I think that we all look forward to recovery weeks. After 2 or 3 hard weeks of hard, concentrated training a few days of easier riding is a physical and mental welcome. Recently though I had a client say that he hated recovery weeks. He felt that he always put weight back on during these. It was a great point, and someting to consider.
It’s pretty obvious that the more work you produce on the bike the more food you have to take in to refuel. Hey, that’s one of the best things about racing bikes! But on your recovery week you are producing significantly less kilojoules of work. The following graph shows this clearly.
You can clearly see the progression of 2 “on” weeks followed by a recovery week. This chart demonstrates that if you continue to consume in the recovery week the same amount of calories that were necessary to properly replenish during the hard weeks you will have a caloric surplus.
This means that the serious racer will have to maintain some discipline during the recovery week. It’s tough because mentally it is easy to think “Hey, recovery week, I can kick back and enjoy some of the food and drink I avoid during hard training.” Try not to fall into this trap. Recovery week is time for the hardest interval you will do. Push-Away Intervals. Push that plate away before you stuff yourself!
Thanks for reading. Any questions feel free to email me at larry@propowercoaching.com.