Training camp: Physio gym session

We take a closer look at the work Team Sky are putting in off the bike in Mallorca, starting with physio gym work.

Hard work takes place around the clock at our December training camp in Mallorca. Gains can be found out on the island roads, but they can also be carved out in the gym.

Whether hitting the weights or working on rider core, understanding each rider and their body is key to getting the best results when the racing starts.

Team Sky Physio Dan Guillemette talks us through a physio gym session with Geraint Thomas.

"We're working in the gym with G. It's quite an important time of year when we first get together in December and we can start to address some of the issues that riders may have had. We sat down with G earlier in October and we went through his muscular skeletal profile and looked at areas that he considered as weaknesses. We also looked at what his goals were for 2016 and worked quite closely with his coach as well. For next year it's important to start addressing those issues now.

"Taking all that information into account we put together a small gym programme. It needs to be something that is time efficient, because when riders aren't riding a bike they like to be recovering. Now in training camp we can start to implement these specific programmes and start to work with the riders very closely. It's mostly one-to-one but we also do some group work. The good thing about one-to-one is that the riders can understand the movement pattern and the muscle recruitment, and really refine the exercise. So by the time the leave camp in two weeks' time they understand what they are doing within their body, and we also know by that time that there's no detrimental effects. We all know that when you haven't done any exercise for a long period of time, when you go and do something, your muscles will feel sore afterwards for two or three days. It's the same for the riders. Ultimately they are here to train on the bike, but it's a good time of year where we can work on some key strength issues.

"What we also have to think about is the longevity of the rider and their general health and wellbeing. The primary focus of the exercise we're doing with Geraint is what we call posterior chain - so really looking at strengthening the muscles around the shoulders and down the back, your gluteal muscles, so your bum muscles, and hamstrings. That's relative to areas that we see as a weakness, but also to what we see in terms of where we can improve - for instance in his time trial performance. As a team what can we do to get him in a better position on the time trial bike, which is a more extreme position, so he has more stability and more control? Because without those two he either becomes less aerodynamic or loses power, because he's trying to use different muscles to hold and control himself on the bike, rather than generating the power straight into the pedal and going faster."

Look out for more Mallorca Training Camp content in the coming weeks on TeamSky.com