How does Fitness Testing improve race results?
How can I improve my race results? A question nearly every cyclist will have asked themselves at some point. When looking for improvements, riders will often identify their personal strengths - for instance climbing - then spend winter developing these, basing training zones around figures achieved from previous training or race sessions. WRONG. This is little more than guesswork based more on emotion than fact and is rarely helpful or productive.
Accurate fitness testing and monitoring is the only way to train more effectively than you have ever have previously. Imagine what that could mean for your next race season?
Anyone from a novice sportive rider to a professional can benefit from a Fitness Test.
The Fitness Test
To develop as a rider, you first need to accurately identify your Starting fitness level before putting together a programme to address weaknesses. So how do you accurately test your threshold in order to maximise this winters training?
This test should take place following an end of season rest when the body and mind are fresh and keen again. This provides accurate, current data, allowing you to set the zones required for effective winter training. This test is as follows.
- On a suitable static trainer, warm up for 10-15 min and have a general chat with the coach to explain the test and identify rider motivations. The coach will need these to motivate the rider towards the end of the test.
- The coach now calibrates the equipment – we use a ‘computrainer’ or ‘Watt Bike’ the same equipment found in most sport science laboratories. This records on a computer date such as, power, cadence, speed and heart rate... The athlete rides their own bike so they are comfortable and familiar with the position.
- The athlete now performs a test where the power/effort gradually increases to the point of exhaustion.
- Motivation is the key here ‘not shouting’ but motivating the athlete to get 100% out of themselves for a 100% accurate test.
The consultation
A fitness test doesn’t tell the coach everything they need to know. A consultation involves a set of questions and discussion on:-
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Lifestyle
- Cycling experience
- Medical issues
- Goals
- Equipment
Functional assessment
A few simple tests and a good eye will quickly assess flexibility and core strength issues that may be limiting how functional the athlete is on their bike. Every rider needs to be able to push out their race effort on their drops or TT bars, if they can’t get down on those bars due to lack of flexibility or core strength that may be limiting your races by up to 40 watts or 1mph!
What does the coach do with all this data?
The coach can then analyse the data collected and observed to create a profile and determine:-
- Accurate power zones
- Accurate Heart Rate zones based on threshold heart rates NOT max heart rates
- The natural cadence of a rider
- Any functional issues such as sitting too high or a knee that kicks out, all observed at Max effort during the test, many of these issues only manifest themselves at max effort and can’t be observed during a standard bike fit!
- Strength of mind, when the test is really hurting at 15 minutes how does the athlete cope with that: - Give up, dig deeper, change gear etc.
Why do I need to pay for it when I can do the test myself?
- You want to go faster next race season.
- We will get more out of any athlete in a test than they can ever do by themselves just ask any athlete who has done one with us! What’s the point of giving yourself a test that is probably inaccurate leading to inaccurate zones and training? Even if you have a power turbo at home I’ll still get more out of you!
- Using a Power meter for a test on the road has too many variables to make it accurate.
- A test uphill will always give a higher power output than the flat and power to weight ratios will make the test less accurate.
How will the test results be used for training?
From the test results we can study a riders profile to set training based on power or heart rate to increase power, fitness, speed, cadence, strength and endurance. The key to modern training is to build threshold through endurance Tempo rides and specific power sessions. The coach then discusses which plan suits the cyclist :- sportive, novice, road racing, time trial etc.
An effective winters training starts with an accurate fitness test. Get yourself tested, set your zones, start training towards those 2012 goals!
Authors Julius Jennings, John Bennett
