{"id":4700,"date":"2018-09-05T12:43:13","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T16:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wahoofitness.com\/?p=4700"},"modified":"2022-02-07T16:24:58","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T21:24:58","slug":"building-base-step-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wahoofitness.com\/blog\/building-base-step-step\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Base: Step-by-Step"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is known that logging fall and winter miles can help build an athlete\u2019s foundation come spring and summertime racing. The ability to string together consistent weeks of training can help to not only increase endurance, strength, and stamina but also aid in injury prevention. While spring and summer season sessions will focus on race-specific workouts, that does not mean that winter training cannot also add in high-intensity intervals. In fact, while most may think of base season as holding steady power for hours on end, it is important to add in high-intensity efforts to make the most of your time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of us are time-crunched athletes and as much as we\u2019d like to, our lives do not allow for us to train 20+ hours per week. In order to maximize our winter foundational gains, it is important to add in efforts in order to benefit from a base season in the long term.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Traditional Base Season<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Standard procedure calls for hours in the saddle building strength endurance for both cardiovascular and muscular systems. Long steady rides can certainly improve your fitness, but in order to receive any substantial return, you need to dedicate at <\/span>least 16 hours a week. This type of training will actually show a decrease in fitness in metrics like your VO<\/span>2<\/span>. Your training will only work when you subject your body to new stress. This need for stress will trigger adaptations and improvements to your fitness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is also a discussion of volume and how much someone can perform<\/a>. While many of us may want to log high volume weeks, it may not be in our best interest in regards to injury. Piling hundreds of miles onto tired muscles will result in poor form and posture which can lead to injury. By reducing volume, but increasing intensity we can help mitigate overuse injuries before they occur.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What Work Should We Do in The Off-Season?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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If the above may confuse you on what workouts to be performing during the winter, then continue below to get some ideas for the best way to optimize those base miles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n