Ah, summertime!
FINALLY!
All those hours on the trainer during the winter working to build up our foundational fitness and putting the work in the weight room have all been building to this prime-time for what we all love most…being on the bike.
But there's a catch.
If we stop consistent training, we'll lose fitness and the very adaptations.
We all know this, as none of us would get to the summer and ride our bikes less on purpose (hey, life gets in the way sometimes) and still expect to keep up great or even decent fitness.
So why the heck are we stopping strength training?
Time.
Energy.
Those two tend to be the most common excuses thrown around, but they are just that: excuses.
In the very same family as "the dog ate my homework."
You laugh.
But it's true.
And you know it.
Below are three keys to keeping our strength training rolling through the summer ride season so we can have our best year yet and build toward more years in our lives and more life in those years.
Let the warmup hit the right spots
Having a go-to warm up that addresses the major challenges we want to work on (core strength, joint mobility, balance) allows us to easily roll through our workouts and "at least get started."
If you participated in the BaseCamp group coaching strength program this past winter, keep using your Day 1 or Day 2 warmup, whichever made you feel better.
If you were not in the BaseCamp program, try this quick warmup routine, completing 1 set of 5-8 repetitions each (if there are "sides," perform 5-8 repetitions each side).
Once every 7-10 days
While it is certainly ideal to get at least one strength session a week, sometimes we either just don't have the time due to work, family, and social commitments. Other times it's energy management.
These are legitimate challenges.
But you can get in one strength session every 7-10 days. The key is to keep the strength program the same through this three- to five-week period and to base the weights/resistance solely on how you're feeling.
End every session with recovery breathing
As human beings, the one thing we truly need is often the very thing we skip, skimp on, or neglect to do.
When it comes to improving performance, a simple three-minute routine can help us drastically improve our recovery time, adaptations, and results:
Breathing.
If you've been racking up the miles and are starting to feel your low back, hips, or neck getting cranky, try three minutes of crocodile breathing with a towel, breathing in through your nose for five seconds, holding your breath for two seconds, and then breathing out through your mouth for five seconds as you push the air out from the bottom of your stomach.
Making the commitment to strength training toward a stronger, more resilient and capable you takes a concerted and consistent effort. But as with all seeds in life, it pays you tenfold in return.
Make the effort.
Make it happen.
Watch yourself blossom this season.