How to Train for Gravel Racing and Riding
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 фев 2021
- What are the specific demands of gravel racing and riding and how do you train for those demands? I get into some science as well as key workouts I use to train for long distance gravel racing.
Cycling nutrition video: • Complete Cycling Nutri...
Training plans are now available on Trainingpeaks: www.trainingpeaks.com/coach/d...
WWBHDD? T-shirts and stickers: teespring.com/stores/dylans-s...
Patreon: / backwardhatdylan
Flow Formulas Nutrition: flowformulas.com/collections/all
Bikenetic Bike Shop: www.bikenetic.com/
Starlight Apparel: www.starlightapparel.com/
Niner Bikes: ninerbikes.com/
Bike Togs: togs.com/
Enve Wheels:
Handup Gloves: bit.ly/2FPtKKN Promo code: JOHN$ON
Favero Assioma: cycling.favero.com/assioma
Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Strava for more content:
Instagram: @dylanjawnson
Twitter: @djdylansjohnson
Facebook: Dylan Johnson Cycling Coach
Strava: / strava 
Спорт
New gravel training plans now available: www.trainingpeaks.com/coach/dylanjohnsontraining#trainingplans
Speaking of TrainingPeaks, what does Backwards Hat Dylan have to say about your 294 notifications?
Great video, Dylan!
What about bacpacking gravel races? What changes in training should we make to improve performance in multiday races? Just add more volume?
I meant bikepacking!
Hi Dylan thanks for the great content. I follow a similar polarized training with 1 or 2 interval training's per week. I intend to keep my training like this. But after MvdP's cyclocross world title and his Amstel gold race, and Tour of Flanders wins i found out that he (one of the best cyclist at the moment), as i understand also does polarized training, correct? I also found out that he schedules two interval training's in one day. one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This way he needs to recover during the day to attempt another interval training later that day. Wich might have helpt him recovering during some of his races after some of his monster efforts. I would like to hear your thoughts on this and if you ave read any science to back this up. Not forgetting MvdP is an absolute master exceptional talent.
Thank you!
There is nothing quite as great as waking up to the notification of Dylan Johnson
Dylan, I've trained, coached, and raced lots over a few decades and can confirm to anyone who cares to listen that your approach is spot-on (i.e., exactly correct). The science is legit. But that's just the first half as you pointed out. The second half is how the training load and nutrition affects the athlete. I found many are riding someone else's program (or are attempting to train how they think a professional would train and eat; good luck with that). Your approach and content is great. Very nicely done. Thanks mate.
Its all about finding out what works for that specific individual. To each their own. There’s a reason why most punters opt for zwift, trainer road or sufferfest. Affordability. To get personalised coaching like this dude costs shitloads when its just a hobby aka it doesn’t bring money to the table. And lets be real, average punters likes to think they are pros in their own fantasy world. Return of investment ain’t just worth getting personalised coaching “back up by science”. Im sure personalised coaching doesn’t involve other body systems to consider right and also lots of coaches do not teach self awareness and body awareness or should I say kinaesthetic awareness scientific jargon to make me sound i know my stuff 🙃 go out there, have fun and get after any goals you set. It all comes down to consistency plain and simple.
"Train for gravel by riding on gravel." Not just the technical issues, but that constant vibration as you pedal. Really helps develop power through the entire stroke. And I'm so thankful for sealant.
Gym work is crucial if spending long hours on the bike. Deadlifts / squats and a lot of ab roller work really helped sort out my lower back issues that i used to get when riding ultra endurance bikepacking events.
More absolute pearls of wisdom from RUclips’s best cycling channel.
As an athlete that Dylan has trained for gravel racing I will say he is SPOT ON.
As someone who just started doing intervals, this is extremely helpful.
Super valuable advice/info as usual! Thanks a ton Dylan!
Thank you for your awesome content Dylan 🙏
Dylan, do you think you could do a video on the different types of muscle fibers, how your training affects them, and how they affect your performance?
Excellent, as always Dylan, thank you so much!
I would love you to do a review of what the science says is the best preparation for a multi-day event - Bikepacking type challenge and what is the best strategy to train for this...
Aren't poops Zone 2 by definition?
I've re-watched this a few times now over the past year or two. So helpful (former triathlete trying to learn how to train for one sport instead of three). Would love to see a video on how one might build in MTB rides into a gravel program (or how to adjust). I know the MTB rides sacrifice specificity, but at least for me, mentally and physically, the variety is important.
Great channel, Dylan!
Thanks, this is great. Really helpful. Just what I was looking for!
Best video yet. Keep it up!
Great info - top to bottom - thanks !!!
Thanks for the video content. Keep up the good work.
The “Dr. Greger” of cycling! Keep up the good work and thanks for bringing the science (and laughs!).
The Gollum/Smeagol obsession with "The Precious" aerobars is the greatest thing ever.
I'm not a gravel rider but I *really* like when you use examples from your own training and racing in addition to the science.
Great info and timing! I just recently registered for the Garmin UNBOUND Gravel event.
Great video! Thank you so much!
Can you make a video on how to pace for a time trial and just general tips for that discipline? I love your content! Please keep it up, it's helped me so much🤘
My training plan consists of focusing on average speed and KOM hunting on every ride, is that a good strategy?
as long as the KOM's are on the bike path on a sunday morning, then yes.
Don't forget planning for tail winds
Backward Hat Dylan approved!
you already know it is
lol, that’s pretty much what I do.
I’ve watched this 3x. Such great info
Thanks for the video Dylan. I’m glad you mentioned that one should train on gravel. There’s so much that can go wrong on a long gravel event and it takes training on gravel to get your body, bike fit and nutrition strategy dialed for long events on rough roads. I’ve found that stacking miles and doing increasingly longer rides at endurance pace important for ultra events. Any guidance as to how long your longest training ride should be relative to the event distance? For example, are 100 mile training rides adequate to prep for a 200 mile event?
Excellent as usual. Interesting to see snippets of UK Francis Cade videos again.
Clutch video! Just about to sign up for a 120mile race in October!
i like how the thumbnails have just been progressively getting better.
Literally just watched this video back to back with today’s TrainerRoad podcast advocating high volume tempo work and with guest and Belgian Waffle Ride Cedar City winner Keegan Swenson saying this is literally how he trains. It’s hard to reconcile the near diametrically opposed training approaches advocated by different parties sometimes and does maybe argue for more personalised approaches and athlete specificity rather than a one size fits all training prescription
Did Trainer Road training plans for 2 years. It doesn't work. All that sweet spot led to burn out. I think Dylan's last video confirmed this.
@@MichaelGranataDivorceLawyer can always do traditional base, which will have very similar (if not better) adaptations. TR is not just SS, the build and specialty plans are polarized. TR is not a coach, and it takes a little self coaching on your end to identify burn out.
@@MichaelGranataDivorceLawyer you missed my point. It didn’t work for you, it clearly does for (extremely fast rider who beat Dylan in the BWR) Keegan Swenson. My point is not that any one approach is better, rather that the science only shows what is more effective at a population level but you really need to experiment and find what works for you.
@@XX-is7ps I highly doubt Keegan Swenson does trainer road workouts. He is a pro and has a pro level coach telling him what to do. I'm sure he does some tempo work which he said he did but the majority of his work is probably not in this zone.
@@allensheppard8470 still missing the point. I’m not saying Swenson does all tempo, just thst he explicitly says he does *a lot of* tempo, and this is entirely absent from Dylan’s plan. My point isn’t that Dylan’s plan is “wrong”, it’s precisely that we need to get away from falling into religious camps on the “right” way to train and accept that there’s more than one way to skin a cat and it might vary dependent on your individual circumstance, phenotype, training history etc
Thanks for the tip to view this for ultra distance training 👍
Another brilliant video stacked with good advice! Saved to favorites and Shared!
@dylan excellent as always would love to see one about training for stage racing (ie. Breck Epic, BC Bike Race)
I have one specific event I will aim for: the Paris Roubaix Grand Fondo.
This requires a lot of long +6 min all out interval sections as well as the ability to have a relaxed controlled position during those.
Awesome video as always. Thanks Dylan! 4:27 Orbea Avant?
Great info. I get something out of all your videos.
What’s the science say about all that gravel dust I’m vacuuming in while I’m exploding a 4 minute sustained 937.9 watts to get ahead of you?
It will probably kill you.
Try and swallow that dust for extra gut grinding power digestion capability.
its gotta be better than inhaling a cow patty after the rider in front of you slices one in half into your face! lol
At the 4:00 mark you make a really important point that I hope folks don't overlook -- this is the switch from Base to training specific to your event (often defined as Build). So the unanswered question is, How long should you be in Build, backward planned before your Taper and big event? I find most resources say two 4-weeks blocks (total 8 weeks) is about max. More than that and you can easily over-train, fall into burn-out, or at least plateau. I've certainly made this mistake in my own training plans. So, recognizing differences for different experience levels of athletes (and perhaps differences based on age), what do you shoot for with this Build period? Thanks in advance.
That is science!
Cool vid. Thanks for all your videos. Is there a video defining the differences between zone 1, 2, sweet spot, tempo, endurance, etc? Is there some dream-wheel that you reference to determine: heart rate = x,y,z?
Great stuff Dylan!
I deliver food for a living and consider the distance covered on my bike while delivering part of the 75-80% of my training. Thanks so much again for a great video, Dylan! ✨
This is an interesting topic. I commute by bike three times a week and have a physically demanding job as a group fitness instructor. Figuring out how to build a training program around the physical demands of my day-to-day activities can be challenging. On one hand I need to stack something extra onto my weekly routine to make sure I have a fitness reserve, on the other hand it is difficult to avoid burn out when I'm already exercising for 15-20 hours a week without any real possibility of a "rest week" in between.
Have you encountered any such problems?
@@emmamemma4162 I haven't had enough money saved yet to buy a fitness watch, heart rate monitors and power meters yet so I mostly base my workouts on how I feel and average speed during those workouts. My routine consists of delivering food 4-6 days a week (zone 1), riding in zone 2-3 on 2-3 days a week (including one long ride a week as much as possible), strength conditioning 1-2x a week and running/walking 1-3x a week. I used to swim 1-2x a week too but gave up on my triathlon dream and just decided to focus more on cycling and running for now. The routine above is what I do for 3 weeks and then 1 week of every month is for my rest week, which consists of mostly just doing food deliveries for my business. So to answer your question, yes burn out is hard for me to avoid sometimes. It takes so much discipline to take it easy on days where I want to do a hard workout but my body's not really into it. I guess this is where getting enough sleep and eating enough food matters for decent recovery.
@@sanchezmd605 Yes, all of those things make sense! One thing I'm beginning to realise as I get older is the importance of calling in sick even if it's only a minor cold, and taking it easy for several days after I start to feel better. Rest days are tricky, too. I feel bad if I don't take the dog on a long walk or get the kids out and exercising, so oftentimes my "rest day" is just a low intensity day. How about you? Have you had any days with zero exercise lately?
@@emmamemma4162 yess. Definitely agree that rest days are super tricky. And yes recently I had to take a day off (but still had to bike about 1-2 kms for errands because that's my only mode of transpo aside from walking 😆). My leg muscles were hurting so bad even though I just came from a recovery week. After the rest day, my legs felt better by a little bit. 😅
So basically I haven't had a day where I would do no exercise at all. 😌 Would love to get that kind of day, that's for sure.
@@sanchezmd605 I can relate :) I'll try to get better at differentiating between low/medium/high intensity periods and rest. Right now I feel my fitness is only as good as it needs to be and some better rest days and rest weeks would allow me to build a "reserve" of fitness.
Bikenetic as in Falls Church, VA? Cool!
Hi Dylan first i want to thank you for all the great content you provide! Really appreciate it. I got one question: Can i skip Zone 3 in a 5 Zone model completely? I understand its either around FTP / Speed Intevals or Zone 2 and below.
What do you use to mount your in reach mini to bars? Great video as always.
Training for my first 210 miler (in Michigan). Following a plan but feel like it’s all tempo rides. Thank you so much for this.
I'm thinking of adding that one to my schedule. Have you done it before? How did it go?
@@mcbezinque I did half of it as a relay. Aside from sand in the second half I don’t think it’s too difficult. Guess I’ll find out!
Hi Dylan thanks for the great content. I follow a similar polarized training with 1 or 2 interval training's per week. I intend to keep my training like this. But after MvdP's cyclocross world title and his Amstel gold race, and Tour of Flanders wins i found out that he (one of the best cyclist at the moment), as i understand also does polarized training, correct? I also found out that he schedules two interval training's in one day. one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This way he needs to recover during the day to attempt another interval training later that day. Wich might have helpt him recovering during some of his races after some of his monster efforts. I would like to hear your thoughts on this and if you ave read any science to back this up. Not forgetting MvdP is an absolute master exceptional talent.
Thank you!
Have you done a video on sleep yet? Not just the importance of sleep itself and hope it affects performance, but methods to help improve quality and quantity? My weekly training plan has gone out the window this week due to two nights of extremely poor sleep. Missed a planned 20 mile ride and gym day.
An idea for some new videos: how to train to become a better sprinter/climber/endurance rider, maybe with an introductory video on the "kind" of cyclists.
Who else is now training for the Unbound 200 (DK200)? Got my golden ticket today. This will be my first gravel race.
Valuable content as always, and cool to see your training plans. I find it challenging to ride my gravel bike slow on zone 2 days, so have been mixing in my fat bike or single speed to help follow the plan. How do you feel about mixing in single track on zone 2 days to also work skills?
Z2 days are the best days to work on skills as long as the trails are not too high-intensity. Alex Wild just talked about this on the Trainer Road podcast. You can also do trails after your intervals.
This must be a sign... been thinking of getting a gravel bike 🙈
DO IT. They're so fun
Can you do a video on indoor spin classes (like CycleBar or Soul Cycle) and if they offer cyclist any benefits? I do CycleBar during off season because I like the group dynamics and it’s fun, but I suspect it’s not structured enough to offer real benefits.
Hi nice video and very informative, I'm planning to do a double century ride with my gravel bike, what is your suggestions? Can I put slick tires and what size? Thanks and more power.
9:28 LOL this got me good
I would be interested in a video about training for endurance mtb. Trying to incorporate more of your training advice, but with the bulk of training on trails it’s hard to keep rides fully within zone 2 or do workouts with long, steady intervals (I have access to a lot of short climbs but not many long ones). Thanks for the great content
IMO, to do a structured training plan "right", you're going to need/want a road bike and/or a smart trainer. Especially if you're like me and live in the North East where MTB trails are tight and twisty and climbs are short and punchy.
@@whip113 I’m with you there, I do a lot of my training on road bike/trainer. My question is about how to make the outdoor mtb rides fit better into a plan like what DJ suggests, as it’s very hard to make them zone-specific in the absence of big climbs but I know I need a lot of work on handling skills in addition to aerobic/muscular fitness
Next BHD vid - how to prep for endurance dumping.
DJ, do you have a consult like option? Panning for CX Nate in December...
Video idea! Nasal vs mouth vs both during cycling at both submaixmal and maximal intensities! :)
new hair day
Good day Dylan! Quick question, how do you properly taper before a race? I'm 16 years old and I've been cycling for about 2 years and I really wanna up my race game. Any tips for tapering before a race will help a lot! Cheers!
What do you think about the effectiveness of beta alanine for interval training and for endurance athletes in general? I've heard 1 to 4 minutes intervals is suggested when taking beta alanine?
New subs idol
Hey Dylan, can you link to the studies? Were the training hours kept the same or was the TSS kept the same? Obviously 8 hours of endurance and 2 hours of intervals would be better than 6 hours sweet spot because it's twice as much time for same TSS? (Numbers just an example)
Dylan, which lightweight multitool do you use?
I signed up for a long gravel race that ends up being a week before my covid deferred MTB marathon race (MTB race posted date after i signed up!). What do you recommend doing the six days between events?
Hey Dylan, would you say that 95-100% of ftp is typically above the second lactate threshold in a 3 zone model ?
Thumbs up
in your example, you load up Saturday with a hard day on the bike and a gym day - what order would you recommend doing them and how many hours of rest between workouts would you suggest?
Dylan how could I improve my recovery time and is there a connection between vo2max and recovery time?
In this video it's for about 12 hrs a week. If you were to up the hours to about 16/17/18 hrs, would you add the time onto the two zone 2 days
I wonder how all of this is effected if you work a labor job. I ride about 8 hours a week, doing polarized type training. When I noticed you had a few lifting days I thought that seems like a good idea. But the more I think about it, most days I’m climbing 200ft towers via ladders several times a day. Most of the time doing each section in intervals, with a pounding heart rate, and a rest in between levels. I wonder if that will just count as working out, or if it’s over training, OR if doing it for so many years has made the activity routine.
Hi Dylan, could you do a video on HRV/recovery training vs. Periodized/block trining? I was readying a few papers and listened to a Whoop podcast and they had some interesting findings. I was curious about your opinion. Thanks!
Dylan has already published a video on Whoop. Check his catalog.
@@oldanslo That is not quite the same thing. I saw that video and it did not go into the details about the difference between the methodologies of the two training styles.
Dylan would you link the research articles as well as the other links?
The research articles are usually behind a paywall. Linking them wouldn't be much value for 99% of us since we don't have the memberships necessary to access the research papers. Also, searching by the article title will reliably get you a link to it.
I'm from Portugal I like your videos can you say a shhep roller to max 300 euros to train at home, tanks
Is it more beneficial for raising FTP in a session ( of for example 5x10 minutes) to do 105% FTP intervals instead of 95-100%? Great content as usual!
Higher intensity intervals bring FTP up quicker, but leads to burn out quicker.
How does leg strength training factor into HIT training like Squats, lunges and so on…
What do you think of trainerroad? My mid volume plan has 4 days that are sweet spot or above.
SS 4 days a week can be too much, or you could handle it easily. If you are feeling like you are going to burn out try 1 SS (Tuesday) and 1 FTP (Saturday) day each week, with endurance days in-between. Make sure you are progressing with either plans (FTP going up or better time to exhaustion).
Ok. Im gonna do a 300km gravel race.in golden bc. The blue Moose.this aint no prairies flat ride. Its all mountains! Should i bring a headlamp, sign a will?
Question about how to count training distributions: when it says they spent 20% of time training above FTP, what is that counting? Does a 60 minute VO2max session where you're doing 4x4 minutes at VO2max and the rest at zone 1 or 2 count as 60 minutes of above FTP, or only 16 minutes?
@@the_fast_life Not true. Seiler mentions that he is counting sessions, not TiZ. So it would be 2 out every 8 sessions are high intensity. Your 4x4 vo2 intervals would count as a high intensity session.
I ride my bike for fitness & commuting, but every time I watch one of your videos I start thinking I want to race! :[]
Are you racing Steamboat this year?
i was looking for new pedals, and came across pedaling innovations catalyst pedals. the website says that having your arch over the spindle is better than having the ball of your foot over the spindle, and cites some studies for it. is there any truth to their claims, or did they just cherry pick the few studies that agreed with them?
I have a pair of catalyst pedals that were given to me. Truthfully I've never used them as they are si big tgey look ridicoulous. I've seen Dylan's video on flat pedals but I would love to see what he has to say about the catalyst and the studies on them.
Can you PLEASE do a video on "common" Sweet Spot plans available on popular training apps for those who have 6-8hrs week. Also What is the best way to test FTP, ie is Ramp test for everyone :)
Ramp test has been found in studies to be a terrible predictor of FTP since it is so biased to anaerobic contribution and not lactate threshold and true aerobic capacity.
On top of this, the ramp test itself is implemented incorrectly in most training platforms even according to its creator (see www.cyclecoach.com/blog/2020/2/2/is-the-map-ramp-test-a-valid-estimator-of-ftp) which further reduces its accuracy.
Lab testing is best method of determining lactate threshold power, but for field testing then there’s an excellent TrainingPeaks blog post on this that should answer most of your questions on FTP test protocols - www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-physiology-of-ftp-and-new-testing-protocols/
@@XX-is7ps that’s a fantastic article I may try his Progression 1 I’ve been using a Ramp test for a year and it’s not jiving with my training or riding over the past year.
Dylan has a video on his channel on training on 6 hours a week.
@@XX-is7ps That's not quite correct. 1) A ramp test has been found to be a good predictor of performance over a variety of durations, and is meant to ascertain "anaerobic contribution" (correctly termed W' or FRC) as well as aerobic contribution. 2) It's implemented incorrectly because it usually falls within a range, rather than a specific number 3) I'm not sure how useful the validity is of determining lactate threshold for coaching (not sure what Dylan thinks?). 4) Lactate threshold is < FTP 5) I hope Dylan doesn't mind me commentating on his videos!?
@@cyclecoachcyclecoachcom8071 source for it being a poor predictor - journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/2002/11000/assessment_of_the_accuracy_of_the_conconi_test_in.24.aspx
Dylan, I have an issue and hope you can help. When racing I get about 20 miles in and i start cramping. I have tons of energy, power, etc left in the tank but have to slow way down due to cramps. I drink electrolytes, eat gels and plenty of water but it keeps happening. What can I do? Do you think I could have a vitamin deficiency? If so what should I take. Thanks!
Here's Dylan's video on cramping:
ruclips.net/video/eq5jXdi7sUY/видео.html
New haircut Dylan?
My approach: all out all the time
Did you really say the 30/30 ALL OUT?? I mean if you really go all out power output would drop considerably since the 30 rest are not enough to eliminate enough lactate for the next bout, am I wrong? Or is this part of it and the power decline doesn't matter? Thx from GER ✌
The aim is to keep your heart rate elevated above around 90% of max so you should do whatever it takes to do that. Flat out is probably not appropriate, and the intervals are more typically 30/15 work/rest rather than 30/30 to minimise heart rate drop off in rest periods, but it’s whatever it takes for you to keep your heart rate in that 90%+ of max for as long as you can physically and mentally substain
"All out" here means the highest intensity appropriate for the interval length. Dylan uses "all out" for the 30 second, four minute, and eight minute efforts but you can see that the FTP% is different for each. It's just been adjusted so you should crack as you finish the last interval. That's what is meant by "all out".
That wreck at 14:30 makes me pucker up! I'm training up for my 3rd DAMn ... the midnight start with a pack of 100s of riders on down grade MMRs is so intense! [shameless self-promotion] here's an edit from the first miles of the 2018, the link starts 35 seconds in where riders go from the firm fast roads to the sand trap MMR: ruclips.net/video/fM8jAdDRy6Q/видео.html
Almost every track and field distance world record at distance is parabolic. The interesting race was the 5k World Record where they had lights around the track that were to even-paced Joshua Cheptegei. (That seems not as legitimate a record, because internal pacing determination was eliminated.) He STILL parabolic paced even with the lights. 2:31, the fastest split of the race. He followed up with 2:35, 2:36 and 2:35 kilometre splits before sealing his record with a closing 2:32 kilometre.
Wonder if we'll ever see the same thing in the hour indoor. ruclips.net/video/b01dG9v9LCY/видео.html
Is just me waching this and taking notes?
I'm a little confused on the riding part
Hey Dylan, is there a difference in terms of fitness if I for example train on the road but in a mountain bike? Off course in terms of competition, specificity is very important, but just talking about fitness, is there a difference in training with a road bike/gravel bike vs in a mountain bike?
Your body doesn’t know or care what you’re riding so long as you are in a sufficiently good riding position not to compromise breathing, power output etc (eg as in an extreme TT bike position). You may use subtly different muscle groups on different bike types due to position but central adaptations (lungs, heart) will be identical for a given effort/output.
... so it seems I've now watched this video yet again. For some odd reason RUclips only lets me 'like' it once. Grrr.
Recently I have heard some pro and elite level racers remark that with the state of road cycling in the united states right now trending towards crits and away from RRs, a rider is more likely to attract attention from European conti and world tour teams by racing gravel. With gravel racing seeing more of its own "pros" (sponsored, full time athletes) and many elite road racers adding gravel events to their calendar it seems like gravel may be filling the void in racing left by the road discipline's loss of RR events.
As a elite off-roader, what is your take on this? Is gravel becoming the American answer to the cobbled classics? and will we see riders making the jump from American gravel racing to the europro pelaton?
It would be good to clarify what zone model you are using when you speak of zones!
In cycling the 6/7 zone model is almost universal. The 3-zone and other models are rarely used. Zone 2 is endurance.
@@XX-is7ps Although occasionally, the studies DJ references use a three zone model, where zone 1 is endurance. But in those cases, he’s been very explicit about the zone definitions he’s using.
Stephen Seiler, who is a big proponent of polarized training, typically talks using a 3 zone model.
That dude at 14:30