Weight program: Strength Build Week 6 out of 6
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 20min warmup, 2x20min (5min rest in between) @ ~FTP, 10min cooldown
Wednesday: Weights
Thursday: 1:00h Indoor Z2 ride
Friday: Off
Saturday: Pilates lesson
Sunday: Off
Total Bikescore/TSS: 115
Total Training Time: 2:15h bike+1:15h Weights+1:00h Pilates
Weekly Summary
After 6 weeks of hard training, it was time for some well earned rest and the perfect opportunity to hang the bike for he weekend and enjoy the beautiful life outside of a frame with two wheels. Even though it was a free weekend, I took a surprise Pilates lesson and it was one of those ‘wow moments’
So what did I do last week(end)…
Pilates for Cycling
Some very brief background on Pilates. It bears the name after its creator Joseph Pilates. It’s a physical fitness system focusing on six fundamental principles: concentration, control, center, flow, precision, and breathing. When you put the six of them together, it means performing the motions in a very controlled manner with full awareness AND control of what each muscle involved in the motion is doing, without extra wasted energy – the way mother nature designed us to move. Joseph Pilates has published 3 books quite some time ago (1930s…). All are just about 50 pages so I am looking to finding a copy and reading them. I will post what I find on the pages of this blog. Not wasting energy and being efficient is never a bad thing for any sport, cycling included!
So even after just a single 1h lesson I discovered:
- My right gluteus maximus (butt muscle) is lazier (weaker) than my left one, very noticeably so. It’s not a strength thing, it’s an awareness of my brain to send signals to get it to work 100%. I unclip my right foot at traffic lights and I ALWAYS start on my left leg after coasting etc. Now I had an explanation of why. Even as I am writing this summary, I am quite aware of my right butt cheek being ‘asleep.’ This might be relevant due to the fact I am thinking switching to the Stages powermeter (which measures and doubles the power you produce with your left leg to get the total value).
- My leg alignment and such was pretty ok, further confirming that the Body Geometry Fit I had some time ago was well worth it. Now I am even more reluctant to change shoe brand manufacturer; though that could be a good thing so I would save money from buying new cycling shoes=)
- The core strength/stability I have been working on has certainly helped quite a bit. Incorporating the 6 principles of Pilates would take the exercises to the next level.
As a conclusion in the words of the Mike Spracklen:
You can always get better
The Dream is Alive!
Image: Source
You can find explanations of the terms here together with explanations of the Training Zones.
A drop of support means an ocean of gratitude.
If you find motivation and value in the content of TheTallCyclist, consider making a donation.