When you cycle regularly, you are sometimes frustrated by how slowly progress appears. To progress in cycling, it is therefore important to put all the assets on your side . How to do ? Here are some tips from our experts.
The key to success: a reasoned diet
This is one of the basic rules for anyone who wants to progress in their sporting discipline: monitor their diet . This is especially true in cycling. It is not a question of diet here, but rather of a balance between what we eat and what we ask of our body. Impossible to progress in cycling without suitable fuel!
In cycling, the most consumed products in our Stimium range are:
- Stimium® PreWorkOut Max to improve resistance to exercise
- Stimium® Pro-Nrj Caps , for extra energy and vitality before all your outings (and possibly during!)
- Stimium Boost Powder for a complete recharge in the bottle with carbohydrates and vitamins for outings of less than 2 hours.
- Stimium® Mc3 or Stimium® Mc3 powder for the production of NO and ATP allowing increased oxygenation of the muscles.
- Stimium® Boost and Stimium® Pro-Nrj for the immediate energy that our Gums provide and the ease of consumption during your outings.
Including at least one snack in your diet is an excellent idea when cycling. Nuts, fruits or yogurts are dishes of choice for these useful gourmet breaks.
Bodybuilding, fitness, skipping rope, yoga: vary the pleasures
To progress on a bike, it is interesting to… do something other than cycling. For example: develop your muscles and strengthen them. How to do ? Bodybuilding, fitness and jumping rope are all tools that cyclists can use to develop their strength and endurance.
Jumping rope , for example, is a very good solution for warming up, learning to resist impacts and working on your cardio while increasing the power of the calf and shoulder muscles, essential for the road runner.
Bodybuilding strengthens the key muscle chains for cycling. As such, squat exercises with a bar on the shoulders are certainly among the most suitable workouts for those who cycle regularly. On this muscle strengthening part, the Stimium range is also very relevant:
- Stimium® PreWorkOut Max to prepare organisms for muscle strengthening loads,
- Stimium Pwr Creatine , for muscle strengthening and improved recovery
- our Stimium® [C] Whey , Stimium® Iso Hwy or Stimium® VegPro proteins to maintain a good protein intake sustainably during the training phase, preferably consumed after your outings.
- Stimium BCAA Instant , L-leucine L-isoleucine L-valine L-glutamine to help muscle development and muscle recovery by helping to reduce exercise-related fatigue.
Yoga is another sport practiced as a complement by champions and high-level athletes. Thanks to it, the muscles soften, concentration improves and the body relaxes.
Easy or difficult: adapt your outings
Varying the intensity of your cycling outings is another wise tip for progressing quickly in cycling . How to do ?
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Gaining speed is a tip that works every time. The cyclist thus improves his power. How to proceed ? All you have to do is gradually increase your speed when going up a hill and maintain it for three minutes at the beginning, then four minutes, then five minutes and so on until you are able to climb the entire slope without slowing down.
- Riding into the wind is also a good way to optimize your muscular endurance. Taking advantage of a windy day to schedule this type of workout is excellent for your fitness.
- Using block training ensures visible and rapid progress. This involves alternating very hard sessions with simpler sessions. This alternation promotes the body's physiological adaptation processes and allows you to quickly gain strength. To properly carry out this type of training, you must, for example, start with an outing on hilly terrain on the first day, schedule sprints on a flat circuit on the second day and treat yourself to a recovery day on the third before going on an outing. slow, flexible, the fourth.
Taking care of your recovery: an imponderable
It is impossible to progress in cycling if the body does not recover well. The first thing to monitor is your sleep pattern. You need to make sure you get enough sleep . Listen to your body and give it enough
complete rest to allow him to recover after an intense training session or competition. In addition to the number 1 product in France with Stimium MC3 , our Mix Stimium® Iso Carb , initially developed for a top European football club, lends itself very well to the recovery of cyclists with its clever dosage of isolated proteins and glucose/fructose, to replenish these glycogen and protein sources.
Massages¹ also facilitate recovery. Do not hesitate to call a professional after a period of intense activity or after a race. It is also possible to do them yourself by investing in equipment such as foam rollers.
Complete rest allows the body to recharge its batteries, but it is also possible to practice what is called active recovery . It's all about doing a simple, slow, easy cycling session. Many runners find this to be the best way to help the body recover from the strain it has experienced during an intense session or competition.
A healthy lifestyle, recovery and appropriate training are essential to progress in cycling and to prevent physiological stress from taking over and leading to injuries or a distaste for the practice.
And you, what are the best practices that allow you to progress in cycling?
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¹Massage therapy improves circulation, alleviates muscle soreness | 2014,
University of Illinois at Chicago |
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140416125434.htm
