous physiological systems of the body. It can severely debilitate athletic performances, create bodily damage, illness and, in extreme cases, cause death. Knowing how the body reacts to heat can help you combat this environmental stress intelligently and prevent it from ruining your preparation for a great performance.

You have planned for months for the biggest triathlon race of the year. It is a true test of your fitness and the many hours of preparation you have invested in your training. NOW is the time when it is all supposed to come together for a great day of racing. On race day you barely notice it feels a little warmer than home because you are distracted with pre-race preparation. You are not accustomed to drinking from the tap so forego your usual jump on hydration but make a mental note to drink more at breakfast. You rush through breakfast and suddenly find yourself at the start a bit thirsty. You attribute the dry mouth to nerves but you are already sweating as the time for your wave to go off approaches. As you pummel your way through the crowded water it’s “water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.”

In transition you take a few gulps of water but rush to get on the bike. As you settle in for the ride you hit the water bottle, as you are sweating more than usual due to the high humidity. You feel good and push past the aide stations as you sip your water bottle. Your time is good at the ¾ mark but you notice your hamstrings are tight and there is a pain between your shoulders. You feel bloated and as you transition to the run you notice your water bottles have not been drained. You make another mental note to drink at the first aide station.

As you leave transition and the cheers fade you notice many competitors returning from the first loop of the run are wasted and walking. However, you become distracted when your right hamstring seizes into a painful spasm. “Oh, what’s that?” you say. As you stop to stretch then, BAM!, the left hamstring seizes. You start envisioning your day getting a lot worse as you see your great time quickly slipping away. You limp, rub and stretch your way to the finish line. You have been sabotaged by the heat!

The scene in the medical tent tells the story as IV bags hang next to each cot where exhausted, dejected athletes receive assistance. The medical team explains the typical scenario that played out on the course hoping an educated athlete is the best way to avoid a repeat of what turned out to be a disastrous day for so many. A few were even taken to the hospital suffering severe heat illness.

The doctor explains that exercise in extreme heat puts great stress on numerous physiological systems of the body. It can severely debilitate athletic performance, create bodily damage or illness and in extreme cases, even cause death. However, if an athlete is educated to how the body reacts to heat they can combat this sometimes unpredictable environmental stress intelligently with scientific measures to prevent it from ruining their preparation for a great performance.

He further explains that body temperature rises due to internal and external factors. Internally heat is generated during the metabolism of food sources as eighty percent of all energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins are eventually transformed to heat. Furthermore, muscular contractions produce heat, as does the mechanical friction of tendons and joints as they move thousands of times during the race. If this heat is not transported to the skin and dissipated to avoid overheating risk of multiple system failure builds quickly.

External factors play a role as well and while it is common knowledge that in warmer weather it is more difficult for the body to dissipate heat than in cooler weather few people realize that in very warm weather the body will gain heat from the environment. Since the skin temperature usually varies between 93°F and 98°F; when the air temperature is greater than 99°F the air actually heats the body more. Direct sunlight increases body temperature further when the body absorbs radiant heat. Humidity magnifies the effect of hot weather by rendering ineffective the very mechanism the body relies on to dissipate heat; i.e., sweating.

The Physiological Response to Heat

Receiving sensory feedback from body receptors both internal and external, the brain senses increased temperatures as a stress to homeostasis. The brain therefore orchestrates a far-reaching bodily response to dissipate heat in an attempt to maintain normal physiological function. This begins with the release of the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, which set off a systematic series of events within the body to offset the heat. In an effort to dissipate heat from the working muscles and the core; blood is shunted by a magnitude of 30-40% from the internal organs to the skin and superficial muscles. However, this is not enough. The heart must increase the volume of blood pumped with each contraction (cardiac output) from 6 liters to 25 liters per minute to get more heat-carrying blood to the skin where it can be cooled. Simultaneously, the brain directs a decrease in kidney production of urine to spare fluids.

The cooling of blood near the skin occurs when millions of sweat glands located just below the surface increase sweat production to moisten the skin. The body is cooled when air moving over the skin evaporates the sweat taking heat with it. In hot, dry conditions sweat evaporation results in 85-90% of all heat dissipation during exercise. In humid conditions however, this efficient mechanism is handicapped as sweat is less likely to evaporate in the moist air. The sweating mechanism continues in vain to cool the body and quickly results in dehydration.

The Physiological Stress of Overheating

The body is very efficient at dissipating heat and under everyday conditions these mechanisms go a long way in preventing overheating. However, these physiological responses can be outpaced with sustained exercise in the heat. Nature apparently relies on the sensibility to stop laboring when one feels overheated. For athletes, soldiers and workers this is sometimes not an option and serious health problems can quickly arise. The circulatory system is taxed when excessive sweating depletes the volume of fluids in the blood and blood is shunted to the periphery. These events lead to a 20% decrease in the circulatory volume in the vascular system. The heart beats faster and harder to deliver the same amounts of nutrients and oxygen to the working muscles.

The cardiac and circulatory stress is further elevated by the loss of electrolytes in the copious amounts of sweat produced in hot weather. Electrolytes are essential to nerve impulses and the resulting muscular contractions that produce movement. Electrolyte depletion and the resulting breakdown in performance begin slowly but degrade quickly if intensity of exercise is not adjusted and electrolyte supplementation and re-hydration is not executed.

Further performance degradation occurs when overheating causes a shift in muscular metabolism from fats (aerobic) to carbohydrates (anaerobic) energy production. Carbohydrate metabolism however produces fatigue associated with lactic acid production. Carbohydrate stores are quickly depleted leading toward total system shutdown called “bonking.”

Prevention of Overheating and Performance Degradation

The prevention of overheating problems during exercise begins in the Base Training Phase of your training (see Triathlon January ’04 issue) where improved fat burning capacity of muscles diminishes the detrimental effects of the unfavorable shift in muscle metabolism from fats to carbohydrates. Early season strength training and skill developing drills improve efficiency of joint stability and movement. Together these athletic attributes prevent unnecessary heat production associated with wasted motion.

Later in the season specific heat acclimation measures will greatly improve your capacity to perform in the heat. *(see Sidebar)

Proper Hydration and Supplementation for Prevention of Heat Illness

Staying well hydrated at all times maintains the quality of performance in workouts and competition. Twenty four – thirty six hours prior to the race you should be hydrating and liberally salting foods. Pre-hydration is critical in the prevention of heat related problems. At least two hours before exercise drink 20 ounces of fluid with electrolytes and carbohydrates in a 10% concentration to increase absorption rates. Cold fluids are absorbed quicker than room temperature beverages.

During exercise sweat loss can range from .8 to 1.4 liters per hour and therefore dictates replenish rates of similar volumes. However, the rate that fluids leave the stomach is .8 to 1.2 liters. So, to prevent bloating or the potentially deadly condition of electrolyte imbalance called hyponatremia; hydrate with volumes that do not exceed your absorption rates and always use electrolyte replacement drinks vs. plain water before and during long bouts of exercise.

Catastrophic heat related effects on your performance can best be avoided with knowledge of how heat stresses the body and intelligent scientific training methods that include proper Base Training and disciplined hydration and supplementation practices. Now- go enjoy the day! A good general guideline would be to consume a sports drink and/or electrolyte supplementation containing 200-500 milligrams of sodium chloride per hour. At the first sign of cramping or performance degradation reduce your pace, drink liberally and supplement with electrolytes or salty foods immediately. You may be able to salvage the day.

*SIDEBAR: Heat Acclimation

Gradual heat acclimation improves your capacity for performing in the heat by creating these adaptive responses with full acclimation occurring with 14 consecutive days of training in the heat. Increased blood plasma volume by 3-27% Decreased heart rates by 15-25% Improved sweat sensitivity and sweat rates by 200% Decreased electrolyte loss through sweat and urine Simulated heat training can be achieved by exercising in warm clothes or in a warm room (not a sauna). Intensity must be at least 50% of VO2 max and gradually build up to 90 – 100 minutes.

PHASE IV FUEL© Recovery Nutrition

The most common problem in all athletes is an improper hydration and nutrition schedule. Often overlooked and misunderstood what you provide for muscle energy is vital to your success as an athlete. PHASE IV will teach you how to tailor your nutrition and hydration to the essential recovery cycle.

What we do will increase the fitness value of all your workouts. What you put in your tank before, during and after workouts greatly impacts the fitness goal. Recovery nutrition is built in to all Periodization training models because it’s needed whether you feel hungry thirsty or not. After your workout, your body is in a state of stress and needs nourishment. Usually after exercise your body will be dehydrated, your blood insulin levels will be low, Cortisol and other “breakdown” hormones will be high, your glycogen (fuel stores) will be low or depleted, and your muscles will be in a state of breakdown. Your recovery nutrition should reverse all of the above and restore your to a hydrated fueled, recovered and muscle building state.

Learn what science teaches about the guidelines for an effective recovery drink. Whether you want to lose weight, put on muscle, or simply perform at the best your genetics will allow, your nutrition must support your workouts, competitions, and your lifestyle! We use real science, not gimmicks or fads to address your personal physiology and nutritional needs. The time to figure out the best mix of calories and fluids for your personal physiology is now!

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THE SCIENCE OF RECOVERY

RECOVERY SCIENCE

By CEO Robert Forster,PT

“Recovery should be so well understood and actively enhanced that it becomes a fixed component of your training,” –Tudor Bompa Recovery is when your body actually grows stronger and more efficient. It is when the benefits of your hard training are realized. Working hard is easy, everyone knows how to work hard, but those who know how to recover hard (well) are the ones who win,”–Bob Kersee, Track & Field Coach to 24 Olympic medal winning performances.

Progressive Overload and Supercompensation

Without recovery all your hard work is futile. The foundation of all successful training is the concept of increasing stress on the body as a means of triggering an adaptive response, resulting in a strengthening of the physiological systems to a degree greater than they were before (the Supercompensation Principle). Following periods of hard work, fatigue and an initial decrease in performance occur before the body becomes stronger or more efficient. However, this occurs only if time for recovery is provided. Periodization Training Science was born of the need to avoid mental and physical burnout and peak performance when it counts most.

The well-constructed Periodization Program manipulates intensity and volume (generally inversely related) to create the right amount of stress on metabolic and structural systems of the body.

After an appropriate time for recovery the adaptive process occurs. Using progressive build periods of training followed by a week of decreased workload allows for proper recovery-to-work ratio. Overload of stress without the reprieve of recovery leads to a breakdown of the systems involved and not a strengthening adaptation. The body can only reach an ultimate level of fitness following these principles. Focus on the recovery of the metabolic and structural systems is critical. In endurance athlete’s, limitations of the structural system (tendons, bone, fascia) to withstand the rigors of the training load necessary to peak the metabolic systems (energy production) is often their demise. Additionally, the metabolic system can be overtaxed and weakened not strengthened with inappropriate balance of stress and recovery.

Prevention of Overtraining

The best way to remedy overtraining problems is with prevention with built in rest and recovery periods at regular intervals in your training program. As fatigue is a reasonable and certain result of training it is erroneous to use one’s perception of fatigue as an indication for rest. Fatigue to the point of decreased performance is a natural and predictable response to systematic training and the likelihood of becoming overtrained increases when the uncoached athlete increases training load if they “perceive” a plateau or decrease in performance. The well-designed program accounts for the fatigue and performance deficits associated with hard training and provides, not only the expectation of such, but the recovery time necessary to allow for the subsequent Supercompensation Adaptation.

From the Beginning

The prevention of overtraining begins with Base Training where the expressed goals of improving metabolic and structural infrastructure facilitates better recovery and faster adaptation. Improved vascularization and an increased ability to produce energy aerobically (i.e., metabolic efficiency) are critical.

Improved vascularization facilitates recovery by assuring the presence of capillaries in close proximity to each working muscle cell, thus providing for the quick exchange of waste products and nutrients with the muscles. The prolonged low intensity exercise also improves the athlete’s ability to produce energy aerobically where the burning of fats as a substrate produces no lactic acid. The greater the contribution of aerobic energy production to the total energy production the less waste products and lactic acid produced and the less recovery necessary. Additionally, the greater the fat burning capacity, the less reliance on carbohydrate for energy production and the less likely is the damaging event of glycogen depletion or “bonking”. During long or difficult workouts, once muscle and liver glycogen has been depleted, the body begins cannibalizing muscle to produce energy. This is obviously counter productive to overall fitness.

The structural benefits of the low intensity Base Training exercise include a shoring up of the musculoskeletal infrastructure including fascia, ligaments, tendons and bones. A stronger more resilient musculoskeletal infrastructure will prevent injury and decrease recovery time when the exercise intensity increases later in the season. As important for performance and recovery is the result of strength and flexibility work to improve mechanical efficiency, i.e., economy of motion. The resulting decreased energy expenditure during workouts and races translates into less recovery time afterwards. Considering these benefits the time and effort spent in the Base Training Phase is directly beneficial to your recovery rate later in the season. Better recovery translates to the ability to work harder while staving off the dreadful overtrained state.

Variety of Stress

Another cornerstone of periodization training is a constant variation in the exercise program. The body is such a great tool of adaptation that after about six to eight weeks of a certain type of exercise full adaptation occurs and to stimulate further growth the exercise stress must be altered. This keeps the body constantly off balance and forces further adaptation while avoiding staleness. Conveniently, this variety in training also avoids mental burnout and keeps focus and motivation high. Volume and intensity variation characteristic to each phase of Periodization Training creates a constantly evolving program which keeps the body and mind fresh.

Active Recovery

There is nothing passive about recovery. Recovery is an active process where light “adaptation” workouts stimulate recovery better than rest alone. Light workouts are akin to the self-cleaning oven where the heat is turned up but no roast is placed inside. Light workouts provide the body the same opportunity to do house cleaning functions without having to recover from the damaging effects of a new workout. The vascular system is stimulated to increase blood flow to the muscles delivering oxygen and nutrients to aide recovery. The muscle cells, stimulated by a release of hormones, step up the reparative functions and grow stronger. Similar occurrences improve connective tissue and bone repair as well.

Stretching sessions before and particularly after light recovery workouts are more productive when unencumbered by the tightness that would otherwise occur following hard workouts. In this way your stretching efforts go further toward elongating connective tissue and helping tendons and ligaments heal and grow stronger. A good indication of when your structural system is recovered and ready for another hard workout is when the stiffness from the last hard workout is absent.

Self-massage is an excellent method to aide recovery after workouts. Manipulation of the muscles and tissues increases blood flow, breaks adhesions and promotes adaptation of connective tissue. No specific knowledge or training is necessary. Just take some lotion and begin rubbing your calf and thigh muscles, front and back. You will feel the fatigue and tension leave your body. When coupled with stretching and icing sore areas, these self-recovery techniques can make a very significant contribution to the adaptive process you seek., i.e., increased fitness.

Commandments of Recovery and Prevention of Overtraining

1. Build Adequate Base – early season training builds infrastructure that supports hard work and recovery efforts later in the season.

2. Built-In Rest Periods – your training program must have built in recovery weeks following every two to three weeks of harder exercise. This includes the Base Training Phase. Also, always allow for a period of detraining at the end of your competitive season to allow all systems to recover.

3. Vary Intensity and Volume – every eight weeks change nature of your workouts to keep the body off balance and force further adaptation. Remember, volume must decrease as intensity increases.

4. Stretch Before and After Every Workout- stretching prepares the body for exercise and minimizes the damage created during workouts. Stretching after workouts wrings the waste products out of the muscles and returns muscles to their normal resting length therefore avoiding maladaptive muscle and tendon shortening.

5. Self-massage Before and After Workouts- with this simple technique you can prevent damage and promote recovery like the pros.

6. Ice Sore and Tight Areas- ice reduces inflammation, muscle tightness and spasm and allows muscles to relax and recover better. Ice helps avoid injuries and treats minor irritations before they develop into overuse syndromes.

7. Keep Muscle Glycogen Topped Off – carbohydrate stores in the muscle and liver (glycogen) become the limiting factor in endurance events lasting greater than 90 minutes. Maintain adequate levels with sport drink supplementation during exercise and begin replenishing within 15 minutes after workouts. Back to back long or difficult workouts can create a constant glycogen depleted state.

The most common problem in all athletes is an improper hydration and nutrition schedule. Often overlooked and misunderstood what you provide for muscle energy is vital to your success as an athlete.

PHASE IV will teach you how to tailor your nutrition and hydration to the essential recovery cycle. What we do will increase the fitness value of all your workouts.

What you put in your tank before, during and after workouts greatly impacts the fitness goal.

Recovery nutrition is built in to all Periodization training models, because it’s needed whether you feel hungry thirsty or not. After your workout, your body is in a state of stress and needs nourishment.

Usually after exercise your body will be dehydrated, your blood insulin levels will be low, Cortisol and other “breakdown” hormones will be high, your glycogen (fuel stores) will be low or depleted, and your muscles will be in a state of breakdown. Your recovery nutrition should reverse all of the above and restore your to a hydrated fueled, recovered and muscle building state.

The time to figure out the best mix of calories and fluids for your personal physiology is now!

HOLIDAY NUTRITION SPECIAL Book an Appointment

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