Alexis Kuperfis’ four tips for adopting a regular cycling training

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Cycling is a sporting activity, recreational and even a daily activity for many people (such as those who cycle to work). Extremely popular, it is practiced by more than one billion of people all over the world and counts over 600,000 licensees. At a sporting level, this discipline is ruled by the International Cycling Union (UCI). Cycling is declined in several disciplines: road cycling, track cycling, cyclo-cross, mountain biking, BMX, indoor cycling and even polo-cycling.

Practiced as a sport, cycling has many profitable effects on the body (weight loss, reinforcement of cardiovascular system, improvement of sleep quality, etc.). Nevertheless, in order to feel all these effects, it is necessary to cycle on a regular basis and to train seriously. Moreover, if you are really passionate about this sport, you will certainly want to improve. In that case, the training is also necessary because it is thanks to it that you will be able to progress and push your limits even further.

Training is above all a question of regularity rather than quantity. It is better to practice a little on a regular basis than a lot once. Alexis Kuperfis gives us an example, certainly a little exaggerated, but which sums up the situation well. It is better to practice three times a week for thirty minutes than a for a week six hours a day and then do nothing the rest of the year. Before you start cycling, it is important to take this into account, because if you don’t organize and plan your training, you will not have a regular and constant increase in performance. The key of success is consistency. Alexis Kuperfis, a cycling enthusiast, gives up four tips to be motivated ourselves to train cycling regularly and thus make a real difference in the long term.

Planning is the key to effective training

The number one tip is to plan. Jack Canfield, one of Alexis Kuperfis’ thought leaders said

“If you don’t plan for success, you are planning for failure”.

Indeed, if you don’t plan, you will leave room for others and for obligations that will take up all your free time. This way, you will never have time for you to train.

So, Alexis Kuperfis advices you to take, for example, a shot 15-minute Sunday evening to plan your training week. Set the themes of the latter, the priorities, etc. Thus, if someone asks you if you are available on a particular, you could say no. It is exactly the same situation when you take an appointment with the doctor, for instance. It is a way to guarantee that you will train regularly and safely. This tip is then very easy to implement. On your agenda and plan your training sessions!

Organize a follow-up

Tip number 2 also seems very simple, but it is not that easy to implement: it is to organize a follow-up of your sessions. Follow-up is a way to stimulate and to motivate yourself, because when you follow your training, it gives you a feeling of improvement. This type of monitoring is equivalent to a progression curve on one, two or maybe three criteria that show you that you are progressing like the power you develop over a typical exercise. When you do weight training, it is also recommended to make a chart with the exercises you do, the number of repetitions, the weight, etc.

It has been proven that these kind of table or the graphs displayed on your fridge, on the bathroom mirror, in the toilet or in the office, have an even greater impact on motivation. This kind of follow-up develops a very powerful impulse, it is the drive to progress, the feeling of progress. As you progress, it encourages you train more regularly.

Find a bunch of friends to train with

Tip number 3 also seems excessively simple to set but in practice, it requires a bit of organization and sometimes requires some people to step outside their comfort zone. Indeed, certain people like to practice with their friends, even, they only train in groups. The inconvenience is that in a group, you are always in overloaded and trainings are not always well structured.

The solution is to find a friend or a little group of 2 to 3 friends with whom you can train regularly, while setting goals for your training. For instance, Alexis Kuperfis practices on Mondays, with 2 or 3 friends. In that specific case, the session is technically oriented and/or intensive. It is generally quite short because all these friends do not have the time to train for hours, but they all make appointments and go to practice.

Training in group can be a big advantage, because it must be recognized that when you are not very motivated, the presence of reliable friends allows you to surpass yourself. So it is very stimulating to train. However, once again, organization is essential. Tell your friends in advance and if you have regularity, it will be even easier.

Use a coach

Tip number 4 is simply to take a coach. So yes, it is much more engaging to take a paid coach who will give you advice or at least discuss with you to plan a training session on the week or month. This type of relation forces you to be more motivated and to be involved simply because you have paid for it, you have organized the session objectives and how to reach them. So it’s easier to get started and then having to be somehow accountable provides an additional stimulus.

Everyone manages their relationship with their coach the way they want but in the case of Alexis Kuperfis, when he trains with his coach, the simple fact of having a regular appointment to organize the session and then to debrief what has been achieved, has some positive effects. Even if sometimes, they do not have the time to do everything exactly as they planned, the simple fact of discussing and exchanging information allows them to move forward.

In short, if you want to be motivated to train regularly because you know that regularity will make the difference and pay off in the long run, here’s what Alexis Kuperfis says you should do. First, plan your training, plan your sessions in your schedule at least weekly. Second, organize a follow-up of your progress on at least one or two criteria or on your weight training sessions. Then, stimulate your friends and make an appointment with them to train and set goals and challenges. The last advice is to take a coach who will bring you all the professionalism you need for rigorous training and motivate you properly, but it does come at a cost.