How Much Rest Do Cyclists Need?

Most cyclists are familiar with the basic concepts of training. To improve fitness, the body is put under stress through a process called periodization, which includes cycles of hard work and rest. If the process is done correctly, your body recovers to become stronger or faster than before. While many cyclists understand the hard work portion of periodization, the amount of rest needed to become a fitter cyclist is less understood.

In the offseason, many cyclists will map out a detailed training schedule that includes specific workouts to improve power, endurance, speed and other cycling skills. But what is often missed when these training schedules are made is the inclusion of rest periods. Without it, burnout, lack of energy and decreased motivation can set in, which will affect your training and your performance on race day.

Let's take a look at how a proper rest schedule can benefit your cycling and improve your overall health.

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How Much Is Enough

When you consider the details of your own day-to-day training and rest intervals, be sure that each week has one day that is an off day. While this doesn't mean that you need to be a coach potato on Sundays, it does mean you need to rest your body so that you can fully recover and rebuild for the next week of training.

A brisk walk, light swim or other easy activity should be the most that you do. Stay off the bike to rest your physical body and your mind. Mental fatigue plays just as big of a role in training as physical fatigue. A day off to reset the mind from the monotony of hours on the bike is crucial.

Why You Should Schedule Sleep

Just as you should make a detailed schedule to train, schedule rest into your training plan to ensure that you receive the amount needed to recover properly.

For example, if Monday is your rest day, don't let the temptation of an impromptu training ride break your schedule. Your down time is just as important as the time you spend training. Too much training and not enough rest can lead to that downward spiral of decreased performance and lower energy.

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Feeling the need to train more as the season goes along is a common trap for cyclists. Once you begin to feel the positive effects of training, it takes discipline to rest. As such, proper rest cannot be over-emphasized, and a schedule is one way to ensure you get it.

A good rest schedule should include periods of rest each day and proper sleep throughout the week. Unless you're a professional bike racer or retired from work, chances are you hold down a full-time job in addition to your training. These are large time commitments and will easily fill your schedule. If you also try to lead a social life or raise a family, you will inevitably begin to sacrifice rest.

If you're going to commit to being a better cyclist, you should schedule your rest just as you schedule everything else. This might sound overly analytical, but giving your body the rest it needs is just as challenging as every other part of training. Schedule it in advance to make sure you get what you need.

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Take a Nap

Along with your ritual for refueling your body, make sure to include an hour or two for an afternoon nap after each of your long training rides. Once you're off the bike, stretch, refuel, and take a nap. Avoid sleep after 3 p.m., as late afternoon naps will interfere with your sleep at night.

Your muscles may become stiff and not feel great when you wake up, but your heart will benefit from the added rest. To address stiff muscles, take a few minutes to stretch again when you get up.

For a bit of perspective, we hear a lot about how much time a professional cyclist spends on the bike. What you don't hear is how many hours a night he or she spends sleeping. Professional cyclists might spend anywhere from 10 to 12 hours sleeping for each day of racing. Are you getting that much rest?

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The Benefits of Proper Sleep

Not only is quality sleep critical for top athletic performance, it's also the key to a healthy heart and immune system. Frequent lack of sleep can lead to sleep deprivation. What's worse, you can't catch up with one night of good sleep. Rest is cumulative and needs to be taken into consideration each day.

According to the National Institute of Health, adult men and women need an average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. An athlete in training will need more. In a study of healthy adults, most people will sleep 8.5 hours a night under ideal conditions.

If you're getting less than this while holding down a job, raising a family and training, chances are you are in sleep deficit. Under these circumstances, your mental function declines, your body cannot fight infection as effectively and your heart does not recover as it should during sleep. This can result in poor daytime concentration, higher resting heart rates, lower power output on the bike and decreased endurance.

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If you are unsure about the quality of your sleep, check out the Guide to Healthy Sleep. Included in the guide is brief test and sleep diary to help monitor your rest schedule.

Proper rest and sleep is every bit as critical for athletic success as a proper diet and training plan. Pay more attention to your rest schedule and your ability on the bike will climb to new heights.

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