Customer Reviews

Fitness Cycling (Fitness Spectrum Series)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I recommend this book to any cyclists interested in racing or fitness. If you ride for fun, this book is probably the only fitness book you will need for cycling. If you are planning on racing, but you don't know much about cycling training, this is an excellent book to start with.
This book is divided into two parts.
The first part introduces the rider to cycling fitness, and how it is accomplished. This involves explaining your max heart rate, VO2 max, and lactate threshold. It also explains the basics of cycling fitness, such as building a base, increasing speed, and raising your lactate threshold.
The second part of the book gives three 30 week workout plans, building towards some sort of event or race. The three workout plans are aimed at beginners, intermediate bikers, and more advanced riders.
This book does not emphasize power meters, but it does recommend a heart rate monitor. It also rates workouts according to perceived effort.
This is a good book.
David

Good common sense development in this book. Too often these books come out and decide that the person they're talking to is in better shape than Armstrong or is about to get on a bike for the first time. It's good to see that she is aiming at giving good workouts with adequate recovery and a constantly growing workload.

Nice work Ms Barry.

A quick and enjoyable read with enough detail to get and keep me training. Will use as a reference as I roll through the progressions laid out herein.

Descriptive begginer and advanced training programs, easy to follow instructions, straight to the point.

I've been riding too many years to count but still enjoy doing two tough road rides over hills per week on a new Trek Madone. I bought this book in an effort to ratchet up a notch with some useful tips about training, diet, etc. Big mistake! There's nothing useful in this book for an experienced recreational rider unless you want to become a racer, in which case go for it - there's plenty of technical advice here that may help a riding zealot. But there's little of interest for someone who enjoys biking and just wants to improve a bit.