Strength exercises

A well-articulated work plan must also take into account various components useful for achieving a good athletic condition. We will therefore talk about training for the improvement of strength and agility, and about multiple exercises where the goal is to improve the ability to vary rhythm.

Let's start by talking about strength, how it can be classified and what could be the best tools to train it. It is common practice to divide the force into three different types:

• Maximum strength
• Resistant strength
• Come on fast

Strength can be trained both generally and specifically. In this article we will focus on special methods, or cycling, with which to improve it.

First of all it is necessary to make a brief classification of the three types listed above to better understand what we are talking about.

MAXIMUM STRENGTH

This term refers to the greater tension that the neuromuscular system is able to express. The highest values ​​are found in individuals between the ages of 20 and 25, when hormone production is at the highest levels. We work at maximum load intensities with very short execution times and long recovery periods. In MTB it takes on importance in burning shots and sprints. She is rarely trained on a bike, but the interval tool can be very useful. In this case, repeated strokes of about 20 ”are performed with a pedaling frequency of around 50 rpm (revolutions per minute), a very hard ratio and a heart rate not exceeding f. medium.

FAST FORCE

It is the ability of the neuromuscular system to overcome resistance with a high speed of contraction. It has a close relationship with the maximum force to such an extent that it can be considered the ability to express it dynamically. There are two components of the rapid force, the explosive and the initial force. One question we can ask ourselves is, what is this strength for? how do you train? It is the typical ability of the starts of the special enduro or DH tests, you know the 3-2-1-go situation! The front wheel rears up and the groove left by the rear one? Here this is an expression of quick strength. The workouts can be of different types, the main one involves starts from a standstill or very low speed for a time not exceeding 20 ”and a ratio that allows you to reach a pedaling frequency higher than 100 rpm in a few seconds. It can also be trained inside long descents where the focus is on relaunches outside the curves. In any case it is necessary to avoid training that lead to a clear muscle hypertrophy, so it is good to use agile and medium ratios combined with high pedaling frequencies.

RESISTANT FORCE

It is the body's ability to resist relatively high muscle tension for a long time. Training the muscle fibers at strong tensions is an important basis for being able to obtain good results even when you are engaged in medium or threshold work. The main exercise to train this quality are the SFR (strength and resistance climbs) which take place with times ranging between 2 'and 5', with recovery times that reach 5 ', heart rate not higher than the average level and a hard relationship.

This training method is certainly very valid if done in the best way. To avoid functional overloads it is advisable to have a good general level of preparation, there must be a good muscle tone of the abdominal and lumbar belt in order to better stabilize the pelvis and an already stabilized general resistance base. The heart rate must be kept under control, in fact its high rise would produce quantities of lactic acid that would partially defeat the goal of training and finally the position in the saddle and the unloading of the arms during the pedaling phase must be checked. If done well it is also an excellent workout to improve the pedaling gesture, in fact the slowness of the rotation allows you to concentrate on the pushing and pulling action of the individual muscle groups.

So, wanting to schematize what has been said, we can state:

Are there other forms of repeated training? The answer is yes, there may be workouts that aim to improve pedaling, so fly no more than 8 "-10" where you try to reach the maximum pedaling frequency, and combined work, such as oxygen strength climbs or types of repetitions that they try to achieve different goals within a single tool. These are complex methodologies that we will certainly talk about in the coming months, in fact they provide for an athletic maturity and a habit of already well-structured specific jobs.

 Before concluding, however, I would like to focus on a component that is often overlooked during the execution of repeated workouts, namely the mental approach to training. Planning your workouts also allows you to mentally prepare yourself for the work to be done, and it also helps because it helps to better distribute energy during the week. The mental component and the concentration with which we carry out certain jobs is essential for these to have a good result or, it becomes essential to listen to the body and record every sensation to check if we are going in the right direction, if the muscles work in a coordinated way or not. to withstand the most intense jobs it is essential to maintain a high degree of concentration. Often the difference between going out on a bike and training is precisely in the mental approach with which you are about to pedal.