Beginners Mind

Holy hell, it was windy today. I didn’t actually notice how windy until I got on my bike to ride up to the Mogo trails. I was barely moving along my street and a couple of times felt like the bike would be blown over. It’s always better in the forest, although lots of folk would be scared stiff to go into the forest on a windy day for fear of being hit by a fallen branch or tree. It does happen, but not frequently enough to justify a high degree of trepidation. The trails were riding well; which is actually a bit of a surprise after all the rain and now wind. I stopped a few times to heft off some big branches so it was a bit of a stop/start ride. Coming up the last hill, I got off to clear a few large branches from the track and my handlebars swung right around and my dropper post became permanently dropped again. So, there I was riding uphill again with my knees around my ears. I couldn’t remember how Doug had fixed it last time but luckily I was able to get him on the telephone and he told me how to do it. It’s bad enough riding like that on the flat paved bike trail but up a bush track is just uncomfortable.

I’ve been experimenting with less volume strength training in a very simple program. Three days a week, occasionally all three in a row but that is less than ideal. Two days strength, one day power. This is what that looks like:

• Day One: Split squats, overhead press, core, glutes, accessory work (biceps, triceps). Four sets of up to five reps where the weight goes up if I get all four sets of five reps.

• Day Two: Deadlifts, push-ups or bench press, core, glutes, accessory work (rows, biceps or triceps). Four sets of up to five reps where the weight goes up if I get all four sets of five reps.

• Day Three: Power cleans, jump squats, core, glutes, accessory work.

There is a warm up to this program, which is mostly the same: 3 rounds of each of 5 squat to sit on the ground and stand up, 5 pull-ups or rows, 5 push-ups.

Does it work? I’m less fatigued all the time, my climbing has improved a bit, and today I rode up the trails in my second lowest gear instead of grinding up in the granny gear all the way, so I think it is, although the neurotic part of my brain worries about “time under tension” being too low. Of course, like all training, it will work until it doesn’t and the key is to recognise when it is time to change the programme.

I’m not sure this low volume/load would work for everybody. I’ve been strength training for decades so the easy gains are so far in the rear view mirror that I don’t recognise them anymore. Anyone with a short training history could probably train more and make more gains, but the longer you have been training the harder the incremental gains get. When it comes to strength training, it’s great to be a beginner because you can put the weight up every week.