Cycling and Cross Training

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My question is pretty simple. Will participating in other sports hurt cycling performance? In other words given the option would it be better to be on the bike 2-3hrs a day and do nothing else than it would to be on the bike 2-3hrs a day and take part in other sports (running, soccer, tennis, climbing, swimming...) By better I guess I mean becoming the better at bicycle racing. Obviously I don't expect the other sports to really help specifically with the cycling...i'm just curious if they will hurt it.

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[Smartt/RST]

My question is pretty simple. Will participating in other sports hurt cycling performance? In other words given the option would it be better to be on the bike 2-3hrs a day and do nothing else than it would to be on the bike 2-3hrs a day and take part in other sports (running, soccer, tennis, climbing, swimming...) By better I guess I mean becoming the better at bicycle racing. Obviously I don't expect the other sports to really help specifically with the cycling...i'm just curious if they will hurt it.

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The answer to such a question depends tremendously on your goals, experience, and approach you take to training. For example, the higher your fitness level, the more you must train in a cycling specific manner to improve cycling performance. On the other end of the spectrum, studies have shown that untrained people can improve cycling performance even from some strength training. Having said that, doing enough of anything that fatigues you to the point that it takes away from your ability to train on the bike will decrease your cycling performance (or at least mitigate gains you would otherwise be making).

 

[ric_stern/RST]

My question is pretty simple. Will participating in other sports hurt cycling performance? In other words given the option would it be better to be on the bike 2-3hrs a day and do nothing else than it would to be on the bike 2-3hrs a day and take part in other sports (running, soccer, tennis, climbing, swimming...) By better I guess I mean becoming the better at bicycle racing. Obviously I don't expect the other sports to really help specifically with the cycling...i'm just curious if they will hurt it.

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just to add to michael's excellent post: the chances of injury in other sports maybe higher than in cycling. iirc, the last time i played football (soccer) i twisted / damaged my ankle, which necessatated 6 weeks off the bike while the injury healed. that's an awful lot of fitness to lose

ric

 

[fixed]

More specifically....


Isn't it less efficient to have muscles devolped for other sports? Running works different muscles from cycling and so does swimming, football, etc. So aren't the muscles I'd be devolping in other sports just wasted weight on the bike if they don't contribute to cycling? Would it be most ideal to train solely cycling specific muscle groups and try to trim muscles that aren't contributing down?

 

[waterboy420]

More specifically....


Isn't it less efficient to have muscles devolped for other sports? Running works different muscles from cycling and so does swimming, football, etc. So aren't the muscles I'd be devolping in other sports just wasted weight on the bike if they don't contribute to cycling? Would it be most ideal to train solely cycling specific muscle groups and try to trim muscles that aren't contributing down?

When I was a more avid runner than cyclist in my formative years, we would do strength training to balnce the other half of the leg's muscles. This involved working the shins, and quadriceps mostly. I really never felt a great need to do this, as I was strengthening muscles that were used as much in a running specific fashion.

It began to make more sense earlier this year when I was putting loads of high intensity miles on the bicycle very early in the season. I was getting cramps in my hamstrings like crazy!! I had stopped the mild running I had been doing and focused only on my cycling. I gradually added a few runs in throughout the week, and my problem seem to be solved. Having a balnced fitness can only help you and move you forward, it certainly won't hurt your cycling efforts as long as your bicycle specific training maintains it's intensity.