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Please help me find a cycling specific training plan.

sequential — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:20:12 -0800

Please help me find a cycling specific training plan. I am currently gathering information on training plans. There are two sites I am looking at specifically: activetrainer.com and Cyclo-CLUB. Unfortunately, I haven't found any useful reviews of either site's products. Does anyone have any experience with either site's plans?

I'm also open to any suggestions: books, coaches, other sites, and so forth. What I am looking for specifically are training plans that include strength and core training specifically for cyclists. I am already following an on the bike training plan, so any additional cycling workouts would be useful, but not necessarily critical.

One last word, since it's bound to come up, Joe Friel's Cyclist's Training Bible is an excellent resource that I already own. As useful as it is, it does not contain a training plan. Instead, it contains the tools to build your own training plan. Though I am a dedicated and a motivated athlete, I have found am much more likely to succeed if I have a clearly defined plan than if I am left to choose my own adventure. I tend to over train and not get enough variety or sport specific training if left to my own devices. As such I am looking for a ready to use training plan.

Thank you for your help.

How can I build muscle on a single speed bicycle?

wfrgms — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 00:05:17 -0800

48 x 16 single speed... have I topped out in muscle building? First of all - NO - I don't ride fixed gear nor do I want to. I know it's a great way to build muscle but I feel like I'm too heavy for it. Plus I value my joints and general safety...

So, I'm 6'1" and 210lbs and I ride single speed around Chicago's flat streets during my daily commute (short - about 4 miles.)

I've been riding 48x16 for about... gezz... maybe two years? (has it been that long?) I feel like the ratio isn't doing anything for me anymore. I get out of the hole quick (especially when I stand...) but I feel like I top out quick and then just hammer with no real benefit.

My question is this: If I go up to say... 52x16 is this a good way to pump up or is there something else I should be doing (hammer harder, etc?)

My commute is not ideal for training - I'm on city streets for only about four miles each way, but I think it's a good time of day where I could get more of a quick workout. My goal is to continue to build muscle which will help me become faster on road bike rides.

Is it as simple as swapping a chain ring, or am I missing something?

Is exercising bad on my sinuses?

rhapsodie — Sun, 14 May 2006 16:53:27 -0800

Why does my ear clog up when I exercise? After maybe a half hour of exercising, I've noticed that my right ear, and never my left, clogs up, much like it does when making severe changes in altitude. Only exercising I do is jogging and cycling, and it always happens with those two activities. It stays clogged that way for a few hours afterward, and nothing I can try will get it to "pop." My nose also runs, but that is not nearly as noticeable as my ear.

Should I sit or should I bend?

forallmankind — Fri, 25 Mar 2005 10:04:24 -0800

I have a mountain bike on a resistance roller that I use to workout, and I also use a heart rate monitor to keep my heart rate at 145. If I workout in a cycling position with my hands on the handlebars, it takes much more effort to maintain 145 than if I sit upright with my hands by my side. Why is this, and does this mean my upright workout is less effective than my bent over one, even though I'm maintaining the same heart rate?