Women Need to Build Muscle

Recently I was having a conversation with a fellow fitness expert and the topic of getting women to build muscle came up. The biggest fear many women have of working out is building too much muscle, they fear they will "look like a man". Well fear not ladies! The chance of you looking like Mrs Olympia from working out 2 hours a week lifting weights is so slim I'd bet on it, well unless you are shooting up with steroids.

Now, I happen to think that women with a healthy amount of muscles look virile and vibrant,  and well very attractive.  However, if the fear of gaining too much muscle is stopping you from using heavy weights well please don't let this stop you.

Most women are not going to build more muscle than they want from lifting weights. They will build some muscle and be stronger than they were before, but it is very difficult for women to build huge, bulky, muscles. In fact, most men find this difficult as well. The bodybuilding supplement industry makes millions of dollars each year because building a lot of muscle is so difficult.

Although it is possible for women to build big muscles, it is very difficult and you would need to work out with VERY HEAVY WEIGHTS on a regular basis (5 days a week for 2-3 hours a day). I add this because I certainly don't want to perpetuate the myth that it absolutely isn't possible for women to build large amounts of muscle. The reason that most bodybuilding information for women states that it isn't possible is so that women who are afraid of building too much muscle by working out with weights will finally pick some up and work out. It is possible to build big muscles if you are a woman, however, in order to attain them it would have to be your goal to do so. It won't just happen by accident, you would purposely have to work hard to build them.

There are also health benefits to being stronger and having more muscle (these are just a few):

1. Increased metabolic rate - This is the rate at which your body burns calories at rest. The more muscle mass you have the higher your body's metabolic burn rate is while you are sitting, and sleeping.

2. Decreased risk of osteoporosis - This is because your bones need to be strong enough to support the increased amount of muscle. Bone tissue is dynamic and your bones will respond to the increased demand placed on them by becoming stronger.

3. Being physically weak isn't safe (for anyone) - The stronger you are the more likely that you will be able to defend yourself if you ever need to. Plus you will find certain tasks easier, such as carrying in the groceries, moving furniture, or whatever heavy lifting you may encounter in your everyday life.

4. Improved Balance, blood sugar control, sleep and mental health


If you don't believe me, then try gradually increasing the amount of weight you use when you work out and you will see big improvements in your muscle tone, overall appearance and even feeling energized longer, but you will not see the development of huge bulky muscles.

As always if you have questions or concerns about this topic please feel free to post a comment or contact me directly at VeloFit@gmail.com

Thanks for reading. 

The Core of the Matter

Everyone is talking about Core Strength these days.  It seems like all they want is a strong core, and beautiful six pack abs.  Well ok fine and dandy for some, but my belief is that we as humans need to have a strong core for support in our everyday activities (ADL’s) and sporting activities.  Through the strong core and a healthy diet yes you can have beautiful six pack abs, but does it make you run faster, swim more efficiently, bike longer? Quite simply, Yes. However, a more detailed explanation is needed.

Let’s begin with our ‘core’ muscles and what they consist of.  Our core consists of the muscles that both stabilize and mobilize our trunk, so these muscles include all of the abdominal muscle groups (deep, superficial, lateral, medial, superior and inferior), the gluteal group, hamstrings, low back musculature, hip flexors, and quadriceps. Below is a detailed picture of all the "core" muscles.

Basically stated all the muscles that fall between the chest and the knees are in some way involved in our “Core”.  When these muscles are all functioning properly they can provide an individual with many positive performance benefits. These positive benefits include but are not limited to injury prevention, improved balance, support of better posture; in relation to sport, it will improve your efficiency, and increase your stability and stamina thus improving your sports performance. Increasing your core strength will allow you to go further without fatiguing as quickly because you have a stronger platform off of which you can perform your activities.

Here is an analogy for you to ponder.  Imagine a tree with a trunk so thin you could wrap your arms around it, then look up the tree and notice its branches which are much thicker than the trunk.  The branches by themselves are strong indeed, but when the wind gusts up and blows the branches so hard that the trunk bows and breaks due to the weight of the branches and lack of stability in the truck.   The same is true for us, if our core is weak and our extremities are strong we can push hard or run fast but at some point there will be that one movement that puts so much stress on your core, more so than it can handle and now you have an injury.  This doesn’t sound good right?  Right!

So there are a few questions to ask.  How often do we need to spend focusing on our core muscles with strength specific exercises and what specific exercises should we be focusing on?  I wish I could give you a simple answer, but that isn’t possible because we all have different needs.  However based on what I deal with most often, that being the endurance athlete I will base my answer there.

Spending about 2 hours a week (in half hour segments to start if needed) on core strength training is ideal for an individual that might be training 10 or more hours a week. Gradually add this into your training if this is new to you however. Your training session should include upper and lower body strength training which ultimately engages the core in order to perform the exercises as well. As you improve, you can add more core specific work into your routine.

Rather than plain sit-ups, a few triathlon specific core exercises are listed below.  Give them a try who knows what improvements you may see in your next event. And, if you are looking for a fun yet challenging core only workout try (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNqD5aENR8A ) it will be a challenge I guarantee.  

Plank and hold for 30-90 seconds

Frog Plank, hold plank on hands or elbows begin by rotating right knee away from body and bringing it up toward your right elbow, set foot back in place and repeat with left leg.  Continue alternating knees till you reach 15-30 repetitions per side

Plank with feet on stability ball and begin to bring your knees to your chest by rolling your feet in on the ball.

Side Plank on the ground, hold for 30-90 seconds

Push ups

Chest Press single arm laying on a stability ball, holding a bridge with hips

Single Leg Bridge

Bridge and hold with feet marching

Dead Lifts

Front Squats

Bent Over Unsupported Dumbbell Rows

Kettle Bell Halos

Kettle bell Swings

And the list can go on and on…

So build time into your training routine to add core strength training and your improvements will not only show up in your performance but your health and longevity in the sport will increase too.

If you have questions please feel free to contact me at VeloFit@gmail.com

Stay Fit Stay Healthy with NORTH FITNESS, Your Direction to Health and Fitness!

Book Review: The Feedzone Cookbook (Fast and Flavorful Food for Athletes)

Book Review: The Feedzone Cookbook (Fast and Flavorful Food for Athletes) by Dr. Allen Lim and Biju Thomas

Who would know how to better feed hungry athletes than the chef and scientist who nourished the pro cyclists during the Tour de France?  Dr. Allen Lim and chef Biju Thomas share 160 of their energy-packed, wholesome recipes with elite and non-elite athletes alike in this amazing cookbook.

With recipes targeted specifically with food timing in mind: pre-workout, workout, and post-workout, this book covers it all using common ingredients such as rice, eggs, sugar and salt.  There are also many vegan and gluten-free recipe options.

Many of these recipes are designed to fuel hard-working athletes with high-calorie demands, and hence are unapologetically low-fat or low-calorie.  Lim and Thomas also encourage readers to use their recipes only as a foundation and to freely experiment with different ingredients to find out what works best for the individual athlete.

My favorite section of this book was the “portables,” which were originally designed to give riders an alternative to pre-packaged bars and food. Lim and Thomas discovered that after consuming only sweet, dense energy bars, cyclists would develop a bad stomach, or as they refer to it as, “gut rot.” This led to the birth of the infamous “Allen’s rice cakes” which are made from a mixture of calrose white rice (easily digested carbs), scrambled eggs, (protein), bacon (provides fat and a savory flavor), brown sugar and soy sauce.

Personally, I’ve been using Accelerade gels and ClifBar shot blocks for years to fuel me on the bike and run, so my tastebuds were yearning for something different- something sweet and savory- like Allen’s rice cakes.

I’m not a huge fan of bacon, so I opted to test out the Levi Leipheimer-approved Chicken Apple Sausage rice cakes. The ingredients were simple- calrose rice, chicken apple sausage, eggs, brown sugar and low-sodium soy sauce.

I scrambled the eggs and cooked the chicken apple sausage together with the seasonings.

Afterwards, you mix everything together with the rice and press firmly into a rectangular pan.  Let it sit for 15 minutes and then cut into small rectangular squares.

Lim and Thomas recommend wrapping them in parchment-lined aluminum foil, or Martha Wrap.  I settled for aluminum foil, which was rather difficult to unwrap with one hand while riding.  In the future, I may use snack-size Ziploc bags for ease of opening.

These fit nicely into the back pockets of jerseys, and are ready-to-eat.  For those inquiring about the food safety component, the authors write that the rice cakes are prepared normally at 7am, wrapped and left unrefrigerated in the van, and the cyclists eat them anywhere from 12pm-5pm without having food safety issues.  Also, you can store extras in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

These rice cakes were a nice change from the sugary gels and gummies, and my tastebuds and stomach were happy during my long bike ride.  I actually looked forward to eating “real food” to fuel my muscles while riding and did not have any G.I. issues.

As athletes, we are constantly bombarded with new diet trends, food products and supplements claiming to make us faster and stronger.  I admire Dr. Lim and Thomas’ utilization of real foods that can easily be purchased at a local store or on the road when traveling for a race.  Their goal in their own words- “is to optimize and thrive- to use real food as a real weapon.”  In my own words?  I would definitely want these two at my Feed Zone during a race and handing off rice cakes to me, so having this cookbook in my kitchen already makes me feel like a pro.

-Written by Julianne Kanzaki, MPH, RD

Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating in a Busy World

Written by Julianne Kanzaki, MPH, RD

A typical morning looks something like this- after my first training session, I quickly shower, get ready for work, prepare breakfast, and jet out the door.  Leaving my apartment, I carry my workout bag for my second training session after work, my purse and bag of snacks for the day, and precariously balance my cup of oatmeal on top of my tea mug as I make my way down the stairs to my car. 

I may not text while driving, but somehow I manage to sip my green tea while neatly spooning oatmeal into my mouth as I navigate through rush-hour traffic.  My lipgloss application signifies the completion of another successful breakfast-on-the-go, and acts as the finale to my multi-tasking morning commute.  So yes, even I am guilty of mindlessly eating breakfast in the car.  I never found this problematic until one morning when I looked down at my shirt while at work and saw a glob of dried oatmeal snugly nestled between the folds of my ruched blouse.  Oops.

We are all insanely busy, time-crunched individuals.  Oftentimes, eating is a mindless activity connected to other tasks- checking emails, watching TV, or driving.  When was the last time you ate a meal without standing at the kitchen counter, reading or doing computer work, or watching TV?  When was the last time you truly tasted the flavors of your food, noticed the texture, and stopped eating when you were satisfied?

Becoming a mindful eater makes you more aware of yourself, your hunger, your fullness, and why you are eating.  Here are some tips to practice mindful eating:

1. Eat when you are hungry.

It sounds simple, but many people eat out of stress, loneliness or anger.  Be sure you physically feel the signs of hunger.  Ask yourself, “What do I really need right now?  What void am I trying to fill with food?”  By eating when you are truly hungry, you can avoid emotional eating episodes.

 

2. Eat sitting down.

When you sit down, you automatically become more focused.  You are able to give the food your full attention.  Notice the difference you feel when you eat sitting down, versus while standing over the kitchen sink or in front of the refrigerator.

3. Eat without distractions.

Try not to use mealtimes to multi-task.  Turn off the TV, computer and radio.  Focus on the aroma, taste and texture of the food.  Take the time to truly enjoy the foods you are choosing to nourish your body with.

4. Stop eating when you are 80% satisfied.

Avoid the “clean plate syndrome.”  Once in awhile, close your eyes while eating and ask yourself, “If I was blind and couldn’t see how much food was left on my plate, would I be satisfied now?” Stop when you are 80% satisfied, not 100% stuffed.  You are allowed to be satisfied and full even when there is still food on your plate.  The starving children in Africa will not benefit from your leftovers.

Like all new habits, it helps to start small and set realistic expectations.  Choose one meal each day and commit to focusing on mindful eating.  As you feel more comfortable, increase it to two meals, with the eventual goal of eating mindfully at all meals.

In my own quest to become a more mindful eater, I’ve discovered that mealtimes are more satisfying (emotionally and physically).  When I actually take the time to taste the food on my plate, I can also appreciate how I am nourishing my body with healthy fuel.  It is an entirely difference eating experience than standing in front of the refrigerator and picking randomly at leftovers.  And thankfully as a result, there haven’t been anymore “oatmeal surprises” on my blouses at work.

Nutrient Timing and Strategies to Optimize Recovery

Nutrient Timing and Strategies to Optimize Recovery

To realize the value of one minute-

Ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second-
Ask a person who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond-
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

-Author unknown

The above poem drastically demonstrates the importance of time.  With March not only bringing St. Patrick’s Day, but also Daylight Savings, I couldn’t help but think about time- and more specifically, nutrient timing immediately following training.

What you eat and drink from one training session to the next significantly impacts your recovery. Although you may be tempted to inhale everything in sight after working out, it is wise to choose the correct recovery fuel.

Carbohydrates are needed to replace the limited stores of muscle-fueling carbohydrates- glycogen- that have been used up during your workout.  If not replenished, the quality of your future training session will significantly suffer.  Delaying your carbohydrate intake after a tough training session by even 2 hours can slow down the replenishment process.  Immediately after training, focus on higher-glycemic carbs (pretzels, cereal, bagels, bread, baked potatoes) rather than complex carbs.  Research has proven that simple carbs are more effective at enhancing glycogen resynthesis and expediting recovery.

Consume 0.5g of carbs per lb of body weight within 30 minutes of your training session and then repeat an hour or two later.  (For a 120-lb athlete, this would be 60g carbs)

What about protein?  Consuming protein immediately after exercise will repair muscle tissue and provide important nutrients for your immune system.  Based on the recommendations by the IOC Consensus Statement on Sports Nutrition 2010, around 15-25g of protein following exercise is beneficial.  Anything greater does not result in any further muscle-building benefits.

Fluid replacement is also important.  Replace fluids lost during exercise by gradually drinking 16-24 fl oz (in the form of recovery beverages, sports drinks or water) for every lb of weight lost during training.  To make rehydration even more effective, consume sodium sources (crackers, pretzels), along with your fluids.  This is especially important if you consider yourself a “salty sweater” and often have enough salt on your body and face to line the rims of margarita glasses.

Here are some traditional recovery food choices among athletes that combine the above principles:

-smoothie made with soy or dairy milk, yogurt and frozen fruit
-turkey sandwich with pretzels
-lowfat chocolate milk with a banana
-cereal, dairy or soymilk, and fruit
-bagel with peanut butter, jam and orange juice
-pasta salad with lowfat cheese

Time is of the essence in our society.  As athletes, you will find that proper nutrient timing and food choices will help you reach your goals.  So stop reading and start refueling!

-Written by Julianne Kanzaki, MPH, RD

B.L.I.N.D. Date Bars, by Julianne Kanzaki

“There’s nothing worse than almost marrying someone, breaking if off, and having to start over with a blind date.  It’s like failing your senior year of high school and having to go back to kindergarten.”
 -Cindy Chupack

Nutritious B.L.I.N.D. Date Bars for your Endurance Training and Racing

~By Julianne Kanzaki

Ahh, the month of February.  Heart-shaped chocolates and truffles.  Romantic dinners with wine and red roses.

However, for those individuals whose significant ‘others’ take the shape of a bike, a running trail or a pool, perhaps now is a good time to start thinking about ‘dating.’

At the peak of Ironman training when I was juggling double-workout days and working full-time, it was hard to properly fuel my workouts given my time constraints.  As a result, I would go into a training session either starving and burn out too soon, or I’d eat a substantial snack that would in turn, need substantial time to digest.  By that time, the sun had set, and so had my motivation.

Enter, the blind date.   A colleague of mine noticed my dilemma and kindly shared her creation- a mixture of natural energy consisting of dates, lime juice and nuts.  Oh, the joys of simple nutrition!  I appropriately nicknamed them B.L.I.N.D dates (Blended Lime juice In Nutty Deliciousness). 

Just as real-life blind dates can sometimes be a pleasant surprise, these little creations were surprisingly delicious, and served their purpose well.  Not only were they easily digestible, but the energy from the dates was quick-burning, and the monounsaturated fats and protein from the nuts kept my stomach satisfied.  They conveniently fit into a gym bag or into the back of a jersey pocket for energy on the go.  Try it for yourself!

B.L.I.N.D. Dates

Original recipe developed by Praveena Kumar, MS, RD

-2 c. nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, pistachios)
-2 c. pitted dates
-1/2 c. dried sour cherries
-2 Tbs. flaxseed
-juice from 1-2 limes

Directions: Using a food processor, combine the above ingredients.  Add enough lime juice to bind the ingredients enough where they can be easily rolled into balls. Enjoy!

Feel free to get creative with this basic recipe…try adding a scoop of protein powder, other dried fruit, shredded coconut, or even morsels of carob or chocolate for a sweeter variety.

Love is complicated enough.  Keep your nutrition simple.  Happy “dating!”

-Written by Julianne Kanzaki, MPH, RD.  Nutrition questions or comments? Feel free to contact her at fusion.nutrition@gmail.com

It's February now what do I do about my Base Training?

Aerobic Base Training = Going Slower to Get Faster

 That's right! Building a successful base by training at a slower, aerobic pace, will actually help your overall endurance sport performance

- Jamii North, NORTH FITNESS Your Direction to Health and Fitness

One of the hardest concepts for an athlete to understand and implement is base training. It is counterintuitive to run or bike slowly in order to gain performance later in the season. It is also very difficult to take a step back from the intense training you were doing a few weeks ago, and bring the speed and pace way down. But if you have the discipline to train aerobically for a period of time, when everyone else is still hammering away, it will pay you great dividends down the road.

First and foremost you need to take a break from your sport of choice if you haven’t already. I prescribe a 3-4 week transition phase at the end of each season and immediately follow it with base training. Transition is a time to rest and recover both physically and mentally. We do not take total time off because the fitness loss takes too long to make up. Instead I give my athletes maximum flexibility with their training, plenty of rest, and tell them to leave the heart rate monitor at home. This gives them a few weeks to refocus before we begin structured base training. You cannot train hard year round without taking regular periods of reduced volume and intensity. If you attempt to you will in all likelihood find yourself burned out, over trained, and perhaps injured. You will also find your performance degrading rather than improving. Most athletes build base in the fall and winter when there are not a lot of races.

Physiology of base training

There are two basic energy systems you use when training; anaerobic and aerobic. Unfortunately, you cannot build both your aerobic and anaerobic systems at the same time with great success. The idea behind base training is to train your aerobic energy system specifically and solely. Why is this important? The more work you perform aerobically, or in the presence of oxygen, the more efficient you are. Prolonged aerobic training produces muscular adaptations that improves oxygen transport to the muscles, reduces the rate of lactate production, improves the rate of lactate removal, and increases energy production and utilization which all occur slowly.

Fat being the primary fuel source for the aerobic energy system, over the course of a base period your body learns to more readily break down and utilize fat as an energy source. As an added bonus this adaptation helps post exercise fat metabolism as well. This is an important factor, especially for long distance athletes. The fat we have in our bodies could provide enough energy to perform long distance events back to back, whereas muscle glycogen depletion can occur in as little as one hour. The less muscle glycogen you utilize, the more efficient you are. Contrary to the aerobic system, the anaerobic system consumes carbohydrate rapidly and the byproduct is lactic acid. This system is used up in a relatively short amount of time, but allows for very high intensity bursts.

Other adaptations of aerobic training include increased stroke volume of the heart, capillary density, and mitochondrial density. Stroke volume increase simply means that your heart pumps more blood per beat. Mitochondria are structures within muscle cells that produce energy from fat and carbohydrate oxidation. Regular endurance training has been shown to double the concentration of these structures. By increasing capillary density we can effectively transport more blood to the working muscles. The process of building capillaries occurs gradually. Because high stress training breaks down capillaries, base training is best for allowing the slow growth of capillaries.

Base progression

There should be progression during base season as with any other training period. I normally prescribe 12-16 weeks of base training every year. This will vary with athlete's fitness level, and the type of event they will be peaking for. Over the course of base I progress from the low end of the aerobic energy system and gradually proceed in steps to the high end. The heart rate zones I use fall into the 75-90% range of lactate threshold or 65-85% of max heart rate. I also incorporate specific strength training at an aerobic level. This entails different types of high cadence cycling and slow hill running or even walking. These work outs also increase in volume throughout base. Base training is an excellent time to work on form and economy as well. As intensities increase later in the season it is harder for the athlete to concentrate on form. By establishing good economy habits early in the season the athlete will carry them forward. It also important to keep the athlete's mind moving with drills and technique work when they are training at low intensity to keep boredom at bay. Base training does not mean you will never move fast. Run strides, foot speed drills, and fast pedal work will all be integrated but for short bursts and few repetitions. Towards the end of base I start power work but use brief durations and full recovery between efforts.

How does this transfer into performance gain?

Let me give you a hypothetical example. Suppose athlete Susie runs a 7 min. mile at lactate threshold. Her fastest aerobic pace, or aerobic threshold, is an 8 min. mile. We start off Susie's base training at the low end aerobic zones at which she runs a 9 min. mile pace. Over the course of her 12 week base program the above mentioned adaptations occur. At the end of the base season she now runs a 7:30 min. mile- aerobically. This is the base for Susie to build on for the rest of her season. Improving on the previous season is now more obtainable with proper training. If Susie's race is an Iron Man in which the aerobic energy system is used predominantly this improvement in aerobic speed is crucial.

Now the hard part

The hard part of base training is having the discipline to train at these low intensities. It may mean running very slowly or even walking. It may mean separating from your training group in order to pursue your individual goals. It also means avoiding the contest of egos that group training often turns into. If you can find a training partner with similar goals and fitness level you may be able to train with them, but more often than not what I see is a base work gone awry when taking part on group rides and runs. Even spending short amounts of time above your aerobic zone degrades the work out.

The area between the top of the aerobic threshold and anaerobic threshold is somewhat of a no man’s land of fitness. It is a mix of aerobic and anaerobic states. For the amount of effort the athlete puts forth, not a whole lot of fitness is produced. It does not train the aerobic or anaerobic energy system to a high degree. This area does have its place in training; it is just not in base season. Unfortunately this area is where I find a lot of athletes spending the majority of their seasons, which seriously slows their aerobic development. The athletes heart rate shoots up to this zone with little power or speed being produced when it gets there.

Another issue is having accurate zones. I regularly performance test my athletes in order to ensure their zones are correct and to confirm their training. After performing many of these tests, and comparing them to race data, I get a very clear estimate of lactate threshold. I use a percentage of LTHR to determine individual zones. I also recommend validation through clinical testing (yes an actual blood draw, though expensive is very informative). I have witnessed athletes using zones that are several years old, assuming fitness has improved over this time their zones would no longer be accurate and they may have spent an entire base season training the wrong energy system.

You have to let your anaerobic system atrophy during base in order to have a sustainable level of fitness to now work at the higher intensities. This means you will lose some of your anaerobic endurance and the ability to sustain speed near lactate threshold. Expect to lose some top end coming out of base, but this is what you are going to spend the rest of your season working on. It often takes several seasons to see the result of sound base training if you are a novice athlete. Be patient, it is a process that is slow and cannot be rushed, but the sooner you get started the faster you will be amazed at your results.

What to do now that it’s February, races start next month and I haven’t done my base training?

If you haven’t just skipped the past few paragraphs then you would know my answer is postpone your race season start and get that base training in!  However I also understand that for some of you being on a team means you will have to perform when you are not finished with base training.  This is fine but remind your teammates and team manager that you are not in peak condition and that you will only be able to perform to a lesser degree than you finished the previous season at.  If they still need you out there early season here is what you should do. 

Get into the gym and begin lifting, the sooner the better.  It's generally a good idea to do at least two months of steady miles with resistance training in the gym before progressing to that specialisation phase of your race training.  In the gym, or at your home gym, functional strength exercises are going to be your friend. What does this mean? Simply, stay away from any gym machine. Focus on free weights using them in a dynamic whole body exercise that challenges your whole body neurologically. The reason for this is simple: cycling involves large groups of muscles working together to produce stability and lots of power. Muscle isolating exercise (leg press, leg extension etc.) build bulk and disconnect groups of muscles from each other robbing you of power. For a quick review of the specific functional exercises that you can use stop into La Dolce Velo bike shop ask for Jamii and tell her the secret phrase (base training) and you will not only get your free exercise review but also a free 30 minute consultation to review your goals.

When riding, base training you can throw in a very limited amount of high intensity efforts (above LTHR) to keep you fresh. These efforts should be very brief (1-2 mins), done at a higher cadence 100-140rpm and very limited (only a few a week). The reason for limiting these high intensity efforts is that they undo some of the effects of base training by destroying the high number of intricate and complex vascular capillaries that you are working so hard to build up in your base training.  Another technique you can focus on is spin-ups where you rev out your cadence to your maximum for a minute at a time. Some sprinters can top out at around 200 rpm but for a roadie if you can spin up to 160 rpm for one minute you are doing very well.  Again, limit the time and frequency. Spin-up are great for building leg speed and peddling technique and are less damaging to your vascular capillaries network than the high intensity efforts. Both exercises will help keep your legs "fresh" as pure base riding will blunt your speed as you build your aerobic capacity. Remember though that you are to focus primarily on building your base.

A base training plan includes at least one day each week for an extra extended long endurance ride where you ride for several hours. This continues to build on the endurance development that you are doing through the week. Very often, these long rides are done in a group setting. Be careful with the group setting as they can turn into group races, with people racing for the town sign, or the next hill top or overpass.  I encourage you to keep the group riding as part of your training, but be aware of the pace and if it is above your training level drop off the pack and do your own workout. You will be stronger in the end to take it slow.  

Now get out there and start slowly!