Weight training program

Weight training is key part of my overall training. I try to get to the gym once a week during the off season and when I can during the racing season. I have a program that I have developed over the years by reading and talking to the experts. I do squats, the sled, curls, step ups, leg extensions and core exercises. The routine takes about 1.5 to 2.0 hours to get through. By the end of it, I am quite tired, but it is a different kind of tired compared to the trainer or a ride. I do not lift heavy weight; I concentrate more on repetition and volume. This allows me to develop good form and it spares my back and knees the trauma of heavy weight. I have to use a clip board to keep track of each drill and the volume otherwise I get confused and forget what I am doing. I have a lot of data to monitor my progress relative to previous years. I go to the weight room at the University of Southern Maine early in the morning; it is not crowded and the machines and the facilities are great. A weight training program adds variety to a training program and I think it helps with endurance and recovery. 

On trainers

A quick post on the topic of trainers. Variation helps a lot. Two days out of the week, I will do interval work outs. Favorites include Bill Black's Hour of Power, Power Intervals, low cadence efforts and drills I make up myself. I write these drills out in a planner note book so I know what I  have to do and because I cannot remember them. Having them scheduled helps a lot because you enter the work out knowing what has to be done, how long it will take and how tough it will be. Before you know it, the drills are half way done and you have had a productive session. The other days of the week and weekends will be easier sessions; I will watch a video, read the paper, read some blogs; the effort will be not too rigorous and not too long (two hours is maximum for me). These sessions can be enjoyable and I find they are best when done early in the morning so that they can be done with. Elsewhere, I use Power Cranks on the trainer. This is hard work and I do it when I am pressed for time or as an addition on the interval days. I use some risers to replicate the feeling of climbing in the saddle. The best thing I find is to try and be consistent. Thirty minutes on the trainer is better than nothing. 

The first A-D Bikes Blog post!

This post marks the first post of the new A-D Bikes blog. It is the old Frame and Wheel blog, but I changed the title and the images so that it can be a blog about Austro-Daimler bikes and all the adventures that go with the restoration. I am also planning on referring to myself in the first person, and dropping the "Frame and Wheel thought this" and "Frame and Wheel believes that." I enjoyed that style of writing but it slowed things down and readers wanted to hear from me apparently. Frame and Wheel is still going, but the blog related to that operation is Frame and Wheel Selling Services. Frame and Wheel has its own website and blog, and A-D Bikes has its own website and blog; splitting the two out is the right thing to do at the moment. I am also planning on speeding up the blog posts a bit. Thanks for reading!

Fred Thomas