Concurrent Training

The question has been asked am I cutting cycling out of my training regimen since the Emmitt Smith Grand Fondo race was cancelled last weekend.

Hell no

I plan to continue cycling as long as our weather allows in North Texas, however I am adding a strength block to the training programming, but this will be drastically different from years past.

In past training cycles I would go ‘all-out’ with my training, but as I have put on a decade, or two, since my early 20’s, it’s time to made adjustments in this as well so here we go.

Different types of squats, hinge, press, carry and row will be the main staples, in addition to swings, sleds, ropes, bands and landmines to round it out.

I will be maintaining my cardio for both recovery and conditioning purposes. Instead of 125+ miles per week, the plan is to reduce training volume by 50% to 60-75 miles per week, and I plan on adding taking laps in the pool once a week to change the stimulus.

This type of concurrent training will allow me to train the best of both worlds: improve strength and power while simultaneously enhancing cardiovascular conditioning.

So why “Concurrent” training, and what makes this special?

Simply enough, I like it.

Training concurrently allows me to train for strength and power while still enhancing cardiovascular conditioning and improving my recovery process.

When you look at the science, the ATP / Creatine Phosphate system relies heavily on the aerobic system to facilitate recovery so it is proper to utilize a slower duration cardio to aid in improving recovery.

So how would this look in practice you might wonder?

I program, aka design, my workouts based around my fitness goal for the particular mesocycle I am in. For example, up until the past month, I was biking 4-5 days per week averaging 125-175 miles per week, and hitting the gym 2-3 days per week simply because my priority was riding in a few century rides.

My training program now is being flipped in sorts since I am adding a strength block to compliment my cardiovascular conditioning using the following schedule:

• Monday: Upper Body Max Effort

• Tuesday: Lower Body Max Effort; Swimming

• Wednesday: Bike: 15-20 miles

• Thursday: Upper Body Dynamic

• Friday: Lower Body Dynamic

• Saturday: Bike: 30-40 mile, group training ride

• Sunday: Bike: 15-20 miles

Max effort days will be 3-5 reps at or above 85% of my 1RM, and dynamic effort days will be 50-70% of my 1RM while maintaining my reps at 3-5 reps but concentrating on speed and technique.

One important consideration is resting and refueling between workouts.

Getting quality sleep should be your #1 modality to insure adequate recovery between your workouts.

Photo Credit T-Nation.com

Getting 4-6 hours just won’t cut it.

There have been plenty of studies published demonstrating athletes (adolescent and adults who train intensely) need between 8-10 hours of sleep per night to facilitate recovery.

Following sleep, food is the second most essential component for recovery.

Simply put, if you don’t have enough fuel in the tank you can’t perform.

Nutrition itself could encompass an entire post in and of itself, given the tremendous complexity of the subject. Entire college courses, majors, graduate programs, and multiple fields of Doctorate study are devoted to even the most minute components of sports nutrition.

Since this is not my field of study, I will not go into a dissertation but I WILL say ignore 99.99% of the Bro Science bullshit that is flooding the internet and social media pages.

Excessive protein is one of the most ridiculous side effects of supplement company propaganda that has done next to nothing for the sake of most athletes or athletic performance.

What I can tell you is towards the end of my training prep for the Hotter n’ Hell race, I was hovering close to 200 lbs and consuming around 3500 kcal per day consisting of 125 grams protein, 95 grams of fats and just under 600 grams of carbohydrates per day… and was STILL losing weight!!

Since the goal is performance, and not necessarily how low I can get my bodyfat %, I’m planning on reevaluating my nutrition particularly since I am adding a healthy dose of strength training to my program.