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Cadence and taper
Last week you read about the pitfalls of overtraining and the need for seasonal planning. Now let’s look at two pitfalls that will help you train more effectively and think about preparation for the big event.
5. Skating with the same Cadence all the time
Part of the beauty of speedskating is its rhythmic, cyclic, and almost hypnotic predictability. It represents an oxymoron in motion. It is smooth and graceful… almost effortless, yet there is a distinct undertone of strength and raw power in the movement itself.
Cadence, also commonly referred to as leg speed or tempo, is a measure of how many strides per minute a skater takes. It is equivalent to rpm (revolutions per minute) while pedaling a bike. Much like cyclists have their preferred cadence for spinning, skaters have their preferred cadence for skating. The problem is that most skaters train using their preferred cadence all the time, and this is a bad, bad habit!
Power output on skaters is a product of cadence and push extension (which, in turn, is a product of knee bend). Some skates sit low and push ‘slow’, while others sit high and have a high tempo. You need to be capable of following either ‘type’ of skater without it making you suffer, and the only way to do so is to consciously train using different combinations of knee bend and cadence. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to train at the same cadence for all of your skating. Think of tempo (in conjunction with knee bend) as gears on a bike. It is important to be able to ride the bike efficiently in all gears. And more importantly, training using all gears is the best way to learn what the optimal gear is for you under a given set of circumstances. Remember, versatility on skates should be one of your primary objectives in training.
6. No Taper, or Taper is too Short
A taper is a training method used to help prepare the body for competition. The general idea is to dramatically reduce volume, but maintain intensity prior to the race. This allows the body and muscles to reach a state of full recovery, while the short, intense workouts ensure you don’t lose any hard-earned fitness. The anticipated result is a peak in performance, hence the phrase ‘peak and taper’.
The process of tapering will vary depending on the nature of the competition, the phase of training one is in, whether or not the event is the major competition of the season, and the specifics of one’s lead up preparation. This being true, skaters need to realize that a proper taper consists of more than just taking a couple of days off or shortening the workouts the week before. In fact, many skaters don’t even taper for their races, and then scratch their heads in disbelief when they wonder why they performed so poorly.
Training must be progressive in that the degree of overload imposed on the body needs to be gradually and systematically increased over a number of months. The body does not respond well to abrupt transitions. The same is true when it comes to a taper. The taper itself may be anywhere from 7-10 days prior to the big event. But the integration of a taper must be incorporated into the training plan with plenty of lead time, planning, and preparation. This is to say that while the taper may consist of the week immediately prior to the race, the training you perform in the weeks leading up to the taper is just as important as the taper itself. Most skaters don’t understand this concept. There are many good books that discuss the process of peaking and tapering, but in order to properly apply these concepts you also need to comprehend the process of annual planning and periodization. Visit www.hkusa.com for numerous books on the subject.
opyright © 2004 Barry Publow. All Rights Reserved.
