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news Etixx - Quick-Step Trains Strength & Stability! 20/12/14 - 17:45

During the Etixx - Quick-Step training camp in Spain from December 8th until the 18th, the riders performed a few strength and stability sessions immediately after training with team physiotherapists Jens Tummeleer and Steven Vrancken. This was a continuation of a strength and stability program consisting of several phases for each rider. In the interview below, Jens and Steven explain the role of training off the bike for these riders.


Can you explain when the winter strength and stability training starts?

Steven: "We started with the Belgian guys the first week in November. Every Monday and Friday we went to the track of Gent. They did two hours of track training, and then normally two hours of strength and stability directly after. Sometimes it was the opposite way, but normally it was track before the strength and stability."

What about the other riders?

Steven: "The other guys also get the program, but for the Belgian guys it is easier for them to travel to where we are located in Belgium to work with us. Everyone gets a winter training program to do at home, but we work directly with the guys who are closest to us. It would be too much to ask the riders outside of Belgium to travel to work with us when they need to focus on recovery outside of riding. But we use this time at training camp in Spain to also work directly with the other guys, so if they need help with anything they can ask us, and we can watch their workouts so we can direct them. This makes it so they know the right technique and such when they are at home. All the riders are on the same level with what type of training they do off the bike in this way."

Why are strength and stability important for the riders of Etixx – Quick-Step?

Jens: "If you don't have stability, the power you put out is not applied at an optimal angle to the pedal. That is a loss off efficiency straight away and is a problem. With riders who haven't done this kind of training off the bike before, once they do it, they feel the difference in their pedal stroke.

Steven: "The last three to five years strength training has become more important during the winter. Before the riders of our team didn't do it, except for stability training for the lower back. But certainly the last three years they also started more and more with the strength during the winter period. Stability training and 'core' work has always been important, but it's the strength aspect that is recent, and it is becoming increasingly valuable as performance benefits and injury prevention are being recognized."

Post by Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team (official).

Can you give me an example of a muscle group that benefits from strength and stability training?

Jens: "One easy example is the abdominal muscles. If you spend all day in the flexed position, everything just hangs with the abdominals and they get really weak, soft, and tired. That is one muscle group that will cause cyclists a lot of problems in the long run if they don't train them off the bike."

How does the training change from the beginning until the end of the winter training?

Steven: "In the beginning there is less volume and intensity during the exercise. The next level, once they adapt, we try to increase the workload. They need to get used to the movements before we push them."

Do riders tell you that they feel a difference?

Jens: "I think you can see with the new guys, they aren't really sure what they are doing and they aren't used to these kinds of workouts They can tell you that they feel the biggest difference because they simply have never done these things before. The veteran guys, they know these workouts and their bodies don't have to adapt as much. They can still feel the difference, but maybe not quite so clearly. They know it's important and stick to the program. However, we have seen increases in the power of even the veterans based on what our trainers have told us. The Belgian guys are already showing some progress, and we only started in November with the winter strength and stability training. That shows it makes sense to do this, that it works for us and it is worth the effort."

Do you alter the programs for each rider, or is it more general?

Steven: "We make sure the riders are tested with movement screenings before the program is designed for them. Based on the testing, some have to do different exercises according to their individualized needs. For example, single leg exercises. If they have power differences in the left or right leg, there is work they can do in order to get the power on the same level with the other leg."

Thank you for this information guys!

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