SPRING INTO ACTION
Fitter, faster, flat-out secrets from sport scientists designed to ensure you have your best year in the saddle ever...
As we step into spring, we’ve got 21 expert tips, from positive thinking to essential rest and recovery, to get you ready and raring for the new season.
PUT SOME F*$#ING B*££ #KS INTO IT!
Swearing in the saddle may come naturally when you’re cut up during your commute but save some of the foul language for your next big ride too. Psychologists from the University of Keele found that test participants who were asked to swear before doing an intense bike session recorded a boost in their stamina when compared to those who didn’t eff and Jeff.
TALK YOURSELF UP
Talking to yourself may be classed as a sign of madness, but when it comes to cycling in tough conditions it may not be such a bad thing.
“I taught cyclists how to identify negative thoughts during cycling, and how to create their own statements to counteract them, so that they continue to push through fatigue,” says scientist Phil Wallace.
In trials at Brock University, Canada, lead researcher Wallace showed how ‘self-talk’ strategies enabled riders to maintain their output and fend off fatigue when riding for 30 minutes in 35°C with 45 per cent relative humidity.
“Cyclists who used positive phrases such as ‘don’t give up’, ‘power through’, and ‘shut up legs’ – plus a few swear words – in motivational ways performed much better and stayed focused.”
HAVE A HEART
If you’re looking to get into the ‘Heart Rate (HR) Zone’ for training, wear a chest strap monitor as opposed to a wrist one if you want a pinpoint accurate picture. A new study from the School of Health & Applied Science at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, led by sports scientists and Cycling Plus contributor Paul Hough, has revealed that HR watches are not as accurate as an electrocardiogram (ECG) or chest strap HR monitors. After tests on popular HR watches – involving cyclists riding at increasing intensities for 15 minutes – Hough and his team discovered that the wrist monitors scored poorly for accuracy when checked against ECG and chest strap monitors.
ROLL WITH IT Plenty of cyclists use foam rollers to loosen stiff, knotted muscles, but we’re not all doing it correctly. A 2017 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that rolling reduces the risk of soreness and fatigue, but it’s most effective if you move beyond the painful points.
“Foam-rolling is myofascial, which means the connecting tissues to muscles need to be targeted too, the area that hurts isn’t necessarily the problem,” explains Rob Brown, physiologist with the Centre for Health & Human Performance ( chhp. com). Spend 10 minutes a day rolling over sore spots and the surrounding area to shorten recovery times and lengthen the duration of your ride.
KEEP A COOL HEAD
Switching to a vented helmet on warm weather rides will reduce head temperature, as University of Texas researchers have confirmed. University of Lausanne researchers found that cyclists using a cooling jersey (IceShirt) and a Coolmor Cooling Head Band during a warm-up took longer to tire when compared to those who didn’t. Using cooling gear had no adverse effect on power output either. WATER IT DOWN On a hot day, the body has a decreased tolerance for sweetness, as Stephen Cheung, sports scientist and co-author of CuttingEdge Cycling (Human Kinetics) explains. “Look to dilute sports drinks. The sweet spot at which fluid enters the bloodstream fastest is when the drink has a carb concentration of 2-8 per cent (Coke is about 10, Gatorade about 6) so you can water the sports juice down a little and still hit the optimum spot.”
JOIN THE DARK SIDE
Make your pre-ride snack dark chocolate to reap the rewards of an oxygen-boosting ingredient called epicatechin. Kingston University researchers found that the flavanol enriches the blood in a similar way to beetroot, but with a nicer taste.
“It dilates blood vessels and reduces oxygen consumption, allowing athletes to go further for longer,” explains lead researcher Rishikesh Patel following a study carried out among a group of nine amateur cyclists. Bin off the beets in favour of dark chocolate
CHANGE THE CHAIN
Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) – protein building blocks craved by body builders for their contribution to the construction of lean tissue – aren’t out of place in the cyclist’s larder either. They occur naturally in eggs, chicken and beef but also in supplement form. “Taking approximately 2g per day after training can help amplify protein synthesis,” says Nigel Mitchell, author of Fuelling The Cycling Revolution.
US research from the School of Kinesiology, Molecular and Applied Sciences Laboratory, Auburn University shows that BCAA supplementation improves sprint performance variables in endurance cyclists and may benefit immune function during a prolonged cycling season.
DON’T MESS WITH MY 2:2
It may seem like another fad diet but the 2:2 food plan – where participants spend two weeks cutting calories by a third, then two weeks eating normally – may have some foundation in fact. A study of the format in the International Journal of Obesity, reveals that over a 16-week trial dieters lost more fat than those who were continuously dieting (around 4.3kg more), and kept it off once the trial was over. The ‘rest’ period during the ongoing diet, where subjects ate normally, was cited by experts as being key to its success.