I am pretty much self coached, trying to pick up bits and pieces from reading many books. Track cycling training programs appear to be highly secretive and what works for one person might not work for you. I have found that Track and Field
training for 100 meter and
800 meter events are pretty much similar to the training for Track Cycling flying 200 meter and Kilo events. The same energy systems have to be trained therefore the training programs are similar. Training for the Kilo pretty much places you in good shape for the flying 200 meters, since both events are essentially sprint events and there is some training overlap. Below is an analysis of my training so far. The father of all books regarding Periodization and Training is one called
"Periodization" by Tudor Bompa and Gregory Haff. Other good books in my collection can be found
here,
here and
here.Best 2009 Kilo time with 200 meter split times:Best Kilo time 1.19:98 on 8/8/2009 - T-Town Velodrome
Splits
-200 meter = 19.94 = 19.94
-400 meter = 15.55 = 35.49
-600 meter = 14.37 = 49.86
-800 meter = 14.53 = 64.39
-1000 meter = 15.59 = 79.98 = 1.19:98
Gear used 52 x 13 = 108 inch (Gear is too big to get started quickly looking to go down to a 50 x 14 = 96” or 51 x14 = 98” or 52 x 14 = 100”)
Equipment:
Tiemeyer bike
Karbona rear disk wheel with 21 mm tufo tubular tire
Karbona front tri spoke with 19 mm tufo tubular tire
Tire pressure - 140 psi
Louis Garneau Rocket aero helmet
Profile Aero bars
Long sleeve skin suit
Shoe covers
Best 2009 standing 400 meter one lap time:32.44 seconds on 6/8/2009 - Kissena Velodrome
Gear 50 x 15 = 90"
Equipment:
Tiemeyer Bike
Karbona rear disk with 21 mm tufo tubular
Karbona front tri spoke with 19 mm tufo tubular
Tire pressure 140 psi
Louis Garneau rocket aero helmet
Long sleeve skin suit
Shoe covers
Regular bars
Best 2009 Flying 200 meter time:12.57 seconds on 8/30/2009 - Kissena Velodrome
Gear 52 x 13 = 108"
Equipment:
Tiemeyer bike
Mavic Ellipse clinchers with Vittoria open corsa evo 23 mm tires
Tire pressure - 140 psi
Louis Garneau Rocket aero helmet
Long sleeve skin suit
Shoe covers
Best 1600 meter pursuit time:2.15:51 on 6/8/2009 - Kissena Velodrome
Gear 50 x 15 = 90"
Equipment:
Tiemeyer Bike
Karbona rear disk with 21 mm tufo tubular
Karbona front tri spoke with 19 mm tufo tubular
Tire pressure 140 psi
Louis Garneau rocket aero helmet
Long sleeve skin suit
Shoe covers
Profile aero bars
The strength and power weight-training I am doing, weight used and number of sets, reps and duration of rest:
Before embarking on a weight training program one has to have functional strength to begin with. Must be able to manipulate your body weight by being able to do exercises such as push ups, pull ups, vertical jumps, standing long jumps etc. So I did a base line
Fit Test to check functional strength. It is one thing to be able to lie on your back and do a 200 lb bench press and another to do 100 push ups in one minute. Not too many sports require you to lie on you back and press a weight.
For strength training I did a one rep max test to determine maximum weight I can lift, based on that I do 4 sets per exercise at the required percentage of weight (6 to 4 reps) increasing the weight on each set and reducing reps, with 1 to 2 minutes rest between sets. Main exercises are the half squat with thighs parallel to the floor,
hack squat and
leg press. Also alot of one legged excercises with lighter weights. One particularly functional excercise is to hold a 25 to 45 lb plate in front of you while standing on a box or bench, then squat down on one leg and come back up. This works the core, hips, thighs and balancing muscles. Noticed that body weight went up during this phase of training.
For hypertrophy training I do 4 sets per exercise (10 to 8 reps) increasing weight on each set and reducing reps with 1 to 2 minute rest between sets. Main exercise is the full squat with butt all the way to the floor.
For power training, I pick a weight I can handle and do 8 to 5 reps with 2 to 3 minutes rest between sets, increasing the weight slightly with each set and reducing reps. Main exercise is the
power clean and the
5x5x5 squat. I also do
plyometric jumps such as box jumps, one legged jumps, squat jumps, plyometric push ups. I also wear a 40lb weighted vest for some of these plyometric exercises. Even on the track bike at the velodrome, I wear the weighted vest to add an element of stress during certain efforts, such as cog sprints where you sprint up the banking on every lap.
Before weight training I do a movement prep warm up which focuses on getting the body warmed up for exercise. Movement prep routine includes core work, twisting exercises, push ups, pull ups, sit ups, lunges, dynamic stretching with tension bands, balance moves with physioball. Also
agility exercises to develop agility and coordination.
Hours of weight training in a typical week:Approximately 6 hours.
The kind of spin bike I am using, and a typical spin workout:Saris Cyclops 300 PT Pro
spin bike.
As it gets closer to racing season - Tabata intervals in the mornings three times a week on days I weight train - 20 seconds max effort 10 seconds rest for 8 reps (4 minutes worth of work), five minute warm up and five minute cool down - wattage range from about 250 to 450 watts. Noticed that since I started interval training, body weight and body fat percentage have gone down.
Endurance rides for two hours in my endurance range 111 - 149 watts.
Intervals at Vo2 max threshold 1 min to 8 minutes with one to one work to rest ratio, Vo2 max range 210 – 238 watts.
Intervals at Lactate threshold 10 min to 20 minutes with one to one work to rest ratio, lactate range 180 to 208 watts.
Recovery rides at less than 109 watts for 1 hour.
Leg speed workouts - spin at 120 to 130 rpms for 5 to 10 minutes and try to max out for about 10 seconds at 190 rpms with very low resistance.
Sprint and standing start workouts with heavy resistance, 5 to 30 seconds sprints.
Hours of spinning in a typical week:Approximately 6 hours.
Duration, volume and intensity I was averaging for the last month:
Typical duration of spin bike workout is 1 hour
Distance about 20 miles for 1 hour.
Depending on the intensity then the work done would range from about 150 to 500 Kj of work for 1 hour.
Recovery and anaerobic capacity training:
I do recovery rides and intervals such as Tabata intervals to improve anaerobic capacity.
Functionald Threshold Power (FTP) test to see if my base has been optimized and power output maximized. These are the numbers as of February 2010:
I do a 20 minute FTP test on the spin bike using the protocol from Training and Racing with a Power Meter by Hunter, Allen & Coogan. Or sometimes I use the Chris Carmichael two - 8 minute FTP test.
.........................................Heart...............Power
Zone 1 – Foundation - <119 ................1 to 109
Zone 2 – Endurance – 121 to 145........111 to 149
Zone 3 – Tempo – 147 to 165..............151 to 178
Zone 4 – Lactate – 166 to 184.............180 to 208
Zone 5 – VO2 max – 186 .....................210 to 238
Zone 6 – Anaerobic capacity ...............240 to 297
Zone 7 – Neuro Mucscular
What do I use to measure load (work):Both heart rate and power meter.
On the Cyclops 300 PT Pro spin bike I use their wireless module to measure heart and power – power takes precedence over heart when I am training with power.
On the road and track I use a Garmin Edge 305 GPS to record and measure heart rate, speed, distance, profiles. There is no power capability to measure power here.
At the Gym I use a Garmin pulse watch to record and measure heart rate.
Current resting heart rate:59 bpm
Current maximum heart rate:186 bpm
My power output at anaerobic threshold (Lactate Threshold):
Current power output at anaerobic threshold (Lactate Threshold) is about 210 to 222 watts, March 2010
Current 30 second sprint power is 1,195 watts with an average of 750 watts, March 2010
Current 10 second sprint power is 1,212 watts, March 2010
Age 45
Weight 172 lbs
Fat 15%
Height 5'-9"
