As the winter plods along, it is time to start thinking of getting the legs into riding shape for the upcoming warmer months - albeit those warmer months might be few and far between in Big Sky. For the last couple of years it has usually meant spending some time on the trainer and working on maintaining some fitness for the upcoming riding season.
I have slowly been learning about the Compex e-stim unit and how to integrate the unit into some sort of training schedule (and I use the words 'training schedule' loosely at this point considering the lack of hrs and regular time in the saddle).
The current plan is to do an e-stim session 3 times a week after the regular workout. The e-stim sessions should be scheduled and or done after your normal workout so that you don't tire out the muscle groups for your primary workouts. After an e-stim session, I always run an 'active recovery' session on the e-stim to flush out some of the build up in the legs. So a weekly schedule for me might look like:
Life being what it is, things move around and I often find myself adjusting to a variety of things such as schedule or how the legs feel. If the legs feel heavy, I will back off and maybe add in extra 'active recovery' sessions on the e-stim if needed. I have recently be doing 2 weeks on, then a rest week. During the rest week I will either not do e-stim or do a light version of the scheduled training program.
I am currently running the 'explosive strength' program on the Compex three times a week and after about 4-6 weeks will move to the 'strength' program for 4-6 weeks then the same rotations/timeframes for the 'resistance' and finally the 'endurance' program. During these phases, I will increase the e-stim around 5-10% a week in terms of numbers during the program.
So it will be a 4-6 week cycle of going from 'explosive strength'-->'strength'-->'resistance'-->'endurance'.
The 4-6 weeks will help the muscles not to 'adapt' to the training. Our bodies are smart enough to know when they need to adapt and a result it is good to change workouts up and shock them a little (not particular just to the e-stim but to overall training).
I think the biggest bang for the buck will be the endurance training as it relates specifically to cycling. The key is to manage all these variables so they all synch up to your ultimate 'A' race or taper time frame. My current schedule is still up in the air because I have not currently signed up for an 'A' race (currently working on a short list). My first event of the season will be the True Grit in St George (late March) and it will be interesting to see just how much of a suffer-fest it might be considering the lack of ride time and that it will be the inaugural ride on the newly built ride....
At this point it is all just mere speculation on my end and I look forward to seeing if all comes together. At the end of the day I have to keep workouts fresh or else my mind starts to tune out and get burned out. Everyone has their own theories based on how their bodies react to certain things so there is constant tweaking, but I have found it is good to have an outline for training. Having said all this, I am sure there will continue to be a learning curve and am curious to tweak the variables as needed.
I have slowly been learning about the Compex e-stim unit and how to integrate the unit into some sort of training schedule (and I use the words 'training schedule' loosely at this point considering the lack of hrs and regular time in the saddle).
The current plan is to do an e-stim session 3 times a week after the regular workout. The e-stim sessions should be scheduled and or done after your normal workout so that you don't tire out the muscle groups for your primary workouts. After an e-stim session, I always run an 'active recovery' session on the e-stim to flush out some of the build up in the legs. So a weekly schedule for me might look like:
Life being what it is, things move around and I often find myself adjusting to a variety of things such as schedule or how the legs feel. If the legs feel heavy, I will back off and maybe add in extra 'active recovery' sessions on the e-stim if needed. I have recently be doing 2 weeks on, then a rest week. During the rest week I will either not do e-stim or do a light version of the scheduled training program.
I am currently running the 'explosive strength' program on the Compex three times a week and after about 4-6 weeks will move to the 'strength' program for 4-6 weeks then the same rotations/timeframes for the 'resistance' and finally the 'endurance' program. During these phases, I will increase the e-stim around 5-10% a week in terms of numbers during the program.
So it will be a 4-6 week cycle of going from 'explosive strength'-->'strength'-->'resistance'-->'endurance'.
The 4-6 weeks will help the muscles not to 'adapt' to the training. Our bodies are smart enough to know when they need to adapt and a result it is good to change workouts up and shock them a little (not particular just to the e-stim but to overall training).
I think the biggest bang for the buck will be the endurance training as it relates specifically to cycling. The key is to manage all these variables so they all synch up to your ultimate 'A' race or taper time frame. My current schedule is still up in the air because I have not currently signed up for an 'A' race (currently working on a short list). My first event of the season will be the True Grit in St George (late March) and it will be interesting to see just how much of a suffer-fest it might be considering the lack of ride time and that it will be the inaugural ride on the newly built ride....
At this point it is all just mere speculation on my end and I look forward to seeing if all comes together. At the end of the day I have to keep workouts fresh or else my mind starts to tune out and get burned out. Everyone has their own theories based on how their bodies react to certain things so there is constant tweaking, but I have found it is good to have an outline for training. Having said all this, I am sure there will continue to be a learning curve and am curious to tweak the variables as needed.
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