USE YOUR BIKE TO TRAIN FOR ANYTHING!
Can a ski racer, hockey player, runner and baseball player all use the same equipment to train?
Yes, if it's a bike. If you know how to use it, a bike is the best piece of training gear you can get. That's true if all you want is to get fit or to help prevent arthritis.
J. R. Smith is a certified USA Cycling coach based in the Wasatch Front who coaches hundreds of road and mountain bikers and triathletes. He says that no matter what your sport or level of fitness, you can use a bike to get faster, stronger and physically younger.
"The first thing you need to do is make sure your bike fits you properly. If your bike isn't sized to your body, your muscle groups won't (learn to) operate in an efficient manner,"
Coach Smith advises.
He explains that there's more to a bike fit than standing over the bike and making sure you have an inch of clearance.
"It needs to be fit to your size, flexibility, femur and tibia length, as well as any type of physical problems you may have, like back problems or injuries. Even if you've had the bike for many years, but never had it fit to your body, it's worth the money to have it done.
A five-year-old that rides a tricycle doesn't need a fitting, but an older teenager and every adult does," Smith says, adding, "You can't go to K-Mart and have your bike fit. It needs to be done by a pro," Smith says.
John McCool, president of Bonneville Bicycle Touring Club, agrees. "Bike fit is crucial, the most important thing on a bike." McCool is the bike fitter at Contender Bikes in downtown Salt Lake at 9th and 9th.
Once your bike is properly adjusted to your body, it's time to ride.
"Start out by getting in bike shape if you haven't ridden for a while," Smith advises. He suggests starting by riding one hour every other day, giving your body a chance to recover before the next session. Smith also says that biking allows joints and muscles to be exercised without impact ("Not counting a fall," he chuckles). Non-impact is a way to keep your joints working without pain, Smith explains. "Impact, as we get older, is probably one of the contributing factors to arthritic issues."
Next, especially if you are training for a sport, get familiar with your heart rate. You will need to know percentages to be in command of your body's training effect.
For example, you don't need hills. You can direct your training quite well on the flats.
Smith says, "The intensity level of riding on the flats determines what benefit level it will be. If you're riding the flats at 60-70% of max heart rate (or HR), then you're building endurance. As you increase your intensity to perhaps 85%, you're working on building your lactate threshold. That gives you the ability to operate in that threshold for a longer period of time."
The lactate threshold is the bonk stage. Go over on the amount of lactic acid your body can get rid of, and your muscles will seize up; you'll be out of the game.
Smith says anaerobic capacity, which is pure physical power, can be built in the bike using intervals of between one to three minutes at 95 to 100% of max HR. One hundred percent means using total effort, which is required of power athletes. A hockey player, for example, is on the ice for about a two minute shift at 100%. If anaerobic capacity is low, the player will give out within 30 seconds. A ski racer is on course for little more than a minute, or less. Anaerobic strength will allow that racer to keep pushing with max power until the finish of the race.
Bike maintenance is necessary, Smith adds. "A chain should be lubed generally about every five to ten hours of riding. Use hours rather than miles, because you put just as much stress on the chain at 20 miles an hour as at 10 MPH. The two things people should know how to do is fix a flat and lube a chain," he says.
If you don't like riding alone, hook up with one of the many local bike clubs that offer rides for every ability. McCool's group, BBTB (Bonneville Bicycle Touring Club), has 83 scheduled rides for July alone, both mountain and road.
"We rate the rides, ABC and D," McCool says. He explains the rating system, "A rides are longer and more aggressive, over tougher terrain. B rides are more regrouping, they stop and make sure everyone catches up, allowing a rest. C rides are more relaxed and social; a lot of people in this group end up making new friends and even link up romantically. The D rides are for beginners, often on bike paths, easy rides you can enjoy even on a cruiser bike."
To find out more about BBTB's rides, call McCool at (801) 220-0677.
To find out more about Smith's private and group coaching, and testing, search j.r. smith coaching