Great Question

leanman said:

a non cyclist friend asked me this question and i really didnt have a scientific answer.. he says as hard as cycling is, wht not train the same way as a weightlifter.. bust your ass 2-3 days a week.. like doing squats or military presses. you usually do that bodypart 2-3 days max a week, so if the cycling workout is long and very hard, why not just do that 2-3 days a week? i ride 5-7 days a week usually.. long hard day, a few recovery days, a hard interval day a few more recovery days.. his thinking is, guys like me that been cycling a lotta years has the base so just do maybe saturday 3-5 hours long and hard.. off sunday. monday an ez hour . tuesday off . wed the same as saturday. off thursday. 30 minutes ez friday or off.... then repeat.. i have no idea if this work.. he thoughts are you always be doing the long hard training on extremely rested legs.i have no idea if this work.. i'm not racing anymore so i may try it.. he thinks you probably wouldnt improve, but always stay the same, as you're really pushing 2 long hard days a week and resting a ton.. any thoughts on this? thanks

A few thing
-Cycling is a cardio/endurance sport, weight lifting doesn't train your heart the was something like cycling or running does
-Cycling regularly is about maintaining/gaining endurance as well skill.
-Cycling builds muscle specific to the sport and atrophies ones that aren't. I'm 6'4",165-170 pounds and have noticed my weight is the same after cycling for 4 months. The difference is, my legs are more muscular and my arms that use to be chin-up machines chance gotten smaller some
-Unless you know what your doing with weights, you won't train the muscles that are sports specific. You'll end up hindering performance by adding unnecessary bulk if you're not careful

Lastly, I've been into fitness for most of my adult life but....To be honest, I cycle for enjoyment first and fitness a distant second.If it was possible(which it isn't) to get as fit doing something else in less time, I wouldn't. I enjoy this sport, maybe a little too much. I use to lift and do calisthenics 4-5 days a week and need to get back to doing that. Saying this, I find weightlifting to be dangerous, but super boring.

I would not push hard and hurt myself by weight training. I would go for the less taxing exercise but enjoyable like cycling. Bulkier muscles does not always mean good health.

You could try it and see how it works out for you. This schedule may work for track racers, sprinters who depend more on peak power development and muscular hypertrophy.

My guess however is that bodybuilders don't just veg out on off days and still do some type of exercise. On the bike, that is called a recovery day.

A former personal trainer was a serious competitive bodybuilder - nothing easy about that sport, and "recovery days" were one or two hours of weights and maybe an hour of cardio vs 3-4 hours on training days.

That is one tough sport if you are competitive. Just for exercise it can be what you make it. Personally - boring as Hell - lying on your back half the tune staring at the ceiling or standing there staring out the window.

Training hard a few days a week for any sport may work may not - I think it would depend on a lot of things - and the level you are at and where you hope to go makes a difference too - weekend warriors aren't expected or capable of putting in the training a pro and/or Olympian would.

But I believe it's a matter of finding your passion, that thing that keeps you going and you look forward to again and again.

What exactly are you trying to achieve? You don't have to push yourself every single day in order to get better at cycling, so don't feel as though you have to do this. Instead, you should concentrate on how you feel every time you cycle, and how much exercise you feel that your body is able to cope with. As long as this gets better, then it is working just fine for you, and it doesn't matter how many days you train, or what other people say you should be doing. It is all personal to your own journey, and nobody else's really matters at all.

Totally different approaches and goals in these two routines. Bicycle is a cardio workout while body building or regular gym is not so friendly to your heart. The muscles you are building while riding a bike are specific, mostly lower body region. Movements are different as well as the stamina. I am a runner and i go to the gym from time to time. I like to have my body in shape and i say to my 'big' gym friends. ' You can lift 100 kg once or twice, i admit, i cannot do that, but i will lift 20 all day long, no problem.' I do not think that regime would improve anything but you'll never know until you try.

Its not really going to work if you train like a weight lifter. You are looking for speed and they are looking for muscle mass. If you are heavy and bulky from tons of muscle you won't be fast at all. Even if you are not racing you'd want to stay lean and light. You can do some workouts like a body builder but I would say the reps should be different.

It may help his feet get stronger, for sure.

Because, heavy weight lifting tears muscle fibers apart. Then they rebuild stronger. So you lift hard, recover for a few days while your body repairs, and then do it again. Cycling doesn't tear muscle fibers apart the way heavy lifting does. Sure recovery is super important with cycling, but you don't need to rest 3-5 days between like you do with muscle groups when lifting.

Hey,

Interesting question! While there's merit in weightlifting and its intense, concentrated workouts, cycling is a different beast. It's not just about muscle strength, but also endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and mental resilience.

Weightlifting typically works specific muscle groups, while cycling is a full-body, dynamic exercise. It's about maintaining a certain intensity over extended periods, which doesn't align with the weightlifting model.

Moreover, cycling, especially long-distance, is as much a mental challenge as it is physical. The repetitive motion, the changing landscapes, the solitude - all contribute to a unique mental toughness that can't be replicated in a gym.

As for the frequency, cycling every day, even at a lower intensity, can help build this endurance and resilience. It's about consistency and gradual improvement, rather than intense bursts followed by extended rest.

Hope this helps! Keep the questions coming.

Cheers,
EnduranceEthan 🙂