Help return to cycling - training program?

[kimm]

i'm returning to cycling again after about a year of back pain(herniated disc).
it's on/off for almost two years but i think it's getting better after I trained/spent a lot of time in the swimming pool.

so, looking for a returning program to cycling step by step.
1st hit by google search, lead me to this link. (it's 6week post-crash training program).
http://www.active.com/cycling/articles/return-to-racing-a-post-crash-training-plan-and-8212-part-i

tim, my coach/mechanic(haha), will give some insight here.
and i thought it must be good to share in this forum since there must be someone like me.
*ludwig had a same issue and is he returning to cycling again?

have a safe cycling life.
cheers,

 

[GSAstuto]

My first recommendation would be to get a coach! To help you setup a functional training plan, monitor progress and , well, be a coach! Looking at the plan that they described, it seemed really vanilla and a lot of gaps. For example - you don't really need 'rest day' 2x /week - what you need is to do <something> constructive EVERY DAY.

Your muscles will atrophy from disuse - so you need to build strength and flexibility. Especially in the muscles that support your overall activity and core structure. So, where's the strength and flexibility sessions in their plan? A good physio will be getting you on increasing resistance exercises and flexibility plus a bunch of goodies to practice when you're at the desk. In essence - there is no rest, you are constantly working something. This idea that you need to shut down your entire body and vegetate for a special day is wrong and wastes valuable workout time.

I know you already swim and run - so the coach will take that into strong consideration how to plan your cardio and stamina sessions applied to the cycling ramp up.

Then finally, your goals. The plan should put you on a fasttrack to achieve a particular goal. All along - with constant assessments to measure real progress and feedback into the plan, constantly adjusting and tweaking to get maximum benefit. Again, a coach is critical to help you manage this process without either over-reaching or slacking.

Don't forget, many athletes perform at very high levels with chronic or acute pain. Learn to identify whether the pain is risk enhancing or just indicator of a pre-existing issue . Just because it hurts, doesn't mean you are breaking it more. Pain management is at least 50% of the game. Consult with your orthopedist to determine exactly what would happen if you stress that part. Will it get worse? What potential damage could you cause? Then balance the risks.

Look at the Doctor's advise as just that. They aren't God, or anywhere close to it. At the end of the day - you are the master of your body and it has amazing power to recuperate and heal. Alot of us have stories (positive and negative), but I'm honestly, constantly astounded by the many, many stories I hear of people recovering from just about anything.