Now that your training for your Aids Ride is over and the likelihood of you sitting on the couch watching the Tour de France, World Cup, or Major League Baseball is high, I think it would be a good time for weight lifting/interval cardio training. After months of the same movements training for the ride, your body becomes extremely efficient performing those movements and while that is great for the Aids Rides, it limits the amount of overall fitness.

Cross training with weight lifting and interval cardio (swimming, running, elliptical) is a great way to condition different muscle groups than the muscles you currently have been training. When it comes to weight lifting I would like to see you performing a circuit of exercises involving compound exercises; these are exercises that involve multiple muscle groups to create movement. Not only does this type of weight lifting burn more calories it helps your body function more efficiently, making you a better cyclist. An example exercise – Cable Lunge/Chest press: With the cable grips in each hand and your arms bent, lunge forward with the right leg and lower your body until the upper leg is parallel to the ground. Then extend your left arm forward until it is straight out in front of you. Return your arm back and then spring your leg back to the starting position. Repeat everything on the opposite sides. Alternate from side to side for all repetitions.

Interval cardio training workouts include a set where you perform at your maximum level for a given amount of time, followed by a lower-intensity set and repeated. Resent studies have shown that by pushing yourself to 80% or higher of your maximum, increases your metabolism. That is exactly what this type of training will do, taking you out of your comfort zone, pushing you toward your maximum effort and leaving the fat on the gym floor. Combining these two training techniques will force you out of your comfort zone and challenge you, increasing your overall fitness level.