Cammish Top Ten Training Tips

So having spent the last 6 or 7 months stacking in the miles in an effort to reach a certain level of fitness, along comes winter to knock us all back to where we started last Spring. Well it doesn’t have to be that way! Here's Ian Cammish with his Top Ten Winter Training Tips.

Number 10: Rest up … a bit! Take time out to recover mentally as well as physically. Relax and enjoy a few weeks riding your bike for fun … not because you have to. An extra set of intervals or another hard session on the turbo at this time of year isn’t going to make a scrap of difference to how well you’re going to perform next season. So take some time out to reflect on what did, and what didn’t, work for you during 2011 and adjust your training programme accordingly for 2012.

Number 9: Get prepared. We all know how long winters go on for and there’s nothing worse than suffering a ‘mechanical’ when the weather’s at its worst and the days are at their shortest. The break you’ve earned will therefore provide you with the ideal opportunity to prepare your winter bike for what’s to come. Your winter bike will need to be ready for everything a typical British winter can throw at it. If you need a new one, something based on Planet X’s Kaffenback, Uncle John or Macinato would be ideal. If you’re a regular commuter, you’ll need a good set of lights and mudguards. Lighter training tyres will need to be replaced with something more reliable and for the first time in months you’ll need to start looking at winter clothing. Generally speaking, you should be looking at ‘layering up’ as opposed to donning one thick item. Merino wool base layers are an absolutely brilliant starting point. Layer up according to how cold it is … but don’t overdo it. You should start your ride feeling slightly cool but by creating your own heat you’ll soon warm up. Keeping the extremities warm is particularly difficult … but highly important. Gloves and overshoes are therefore a must!

Number 8: Set some achievable and realistic goals. If things didn’t quite go to plan during 2011, what was the reason for that? Were your aims and objectives too ambitious or were there justifiable reasons why your performances fell short of your expectations? Sit down now, and be honest with yourself. What would you REALLY like to achieve during 2012? Make it a realistic ‘goal’ ... not just something like ‘I want to go faster’. Aim for a specific ‘Sportive’ … or a 22 minute ‘10’ maybe. Once you’ve set your goals you can set about achieving them. Even if it’s a weight loss aim, that’s ok if it’s specific and you’ve a target weight you want to achieve.

Number 7: Assess how much time you’ve got to train. Again … be realistic. There’s no point in aiming to complete 500 miles a week if you’re holding down a full-time job, working away from home with a wife and young family to consider. If you work a reasonable distance from home, have you considered basing your winter’s training on a daily commute by bike? We’ve got riders here at Planet X who have based the majority of their training on the daily commute … it’s a far better use of time than sitting in a car, healthier and in some cases even quicker!

Number 6: Get in to a routine. Once you’ve done something twenty times or more, it becomes habit. That makes it much easier. So rather than cycle to work (or even just train) as and when you feel like it, how about committing yourself to doing certain things on certain days of the week? It doesn’t even have to be riding your bike … not at this time of year anyway. How about circuits or weight training at your local Gym? Spinning classes? Swimming? Running? These are all excellent ways to keep fit during the winter and are ways of building good core fitness ready for more cycling specific exercises as the season approaches. Be flexible though. There’s little point in going out on your bike in 3 inches of snow on a Monday morning simply because that’s what you’ve ‘got to do’ on a Monday morning. Be prepared and be willing to move what you’ve got planned to suit you, your circumstances and the elements.

Number 5: Progression is the key. Jumping straight in with 300, 400 or 500 miles a week is NOT the way forward. Everything has to be progressive if you’re going to maximise the benefit of your training. If you do too much too early, the chances are you’ll just burn out … either mentally or physically. At this time of year it’s probably just best to build basic core fitness after sorting out any long-standing ailments you may have. Visit your dentist and see your doctor while you’ve got the time. That way you can start the serious training knowing your body is ready and able to cope with what you’re planning to put it through.

Number 4: Be brave – not fool hardy. The more you put in to it, the more you’ll get out of it. Completing a time trial at 30 mph or riding up Alpe d’Huez isn’t going to be easy … for anyone. But it’s going to hurt! So if you’ve set your heights high, be prepared to suffer. If you’ve been realistic about your objectives there’s no reason why you shouldn’t achieve them though. But don’t be fool-hardy! One chap here committed himself to a winter’s commute regardless of the road conditions. On more than one occasion he’d complete his whole ride to work in the dark but only realised how dangerous the roads were (with ice) when it was light enough for him to see!

Number 3: “At the end of the day if you don’t get what you wanted … you can’t have wanted it enough”. That’s what one of our former National Champions used to say. He was doing up to 500 miles a week. If someone told him he needed to do 600 he says he’d have done it! Of course we all know now that mileages like that aren’t necessary. There are many ways to achieve the same goal and with all the technology out there today I’m sure the same rider could have been just as successful with a more structured approach to his training. Be critical in your own training programme and see what ‘short-cuts’ are available to enable you to reach your target … because they’re there. Turbo training, interval sessions, rest and diet are all enormously important to maximise potential, so don’t be blinkered in your approach … be open-minded and flexible (that word again!).

Number 2: Get help – listen to what everyone has to say and sift out the bits that suit you. Get a coach … maybe? Most of our riders have been self taught but there’s little doubt they will have benefitted from the experience of others along the way. Coaches have never been more popular and if you need someone for encouragement, advice and ideas then that might be the way to go. Even having someone just to bounce ideas off helps.

How many is that? Nine? Well cycling has got to be fun. Enjoy your cycling and anything else has got to be a bonus hasn’t it?

4 October 2011