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Given the state of emergency and mandatory lockdown during the Coronavirus crisis, cyclists and triathletes will have to adapt to try and stay in shape, without getting infected or risking infecting their fellow citizens. Here are some tips for organizing this delicate period, as well as 9 examples of indoor trainer sessions.
By Guillaume JUDAS – Photos: Tacx / Elite / 3bikes.fr
Since Tuesday, March 17, at 12 p.m., and for AT LEAST 15 days, France has been placed in a state of health emergency due to the unprecedented crisis linked to the Coronavirus pandemic, joining other European countries such as Italy and Spain. Until further notice, all events and competitions are, of course, postponed or canceled. The population has been asked to stay at home – except in exceptional cases. While short outings “for exercise” are theoretically possible (although this notion is still vague as of the date of writing this article), the training plans of cyclists and triathletes preparing for competitions or championships are severely disrupted, especially since no date is yet foreseeable for a return to normal.
Well, let’s put it in perspective, it’s just sport.
| WHERE TO FIND AN AVAILABLE INDOOR TRAINER? Manufacturers and importers are struggling to meet the enormous demand for indoor trainers, especially during this lockdown period. Nevertheless, we have found a few devices still available for you:
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Nevertheless, for those who have one, the indoor trainer is a good solution to compensate for this lack of outdoor activity, or even to work on some weaknesses. We detail 9 typical exercise sessions below.
=> SEE ALSO: How to choose an indoor trainer?
Staying in shape during this difficult period will help maintain morale and resume normal activity more quickly once the crisis has passed. However, we advise you to avoid overly difficult sessions and overly violent intensities until we know more, so as not to remain on edge unnecessarily for 4 or 6 weeks. Indoor trainer training is physically and mentally demanding, so we advise you to manage your effort long-term! Initially, maintain your pedaling stroke and cadence, as well as strength, but without really trying to do overly hard sessions (especially threshold and MAP). There will always be time to ramp up the pressure when we see the light at the end of the tunnel.
-> SEE ALSO: 5 mistakes not to make with indoor trainer training
The following tips are taken from an article we published several months ago: 8 indoor trainer workout sessions. But don’t forget that in addition to indoor cycling, you can also take the opportunity to do a quick reminder of general physical preparation, especially core strengthening, with Yoann Offredo’s video tips.
Some recommendations
Ride in a well-ventilated room. Even if it’s a normal phenomenon, the abundant sweating encountered when cycling in place is of no help for any weight loss. Keep that in mind! So avoid riding too warmly dressed (summer cycling attire is fine), and keep an energy drink handy if possible to limit mineral salt loss. Remember to protect the bike (especially the front) from acidic sweat drops that relentlessly attack the screws (stem, brakes…). To avoid boredom, you can plan for music or television, as you have to account for the inevitable weariness that this type of training causes. Don’t give up everything after the first few sessions!
Objective: endurance
When? At least one session out of two during this delicate period.
How? It’s impossible to replace the ability to ride for a long time acquired through increasingly long road rides. Sweating is also so excessive on an indoor trainer that it would be counterproductive to do overly long indoor sessions. Nevertheless, improving general physical condition requires regular and frequent activity. Sessions of this type on an indoor trainer help maintain pedaling stroke, and even optimize its automatism between road rides. To do this, you need to ride at a sufficient intensity for the session to be beneficial.
Duration: 40 minutes to one hour. Allow 5 minutes for a gradual warm-up and 5 minutes for a cool-down.
Intensity: 70 to 80% of maximum capacity, continuously.
Advantage: interesting when resuming training, or during the season to “desaturate” physically.
Disadvantage: quickly becomes tedious.
Objective: pedaling technique
When? Alternating or during the endurance session.
How? Riding fast and/or long during peak season requires a clean and economical movement. Instead of accumulating endless road rides to force the body to integrate what becomes second nature, more targeted sessions improve muscular efficiency during effort. You must therefore work on extreme gears to improve subsequent coordination and at a normal pace. You can ride either with a very large gear, or on the contrary in high cadence, or even by pedaling with only one leg, alternating right and left.
Duration: 40 minutes to one hour. Plan a gradual warm-up of 10 minutes, as well as a cool-down of the same duration. Integrate exercises of two to five minutes, with maximum gear or minimum gear, alternated with rest periods of the same duration as the exercise. Monitor heart rate during the exercise so that it does not exceed 80% of maximum capacity.
Advantage: fun and precise work.
Disadvantage: the feel of an indoor trainer is not always identical to that of real conditions.
Objective: intermittent training
When? For improving aerobic capacity. The goal is to break with the monotony of continuous work, to stimulate both the body’s adaptation capacities and the interest of the session.
How? By alternating periods of sustained intensity effort with periods of moderate intensity effort. Use either a speed sensor, heart rate monitor, or a cadence sensor or power meter for those who have one.
Duration: 40 minutes to one hour. Plan a gradual warm-up and a cool-down. Vary the effort and recovery times within five-minute segments, for example: 1 minute at sustained intensity with 4 minutes of recovery, then 2 and 3 minutes, then 3 and 2 minutes, and finally 4 and 1 minute. All combinations are possible within the session. The important thing is to manage the intensity of the effort in relation to the time allotted for recovery. Aim for about 85% of maximum capacity during the exercise, alternating with periods at 50% for recovery.
Advantage: truly boosts physical condition.
Disadvantage: requires concentration.
Objective: anaerobic threshold
When? Normally, one session every ten days or so. Given the circumstances, you will reserve this type of training for the announced end of the period.
How? Ideally with a power meter, on the bike or integrated with the indoor trainer if it is equipped. Determine the power corresponding to the threshold after a laboratory test, or use heart rate as an indirect indicator. But be careful, with heat and dehydration, as the duration of the effort increases, heart rate tends to slightly overestimate the actual intensity of the exercise. Similarly, a power meter used on the bike mounted on an indoor trainer slightly underestimates the power delivered compared to the same effort on the road. Count 7 to 10% less, due to less friction. It is therefore necessary to adapt by feel an effort intensity that is perceived as difficult, but reproducible.
Duration: 45 minutes to one hour depending on the level. After a 10-minute warm-up, perform three sets of 5 to 10 minutes at a very stable intensity, between 85 and 90% of maximum capacity. Never exceed 10 minutes on the indoor trainer. Recover actively for a duration equal to that of the exercise. Finish with 10 minutes of cool-down.
Advantage: ideal target intensity for progressing in an endurance sport.
Disadvantage: demanding session.
Objective: intervals
When? If we were certain that the lockdown period would only last 15 days, this is the key session to maintain physical condition without loss of efficiency or training level. But for now, reserve it for the announced end of the period, as it proves physically and mentally demanding.
How? To progress in MAP (Maximum Aerobic Power), you need to produce a high level of power for as long as possible during a session for this training to be productive. However, it is by breaking down very intense efforts, alternated with periods of active recovery, that it is possible, in the end, to achieve the most “useful” time for developing these qualities. The idea is therefore to alternate periods of very intense effort with a recovery time greater than, equal to, or less than the work time, depending on the level.
Duration: 45 minutes to one hour, including 10 minutes of warm-up and cool-down. The durations of effort intervals are variable and depend on the ability to maintain a high level of muscular output. They should be crossed with recovery time. Progression is achieved by increasing the total time at high intensity and decreasing the time devoted to recovery. Thus, one can consider effort intervals of 15 seconds to 1 minute, with as much recovery. The intensity is maximal, but the heart rate only reaches its peak after a few effort intervals.
Advantage: fairly simple effort calibration on an indoor trainer.
Disadvantage: demanding session.
Objective: MAP with counter-exercise (“Gimenez” exercise)
When? The “Gimenez” model proposes a very intense 45-minute series to be performed on an indoor trainer rather than on the road, particularly for effort regulation. This type of training is to be performed to achieve fitness, or during a period without competition. It falls more within the framework of rigorous and precise preparation, to be defined according to objectives.
How? By following the ESIE scale (Subjective Scale of Effort Intensity, calibrated from 1 to 7), the session is built around nine 5-minute segments that break down as follows: 4 minutes at I3 (just below threshold intensity) and 1 minute at I5 (above threshold). The main difficulty lies in properly dosing the power delivered during the four minutes at I3 so as not to blow up before the complete series.
Duration: including a warm-up and cool-down, the session lasts 65 to 70 minutes.
Advantage: very complete session.
Disadvantage: very demanding training.
| ESIE or the Subjective Effort Intensity Estimation scale In order to use a common language, easily understandable and reproducible in training programs, the French Cycling Federation’s coaches decided to use a tool developed by Frédéric Grappe, the ESIE scale. This tool is based on field observations and empowers the athlete based on their perception of effort intensity. It can be related to an intensity measured with a power meter or a heart rate monitor, knowing that in the latter case the index is not always reliable. Athlete’s Perception I1 -> No muscle pain, easy pedaling, very easy conversation, fatigue over several hours. I2 -> No muscle pain, easy intensity maintenance, easy conversation, fatigue over three or four hours. I3 -> Muscle tension, sustained intensity, stable ventilation, difficult conversation, exhaustion after two hours. I4 -> Progressive increase in muscle pain, progressive increase in ventilation but controllable, difficult conversation, exhaustion after twenty minutes. I5 -> Rapid increase in muscle pain, rapid and difficult to control ventilation, very difficult conversation, complete exhaustion between five and ten minutes. I6 -> Extreme suffering during exercise, maximal muscle pain, impossible conversation, very significant nervous fatigue, maximal hyperventilation at the end of exercise. I7 -> No muscle pain, impression of an exercise in apnea, very significant nervous fatigue, hyperventilation and muscle tingling at the end of exercise. Source: Cyclisme et optimisation de la performance, by Frédéric Grappe, de Boeck editions. |
Objective: sprint
When? This is a rather fun and low-consequence type of training that you can do during the lockdown period.
How? With an indoor trainer that holds the bike securely, the idea is to let loose without fear of losing balance, at maximum cadence or, conversely, with maximum force, but always for a very short time, from 7 to 20 seconds maximum. Very gentle recovery is done over 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the length of the sprint. Be careful, because between a long sprint and a short sprint, different energy systems are used. The impact on training and planning is, of course, different.
Duration: with a gradual warm-up and cool-down of 10 minutes, a session of 30 to 40 minutes may be enough to work on and then maintain the speed and explosive qualities necessary for sprinting.
Advantage: easy and fun session.
Disadvantage: requires a very stable device.
Objective: active recovery
When? Throughout the period, depending on needs and desires.
How? Ride calmly with a light gear, simply to get the body moving and thus actively eliminate waste from a previous ride. Variation 1: start calmly on a small gear, and increase the gear by one tooth every 3 minutes, until you feel a slight sweat. Variation 2: after a 10-minute warm-up, do two stable, smooth sets at 70/75% of maximum capacity.
Duration: 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the content of the session and how you feel.
Advantage: pleasant session that desaturates the body.
Disadvantage: little benefit to physical condition.
Objective: Virtual competition on Zwift or from an imported GPS track
When? Some swear by the famous Zwift application, which allows you to ride on virtual courses with other cyclists using an avatar, and even participate in competitions. This is obviously the most fun way to pass the time and wait for better days. However, be careful of the imbalance caused by too great a ratio between intensive sessions and basic endurance, which leads to overtraining and a decrease in performance in the medium term.
How? Sign up for Zwift with a subscription, or any other similar application, connect your indoor trainer, and sign up for real-time races against users from all over the world.
Duration: 40 minutes to just over an hour depending on the race duration or chosen course.
Advantage: Fun session that passes quickly. You get caught up in the game.
Disadvantage: Requires time for device configuration, sessions are sometimes very demanding.
=> SEE ALSO: All our Coaching articles
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