Now, one of the exercises that people can gain a lot of health benefits from while enjoying the fun and economic benefits also, is cycling. However, in order to gain much from cycling, it has to be a long range type of exercise. It needs to be done for a very long period of time, covering kilometers if the positive effects must be savored. Many people who are interested in getting involved in the sports to gain these benefits normally fail. This is because of lack of the stamina and endurance needed to sustain them for long periods of cycling. Those that partake in cycling competitions will need to build this stamina and endurance if they intend to win trophies.
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How to Achieve Increased Stamina and Endurance
Of course, you will always be advised that the most realistic way of building this fitness level is to get involved in covering long low-intense and steady miles for 12-16 weeks. After this, you would have developed the endurance and strength needed for the high-intensity rides. But the timeline for this will only be possible for people that ride for a living, and not for those with day jobs.
For those who do not have such time, they can make use of the polarized training system. Here, the cyclist gets involved in both the hard training and the easy aerobic ones in the bid to build stamina.
The major element that our stamina and endurance level is hinged on is the mitochondria according to the scientists, and the polarized system works on it. While the low-intensity but longer exercises build more mitochondria in the body, the high-intensity types make the produced elements stronger. Another thing is that the high-intensity exercises will increase your heart rate. The elevated heart rate during the period of recovery benefits your aerobic energy system. Even for those that have built this fitness already, the interval training will also help them increase their endurance level. The result of a research reveals that the peak aerobic power output, the VO2, and the endurance performance of cyclists are increased by at least 2 or 4 percent by this. Two interval sessions every week for six weeks will do this. So, for you to harness the benefits of this, get involved in 20 percent of very high intense rides and 80 percent of aerobic zone low-intensity rides.
To optimize your endurance level, you are advised to do the very high-intensity intervals from 30 seconds to 5 minutes per session. With this, your aerobic system will be built, while gaining some fast twitch fibers. These fibers produce power and make the athlete more fatigue resistant. It is also very beneficial to allow some recovery period in between when you perform these leg burning efforts. It is better to do these at least two times every week, giving at least one day recovery period in between. After this, the remaining rides for the week could be done on the low or moderate pace. To get the best of this, you must observe your rest and easy days, and also eat well-balanced diets, with good hours of sleep to avoid damaging your body system.
A Calendar That Will Help You
Sticking to what you must to achieve what you want is always difficult if you do not have a guide. Below is a step by step method of guiding yourself through the endurance training for cyclists.
You have to start with a target or what you intend to achieve. Create a calendar of how many miles you have to cover with your high-intensity and low-intensity exercise, and the days and times you have to engage in these.
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The second step should be to increase what you were able to achieve before. If you start by cycling 20 miles in the first week, it is only imperative for you to increase this to 30 the next week if you really intend to build more stamina and endurance level. Increase the distance and speed by 5 to 10 percent each week.
You should start with at least 2 hours of cycling each week. As time goes on, increase this to 3 hours. Don’t forget to make use of the interval training method while doing this too.
You are also advised to drink as much water as you can before setting out for cycling and also to carry water with you while on the road. The bike bottle holder will do a marvelous job of keeping the water close to you so that you can drink whenever you have to.
You must ensure that some energy bars are available while you cycle. Eat them or enjoy bananas during long distance rides. These will help you maintain your energy levels so that you can cover more distance without getting tired.
If you need to be motivated to achieve more, then do not cycle alone. Get out there and train with other cyclists. If you set group goals and work towards them, you will see the can-do spirit in you coming to the fore. With the team pushing you to do more, your stamina and endurance level will soar.
Advise To Riders Seeking To Improve Stamina
If you fall into this league, you have to take these to heart. You have to ride in bigger gears, as they entail higher power output all through the ride. You should also ride uphill because of the energy level needed. This will help your stamina level to increase. You should also ride into the headwinds if you live in areas that are flat. When you move against the wind, you put in more energy, and stamina is built. You can also use block training with the commensurate amount of recovery to build this stamina and endurance. You should also stick to the 75 percent rule.
About the author: William Benetton loves to travel around our huge world and write about everything that he sees. He already visited a big list of countries, and now he wants to share his experience. Two months ago he designed his own website and here you can see it. He can’t live without morning coffee, traveling around the world and sport.
