Huskey

Hey all,

First off I'll give you a bit of my background to cycling. I've been riding and racing road and track since I was a little kid. I raced at a state level and in my final years of u17s I started to get into the top end of the competitors. However when I moved up into u19s I stopped training as much due to getting a full time job, a driver's licence and a girlfriend and with the higher level of competition in the grade I found I wasn't enjoying the sport as much as I used to and couldn't set aside enough time to train as I needed to. So I quit riding all together (wish I hadn't now)

Skip ahead to the start of this year. I'm 21, I'm married, own a house and 2 car and 2 dogs and have a job that I enjoy. I've done a bit of gym work and martial arts over the last few years and have decided to kick my ass into gear and get serious about working out. The one thing that holds me back from doing gym is that I get into it and make gains but then lose interest and end up at square one. I miss the competition of racing, I think back to when I used to race and my heart rate increases and my palms get sweaty. That's when I decided to get back into cycling, purely track cycling (always was my favorite). This was pretty easy as my parents are both heavily involved in our local club even though they've never risen and my younger sister is trying to get into a road series team down south.

Now here's the reason for the whole thread. I'm struggling to write my own training program. I was coached as a kid, but looking back at it my coach was pulling it out his ass each session. I know enough about lifting heavy things and putting them down to write a decent program in the gym (I know what works for me) but on the track it's different. I want to specialize in the match Sprint, keirin and kilo. I just can't seem to find anything online telling me what I need to be doing. At the moment I just do whatever is happening at club training or I'll do flying efforts. And I'm getting faster and improving, but I know I should be sticking to a program tailored to me to get what I want out of it.

Any information or input any of you have would be awesome and sorry for the long thread, but I want you to understand where I'm coming from. I'm not a novice and could probably do fine on my own, but if there is people out there who know a lot more than me then I'd be silly to not ask for help.


- Huskey

carleton

Life has a way of disrupting (or totally interrupting) all amateur athletes' sporting dreams. We Masters athletes have to just incorporate it and know that every other Masters athlete has the same challenges (work, family, financial obligations, chores, etc...). We could all be lighter, stronger, and faster with out them...but that's not the case.

USA Olympian Jimmy Watkins was a full-time firefighter, husband, father, etc... and lived a few hours from a track. He was still able to train for the Olympics (and for everything leading up to the Olympics) and put on a good show. So, IT IS POSSIBLE.

(I like to refer to Watkins' story, but there are many many like that in sport.)

Up! Up! Up! is written by some of your countrymen to fill in just the gap in knowledge that you currently have. There is lots of information but it in itself is incomplete.

I know what you want: You want a training program to assure you that you make the most of your limited training time.

But I'd like to set some expectations: You aren't going to get it via a forum for several reasons:
- Whoever responds won't know your strengths and weaknesses and your schedule and therefore may not be able to write the best plan for you.
- If this actually did happen for you, then everybody (and I mean EVERYBODY) would then write posts asking for a free custom coaching plan.

Joining a club helps. You'll get some training tips along the way when you train with your teammates. But, that's still not focused on you.

Understand that you can only do so much on your own reading books, websites, watching videos, etc.... I was doing my own (so-called) program when I first started racing track. After 4 months I decided to hire a local coach (who happened to be really really good) and I did more volume and intensity on my first Saturday at the track with him than I would do for a week on my own program. It was an eye-opener...and it was worth the monthly coaching fee (which was around the same money that I'd spend 4 nights drinking beer in a pub). I had to make sacrifices...so I gave up drinking beer in pubs.

If money is an issue, some coaches may negotiate their rate (but don't expect it). As a coach, I've done this. I've accepted less than a normal rate from athletes who simply couldn't afford it but were willing to do the work. As a coach, seeing an athlete progress and meet goals is its own reward.

So, you probably see where I'm going here. Being that you don't have time to "race your way into shape" (which is the least expensive and doesn't require a written training program), then hiring a coach is the most effective and efficient way to achieve your goals...which is why so many Masters track racers hire a coach at some point in their racing careers. You don't have to pay the coach forever, just long enough to learn what you need to learn.

Of course, the next question is: "How do I pick the best coach for me?"...

carleton

There's a saying that goes something like:

We as humans can't live long enough to learn everything that we need to know via trial and error. That's why it's best to learn from others who have already made all of the errors. By asking others who have done it before you, you can reap the rewards without having to pay to cost that they paid.



...I guess this is at the heart of message boards, too

Huskey

Thanks for the reply Carleton

By no means do I expect to be anything spectacular, but you're right when you said I want to make the most of the limited training I can do. I'm only getting to ride the local track carnival this year due to the fact I don't get paid holidays and I work weekends, so just to take the time off to compete it cost me half a weeks wages even before I've paid for accommodation, registration and fuel to get there. I don't want to be training as hard as I can all year for a handful of events, to be told I've been training wrong.

I think my options are either train by trial and error, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing just not as good as it could be. Or my other option is going to be get a coach like you said. My only issue with that is, in my club there are only two pure track riders. Everyone else is a roadie that does track in the off season. The two people who are pure trackies are myself and a 17 y.o who is in the state team. I'm most likely going to have to find a coach down south and do it via correspondence(luckily I have a few connections thanks to my sister), not the best set up but better than nothing.

Also thanks for the link to UP! UP! UP!, reading it now and it's got a lot of information I've been trying to find.

carleton

Training via correspondence isn't a bad option. That seems to be how most get their coaching these days.

I want to assure you that what you are looking to do is possible with an investment of maybe 15-20 hours/week. The good thing about training for sprinting as opposed to road racing is that you don't have to spend so many hours on long rides. A gym session can be 1-1.5 hours anytime of day and in any weather, whereas road rides cannot.

Also consider programs centered around an ergo bike. Trust me, they work. You can do that at home on your bike days.

misterwaterfall

Is there a good easy to read database for track workouts? Over in teh 33 they have the workout recipe thread. I'm looking for something similar if available with some basic workouts that I can throw into my rotations. I have a coach who programs my riding primarily for crits and road races, but I'm trying to mix it up a bit as the end of the season is nearing and there aren't any road races in the near future

carleton

Are you looking for Strength or Skills development?

misterwaterfall

Both. Im a cat 2 on the road so I have some carry over, but at this point I need to work on everything.

carleton

Try:

10 - Sample Programs ? Up! Up! Up! An introduction to track sprint cycling

Overview ? Up! Up! Up! An introduction to track sprint cycling

derek.fulmer

This is going to be a huge resource. Thanks for that!

I haven't ridden in a few days due to work so I jumped on the trainer late tonight for about 20 minutes and tried just throwing some intervals in here and there. I thrive on structure and having goals to meet so it's difficult for me to go to the gym to lift or get on the bike without goals to meet. I don't have a heart rate monitor/garmin/cadence sensor so it's difficult to really track my efforts.

carleton

If you thrive on goals, getting a computer where you can download and compare workouts will be a bonus for you and your enthusiasm as you see yourself blow through PRs.

carleton

For me, training for the track without computers that log data is like weightlifting and not logging your poundage. You can definitely do it all based on feel, but the numbers are encouraging.

Hida Yanra

yo thug, hit me up AFK- I've got stuff.
I might come watch tomorrow night- will you be out racing?

misterwaterfall

Thanks man will do

Tomorrow is Madison night so I probably won't be there. I'm planning on the last two nights of the month/season though

Hida Yanra

I'd actually show up & race for funzies and giggles- if I could find a crankset... seems no one has one I can borrow/buy on short notice.

misterwaterfall

I have tons of road stuff but no track stuff to lend. I'll ask around as well and see what I can find