This plan is designed specifically for the Masters athlete. A 20 year old athlete has different natural abilities and training requirements than a 40 year old athlete and will thrive on a different training plan. The most obvious change with age is a slowdown in recovery. With age there is less time and room to absorb training mistakes. A Masters athlete excels on a targeted and specific plan. This LW Coaching Masters XC Build, Peak and Race training plan works on a three week training cycle, two training weeks then one recovery week, to match fitness development and recovery cycle of the Master athlete.
Athletes “age” at different rates. This Masters 40+ plan might be appropriate for a 30 year old with natural slow recovery.
This plan is designed to progress to after completing the 12 week LW Coaching Masters 40+ Cross Country Mountain Bike Base Training Plan.
Consistency: This the most important factor for a Masters athlete. “Use it or lose it” is a big element in continued performance with age. The more frequent recovery weeks in this plan promote increased consistency by keeping the athlete below the overtraining, injury and burnout threshold.
12 week strength maintenance program: This Masters build, peak and race training plan contains a 12 week strength maintenance program to maintain muscular strength and bone density established during base training. Muscular strength increases resilience to injury, contributes to consistency and keeps you in the game as you age.
Weekly technical ride skills practice: Weekly skills practice is in this plan. Use it or lose it definitely applies to technical mountain bike ride skills for Masters racing at cross country speeds. This build, peak and race plan focuses on technical riding skills at XC race pace. Stay smooth and fast when heart rate is pegged.
Weekly intensity sessions: This build, peak and race plan contains weekly on the bike intensity sessions to build speed and power on top of base training fitness. XC race pace and XC race start practice, VO2max intervals and threshold sessions prepare the Masters athlete to peak their XC race performance in plan week #12.
This plan is paced by Power (watts), heart rate and perceived exertion. A heart rate monitor is recommended to follow this training plan. A power meter is an optional (and highly advantageous) extra. A power meter is not required to successfully follow this training plan. Most cycling workouts in this plan contain both power and heart rate pacing instructions. In week one you will set heart rate zones, power training levels (if you have power available) and a performance benchmark with a field test. This test is repeated in weeks 6 to track performance improvements, power increases and check your heart rate zones are accurate.
Visit the LW Coaching website http://lwcoaching.com/ to ask training plan questions on our forum, read mountain bike specific training articles, learn new workouts and see what events our coaches and athletes have been racing.
Sample Workouts:
Workout #1: Strength
Planned Time: 0:45:00Focus: Maintenance of strength established in Base training plan. Warm up with 5 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. Then do 2 sets of maintenance weight lifting; squat, power clean, bench press, cable row. First set is light (12 reps with 15RM load). Second set is heavy (3-6 reps with 6RM load). 1-2 min rest between sets. Lift with good technique and at a comfortable speed. Do the exercises in this order: 2 sets of squats, 20 x crunches, 20 x oblique crunches, 2 sets of power clean, 20 x back extensions, 2 sets of bench press, 2 sets of cable row. Then for 10 mins do core work or strengthen a personal weakness or complete personal rehab exercises. Finish with 5 minutes of stretching. NOTES: Power clean demo video here http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/power-clean.html Crunches and back extensions are with body weight only.
Workout #2: Other
Welcome to week #1 of the LW Coaching Masters Cross Country Build Peak and Race Training Plan. Please take a minute to register at the LW Coaching Forum.: http://www.lwcoaching.com/?page_id=311 Here you can get training plan and racing questions answered.Workout #3: Bike
Planned Time: 1:30:00Heart rate, Power and Performance Field Test. If you are continuing on from the LW Coaching Masters Base Training Plan then you did this test last week. There is no need to repeat it this week. Instead do the below workout - do not do the test and the workout today, choose one! If you are new to LWCoaching training plans, do the test today to set your heart rate training zones, power levels and performance benchmark. Do a long deep warm up prior to the test. Then time trial 20 minutes on a flat out-back course or up a continuous gradual climb. Pace the 20 minutes evenly with a maximal effort. Record average power, average heart rate and distance covered in the 20 minutes. Finish ride time with a long easy cool down. Use the LW Coaching Heart Rate Zone and Power Training Level Calculator at this link to calculate your training zones/levels: http://lwcoaching.com/trainingplans/levelCalcs.htm . Prior to conducting this test review the Testing Guidelines doc found at this link: http://lwcoaching.com/?p=138
Workout #4: Bike
Planned Time: 1:30:00Miss out this session if you do the 20 min test today. Warm up well then do 3 x 12 minutes at power Level 4 or in heart rate zone 4 with 3 minute recoveries in heart rate Z1 or power L1 between intervals. Finish the ride in heart rate Z1 or Power L1. Record power and heart rates for post workout analysis and comparison with future workouts. Immediately on ending this ride replenish your muscle glycogen stores with a recovery drink containing both carbohydrate and protein such as Ultragen, Recoverite or Endurox or eat real food. Fast recovery after today's session is crucial to be able to put out a quality session tomorrow. Read this Recovery Strategies Doc: http://lwcoaching.com/?p=137 today and use every recovery method available to you.
Workout #5: Strength
Planned Time: 0:45:00Focus: Maintenance of strength established in Base training plan. Warm up with 5 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. Then do 2 sets of maintenance weight lifting for deadlift, push press barbell and dumbbell snatch. First set is light (12 reps with 15RM load). Second set is heavy (3-6 reps with 6RM load). 1-2 min rest between sets. Lift with good technique and at a comfortable speed. Do the exercises in this order: 2 sets deadlift, 60 second plank, 2 sets push press barbell, 10 x each leg box blast, 2 sets 20 x each side dumbbell 1-arm snatch, 10 x each side 1-leg glute bridge. Then for 10 mins do core work or strengthen a personal weakness or complete personal rehab exercises. Finish with 5 minutes of stretching. NOTES: Plank, box blasts, glute bridge are body weight only. Pushpress barbell (demo video here http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/push-press-barbell.html), glute bridge 1-leg (http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/glute-bridge-one-leg.html), box blast (demo video here http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/box-blast-continuous.html), dumbbell 1 arm snatch (see demo video here http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/snatch-1-arm-dumbbell.html).
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