How to survive winter

"What are you doing this winter?" This is a question that most cyclists are frequently asked once the Jacket is well laid out. With the road race calendar buried for a few months and the cyclocross season over, it's time for reflection, introspection... and a new beginning! Why not take advantage of the cold temperatures to do something other than ride your bike?

Cycling trains our bodies to perform a specific, constant, and very, very (very) repetitive movement. The foot Crankset around the Crankset axis several thousand times per Ride. Imagine how many repetitions you've accumulated by the end of a season! Adding up such a large number of repetitions can be harmful to tissue and lead to overuse injuries. That's why, during the winter season, it's important to change your repetitive patterns in order to "wake up" the muscles involved in the rotational movement, but also and above all to take a mental break from biking and watts.

Biking, yes, but other things too

You'll probably tell me that to be good at biking, you have to bike. Even in winter, to refine your pedaling technique or maintain your power. I'll tell you that you're right... but only partly. In fact, several studies show an improvement in power or aerobic strength in cyclists who add a few weight training sessions to their training. In addition, other studies claim that practicing a sport with eccentric movements (running, for example) allows for better power deployment when practicing a closed-loop sport such as cycling. In short, it's not all black and white! Yes, you have to keep pedaling during the winter, but be careful not to overspecialize your pedaling system.

Speaking of white, take advantage of it to get outside! Quebec is one of the world's greatest playgrounds for winter sports. Cross-country skiing, ski touring (skimo), snowshoeing, fat biking, hockey, Pad , or even running: take advantage of the weekends to freeze your nose a little. Give yourself the opportunity to work other muscle groups, wake up those good old arms that do nothing but hold your pots and pans, and take the opportunity to engage your core to develop your precious abs.

How to get through winter without getting depressed

I admit that it can sometimes be difficult to get through winter without getting depressed or torturing yourself with overwhelming daydreams of beautiful bike rides the warmth. Here are two tips to keep you motivated throughout our beloved Quebec winter: 

Set yourself a winter goal

Here, don't think about watts or results. The idea is to think about something other than your regular training. If you ride an indoor bike several times a week, your goal could be to include an outdoor activity in those sessions. You could also set a goal to take part in a winter event, such as a cross-country ski loppet, the Snow Pentathlon, or a fat bike race. 

Slowly but surely!

Plan your training sessions by visualizing a pyramid, with the peak representing your peak performance for the season and the base representing the many hours of endurance training. You want to have a solid foundation so that you can build on it, progress through each stage, and work on each aspect of your fitness to reach peak condition. If you skip steps, your pyramid may collapse or not rise very high. So start slowly, spend a lot of time in the endurance zone on your skis, in the gym, or on the roller, without having a clear goal. As time goes on, you'll want to do workouts specific to your summer goals. 

In short, stay in control of your winter; it's a long one! Varying your workout can definitely have a positive impact on your body, but also on your mind. There's nothing better than mixing up disciplines and getting some fresh air to come back even more pumped for your specific indoor workouts!