How to Train for Strava with Phil Gaimon

What Training Plan Should I Do?
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Originally published at: https://fascatcoaching.com/tips/how-to-train-for-strava-phil-gaimon/

Phil Gaimon and I have been going for Strava KOMs for a few years now, and before that, it was hill climb victories and world tour prowess. In this training tip we want to tell you how to train for Strava. We’re primarily going to cover:

  1. The Pre-Attempt Breakfast
  2. Equipment Modifications
  3. Weather Doping!
  4. Race Day Warm Up
  5. Interval Training for Strava

Read on or listen and watch Phil and I here:

1. Pre Strava Breakfast (Win In the Kitchen):

You want to time your pre-attempt meal (breakfast) about 3 hours before you go for it. Phil and I are both clients of the nutritionist and guru Dr. Phil Goglia, Ph.D of Performance Fitness Concepts. “Dr. Phil” as we like to call him, recommends white rice and eggs to be our favorite pre-race and pre-strava attempt meal. To see the recipe go here. Briefly we’re talking 1 cup of white rice, 2-3 eggs and some veggies. Coffee, of course – helps with the gastrocolic reflex which helps shed some grams. You don’t need to carbo load (that’s some nineties sh*t) and you don’t need to eat a ton because food ‘is grams’ and we are assuming your strava attempt is one hour or less. In summary a light breakfast 3 hours before you rip the cranks off.

3833Ready to crush KOM’s just like Phil? Look no further. 🙂

2. Equipment Modifications:

The lighter your bike the better, especially for an uphill Strava segment. Stash your water bottles and saddle bag in the bushes at the bottom. If you really want to nerd out leave your water bottle cages in the garage and use your lightest ‘stuff’: race wheels, skinsuit, helmet, etc… If you really really want to dork out, remove the skewers from your quick releases (might be .5 grams, haha).

3. Weather Doping!

Check the weather a day or two in advance just to make sure you don’t have a raging headwind. Phil tried to reclaim his Lookout MTN KOM this past March (2018) in a 40mph crosswind and suffice it to say, it didn’t go well.

4. The Warm Up:

Phil and I forgot to talk about a proper warm up but here’s what one would look like (similar to your openers the day before). This is an easy to follow 30 minute warm up routine. The secret pro tip is to finish your warm up 10 minutes before you go for it – which shouldn’t be a problem for strava unlike a set time for a race start.

![Strava Warm Up Protocol|1024x255](upload://xfeZRSC9p0M5NbDggewYgaLjybN.png)

 

5. Interval Training for Strava

You gotta go hard and do interval work in order to get faster, same goes for strava. Break the length of your strava segment in half or thirds and make those your intervals. Its really as simple as that. Here is an example for an 18 minute PR/KOM:

Workout # 1: 3 x 6 minutes on 3 minutes OFF – as hard as you can. Then:

Workout # 2: 2 x 9 minutes on 4.5 minutes OFF – as hard as you can. Then:

A practice attempt: 1 x 18 minutes, full gas – as hard as you can and analyze your data.

Customize the length of your ‘Strava-Vals’ for your choosen KOM/PR attempt and do one of these workouts each week for 3 weeks. Then you are ready to go for it!

Watch Phil and I break that strategy down in our youTube video (specific for the Flagstaff Mountain KOM attempt)

And there you go: 5 aspects of your training to smash your next Strava PR KOM/QOM. Be sure to check out part 1 of our How to Train for a Strava PR Phil and I did here.

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Frank Overton has coached many athletes to unofficial Strava PR’s and KOM before there was even Strava, haha. To talk with Frank or a FasCat Coach fill out our New Athlete Questionnaire to set up a Coaching Consultation or browse over 70 training plans using the same coaching methodology and training plan design as the philosophy above!

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