IronMan Recap What You Need To Know From A New Mom And Fitness Professional

IronMan Recap What You Need To Know From A New Mom And Fitness Professional

IronMan race #3 is under my belt. Obviously the main question I get is “how do you feel?” … well I feel really good. Surprisingly good. 

Don’t get me wrong I’m not doing back flips or anything, but it is the best I have felt out of the three races. That right there is one of the biggest take aways for me. Clearly I my training was effective and I was prepared. 

Okay, let’s get into the thick of this recap. Here is what I have for you. First, I’m going to share an overview of race weekend. It’s broad, but I’m highlighting some key points. Then, I’m going to get very specific on race details (some of which may be a little much for some people). And I will wrap this all up with a review of my goals. 

So if there is something specific you want to know most … scroll to that section! 

RACE WEEK – IronMan Recap as a New Mom and Fitness Professional

​We left for Muncie on Thursday morning around 9 am. Nothing special about the drive. I felt the pull on my heart strings leaving my son, but he seemed to care less 😂 

We got to check-in and everything was peachy-keen. Timing chip, bib, swag, IronMan village stop … check, check, check, check. All that was left to do was get to our housing and get back to eating. 

Highlight moment 🌟 we were heading in the direction of our VRBO, which was selected because we wanted to be able to cook all of our meals, it’s saved a good chunk of change and gave us a common area to hang. We have 5 people staying. The home owner called and cancelled our reservation stating the house was “uninhabitable”. It’s 4:30 PM the Thursday before the race. Every hotel is sold out and we have nowhere to stay. 

Thanks to our friends and family who hopped on their phones/computers we were able to find one hotel that literally just had a cancellation. We were lucky to find a hotel and grateful to have somewhere to stay. But our entire plan had changed. 

Thursday night we ate at Olive Garden and tried to rework our plans. Unfortunately, Olive Garden didn’t sit well with ANY of us.  So we immediately realized we needed to make different food choices. 

Mike hadn’t left yet so I asked him to bring our Instant Pot so we could eat in. Best decision. And Kaite’s idea – I can’t take credit for it.  

Friday was low key, we checked our gear and bikes in. Then got lunch. Then went back for an athlete briefing. Except we went to the wrong place 😂 

RACE DAY OVERVIEW – IRONMAN RECAP

Saturday was race day so we spent Friday night stretching, foam rolling, using the theragun, hydrating, eating and further memorizing our race plans. 

Saturday we woke at 4:30 am and off the day went. We hit the water around 7:55 am. I finished around 8:20 am. We didn’t get back to the hotel until a little after 11 pm. Shower, organize, eat a little and to bed. 

Sunday was quick to get out of Muncie, but slow moving for me. Tight quads, fatigue and an odd feeling of hunger and fullness filled the day. 

The drive home was a cakewalk (for Mike). I was beyond excited to see Freddy, but he was more confused that we were home. All the change was rough on him. Which means with my wild emotions we (Freddy and I) both cried when he went to bed 😂

MY IRONMAN RECAP OF RACE SPECIFICS

For those of you who came here for the play by play of race day, let’s get after it. Check out this time breakdown. (These are rough estimates.)

  • 3:30 am I wake up and try to sleep more. 
  • 4:25 am alarm goes off.
  • 4:30 am banana and PB sandwich down, working on 32 ounces of Gatorade.
  • 5:00 am dressed, working mobility and reviewing race plan
  • 5:30 am drive to race site
  • 6:00 am adding fuel to our bikes and double checking gear bags.
  • 6:30 am eat half a PB sandwich, run race plan through head
  • 7:30 am take salt tabs finish Gatorade
  • 7:55 am in the water
  • 9:20 am out of the water and in transition
  • 9:30 am on bike course
  • 4:00 pm in transition
  • 4:10 pm on the run course
  • 8:30 pm finishing race

As you can see there is A LOT of time in there for thoughts, feelings and surprises. 

I would say the race went as hoped with a surprise or two on every leg. And, now a few days later, I can say I am 99% happy with how things went. 

IRONMAN RACE DAY SURPRISES

The lake water was 65.3°. Thats cold. Like real cold. I had never swam in water that cold. And boy was it shocking. I had to swim more than 100 meters before I could put my head in the water. I kept trying time after time and it literally felt like I was choking.

Mike, who somehow seems to know everything told me right before the race “the cold will take your breath away, don’t go out fast. That will make it worse. Stay calm and get comfortable slowly.” THANK GOODNESS he said that to me. Those words are what kept me moving forward the first 5 minutes. 

I never got warm. Literally getting out of the water after swimming 2.4 miles and I had not adjusted to the water temp. I had goosebumps and shivers on the bike.

I was also surprised by how badly I needed to pee while I was swimming. Luckily, this race had a very short beach run. Where you got out before getting back in to swim lap 2. Wadding back in gave me the perfect opportunity to pee. That was awesome. 

The start of my second lap I spent thinking … wow you have already peed once in the race. You have hydrated well, today is going to be better than the other two races. 

If you don’t know I was crippled by digestive issues and dehydration on the first two races. It was a huge goal of mine to NOT experience those symptoms again. 

And the next surprise came when I had to pee again after the second lap. I was a peeing machine! This had to be a good sign for my hydration levels going into the bike. 

Transition was fast and smooth. Best it has ever felt. Usually my hands are shaking and I feel flustered. This was just another day. I got out of there so smoothly. I was thrilled. 

SURPRISES ON THE BIKE – IRONMAN RECAP

The bike course was exhilarating. It started with rolling hills which is my absolute favorite. I knew it wasn’t going to last. That most of the course was flat, but I was determined to enjoy those hills! So I attacked them. 

I had so much incredible energy, excitement and happiness. Cloud 9 would be an understatement. 

After those rolling hills we turned into more of a headwind and flat course. I physically and mentally settled into a more appropriate pace and headspace. 

Unfortunately I was so amped up that I had been chugging Gatorade without regard. 32 ounces were already gone. 

I felt a burp coming on and let her rip. And out came Gatorade, peanut butter sandwich and salt. Woof. The good news was I felt fine and it was a rookie mistake that can be easily corrected. 

Eventually I came to one section of the course that was not well paved. It was as if the last step of paving hadn’t be done. Like those rumble patches on the side of highways to let you know you are out of your lane… not as bad, but constant vibrations. I had heard the course was beautiful and perfectly paved … clearly I have a different definition. 

Survived that section and I am working my way back up this long straight portion and I thought I felt a rain drop. I checked the time it was only 12:40. That can’t be rain. It wasn’t suppose to start until after 2 pm. 

It was rain. 

You can’t do a damn thing about it. I knew it was coming. I had just hoped to have more of the bike done before the rain hit. 

My emotions to this point had been pretty steady. I had a lot of self belief and a lot of focus on the finish line. 

It all came crashing down. I started to feel a desire to cry. Nothing hurt. I wasn’t behind on time. Everything was good. But I couldn’t shake this desire to cry.

And then, like a bag of bricks, I realized two things. 

  1. This was my last race for a very long time. Not ever. But we want more kids and this was one of the hardest things I’ve done. Preparing for an IronMan right after giving birth and finding balance between my family, my marriage, my career and my training.
  2. I immensely missed my son. The mom guilt had worked it’s way into my head and rooted itself. 

On top of all of this I had to pee. So badly I was convinced I should be able to stand up out of the saddle and pee. No such luck. I pulled my tears back. Calmed myself down so I wouldn’t look as hysterical and found the next Port-a-Jon. 

This peeing surprise was a good thing, but costly on time. I peed a second time later on. My bike computer said I averaged 17.2 MPH, that doesn’t account for stops. The IronMan tracker had me at 16.32. WTF. That’s just depressing. Why does it take so long to pee?!

Back to my realizations. 

I knew it would be harder than usual to train for an IronMan post baby, but I had no way of knowing just how hard. Because I hadn’t done it before. 

On the bike I knew that I didn’t want to do this again. Too work so incredibly hard and get myself race ready, race and then be done. The next time I race (any length) I want to be able to race multiple times. I want to continue to train myself to be better.

And for those of you that don’t know. I did my last IronMan in 2019. 3 weeks after that I was pregnant (intentionally). Physically the transformation from 2019-2021 has been wild and amazing in every way. 

Mentally it was a beast. 

So I have this itch that I can’t scratch. That I need more time and a different season of life for. And so the tears flowed off and on during the bike. 

Mix in the fact that I’m a new mom and I missed my son. That I felt selfish. That he didn’t understand what I was doing. After all, many adults don’t understand what I was doing. There was a cloud of guilt following me – it may as well have been the rain. 

I just cried. Tears of thankfulness for a beautiful baby boy. Tears of anguish knowing how hard it was to get where I am. And, of course, tears of fear. The run was still ahead and it held my primary goal for the day. 

A combination of I don’t want to do this anymore and this was your goal – to run the whole marathon – had a boxing match in my head.  As I finished the bike I was no closer to finding ground to stand on. 

IRONMAN RECAP – SURPRISES ON THE RUN COURSE

On the outside I was dancing around in transition. Tossing goldfish and catching them in my mouth. Singing to the music. Thinking maybe Kaite would get here soon and I could run with her. After 10 minutes of wasting time (this is coming back in the goals section) I headed out on the run. 

I spent 13 miles convincing myself to keep running. Trying to frame every step, aid station and landmark as positive progress. Unfortunately I also spent those 13 miles peeing myself. Why? I have no idea. 

I had already peed 5 times during the race. Most recently, I peed at transition from bike to run. It didn’t make any sense. And it took 13 miles and 2 more bathroom visits for it to finally stop. 

Was it being a new mom and pelvic floor weakness? Maybe it’s my nutrition? Could it be the warning sign of something major? 

Naturally, when you have nothing else to think about you go down some dark roads in your head. When I finally saw Mike I told him I couldn’t stop peeing myself. He said “just keep running”. And for some reason (as always) Mike’s calm, no frills demeanor did it’s job. If he wasn’t worried, I wouldn’t be worried. 

But I’ll be honest. After 13 miles of wondering the worst possible scenarios (insert thoughts of kidney complications) I was shocked at just how laid back he was. 

On I ran. Reminding myself that is never have to run these hills again. And that there was the biggest surprise of the day. And it was no one’s fault but my own. 

Unknowingly, I had picked a hilly run course to make my goal of running the entire marathon. Whoops. This is where I mentally lectured myself for not doing better research and not understanding the course better.

Nothing was going to make the hills go away. So I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Starring at the ground. Not engaging other racers and just trying to believe in myself. 

Eventually, around mile 15-17 I became aware of how good I felt compared to past races. How strong I felt. How I had just ran all 17 miles without walking for more than 15 steps to sip some liquid. 

I didn’t feel hope or confirmation. But affirmation. My training was a success. The long hours, the grueling workouts, the compromises … it was all paying off. 

I was in single digits! Only 9 miles to go. The next 4 miles passed so quickly I would have sworn I was sprinting. 

The last five miles felt longer than the first 21 miles. As my quads tightened, I reminded myself to live in the moment. I tried to take in my surroundings. It was pitch black. All I could do was focus on the center line in the road. 

As I got within one mile of the finish line I couldn’t find a pep in my step. All I had was maintaining my slow and consistent pace. I was passed by 7 people. They finished minutes before me, but spent almost the entire marathon behind me. 

I can’t lie. That burned me a little. Again, I reminded myself to run my race. No one else’s. 

I saw that finishers shoot and the tears started to come back. I stared at the ground to try and keep my composure. I heard Mike, Bridget, Chad and Julia screaming my name. I looked up and saw nothing but joy on their faces. It was magical. Their emotions were absolutely beautiful. 

I crossed that finish line gave a solid breakfast club fist into the air and needed to find space. The volunteers were kind and worried. They could read my face. A woman fighting exhaustion and heavy emotions. 

Quickly I got my finisher medal, hat and t-shirt. I set out to find Mike. The minute I hugged him the flood gates opened and I couldn’t do a thing about it. He kept saying those better be happy tears. And I couldn’t explain. I couldn’t explain until the next day. 

IRONMAN RECAP GOALS

I went in with one clear and simple goal run the marathon. That’s it. My run experience on my first two races was so awful I knew that was the key to a better race for me. 

Then there was the goal of avoiding any GI issues. 

And of course, because everyone should set big goals, I wanted to beat my 2016 time. I really didn’t want to tell many people this goal. So I didn’t. 

Why didn’t I? Fear had some to do with it, but when I set my goals I didn’t even think it was realistic. I was so far away from any resemblance of “in-IronMan-shape” post baby that I couldn’t even entertain the idea … at least not out loud. 

It wasn’t until September that I actually thought it might be possible. I was having incredible training days. My running felt as strong as it ever has in my life. I was running times I had NEVER ran before. 

I now believed it was possible. But I still didn’t want to say it out loud. Running the entire marathon without GI issues would be so monumental I put my focus there. It grounded me mentally and emotionally as I prepared for race day. 

Then outside of goals… I had my own concerns. I barely swam in preparation for this race. I strength trained a ton and got in 10-12 open water swims. I never swam in a pool. I never did swim intervals. I didn’t have access or time. 

I knew weather would be a factor. We trained in some brutal wind this summer so I felt like I had done what I needed to be prepared. BUT, I just never risk riding in rain. So, how would it go? 

And I had recently found out the run course was hilly 😂 yes, I’m serious. The week before the race I finally figured that out. 

So now all my goals and concerns are out in the open. I’m 99% happy. I’m sure you can guess my 1% unhappiness. But, maybe it is different than what you think. 

MY THOUGHTS

I crushed the swim. It was < 3 minutes slower than my best time. And that year I swam 3 days a week, an hour each time. Not to mention, the water was freezing and it took a long time for me to put my head in the water. Clearly that’s a huge win to start the day off. 

The bike was positive because I was peeing. I was staying hydrated and I felt good. And as much as the wind and rain had impacted my performance they hadn’t ruined it. I had no GI issues and I was feeling strong physically going into the run. 

As I started the run I had a candle lit for a faster time. It was all coming together through the sweat, rain and tears. 

But as you know I didn’t hit my time. I couldn’t find it within myself to run faster. Every part of my body knew I could run this slow pace for the entire marathon and accomplish that goal. That main, priority goal. And I was worried about running too hard and giving into walking. 

So that 1% I’m not happy about isn’t that my time wasn’t faster. Yes, that’s the measurable outcome. But not my race regret.  

It’s that I lost the mental battle. My self-belief wavered enough that I am left with a “what if”. 

What if I did push my pace? 

My sore muscles and fatigue have passed. Only indications of an IronMan that remains are tan lines and chaffing 🙃 

Cheers,

Chellie

How to Maintain Golf Fitness During the Off-Season

How to Maintain Golf Fitness During the Off-Season

The off-season is a crucial time for golfers to focus on maintaining and even improving their fitness levels. Staying in shape during this period not only helps prevent injury when the season resumes but also gives you a competitive edge. We are going to walk through...

read more
How to Build a Consistent Workout Routine in 30 Days

How to Build a Consistent Workout Routine in 30 Days

Establishing a consistent workout routine can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve struggled with consistency in the past. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to get back on track, creating a routine that sticks is key to achieving your health and fitness goals....

read more
fitness articles
lifestyle articles
nutrition articles
golf articles

SUBSCRIBE

Click to sign-up for weekly information and offers.

DISCLOSURE

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Training for an IronMan as a new Mom with Less Time

Training for an IronMan as a new Mom with Less Time

Hello, hello, hello! I am here to bring you along on the adventure of training for an IronMan. Although, this time I will be doing it as a new mom. Yep, my little boy Freddy is 10 months old and I am starting my official training cycle for IronMan Indiana.

Many say I am crazy.

Others commend me for sticking to my passion.

And some want to know why anyone with an ounce of sanity would want to do an IronMan.

Well, maybe, just maybe, if you come along on this “journey” with me we will both find the answers.

Spoiler alert, I am crazy. Not a single one of my friends or family would argue that point. Especially not Mike.

For those of you who are new to our blog or to me – welcome! Allow me to re-introduce myself …

My name is Chellie. And I dislike the trend of limiting yourself to 3 different hobbies or characteristics that define you.

IRONMAN RACE DETAILS

training for an ironman as a new momAlright, here is what we are looking at.

October 2nd, 2021 IronMan Indiana. The first year of this race and my first race since IronMan Chattanooga in 2019 that almost broke me.

For those that aren’t sure, an IronMan is a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. You have a maximum of 17 hours to finish the race.

What’s a good time? Well that is subjective. Pro female athletes are in the high 8/9 hour mark. Athletes in my age group are all over the board. But, in my opinion getting an 11/12 hour race in is IMPRESSIVE for non-pros.

MY EXPERIENCE

My first race (IM Wisconsin) was 13:06:57 with my girl Jo “Speedy” Sattersten (Wack). If it wasn’t for her I would have never discovered triathlons or IronMan races. She casually texted me while I was running for MS Run the US and told me “you could totally do an IronMan, what you are doing now is so impressive. Let’s do IMWI together!” A few short months later I signed-up and bought my first bike.

There are no words to explain the feeling I had crossing the finish line, at my first IM, holding the hand of the woman who inspired me to even think it was possible.

My second race (IM Chattanooga) was 14:02:38 with my current training partner Kaite Van Laanen. This race had one of the highest dropout rates on record for IM. The heat was unbelievably brutal. I tossed my cookies more than once on the bike, but ultimately my stubbornness got me to the finish line. When I think back to the race I often wonder if I would have finished had Katie not been on the course.

Knowing someone is on the course with you is powerful. Yes, there are a lot of people out there with you – racers, staff, volunteers. But I trained hours and hours and hours with Katie. Knowing she was in the same battle was the little spark of hope I relied on that day. I can vividly recall only caring where she was on the course when I passed Mike.

And the great news for me, is that I will not be training or racing alone this time. Kaite is back for her second IM! I hope for cooler temps and that same spark on race day.

MY IRONMAN PLAN

training for an ironman as a new mom

I think we can all agree that the sheer physical demands of an IronMan race are incredible. And I think that is exactly why so many people beat themselves into the ground to get prepared for a race.

Well, I am going to shake things up a bit and do the opposite.

It is simply not realistic for me to train for 4-6 hours two, days a week. Plus, three to four additional training days of 2-3 hours for multiple months in a row.

And the good news, it isn’t actually necessary. But that is a whole topic in itself that I can’t get into right now. You’ll have to join me for this wild ride. I promise I will cover this misconception.

What I will say is that training (for anything) is supposed to elicit a physical adaptation that will allow you to perform at a necessary level. No one said that in order to find that physical adaptation you need to give up your life.

UPDATE: Read my post How to Use Interval Training for A Successful IronMan Run.

Side note – some people just love the IM lifestyle. They live in the pool, on their bikes and in their running shoes. Good for them!

That’s not me. I live for the challenge that an IM presents, the feeling of accomplishment, the pushing myself to be better. I am not coming at those people who choose to train long hours or live the IM lifestyle. But I AM saying there is another way.

As of right now I have June and July mapped out with 3 days of interval and strength training. One for running, biking and swimming. I have a long run (which isn’t always long), an open water swim (if the weather and babysitter cooperate) and a brick (bike to run) each week. That is 6 training events that I will fit into 5 days and take two days of rest.

I’m sure that still sounds like a lot.

My two IMs I trained for an average of 17 hours a week. With this training program I hope to cut that down to 65% or around an 11 hour average.

I would not be surprised, if you have done an IM before, to find you’re rolling on the floor laughing at me or struggling to pick your jaw up off the floor.

The good news (for me) is that my plan is all built on science. Believe me when I say that it is not written ANYWHERE that you need to do almost an entire IronMan in one day or weekend in order to adequately prepare PHYSICALLY for an IronMan race.

Training like that may help you mentally, but it isn’t absolutely necessary.

UPDATE: Read my post IronMan Strength Training for the Swim.

LET’S GO!

Full disclosure … I spent the  month of April trying to decide if I should go for this race. If it was going to be good for anyone but me. Would I be able to give enough to my marriage, my son, my career, my friends/family …

I wouldn’t say I was filled with doubt. But I had to take the time to seriously evaluate my life, the challenge and formulate a plan.

By the end of April I signed-up for the race and spent the month of May training and trying to decide how I wanted to share my experience.  Why? Because I wanted other women (and new parents) to know that there was another way.

So, JOIN ME!

Follow along here as I share my experience from week-to-week. I will give you an inside look at my training plan, measurable stats, nutrition, hacks and more.

UPDATE: Read about some of my mental training in these posts How To Have Discipline for An IronMan Race and Mental Challenges of Training for An IronMan as a Mom.

Find me on Instagram @chelliedg and on our business page @purefitnesswi where I will share more of a day-to-day to experience.

training for an ironman as a new mom

Cheers,

Chellie

How to Maintain Golf Fitness During the Off-Season

How to Maintain Golf Fitness During the Off-Season

The off-season is a crucial time for golfers to focus on maintaining and even improving their fitness levels. Staying in shape during this period not only helps prevent injury when the season resumes but also gives you a competitive edge. We are going to walk through...

read more
How to Build a Consistent Workout Routine in 30 Days

How to Build a Consistent Workout Routine in 30 Days

Establishing a consistent workout routine can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve struggled with consistency in the past. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to get back on track, creating a routine that sticks is key to achieving your health and fitness goals....

read more

SUBSCRIBE

Click to sign-up for weekly information and offers.

DISCLOSURE

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

BEST EXERCISES FOR CYCLISTS

BEST EXERCISES FOR CYCLISTS

I found cycling because I have a great friend who told me I should do an IronMan. And the amazing thing that happened was that I fell in love with it. Sure there were days I didn’t want to ride, but man trying a new sport was exciting. You know what happened next. I wanted to be better. Naturally, I turned to what I knew – strength training.

Lucky for me I had the knowledge base and the understanding that getting better at cycling as a non-professional wouldn’t take a detailed analysis of my bike fit. Or some great cutting edge gear. Or even a technical coach. No at this point the biggest bang for my buck (money and time) would be strength training.

Don’t get me wrong. There is a time and a place for bike fittings, gear and coaching. But as a novice what I needed was to strengthen and condition my body for the sport. After all, even the pros are still strength training between all their training rides, fittings and coaching.

WHY SHOULD CYCLIST STRENGTH TRAIN

reasons to use personal trainingHere is the number one reason competitive cyclist need to strength train. PERFORMANCE. It doesn’t matter if you are competing to win or competing to finish, strength training should be a mandatory part of your training plan.

Without strength training you are at risk for injury. A properly written and executed training plan will work to keep your body’s muscular system in balance as it handles the work load of training.

Let’s be transparent here, not all training programs are made equal. A bad program or poor quality of reps (incorrect muscle firing patterns) will have a negative impact. Increasing risk of injury or prevalence of pain. Finding a specialist to work with you directly or to at least get you going is an absolute must.

Strength training is meant to build power. Power that we can harness in sport to improve our performance. We can argue that the stronger your legs are the more power you can output. Therefore the faster you can be. This is true. But the catch is that you have to be strong and have incredible endurance. Two things that are a little contraindicative.

Your training plan should cycle to account for off-season, in-season changes. Defining a time that is for building strength and a time that is for building endurance. Helping you to peak at the moment of performance. When you are your strongest, with the most endurance and the healthiest (no injuries or risk of injury).

BEST EXERCISES TO WARM-UP FOR CYCLING

how to warm-upThere are three common ways we are suppose to warm-up. Foam rolling, muscle activation and dynamic warm-up. Is one better than the other? Depends on who you ask.

In my opinion, for the average person, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you find something that you will do consistently. Because let’s face it most people are NOT warming up. And believe me, I have been there. Sometimes the idea of  warming-up seems harder than the workout.

The goal of a warm-up is to raise your body temperature and therefore you muscles so that they can be responsive under the stress of exercise. Part of this process should be “awakening” or activating the muscles you want to help you perform. So in the case of biking we want to really warm-up our lower body and core. And typically this takes around 10 minutes.

Personally I prefer to use whatever type of warm-up I am feeling for the day. I LOVE a good dynamic warm-up, but I would be lying if I said I did that every time. I would say quite often when I am cycling indoors I will foam roll for 5 minutes and then take the start of my workout slow to increase my body temperature. And every so often, when I am having some nagging discomfort I use muscle activation to relieve the discomfort and ensure proper muscle firing patterns in my workout.

Take a look at the these three styles of warm-ups:

  • Foam Roll: glutes, IT band, quads, hamstrings + calves
  • Muscle Activation: focus on the glutes, hamstrings and core
  • Dynamic Warm-Up: standing hip circles, lunged rotation, flexion and extension, single leg rdl, standing swimmers and standing chest rotations.

If you are looking for a less running specific warm-up routine to use on strength training days or just to get your body moving check out this blog.

BEST EXERCISES TO STRENGTH TRAIN FOR CYCLING

muscles in a cyclist workoutI have put together two strength sets, legs + core, you can try incorporating into your weekly training. My intention was to provide you a challenging program that can be done body weight or with resistance. You can also vary the repetition numbers based on your training situation.

There are a few important pieces of information you should have in order to make the most out of your strength training. Well there are actually a lot, but I am going to try and give you a brief overview of the essentials. If you want more then it is time to get yourself a personal trainer 🙃. Let’s start with some guidelines for training.

Quality over quantity. Any good training program can give poor results if it is not executed correctly. What does that mean? Proper form and muscle loading is the basis of any program. If you can’t fire your glutes you will never get the benefits of a reverse lunge, a back squat, a single leg RDL and more. Strength training is purposeful, going as hard as you can without purpose will end you in injury or frustration or both.

Here is my tip – most people are NOT appropriately using their glutes and hamstrings while cycling. Using a training program that will help you access those muscles while cycling will be a game changer.

Muscular endurance verse muscular strength. Depending on the distance you are training for your strength program will look slightly different. To keep it simple the longer the distance the more muscular endurance you need. To train for muscular endurance your rep count and overall volume is going to be higher. I generally look in the rep range of 15-20.

Not to confuse you, but a well designed program for a long distance race will still include muscular strength. It boils down to periodization to ensure that an athlete peaks at the ideal time. Yes, you are an athlete. You don’t have to be a pro to be an athlete, or have played a sport in college. You just have to approach your athletic hobby with the mindset of an athlete. And if you are reading this, then I would hazard a guess that you are in-fact an athlete.

Consistency. Don’t read this and think oh I am going to be stronger and faster and a better cyclist by next week! Results will come with consistent, long-term practice. Nothing happens overnight.

If you want to read a little bit about how you can use various types of interval training for your strength training check out our blogs on HIIT and Tabata. When used correctly, as described in the article (probably not what you are currently doing), they can vast improve someones cardio vascular capabilities.

And one more thing … even athlete need an off-season. You should have time built in to work on your strength imbalances or weaknesses. Time to give back to your body so that you can push it further next time. A lot of progress (read: faster + healthier) is made by gaining muscular strength in the off-season and translating that newly built strength into muscular endurance. Periodization.

If you are a triathlete check out my other blog on strength training for running.

CYCLIST LEG WORKOUT

  • Glute Bridge to Hamstring Curl on Swiss Ball
  • Deep Squat with Lateral Move to Step-up with Knee Drive
  • Single Leg RDL to Reverse Lunge with Knee Drive
  • Hip Circle Back to Front to TRX Single Leg Squat
  • Cable Squat to RDL

CYCLIST CORE WORKOUT

  • Swimmers
  • Prone Press
  • Alternating Super Mans
  • 4 Way Plank Extensions
  • Side Plank Clam Shell

BEST EXERCISES TO COOL DOWN FROM CYCLING

This is probably the second most skipped part of training. First being the warm-up. But I give this second place because we all know that often time the best feeling after a hard workout is to lay in out position and stretch.

So many injuries or set backs I see are completely avoidable. Part of avoiding them is cooling down. Give back to your body after you just demanded so much of it. You can hit all those muscles I talked about above (see warm-up) with a foam roller again or you can do static stretching.

Your goal here is to release muscular tension. Throughout your workout your muscles were contracting to produce the movement, now we want to lengthen them. Doing so will speed up your recovery between rides and workouts, decrease risk of injury and decrease your soreness.

We have a lot of information on our website about recovery. Here are just a few of my favorites: favorite cool down + 5 recovery tools to use.

WRAP IT UP

Keep in mind that the workouts I gave you are a starting point. Most of these exercises were focus on the concentric phase of muscle contraction. A well balanced program is going to include all three muscle contractions (concentric, eccentric and isometric). It will also work in all three planes of movement (sagittal, frontal and transverse) to ensure quality range of motion, stability and symmetry.

Hopefully you can start implementing some of the exercises or principals in your training program. If you need any help in getting started or taking your training to the next level contact me below 😃.

How to Maintain Golf Fitness During the Off-Season

How to Maintain Golf Fitness During the Off-Season

The off-season is a crucial time for golfers to focus on maintaining and even improving their fitness levels. Staying in shape during this period not only helps prevent injury when the season resumes but also gives you a competitive edge. We are going to walk through...

read more
How to Build a Consistent Workout Routine in 30 Days

How to Build a Consistent Workout Routine in 30 Days

Establishing a consistent workout routine can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve struggled with consistency in the past. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to get back on track, creating a routine that sticks is key to achieving your health and fitness goals....

read more
fitness articles
lifestyle articles
nutrition articles
golf articles

SUBSCRIBE

Click to sign-up for weekly information and offers.

DISCLOSURE

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.