“We’re all individuals” shouted the mob outside Brian’s window in the Monty Python classic Life of Brian. We’re also all individuals in our response to training, and that may be due to our muscle fibre typing.

I’m talking to those of you who are cyclists, riding 6+ hours a week for the majority of the calendar year, and who are over the age of 40, and whom do not participate in regular strength training throughout the year, but rather pick it up solely in the fall and winter.

TOOLBOX: The loss of events due to the pandemic can have a big impact on our motivation to train. You may have noticed changes in your motivation to put in mileage, strength train, get on your trainer, eat right, or even get off the couch and go to bed on time. Here's how to use exercise to bust out of that de-motivational funk.

Can training the respiratory system improve exercise performance? If so, should we be maximally time-efficient and use it during exercise and interval training?

With #CXisNOTCOMING the hashtag for many of us and the fall season arriving, it’s time to start thinking about transitioning out of peak summer cycling form. Should we think about just riding easy during this period, or including a bit of intense work?

TOOLBOX: It’s funny, that as cyclists we spend so much time and energy focusing on our legs when we strength train, yet we don’t give a thought to the very things at the end that connect us to the bicycle: our feet. 

Whether it’s amateurs or professionals, a very high proportion of races ends up in a mass sprint. While we all see the dramatic final burst to the line, the frantic leadup to that final sprint is the critical springboard to success…

Simply performing strength training exercises and looking to add more resistance and weight week to week, is NOT going to get us the results we want to see in our sport. But what’s the difference between just strength training and training for performance?

TOOLBOX: After the first few years of cycling, we learn that the best gear, the fanciest supplements, and the most favorable weather will only get us so far. In order to take performance from good to great, the resources, skills, and extra juice we need to improve comes from the inside, not out.