The Strength Paradigm for Cyclists

The reality is that during the season, we shouldn’t stop strength training, but rather switch to a maintenance program rather than a build program.

To discuss in-season training, we need to address the concept of fitness-fatigue. This concept is not new, but let's discuss it again, as it helps explain why we don't always feel stronger the day after a hard workout, how timing impacts performance, and why the dose of training must be carefully balanced with recovery. It's not just a theory; it's the logic behind loading and deloading weeks, also known as strategic planning for coaches.

What is the fitness-fatigue concept?

The fitness-fatigue concept explains how the body responds to training as a balance between two opposing forces: fitness and fatigue.

• Fitness: the positive adaptations (like strength training and endurance) that accumulate over time from effective training

• Fatigue: the temporary drop in performance due to the stress imposed by training

After a training session, our performance potential, or preparedness, is a combination of both these effects.

As Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky explains in his book Science and Practice of Strength Training, every workout results in both:

1. A gain in fitness prompted by the training

2. An increase in fatigue that temporarily masks the fitness gained

In essence, we're always improving and exhausting ourselves at the same time. The trick is knowing how long each effect lasts and how to structure training so that fatigue dissipates and fitness remains.

Fitness vs. fatigue: Uneven timelines

One of the most important principles of the fitness-fatigue concept is that fitness and fatigue don't operate on the same timeline. Fatigue has a shorter half-life than fitness. For estimation, the model assumes that fatigue lasts about three times less than fitness.

To put that into context, if fatigue from a workout lasts about 24 hours, the positive adaptations from that session may last up to 72 hours or more.

This time discrepancy is powerful. It means that if we allow enough recovery, the fatigue drops away, and our performance can peak, despite the work being done days earlier. This is the physiological principle that underpins tapering before competition or peaking before a strength test. The goal is to reduce fatigue just enough to let our true level of fitness shine through.

A simple equation for a complex system

Zatsiorsky created a formula for preparedness (current performance potential):

Preparedness = P₀ + P₁e^(-kt) - P₂e^(-k₂t)

Where:

• P₀ is the baseline preparedness

• P₁ is the magnitude of fitness gain

• P₂ is the magnitude of fatigue

• k and k₂ are decay rates

• t is time

This math is abstract, but the meaning is practical: Fitness grows and fades more slowly, while fatigue spikes higher but drops off faster.

You don't need to memorize the equation to benefit from the principle: we need to train in a way that maximizes the fitness signal while managing the fatigue. That's what smart programming does.

Why did I take time to talk about this? Our winter group coaching members just spent twelve weeks building strength gains to improve their performance on the bike. At this point in their training, they’re feeling balanced, strong, and ready for their race season to kick off, having dedicated significant time this winter to maximize their strength training, loosen aches and pains, get better at climbing, and become a better rider.

And guess what: once the season starts, strength training shouldn’t stop. The strength program most of us will go into during the season will be a maintenance program to prepare us for race week, make sure old aches and pains don’t come back, and maintain the strength we worked so hard on over the winter.

However, during the season, the fitness-fatigue concept is dialed in for athletes a lot more, because we are peaking with more races. Paying attention to weekly planning for strength and cycling is even more critical for optimal performance. Thankfully, the fatigue won’t last as long, because based on Zatsiorsky’s preparedness model, we’ve adapted to the training over the course of twelve weeks or more. If we stop strength training and only ride during the season, the reality of the law of diminishing returns is that some strength will be lost, and by the time we start strength training again, we might be back to square one. If we instead continue a strength program, we only lose a little strength because of continuing a maintenance program.

Keep pushing through your season with strength training! It will continue to improve you year round, not just seasonally.

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At BaseCamp, we believe that every cyclist has the potential to achieve greatness, no matter where they start. Our mission is to create a community-driven training environment where cyclists and triathletes of all levels can train together, support each other, and grow stronger, faster, and more confident in their abilities. Our cycling training programs are expert driven and tailored to your needs. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, BaseCamp is where you belong.