How It Works
How It Works
Strength Training Volume can make or break your riding.
Too much will leave you overly fatigued and unable to perform on your rides. Too little and you’ll be stuck in a forever plateau. Our job is to help you find the sweet spot.
Within some boundaries, your riding volume (frequency and duration) should determine your strength training volume. These boundaries are defined by 2 principles: Supercompensation and the 7 Effective Movements (training movements to keep your body balanced which are comprised of: knee dominant, hip dominant, core, horizontal push/pull, vertical push/pull). At least two sessions per week that address each of these movements is the minimum for safe and effective strength progress that will support your riding. Additional strength work will be more focused on general functional fitness or to make up for less time on the bike.
Training Schedule
Dialed Health has found and provides a true minimalist approach to strength training for those riding 4 or more days per week and clarity on programs for riders who ride 3 or less days per week. Here are some week schedule examples:
2 Total Body Strength Sessions
1 Total Body Stretch or daily mobility of your choice
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Monday | Recovery (foam roll, mobility, static stretching, or light yoga) |
| Tuesday | Ride |
| Wednesday | Strength Training |
| Thursday | Ride |
| Friday | Strength Training |
| Saturday | Ride & Total Body Stretch |
| Sunday | Ride |
*for those riding 5-6 days per week, keep at least one day for recovery and stack your strength training sessions with shorter, high intensity rides (if possible, do your ride first and strength session later in the day). If you have a hard time adding 2 strength training sessions each week, it's recommended to drop one ride because 1 day of strength training isn't enough to make adequate progress.
2-3 Total Body Strength Sessions
1 Total Body Stretch or daily mobility of your choice
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Monday | Recovery (foam roll, mobility, static stretching, or light yoga) |
| Tuesday | Strength Training |
| Wednesday | Ride |
| Thursday | Strength Training |
| Friday | Strength Training |
| Saturday | Ride & Total Body Stretch |
| Sunday | Ride |
Choosing a Program or Workout
By starting a free trial, you can use our "Preview" feature to see the details of each program and workout available. You can also get a Program Recommendation directly from Coach Derek using this quiz below. The multiple choice questions will ask about your preferred riding discipline, current riding volume, equipment access, strength training experience, past injuries, and primary goal. It also allows you to include any extra notes for consideration.
Nutrition
Understanding how to manipulate your nutrition for your goals is most successfully accomplished through food tracking. Read the Nutrition Guidelines to learn the process. This knowledge of your food will also help you make better decisions for your ride nutrition because you’ll understand food labels and how your body feels when given specific macronutrients(carbs, fat, protein). Although many people ask for meal plans, blindly following them doesn’t teach you how to eat in the real world(outside of your 4 meals of chicken, rice, and broccoli). Tracking allows you to eat almost anything. However, healthy foods are not always synonymous with low body fat, so keep in mind the difference between high calorie/low calorie foods and high quality (clean minimal ingredients)/low quality(highly processed, artificial) foods. It’s a great reminder to keep your body being fed the nutrients it thrives on, whether you are losing fat, mainainting, or focused on gaining muscle mass.
Coaching Support
The workouts are built in a wide variety for you to find an ideal fit, however it’s possible that there are modifications you will need to make along the way (for your body, equipment access, etc.). Email Derek directly for questions in regards to your workouts, nutrition, training and more. He is here to support you through this process of becoming the strongest possible cyclist and human.
Start Moving Forward
