Progressive Overload in Cycling

If you are training to get better in bicycling, you areinstead work progressively up to a higher level.
training based on a principle of what is calledThere are two dangerous things you can do while
progressive overload. This is the idea that as youprogressive training. The first is to go out every single
make your body work harder overtime your body willday and go all out. This will not cause your body to
gradually adapt to that increased workload andadapt or get better. It will be unpleasant for you train
become a more efficient machine. If you are properlylike this and it will be unpleasant for your body because
training for cycling then you are going in this cycle ofyou will get injuries, you will get sick and you will
energy. You first exert yourself, then become fatiguedgenerally just not feel good.
then recover and then your body compensates.The next thing to avoid is to not keep ramping up your
Basically as you train you will get tired then you willlevel. Say you pedal one week for an hour at 50%
recover and then your body will be forced to workeffort. That is pretty hard for you the first week, but
more efficiently so you can train harder and thisby week three it is getting easier. It will be very
creates a cycle.tempting for you to just stick at this pace. The thing is
While training using this tactic you should be thinkingthough if you want to get better you have to ramp it
more about the progressive aspect of it than theup to two hours at 50% or 1 hour at 60%. If you are
overload aspect of it. Instead of trying to go out andnot forcing your body to over exert itself then you are
go all out every single time it is probably best tonot properly training.