Upgrade Your Training & Your Nutrition: Here's How!
Hey everyone!
I normally don't send out emails like this one, but after chatting with quite a few ladies (and gentlemen) the last few weeks about what they really are lacking in their fitness-ing, I really wanted to reach out to everyone to talk about training for a second—and share a training plan that I've helped develop, used myself, and love for someone who's just trying to get into some kind of training routine but doesn't know where to start. So check it out, and if it's a good fit for you, awesome... Or if you know a new cyclist in your life who needs a little kick to get going, do me a solid and pass this email along.
PS: Keep scrolling. There's also a HUGE deal on the Fuel Your Ride ebook, more info on that—plus my best major nutritional tips that will 100% change your life if you start following them (and they're simple, basic and easy to understand!).
Thanks, and happy riding!
XO,
Molly
Want to Get Faster and Stronger, But Not Sure Where to Start? This Plan Can Help.
How are those New Years Resolutions about riding more, hopping into a couple of races, or even just crushing your group ride nemesis coming? Thinking about hitting reset on your cycling training to get faster and feel better? You may not have considered a training plan in the past, but hear me out: no matter what level you're at, structured training will help.
As we travel all over the world and get to hang out with, interview and train all kinds of cyclists—young, old, new, professional—we've realized something. Pro racers know that they need training plans. Racers know that they need a schedule. But riders who might be interested in racing someday, or just want to enjoy riding more? It's hard to find any who subscribe to any kind of training plan or schedule.
We meet a ton of awesome, enthusiastic cyclists who know that they're *so* close to reaching their potential on the bike—whether we're talking road riding, mountain biking, cyclocross, gravel grinding, triathlon, or just being able to hop into whatever ride the crew is up for this weekend, but they just can't get their training sorted out. There's often an imbalance: too much speedwork, too much volume, a weird strength session gone horribly wrong... Add that to certain saddle "issues" with comfort and you have a lot of bikes sitting gathering dust—or you're getting out and riding, but just not feeling as awesome as you could be.
If your goal is to ride more, ride happier, ride stronger, or ride faster, we've got something to push your riding to the next level, especially if you're new to riding and just considering the idea of structured training. (Tip: it's not just for pro riders or people who want to race. Having a bit of structure to your riding is HUGE for getting into awesome shape, gaining power and growing your confidence and skills.)
So, I’m so excited that SmartAthlete Coach (and my husband and podcast co-host!) Peter Glassford has partnered with me to make a great, easy-to-follow training plan for the awesome women (and men) who read my books on cycling comfort and nutrition, have come to our talks, or who've taken part in our clinics. In it, we incorporate many of the training concepts from my book “Saddle, Sore: Ride Happy, Ride Comfortable” into a 3-month training plan designed to help any cyclist—but especially someone new to structured training—get fitter, stronger, and ready to crush her goals for the season.
It also has gentle reminders about making sure you’re taking care of your body and your bike, in addition to simply putting in the training hours.
VIEW THE PLAN HERE
If you'd rather chat with Peter about a custom-made three-month training plan, or the possibility of skills coaching or a more serious one-on-one coaching relationship, check out SmartAthlete.ca for a free consultation!
5 Nutrition Rules I Try to Live By as an Athlete… And Fuel Your Ride Ebook is On MASSIVE Sale!
Last year, my nutrition book, Fuel Your Ride: Complete Performance Nutrition for Cyclists, came out with Rodale Press. It was a huge undertaking to research and write, and man, did I learn a ton! Now, the ebook version is on a massive sale on Amazon for a few days, and to celebrate that, I wanted to share a couple of the tips that I picked up in the last couple years of diving deep into all things sports nutrition-related. There have been countless hours of interviews, reading papers and journals and other books, talking to pros, coaches and nutrition scientists, and boiling it down into principles and advice that are actually reasonable and possible to follow. So…
Hydration is the First Thing to Go
I keep reading that most of us are mildly dehydrated most of the time, and I believe it. When I’m traveling or in any kind of hectic environment (read: most days), drinking enough water was the first thing that I stopped doing. You probably don’t drink enough on the bike, but it’s even worse if you’re not drinking OFF the bike as well! So, don’t leave hydrating for in-ride, get on it steadily, all day long.
Veggies at Every Meal
My best travel tip is simple, when it comes to nutrition: make sure every single meal gets a serving of veggies into it, no matter what. (My cheat is to do greens powder if all else fails, but I really do aim for a steamed veggie when possible.) So, even if you’re dead set on the burger and fries, get a side of broccoli, or at least a side salad. Your digestive tract will thank you.
… And a Protein
Like the veggies, I also realized in the last few years that making sure each meal has a serving of protein in it is HUGE. I definitely get a little carb-heavy when left to my own devices, so it’s been a big switch to make sure that even if it means drinking a protein shake with whatever else I’m eating, like fruit or oatmeal or cereal, I’m getting a dose of around 20 grams of protein at every single meal. Huge for rebuilding and repairing muscle post-workout, but also super important for helping you feel fuller longer.
Schedule Treats Around Workouts
This is my best advice for riders looking to lose weight but unwilling to give up cookies. Instead of binging at night, try to time your indulgences around your ride—before, during OR after—and that way, your body can actually use the food to refill your glycogen stores.
Have 2-3 Go-To Recipes
We’re on the road a ton, and despite not having kids to feed—just the two of us—we can run into crunch time later in the day, especially when we’re both tapping away on our computers. So, we have some automatic go-to meals that we always have on hand. Grass-fed ground beef is always in the freezer, and we always have sweet potatoes, greens of some time, and tomatoes/cilantro/lime juice/avocados. Those are our staples. So, if we’re in a pinch, we’ll toss beef and potatoes in the oven, steam spinach, and whip up a fast pico de gallo/guac combo. Boom: protein, veggies, complex carbs and healthy fat. Having a couple go-to recipes for those moments saves you from the “let’s just go out tonight” moment.
Want a ton more useful advice? The Fuel Your Ride ebook will be on sale for just $2.99 from 8/25 to 8/30 on Amazon, so grab a copy—or gift one to a rider who needs it—today!
Not into a training plan just yet? No worries... But check out The Consummate Athlete Podcast for all kinds of guidance when it comes to maximizing your athletic potential!
Give it a listen and subscribe on iTunes!
And for even more athletic inspiration, make sure you're signed up for the Athletic Bookworm bookclub over on The Outdoor Edit, where we're reading The Brave Athlete as our first pick!