In Part 4 of our Athlete 'Lockdown' Q&A we talk with Norwich based road cyclist Jacob Chambers on his experiences during lockdown and his training focus during this period. Listen to how he has beaten all his peak power’s and set new PB’s across the board and why working with his coach Ian Jenner has changed his approach to not just training on the bike but developed new routines off the bike and how crucial this is to development.
Name: Jacob Chambers
Age: 26
Country: England
Discipline: Cycling
Long term Goal: Getting my Elite cycling licence.
Where have you been based during this lockdown phase and has there been any restrictions which has affected your training?
I have been based in Norwich, and I have been luckily been able to continue to train without any issues or anything hindering the schedule set by my coach (Ian Jenner). Thankfully with the additional use of Zwift I had nothing stopping me getting my sessions done.
How have you stayed motivated & focused during this time?
The way I have viewed this all from the beginning is, I am to use this entire ‘lockdown’ situation as though I am just doing one big winter training block. Everything I do is always focused towards the idea that when races commence again, whenever that may be, I am physically ready for it completely. I don’t want to start racing thinking I could have done more to prepare.
Has there been anything new that you have incorporated into your training and routine due to restrictions which you will continue with in the future?
I did, prior to lockdown, do a weekly yoga class. But with that having ended, my coach (Ian Jenner) was quick to put in a bodyweight workout session to make up for the missing yoga. And having that has been a good addition, and I can see keeping that as a good session to change my training up.
What have you been focusing on in the past few months, both on and off the bike?
My entire focus has gone into getting my training and recovery done right, so that I can enter the racing season fitter than my previous season.
What excites you most about returning to normal routine?
Without a doubt I’m looking forward to getting out on local chain gang rides & group rides with my mates. And of course, looking forward to getting some racing underway. With everything that has happened, I didn’t realise quite how much the social part of the sport is really what I enjoy the most. From easy local group rides to big races, it’s all about the fun and the competitiveness between all of us.
How has the reliance of a coach helped you through this period?
I know for a fact that if it wasn’t for my coach (Ian Jenner), I wouldn’t be half as fit as I am now. Of course, the expertise that are a massive help, from making sure I’m getting all my sessions done correctly to making sure I recover properly and make to most of the hard work I’m doing. And if any adjustments were ever needed, he was only a message away and would be extremely quick to change it. The communication between both of us has been great & that has definitely been a huge help too. Talking about every single session, feels as though every single session is as important as the last. I also think just knowing that I am expected to do the stuff I am set to do, even on the days I feel as though my motivation is low, it gets me out the door. Because I feel I’d be letting him down as well as myself if I didn’t.
Has there been any positives which you can take from the past two months which you feel has benefited you in the long term, both in sport and outside of sport?
I think just taking a lot of things that seemed so small and insignificant for granted. Like a chilled-out group ride, chatting before the start of a race, or just popping over to a friend to look at some new bit of bling kit they’ve got. I’ll really soak in and appreciate the smaller and social parts of our sport. Because they are certainly some of the best parts for me.
Coaches Corner: Dig Deep Coach Ian Jenner has been working with Jackob just prior to COVID hitting the UK and the past months has been spent learning more about Jacob and developing knowledge on how he reacts to certain training strategies and areas to work on. See Ian’s full review here of the past few months.
I started coaching Jacob in the month prior to Covid 19 hitting thw UK, enough to connect with each other and get to know what made him tick, what he needed and how he worked.
When Covid 19 struck in Italy, where I am based and of course lockdown started weeks before it did in the UK, I immediately thought unless we get on the front foot we are going to be in trouble unless we plan for the consequences what lockdown will bring once it reaches the UK.
Jacob was using his local gym during the day to complete his bike sessions using the equipment and his yoga sessions, with hindsight that lockdown was imminent I suggested that he purchase a of a Smart Trainer was necessary if he was continue to keep the frequency of training and not lose a huge amount of training time if lockdown in the UK becomes the same as in Italy.
We added bodyweight and core work to his calendar to replace the missing Yoga sessions. Next was lowering his volume and avoiding those mammoth endurance, no need for those at all at this point so it was ‘foot off the gas’ and ease back focus on developing his ability to perform those hard 5min, 10min and 20min critical powers efforts that can be developing using indoors sessions. We also incorporated time on Zwift with a few races and events to get some racing in his legs and keep the focus.
Jacob entrusted me 100% with his journey during this time and he communicated well, asked questions, followed the plan and stayed focused.
We improved his FTP twice and had All Time Power PB’s for 1min, 5min, 10min and 20min across the board, this was proof that initial strategy had worked, and his hard work was paying off.
As lockdown eased, we switched the focus to stretch the Endurance rides slightly and combined this with pushing the pace a little for those longer road rides as his newly found higher fitness allows him to be a lot more efficient.
We are now maintaining those fitness gains and waiting for some local races to start so we can again build to a specific goal. Jacob is itching to get started and see where all the hard work and focus has got him, given his commitment, dedication, and newfound realization that recovery is everything in this game. We are both looking forward to some great results end of 2020!!!
