News

  • Cycling Training Plans To Help You Stay On Track

    Our cycling training plans help you gain the knowledge and experience you need to succeed in the cycling world. Our plans our designed around your needs. They include a beginner plan to help you increase endurance, a beginner plan to help gain knowledge, and intermediate plan, and a winter plan for off season training. You will be taught by a known Olympic coach with experience in cycling. Be faster, stronger, and go longer with our cycling training plans. 

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  • Call Gale Bernhardt For Your Triathlon Training Plan

    These ready to use training programs are the most convenient option for self trained athletes. They allow you to train on your own time; no schedule appointments, or meeting somewhere you don't want to go. Our triathlon training plans are offered for every level of athlete and designed to help you improve your triathlon abilities. Whether completing a triathlon is a new goal or you compete for a living, these programs will help you get in the best shape possible before your triathlon. If triathlons aren't exactly your "thing", there are four different categories for training programs including triathlons, cycling,...

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  • Half-Ironman (70.3) triathlon training plan, 3-to-1 or 2-to-1 training cycles?

    Good morning, Gale. My name is Rob and I am a self-coached triathlete who purchased your 2nd Edition of Training Plans for Multisport Athletes book. I am very excited to delve into all the plans; but, for now I do have one question regarding modifying the 27-week half-Ironman (70.3) plan. Before I ask my question, as a point of reference I used another coach last year training for my first Ironman. During that time the coach had me follow a 3-to-1 work-recovery week cycle with more training hours than shown in your plan. I ended up sick six times during...

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  • On-the-bike strength training workout

    When I assemble training plans for triathletes, cyclists and mountain bikers there are times when I want a primarily aerobic workout; but I want an on-the-bike strength training load. I like this workout to be done on a hill, because it is easier for the athletes to keep power high and heart rate in the aerobic zone. I did this type of workout myself yesterday. Before looking at my training file, first you need to know my training zones. The zones are calculated using the table in Training Plans for Cyclists. Power Zones - Watts Zone 1 0 101 Zone...

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  • What’s more important to you a Strava KOM or a PR on race day?

    Yesterday I put out a tweet that said, “Small hint: If you are "killing it" on Strava segments and getting your fanny spanked in races, your training plan priorities are wrong.” This tweet had a huge number of responses on both email and Twitter. One person, @AndreLSD, made a comment that got me wondering what really is more important to athletes. I know that optimally you would have both; but if you could only have one, what is more important – a Strava KOM or a PR on race day?

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  • Are you training too much?

    If you’ve finished your first race of the season and your results were less than expected, perhaps you’re training too much? It is common for endurance athletes (triathletes, mountain bikers, cyclists and runners) to have a very high work ethic. A great work ethic is a good trait, but it must be tempered. Take a look at your training plan to see if training volume and intensity over the course of several weeks looks like a rolling course profile. There should be climbs and descents, or peaks and valleys. Resist the temptation to follow an ever-increasing volume and intensity program...

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  • Mono-speed, mono-volume and group workouts are the enemies of optimal performance

    A cyclist hired me to review his training plan. What I saw in his plan were several common errors made by many self-coached cyclists. (Triathletes and mountain bikers make the same errors.) Perhaps my advice to him can help you too. 1.       Change intensity. Often, self-coached athletes make the mistake of doing every workout at a mono-speed (really intensity) that is not fast and not slow. New athletes get lured into this trap because at the beginning of developing fitness, mono-speed doesn’t appear to hamper performance improvement. This is primarily because new endurance athletes have no fitness so as long...

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  • When training ramps up, personal care should follow

    This is the time of year when northern hemisphere endurance athletes ramp up their training plans. It doesn’t matter if the athlete is training for a triathlon, a road cycling event or a mountain bike race – training volume and intensity is increasing. When training is increasing, it is also time to increase self-care. This means making sure that stretching, massage and high quality rest are as much a part of your routine as a workout.   Tools like a massage stick, the pillar of pain (foam roller) and the Thera Cane are good to have in your toolbox. These...

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  • Why does cycling power increase for a given heart rate on hills?

    In yesterday’s blog post I tried to explain that a cycling time trial on an uphill course will produce more power output for the same average heart rate than the same duration of time trial on a flat course. I used a running analogy, but that specific analogy wasn’t a good one. Let me try again. Human power The engine in your car does not physically change when you drive. It is a fixed mechanical system that is powering a fixed mechanical chassis. There are certainly changes with aging, but from one week to the next or from a hilly...

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  • Cycling: Are you using a functional threshold power number that is too low?

    Cycling: Are you using a functional threshold power number that is too low? Cyclists that train with power meters are familiar with the various time trial protocols that determine threshold power or functional threshold power. What I want you to be keenly aware of is that you should do your time trial on the same type of course where you plan to do most of your intervals. If you do your threshold power time trial on a completely flat course, riding all-out for 20 minutes you will produce a certain power number. If you have access to a 20-minute steady...

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