Power Increase

lance_enhanced said:

allright i need some help, im 16 yrs old and about 125lbs. all my competitors in my races that are all the same age, are physically are stronger then me. they all produce more power, how can this be, and how the hell can i increase my power output, i dont really care about the size of my leg, but i would like it to get bigger too, but please help!! my racing season starts in january of 05'. thanks

You have two choices - Get a good coach or educate yourself on coaching.

If you choose to educate yourself, I would recommend Lemmond's complete book of cycling (old school but still very appropriate) but ignore the heartrate stuff and "Performance Cycling: Training for Power, Endurance, and Speed" by Dave Morris. Read as much as you can!

The first aim would be to enjoy the bike! Dont be to hung up on results at this satge of your career.

Try get a coach who can help you (set) get some shortterm goals but also set a program to develop you to over the longterm.

There is good info here on the length of intervals etc. which will all help to increase your power..

Anyway best of luck with the new year and hopefully we might see you in the Junior Tour of Ireland..

Like anything education is the key to success. Either educate yourself or find someone to help you. Many people will be able to share advice but only those with experience will really guide you in the right direction. There are a lot of good coaches out there and even though many people like you are turned off by paying someone to coach them it is the quickest and most cost-effective way to improve performance - assuming the coach knows what she/he is doing!

You need to look at coaching as an educational and professional service, and the best coaches will provide just that!