The Fitness Corner Blog

10 Quick Tips for a Healthy 2012 – #1: Find a New Activity

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:50:28 +0000

Many people resolve to start an exercise program in the New Year and some actually do it. Unfortunately, by springtime, many of these exercise programs have been dropped. This can happen for a variety of reasons but it is important to understand that you do not have to engage in vigorous physical activity to increase your level of fitness and improve your overall health. Thirty minutes of moderate physical activity (e.g., walking, golfing) on most days is sufficient to realize important health benefits. Simply find an activity you enjoy, allocate a specific time each day to participate in that activity and you will be far more likely to stick with it.

NEXT POST – January 29, 2012

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 4

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 3

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:58:20 +0000

Week 3 is the third week of the first mesocycle of my 2012 Intensity Phase (click here for a detailed description of macrocyles, mesocycles and microcycles), which means it is a recovery week. Here are the actual workouts with the plan for the week of January 16-22, 2012 (click here to download my plan for the Intensity Phase).

Week of 1/16/12	Mon	Tues	Wed	Th	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Goal	TT Test 1.5	2.0 Tempo	OFF	1.0 AR	OFF	1.0 AR	OFF	5.5
Actual	TT Test 1.0	1.75 Tempo	OFF	1.0 AR	OFF	1.25 AR	OFF	5.0

I had an awesome indoor field test on Monday. I tied my personal best for distance covered in 30-minutes, a record I set last August as I was peaking for the championship events at the end of the season. I covered almost a ½ mile more distance compared to an indoor field test I did one year ago. I am way ahead of last year’s pace! I had a great Tempo ride on Tuesday and then I recovered for the next five days (although I didn’t feel very tired). I start the race season one week from today at the Race Against Time Picacho Peak Time Trial. I’ll let you know how it goes. Have a great week!

NEXT POST – January 29, 2012

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 4

Five Reasons to Ride with a Power Meter: #5 – Improved Cycling Position

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:18:38 +0000

One of the most important steps you can take to improve your performance on a bike is to find an effective cycling position, which is a position that maximizes comfort, power generation and aerodynamics. While a session with a bike fitting specialist is of paramount importance, a power meter can also help you find an aerodynamic position. It allows cyclists to determine how their position on the bike is impacting their overall speed and to identify changes that need to be made to produce the most watts with the least aerodynamic drag. This is particularly helpful for time trialists, track specialists and multisport athletes who compete without the benefit of drafting and require the most aerodynamic position possible. You can use your power meter to measure your effective frontal area just as accurately as in a wind tunnel (although it is much simpler and more convenient in a wind tunnel, albeit more expensive). While the process is beyond the scope of this article, this is typically done with techniques such as the constant speed/power method, the regression method and Chung’s virtual elevation method.

NEXT POST – January 22, 2012

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 3

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 2

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:44:55 +0000

Week 2 is the second week of the first mesocycle of my 2012 Intensity Phase (click here for a detailed description of macrocyles, mesocycles and microcycles). Here are the actual workouts with the plan for the week of January 9-15, 2012 (click here to download my plan for the Intensity Phase).

Week of 1/9/12	Mon	Tues	Wed	Th	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Goal	2.5 HC	1.0 AR	OFF	1.5 TT	1.0 AR	1.5 SLT/ SI:L	OFF	7.5
Actual	2.5 HC	1.0 AR	OFF	1.5 TT	1.0 AR	1.5 SLT/ SI:S	OFF	7.5

I had a great Hill Climb workout on Monday at South Mountain in Phoenix, AZ. I ascended the 5.5 mile peak twice for a total of 2,500+ feet of climbing. I did the two ascents 4 minutes faster than the two climbs I did on South Mountain one year ago. I am way ahead of last year’s pace! I had a great indoor Time Trial Intervals workout on Thursday. I did 6 x 5:00 hard efforts with 5:00 recovery. I had another strong Single Leg Training and Short Sprint Intervals workout on Saturday. I set a PB for fastest indoor sprint at 33.1 mph! I have a Field Test and Tempo ride at the beginning of this week and then I recover. I begin my season with the Race Against Time Picacho Peak Time Trial in two weeks. Have a great week!

NEXT POST – January 17, 2012

Five Reasons to Train with a Power Meter: #5

Five Reasons to Ride with a Power Meter: #4 – Accurate Performance Measurement

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:53:46 +0000

As a cycling coach, this is probably my favorite reason for training and racing with a power meter. Simply stated, a power meter allows cyclists and multisport athletes to measure specific performance changes over time more accurately than any other method. For example, if you are trying to increase your functional threshold power (the highest average power a cyclist can maintain for 60 minutes), you can use a power meter to accurately determine your current FTP (this is typically done through a field test such as an all-out, 30-minute time trial or an actual 40K race). You can then measure your FTP at a later date to see how you are progressing. If your first field test yields an average power of 250 watts and subsequent tests show an average power of 260 watts, you can be absolutely certain that you have increased your functional threshold power. That is the great benefit of a power meter. If you ride for two hours and your average power is 200 watts, you can be sure this is an accurate indication of your work rate on the bike. Conditions such as terrain, temperature and wind don’t matter. The actual power you produce is the same as any other two-hour ride resulting in an average power of 200 watts.

NEXT POST – January 12, 2012

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 2

My 2012 Training and Racing Goals

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:15:30 +0000

It’s that time of year again. The race season gets underway soon. We’re all training hard in anticipation of a great season with lots of fun and, hopefully, a few personal bests. With that in mind, I have identified my SMART goals for the 2012 season. As you review these goals, please keep a few points in mind:

I plan on competing in 21 races this season. 20 are time trials and 1 is a mass start hill climb race. I will participate in 2 races on the same day on March 3 and again on March 25. That should be a lot of fun!
The races will vary in length from 5K to 40K. 3 of the time trials are hill climb events.
I have identified 8 goals for myself. 4 of these are process goals (training-focused) while 4 are outcome goals (racing-focused).

I’m very excited about my season. I’ll be competing in the Arizona Senior Olympics for the first time. I’ll also participate in the New Mexico/Texas Regional TT Championships, the Arizona State Individual and Team TT Championships and the Record Challenge in Moriarty, NM. Click on the link below to review my goals. They may give you some ideas about the types of goals you want to set for yourself.

2012 Training and Racing Goals

NEXT POST – January 12, 2012

5 Reasons to Ride With a Power Meter: #4

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 1

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:08:26 +0000

Week 1 is the first week of the first mesocycle of my 2012 Intensity Phase (click here for a detailed description of macrocyles, mesocycles and microcycles), which means it’s time to start riding hard! Here are the actual workouts with the plan for the week of January 2-8, 2012 (click here to download my plan for the Intensity Phase).

Week of 1/2/12	Mon	Tues	Wed	Th	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Goal	1.25 CI	0.75 SS	OFF	1.5 SLT/SI:L	1.0 AR	1.5 PI	OFF	6.0
Actual	1.25 CI	0.75 SS	OFF	1.5 SLT/SI:L	1.0 AR	1.0 HCS	OFF	5.5

I struggled a bit with leg fatigue this week. I had a good Cadence Intervals workout on Monday. I did 5 x 6:00 CI at 100-115 rpm with 5 x 4:00 recovery. Each hard effort generated 220-260 watts so I was working very hard for a CI workout. I was tired on Tuesday for my Steady Spinning ride but felt stronger on Thursday and had a great Single Leg Training and Sprint Intervals: Long workout. However, I was tired again on Saturday so instead of a Pyramid Intervals session, I did a High Cadence Spinning workout in low gearing. Hopefully, I’ll have my legs back for next week’s slate of workouts. I’ll let you know how it goes. My first race is 3 weeks from today. Have a great week!

NEXT POST – January 9, 2012

My 2012 Training and Racing Goals

Set Some Goals for Yourself

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:36:51 +0000

I was facilitating a clinic for the White Mountain Road Club in Tempe, AZ a few days ago on goal-setting for 2012. I described how to evaluate your past performance, identify key events and create SMART goals based on this information. But my most important point was that we all need to set goals for ourselves. Many athletes skip this process and I think that’s a mistake. Setting goals provides you with a foundation for success. They give you a direction and help you determine how well you are doing. While I don’t want you to overdo it, identifying 2 or 3 goals for the upcoming season can be exactly what you need to make this your best year ever!

Click here for a more detailed explanation of the SMART goal process.

NEXT POST – January 8, 2012

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 1

Five Reasons to Ride with a Power Meter: #3 – True Rate of Work

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:53:42 +0000

Another significant benefit of using a power meter is that it gives you an accurate and consistent indication of your true rate of work (i.e., power production), unlike other measures such as heart rate which can be affected by many variables that have little to do with actual work rate such as hydration, air temperature and stress level. For example, if you ride for one hour and your average power is 250 watts, you can be sure this is an accurate indication of your work rate on the bike. The conditions don’t matter. The actual power you produce is the same as any other one hour ride resulting in an average power of 250 watts. Conversely, a measure such as heart rate can be affected by a variety of factors. An average heart rate of 160 bpm for a one hour ride may not indicate the same rate of work as another hour ride with an identical heart rate. For instance, if one ride was done in hot, humid conditions while the other ride took place on a cool day, it is likely that the ride in cooler conditions produced a higher work rate. That’s because riding in hot, humid conditions will typically result in a lower relative power output and a higher average heart rate. A power meter eliminates this problem by removing intervening variables such as heat, humidity and terrain from the equation.

NEXT POST – January 8, 2012

Cycle Log: Intensity Phase Week 1

2012 Intensity Phase Training Plan

Dr. Tyrone A. Holmes — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:34:24 +0000

It’s that time of the year when we start to ramp up training in anticipation of the new racing season. With that in mind, I just developed my 15-week Intensity Phase training program. As you review this plan, please keep the following points in mind (you can apply these principles as you develop your training plans):

My primary goal for this training phase is to enhance my muscular endurance (the ability to pedal a relatively large gear at a moderate cadence for an extended period of time) and functional threshold power (the highest power a cyclist can sustain for one-hour).
The intensity phase consists of five, 21-day mesocycles and uses a 16/5 training pattern (16 days of relatively hard training followed by 5 days of recovery). The recovery is important because I will be doing a great deal of high-intensity training and my 50 year-old legs will need the rest.
The program maintains a frequency of 5 days of training per week throughout all five mesocycles (4 days during recovery weeks). This also helps ensure that I get adequate rest.
There are 5-6 high-intensity workouts or races during each mesocycle. There is also a long Steady Spinning ride and Hill Climb up a mountain pass.

Click here to download my 2012 Intensity Phase Training Plan.

NEXT POST – January 5, 2012

Five Reasons to Ride with a Power Meter #3