Pumping iron

In the drive to get fit, sometimes you have to get off the bike and into the gym, as Jamie Wilkins discovers in month three of his plan

It’s been a fun month. With a significant volume of training under my belt, I’ve been doing bigger, harder rides and loving it. For the first time, I truly believe I can get back to my best fitness, or maybe even better. I have even applied for a French race licence.

But it has also been tough at points. Buried in work, I missed some sessions for the first time and my weight loss hit a wall. I barely managed to lose any extra weight this month so I need to refocus on my diet, but I’m still getting stronger, and some of that is down to the work I have been doing off the bike.

My trainer, Chris Mcnamara at trainsharp, explains the importance of strength and conditioning for cyclists: ‘For many riders, it’s all about the bike – every spare hour is for riding – but there are serious benefits to be had, and it isn’t all about sprint power. A well devised and executed routine will prevent muscle imbalances, improve efficiency and guard against injury. You can’t shoot a cannon from a rowing boat.

‘With stretching, little and often is the way. Do 10 minutes after every other ride. The best time is when your muscles are still warm and pliable, so straight after your shower is perfect. Even five minutes is enough for maintenance, but it takes more effort to increase flexibility. The riders who most need to stretch are those who spend their days at a desk and in a car, then on the bike. These positions are hard on the body.’

While a gym membership is ideal, you can achieve a great deal at home with little or no

equipment, avoiding the hassle and expense. ‘Remember to take it slowly,’ Mcnamara adds. ‘If you’re new to strength training get professional advice, use the correct technique and plan workouts around other sessions.’

What has worked really well for me is an intense strength session that I can do at home in 20 minutes. It’s efficient, practical, effective and uses minimal equipment, and none initially. In short, anyone can do it.

Admittedly the first session felt awful and I was sore afterwards, but the second was better. After the fourth I could feel the difference on the bike; I was simply stronger. Gym training is about creating an overload on the muscles that’s far beyond, say, overgeared intervals. It’s about building bigger hammers with which to hit the pedals and a stronger platform from which to swing them.

As with every month, I finished with a test on the Hautacam climb in the Pyrenees, where I live. A load of caffeine got me revved up but also made me start a bit fast. I checked myself, paced the rest of the climb well, and got it all out, pushing 345W for a time of 48min 12sec, a very pleasing 3min 51sec faster than a month ago and now 23min 15sec faster after three months.

My original goal of a whopping 25-minute improvement – selected a little flippantly and at times seemingly impossible – now appears to be within range.

Diary: Month three ‘It’s about building bigger hammers with which to hit the pedals’