Books

anrothar

entirely thrilled
i just picked myself up four training books. The Lance Armstrong Performance Program by Lance Armstrong and Chris Carmichael. Serious Cycling by Edmund R. Burke, PHD. Mountain Bike Like A Champion by Ned Overend, and The Mountain Bikers Training Bible by Joe Friel. The first two are connected through the involvement/endorsement of Chris Carmichael, and the second two are connected through Ned Overend in the same way. All can be had at Barnes & Noble

i'll post reviews of each of them both after i've finished reading them and during my training as i realize the benefits of each one. i'll post them all in this specific post, just editing them in. let's put all of our training and nutrition book reviews here.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
At some point I'll toss out some thoughts on some of these and a few others. Maybe after I absorb them all and pass out, then wake up with full enlightenment.
 

rocknrollgirl

Well-Known Member
the training bible

I read this one last month. It make sense, but is so detailed in the planning that although I am serious about training, I do not know if I can follow this plan. I am going to try to incorporate some of the ideas. I would love to know what you think when you are done with it.


Ruth
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I ended up taking some good stuff from Friel. But all in all it is too fine-grained for most people. Plus he doesn't advocate block training nor reverse periodization, which I'm going to give a shot this year. His strength training, stretching, and nutrition stuff is suspect as well, IMO.
 

rocknrollgirl

Well-Known Member
Norm

What is reverse periodization?????

And as far as the strength training. I strength train year round 2x a week because I am over 40, and it may seem hard to believe, but even with all of the mt biking and running that I do, I have a hard time keeping my muscle mass if I do not lift. I think it is an age thing.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
rocknrollgirl said:
What is reverse periodization?????

And as far as the strength training. I strength train year round 2x a week because I am over 40, and it may seem hard to believe, but even with all of the mt biking and running that I do, I have a hard time keeping my muscle mass if I do not lift. I think it is an age thing.

Reverse periodization is basicallly starting the "season" with higher intensity work, like V02max and Anaerobic intervals, stuff in the 2-5 minute range. Then move on to LT work (10-60 min) then Tempo. There's really no reason to spend 2-3 months building a base, unless you're new to biking or if you take 3-4 months off.

Muscle mass doesn't help biking through. There is no study which shows the effectivemess of strength training in regards to biking. Now if you're talking overall fitness, that's a different story. But the best way to get the strength and flexibility you need for biking, is to spend time on your bike.
 

rocknrollgirl

Well-Known Member
Thanks

Thanks Norm for the clarification. The base building part of " The Bible" was part of what was bothering me.

And in terms of my mass, I weigh 113 pounds...so that is the mass I am talking about!!! I mean muscle in terms of my overall health and fitness. Not big muscle mass, just the muscle that I have. It is hard for me to keep if I do not lift a few weights.

I am going to do some research online to find out more about the reverse periodization.

Thanks.
 

NJ Jess

Active Member
They are the bomb!

Both Ned Overend, mountain bike like a champion, and William Nealy, Mountain Bike, are my two favorite books. I recommend them at all the beginner clinics because they are fun to read, and any riders can have an instant improvement in skills.
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
any recommendations for a paper training diary/log? or would i be better off making one myself?
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Training diary

anrothar said:
any recommendations for a paper training diary/log? or would i be better off making one myself?
I've been using "At A Glance" brand collegiate planners, weekly format, for years. I record ride time, road or mtb, which bike, where, weather, perceived effort, and anything else which is relevant. I haven't used a HRM for several years now, but I kept that data as well at the time.

I'm a teacher, so I buy the academic year planner every August.

It's cool to look back in these things as the years go by. I've got every ride I've done since 1992 written down.:)
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I use an Excel spreadsheet I cooked up myself. I'm always changing it so I suggest making it yourself. I find paper tough to navigate.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
i picked up ned overend's mountain bike like a champion, and mastering mountain biking skills (brian lopes). i inadvertantly purchased friel's road bible but returned it. is the mountain biking bible a must read?
 
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ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
i picked up ned overend's mountain bike like a champion, and mastering mountain biking skills (brian lopes). i inadvertantly purchased friel's road bible but returned it. is the mountain biking bible a must read?
In my opinion, Friel is indispensible. I have the road and mtb versions, and there's not a huge difference between the two, at least the early editions. They've been revised since I bought mine.

Ned's book is another must-read, I believe. "Skills" books are always a bit weird, but he's got loads of cool anecdotes in there that provide a lot of insight. And the guy is just an ageless badass.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Steve,

It really depends. Friel may be too much for you right now. A lot of people feel like he makes it overcomplicated. I can see that, but I think his books have merit for sure. I don't agree with all of his approaches but that's up to you to decide if you like him. I think you should find a plan that gets you in the saddle 4-5 times a week and uses periodization in some form.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
chris: i figured there had to be some redundancy betwen the two, but since i don't do any road riding...

norm: i re-read the thread prior to my post, especially some of the comments you and rnrg discussed. And I would agree that friel might be too much for me to jump into, but winter is long and i love to read.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Steve,

Check out this link:
http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/training/training.php

It's an online training plan (16 weeks I think) which is intended to get you ready for a 100 mile off-road ride. While it may be shorter than your 2007 season, and a tad longer than your target event, it's still worth the read. That will give you an idea of a "standard" build up.

Then read Friel and work it in, or replace, or ignore. I think more information is always better than less. You might also want to check out books by Ed Burke, Chris Carmichael, and maybe even Greg LeMond. I think they all have some merit. But definitely read Friel.
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
This all sounds interesting...

I would love to know what has worked for people. I know it would be to my benefit to get on a regimine for the winter so i can become a better rider to keep up w/ the big boys :)

Im not a big reader (actually i hate reading, unless there are pictures) but if you really highly recommend a book. Ill give it a try.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
Steve,

Check out this link:
http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/training/training.php

It's an online training plan (16 weeks I think) which is intended to get you ready for a 100 mile off-road ride. While it may be shorter than your 2007 season, and a tad longer than your target event, it's still worth the read. That will give you an idea of a "standard" build up.

Then read Friel and work it in, or replace, or ignore. I think more information is always better than less. You might also want to check out books by Ed Burke, Chris Carmichael, and maybe even Greg LeMond. I think they all have some merit. But definitely read Friel.

norm, i'm getting hooked! great site
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
fred that link norm provided would probably be the easiest one to follow if your text-ention span is low. the mountain bikers training bible would be good, because you can just skip over the sections that are beyond you(i skipped a few since i'm just starting out with the training), and the info probably wont become obsolete.
 
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