Training with weights

[hawilkinson100]

I'm doing an 900 mile bike ride soon over 7 days. Obviously most of my training will be on the road cycling, but would it be useful to include some weight training for my legs in the schedule?

Obviously they're useful for velodrome cycling (ie. sprinting) but for long distance?

If yes, are there any particular exercises I should do?

 

[SolarEnergy]

If yes, are there any particular exercises I should do?

Well I guess that any exercise involving your legs should do.

Good luck!

 

[kopride]

I'm doing an 900 mile bike ride soon over 7 days. Obviously most of my training will be on the road cycling, but would it be useful to include some weight training for my legs in the schedule?

Obviously they're useful for velodrome cycling (ie. sprinting) but for long distance?

If yes, are there any particular exercises I should do?

Most of the folks on this forum are not big believers in weights to improve cycling performance, particularly if you are talking long distance cycling. (only power cranks are a more controversial topic on this forum). Many of us are big fans of lifting as part of a general fitness routine.

In another post, you can see that I am currently laid up with a groin related injury, so I am kind of doing leg strength work off the bike out of necessity. Here is my leg routine, which I make no claims improves cycling performance. It is all body weight and does not involve weights, so you can do it anywhere. Again, I would rather be on the bike, but I figure its better than nothing.

3 sets of 3 one legged squats (pistols) both sides (left and right)
3 sets of 20 jump squats, jumping as high up as you can jump and going down to about parallel
3 sets of 3 back wall limbers (walk yourself into a back bridge against the wall)
2 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (I use a 55 pound kb)

Then I usually do some evil wheel for abs, and I have a pretty gruesome ab routine. If you can't do pistols, do one leg squats in a door frame using the frame to walk yourself down and up, or do negatives down to a low chair or bench. This is a very short brutal lower body routine that hits your core and will help build lower back strength as well with very little risk of injury.

I also have an upper body routine that is based upon gymnastics progressions. Although I have lifted for 20 years, I have become a much bigger fan of body weight training since it seems to build strength without a real mass increase.

 

[jhuskey]

I am of the opinion that weight training will not help very much on what seems to be an endurance ride.
A good cardiovascular system, flexible arms and a tough butt will come in handy.
You also may want to train yourself to sleep more if you aren't getting 8 hours +.
Recovery is the key.

 

[Enriss]

If you're planning on doing long distance efforts like that, your time should go first and foremost to training in the sweet spot.
But, if you have the time and are interested in doing weights, I think you'll be best served by learning how to squat below parallel, and how to do powercleans.
My reasoning follows. Being a cyclist, you're probably pretty quad dominant, and your knees might be in danger from the imbalance of strength. Squats will correct this, while leg presses won't. I suggest powercleans probably for the same reason that kopride recommends jump squats. The advantage to the powercleans, is that there's a better way to tell if you completed the movement correctly. If you manage to clean the bar up to your shoulders, you've completed an explosive movement. If the bar doesn't get there, you've failed. With jump squats, how do you tell if you've failed? Is there a minimum height requirement, six inches or a foot or something like that? Is it a successful lift if your feet just barely leave the ground? Maybe these are things someone can give me a clear explanation for, but I'm enjoying the powerclean an awful lot in my program.

 

[tonyzackery]

Here ya' go - all the opinions you could ever want, and then some...

http://www.cyclingforums.com/cycling-training/471987-your-thoughts-strength-training-legs.html

http://www.cyclingforums.com/cycling-training/126133-gyming-improve-power.html

Why re-invent the wheel?

 

[Enriss]

Because we're hoping this wheel will be sleeker and more aerodynamic. As cyclists, we should ALL know that this has its advantages.

 

[tonyzackery]

Because we're hoping this wheel will be sleeker and more aerodynamic. As cyclists, we should ALL know that this has its advantages.

Uh, I don't believe you're even remotely qualified to speak for ALL cyclists...fictional/theoretical/hypothetical/comical advantages notwithstanding...

 

[swampy1970]

Most of the folks on this forum are not big believers in weights to improve cycling performance, particularly if you are talking long distance cycling. (only power cranks are a more controversial topic on this forum). Many of us are big fans of lifting as part of a general fitness routine.

In another post, you can see that I am currently laid up with a groin related injury, so I am kind of doing leg strength work off the bike out of necessity. Here is my leg routine, which I make no claims improves cycling performance. It is all body weight and does not involve weights, so you can do it anywhere. Again, I would rather be on the bike, but I figure its better than nothing.

3 sets of 3 one legged squats (pistols) both sides (left and right)
3 sets of 20 jump squats, jumping as high up as you can jump and going down to about parallel
3 sets of 3 back wall limbers (walk yourself into a back bridge against the wall)
2 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (I use a 55 pound kb)

Then I usually do some evil wheel for abs, and I have a pretty gruesome ab routine. If you can't do pistols, do one leg squats in a door frame using the frame to walk yourself down and up, or do negatives down to a low chair or bench. This is a very short brutal lower body routine that hits your core and will help build lower back strength as well with very little risk of injury.

I also have an upper body routine that is based upon gymnastics progressions. Although I have lifted for 20 years, I have become a much bigger fan of body weight training since it seems to build strength without a real mass increase.

I wonder what the deal would be with training on a recumbent bike... Obviously it aint the same position but it's still legs going round, same aerobic component but with your nether region on a wider, less agrivating saddle...

 

[swampy1970]

Because we're hoping this wheel will be sleeker and more aerodynamic. As cyclists, we should ALL know that this has its advantages.

Parp...

 

[jarodwinn]

I'm doing an 900 mile bike ride soon over 7 days. Obviously most of my training will be on the road cycling, but would it be useful to include some weight training for my legs in the schedule?

Obviously they're useful for velodrome cycling (ie. sprinting) but for long distance?

If yes, are there any particular exercises I should do?

I'd recommend core excercises and lots of stretching. On long endurance rides your abs start to come in real handy when you start to get tired, they'll help you keep good posture on the bike and can help reduce fatigue in your back, neck, arms and wrists.

If you are going to do some weight training don't worry about using a lot of weight since you're main forcus for a 900 mile ride is going to be endurance. It's better to do less weight with more reps.

 

[Alex Simmons]

It's better to do less weight with more reps.

+1
I'd say about 15-20kg leg presses x 5,500 times per hour would do it.