After being asked many times about how a rider should train for a specific event, riding techniques, nutritional strategy, etc., and given some informal coaching sessions, I've decide to offer my services to a wider audience.
Whether you're after an intensive 3-month plan to get you at your peak for a specific event or personal coaching sessions to help you reach your peak on your own training schedule, I have knowledge and experience to share with you to meet your goals.
For a full breakdown of services and prices, please click on the "Personal Training" link on the right. Services and charges are adaptable to suit your needs, so please do email me to see what I could provide for you.
Train better, not more!
Friday, March 12
Tuesday, March 9
Just a minute!
How does a long, extensive interval differ from a short, intensive one? How important is recovery? Find out yourself with this ride!
After a suitable warm-up, it's a series of intervals ranging from 8 minutes long down to just 1 minute, all with just a minute for recovery. Imagine that you want to get to the top of a short climb for each interval - the first couple of intervals are long enough that the effort levels off around 80-85% MHR; these are working at the level of endurance and strength. Then next two intervals are shorter, so require a little more intensity to get to the top of that same climb before time runs out, around 85-88% MHR; these start recruiting a higher level of strength and power. The 4- and 3-minute intervals require a much higher level of power to reach the summit, so that HR is around 88-92% MHR. The final two intervals are all-out efforts, 92%-max, as there's no time for building up the intensity. The only way to really fire up the power in the final interval is to add lots of resistance in the first 15secs and then accelerate and sprint the final 40secs to the finish.
You will find that minute's recovery is barely needed after the first two intervals; definitely needed for the next pair; just enough to catch one's breath in the third pair; and nowhere near enough for the final two. The lesson? The higher the intensity, the longer the recovery should be - below lactate threshold (approx 85% MHR) recovery is not really necessary; extensive intervals above threshold require around 2:1 ratio of effort/recovery; for intensive intervals the ratio is closer to 1:1 and for all-out efforts it's more like 1:2 or even 1:4.
Profile
Flat road - 9 mins
Interval - 8 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 7 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 6 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 5 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 4 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 3 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 2 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 1 mins
Cool down - 8 mins
You can download the hour-long mix here
Playlist
My friend - Groove Armada
Acacia house - River Gods
Insomnia - Faithless
Rio Grande - The Day After Tomorrow OST
Sun - Slusnik Luna
Groovin' with you - The Gentle People
Sunstroke - Chicane
Nothing more - Nitin Sawhney
Shine - Booty Luv
Maximus - Gladiator OST
It's a rainy day - Ice MC
Lullabye for Katherine - Marta Sebestyen
Hungarian - Bond
Remembering Rafe - Pearl Harbor OST
Song 2 - Blur
Figurines - Gladiator OST
The Bait - Mission Impossible 2 OST
After a suitable warm-up, it's a series of intervals ranging from 8 minutes long down to just 1 minute, all with just a minute for recovery. Imagine that you want to get to the top of a short climb for each interval - the first couple of intervals are long enough that the effort levels off around 80-85% MHR; these are working at the level of endurance and strength. Then next two intervals are shorter, so require a little more intensity to get to the top of that same climb before time runs out, around 85-88% MHR; these start recruiting a higher level of strength and power. The 4- and 3-minute intervals require a much higher level of power to reach the summit, so that HR is around 88-92% MHR. The final two intervals are all-out efforts, 92%-max, as there's no time for building up the intensity. The only way to really fire up the power in the final interval is to add lots of resistance in the first 15secs and then accelerate and sprint the final 40secs to the finish.
You will find that minute's recovery is barely needed after the first two intervals; definitely needed for the next pair; just enough to catch one's breath in the third pair; and nowhere near enough for the final two. The lesson? The higher the intensity, the longer the recovery should be - below lactate threshold (approx 85% MHR) recovery is not really necessary; extensive intervals above threshold require around 2:1 ratio of effort/recovery; for intensive intervals the ratio is closer to 1:1 and for all-out efforts it's more like 1:2 or even 1:4.
Profile
Flat road - 9 mins
Interval - 8 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 7 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 6 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 5 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 4 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 3 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 2 mins / Recovery - 1 min
Interval - 1 mins
Cool down - 8 mins
You can download the hour-long mix here
Playlist
My friend - Groove Armada
Acacia house - River Gods
Insomnia - Faithless
Rio Grande - The Day After Tomorrow OST
Sun - Slusnik Luna
Groovin' with you - The Gentle People
Sunstroke - Chicane
Nothing more - Nitin Sawhney
Shine - Booty Luv
Maximus - Gladiator OST
It's a rainy day - Ice MC
Lullabye for Katherine - Marta Sebestyen
Hungarian - Bond
Remembering Rafe - Pearl Harbor OST
Song 2 - Blur
Figurines - Gladiator OST
The Bait - Mission Impossible 2 OST
Life happens...
Yep, I've been away a while, I know. A few hours after making a New Year's Resolution to put weekly rides on my blog, I contracted a serious bout of gastroenteritis that knocked the wind out of my sails for most of January. A great way to spend the first day of the year... in hospital with two bags of IV to keep me alive! It's amazing how it can take so long to get up again from such a fall. I think it may have been the norovirus that's been spreading in the UK this winter - a week after I visited my local hospital, they announced they had an outbreak that's now spreading across the area... just call me Norovirus Rob!!
Along the way, I attended the only (so far) Kranking instructor course in the UK - although it's spread quickly in the US, Italy and Germany, it's yet to make an impact here in the UK. I think that may be due to the gym chains that make up a much larger slice of the market here than they do abroad. I think they'll likely be initially taken up by independent gyms or facilities that cater to athletes with a disability. Watch this space, as this will catch on faster than Spinning ever did!
So, I'm now back in full health, starting to train seriously once again and, as you can see, I'm back on the blog! For starters, if some of you had problems downloading the first of my mixed rides, I have made it available again for your downloadable pleasure!
Next ride coming soon...
Along the way, I attended the only (so far) Kranking instructor course in the UK - although it's spread quickly in the US, Italy and Germany, it's yet to make an impact here in the UK. I think that may be due to the gym chains that make up a much larger slice of the market here than they do abroad. I think they'll likely be initially taken up by independent gyms or facilities that cater to athletes with a disability. Watch this space, as this will catch on faster than Spinning ever did!
So, I'm now back in full health, starting to train seriously once again and, as you can see, I'm back on the blog! For starters, if some of you had problems downloading the first of my mixed rides, I have made it available again for your downloadable pleasure!
Next ride coming soon...
Friday, December 18
Have a phenomenal Christmas!
In case I don't get a chance later this week, I hope you all have a phenomenal Christmas!
Video not playing? Try here!
Video not playing? Try here!
The countdown begins...
It's Christmas week, so I've only just started getting into the spirit of things (unlike the shops, who seem to think it begins in August). I'm hosting Christmas this year, so I've been away from my blog lately, as my spare time has been taken up by painting, decorating and clearing out the house in time for the festive lunches and dinners as well as getting the necessary things in place - new furniture, Christmas tree, ordering food, etc. In case you're interested, here's the menu:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Salmon patê on Melba Toast
Champagne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bruschetta (with tomato/garlic/basil)
Crostini (with wild boar ragû)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gnocchi with wild boar ragû and fresh parmesan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roast pork loin with prune and cognac stuffing
Roast potatoes with rosemary
Green beans & carrots
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Panettone with Marsala-infused custard
Accompanied with a glass of Marsala wine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mince pies with a shot of Amaretto
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coffee / grappa / whisky to digest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hungry yet? Sounds complicated but it's all planned out and I can prepare a lot of it on Christmas Eve for minimal effort on the day itself - the hardest part will be toasting the bread for the bruschetta and crostini!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Salmon patê on Melba Toast
Champagne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bruschetta (with tomato/garlic/basil)
Crostini (with wild boar ragû)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gnocchi with wild boar ragû and fresh parmesan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roast pork loin with prune and cognac stuffing
Roast potatoes with rosemary
Green beans & carrots
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Panettone with Marsala-infused custard
Accompanied with a glass of Marsala wine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mince pies with a shot of Amaretto
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coffee / grappa / whisky to digest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hungry yet? Sounds complicated but it's all planned out and I can prepare a lot of it on Christmas Eve for minimal effort on the day itself - the hardest part will be toasting the bread for the bruschetta and crostini!
Monday, October 26
Zen cycling
A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, "Why are you riding your bicycles?"
The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying the sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the first student, "You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do."
The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!" The teacher commended the second student, "Your eyes are open, and you see the world."
The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel."
The fourth student replied, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings." The teacher was pleased, and said to the fourth student, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming."
The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle"
The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said,
"Ahh.... I am your student!"
The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying the sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the first student, "You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do."
The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!" The teacher commended the second student, "Your eyes are open, and you see the world."
The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel."
The fourth student replied, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings." The teacher was pleased, and said to the fourth student, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming."
The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle"
The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said,
"Ahh.... I am your student!"
Friday, October 9
Busy weekend ahead
Aside from my usual classes, this weekend will see me volunteering at the Spinning Showcase at the Chelsea football stadium in London. Not sure what will be involved, probably moving bikes around and filling water bottles, but I'm sure it'll be fun and I'll get to hang around and soak up the atmosphere. Besides, I've done so many conventions this year (Miami twice, New York, Hemsby) that I can give this one a miss, despite it being on my doorstep. Definitely next year, though!
Also this weekend is the Ironman World Champs in Kona, Hawaii. For me and many in the UK triathlon community, the men's event has taken a back seat these past few years as Chrissie Wellington did us proud on her first year as a pro, repeating the performance the following year despite losing a lot of time with a punctured tyre. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll be able to watch the online coverage on Saturday night, which has a cult following all of its own.
Go Chrissie - make it a hat-trick!
Also this weekend is the Ironman World Champs in Kona, Hawaii. For me and many in the UK triathlon community, the men's event has taken a back seat these past few years as Chrissie Wellington did us proud on her first year as a pro, repeating the performance the following year despite losing a lot of time with a punctured tyre. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll be able to watch the online coverage on Saturday night, which has a cult following all of its own.
Go Chrissie - make it a hat-trick!
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