Time off. Sometimes it’s essential and deliberately planned into our annual training schedule. Other times it’s forced upon us by work, family priorities, and even injury. While useful, breaks can bring out the fear of losing all of our carefully built fitness. What is the minimum dose of training that you need in order to maintain fitness?

We all (should) know that rest is just as important to fitness as training itself. But how should we rest the best in between intervals? Should we completely chill out or recover actively?

Strength training is a critical component of fitness and health, but ultimately we’re interested in being faster and stronger on the bike itself. One of the key aspects of better bike fitness is energy management, whether within a day, training cycle, or through a big multi-day event.

One of the latest health trends on social media is the concept of cold baths or cold immersions being good for our health. What's the actual science of using cold showers or baths for improving your health? What should athletes be considering when it comes to ice baths for recovery?

April showers bring May flowers…. Or in a cyclists case, the Giro d’Italia and the urge to start riding longer and/or harder. But unless we want our fitness to start wilting like the daisies come July, we need to make sure we are giving ourselves the right Seed, Soil, Sunshine, and Rain. 

TOOLBOX: We have said it before but it bears repeating – to improve our fitness, we need to recover as hard, or even harder, than we train. The challenge is in knowing when we have reached that optimal level of training stimulus and when to back off from hard training.

TOOLBOX: It can be challenging to fit training in around our busy lives. Some adapt by training in the evening after the rest of “life” gets done. Does hard exercise in the evening, and the attendant stimulus, affect our sleep quality and subsequent recovery?

TOOLBOX: The holidays, social events, winter weather, and less daylight are all good reasons for taking time off from training and kicking back a bit. But how does this time off, and detraining affect your cycling fitness? 

In today’s toolbox article, I wanted to spend some time focusing on an aspect of our fitness that all too many cyclists neglect: stretching. Since I tend to also neglect that aspect of my fitness, I consulted a good friend of mine, Elise Yanover, who has been a registered physiotherapist in Toronto for the last 29 years to gather some more detailed information.