Originally posted by acoggan
First, how are you differentiating "strength endurance" from just plain old "endurance"?
Second, what evidence is there that "...an appropriate strength training program..." provides a faster, easier, and/or better way of improving the performance of cyclists than just plain ol' on-the-bike training? (To answer my own question: none that I am aware of.)
BTW: for those seeking greater insight into the role of force, velocity, strength, etc., as determinants of cycling power and hence performance, there are some useful graphs here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~acoggan/quadrant_analysis
First, how are you differentiating "strength endurance" from just plain old "endurance"?
I think my last post came out the wrong way and may have been a bit confusing (I was in a rush to leave the house), so anyway, back to the topic at hand.
Strength is the ability to apply force to something...it can be for 1 repetition, like a 1 rep max or it can be force applied to the pedal on the downstroke for example. Strength endurance is being able to apply that force for some length of time. There's no doubt that there's a difference between the two though. For example, a marathon runner who's trying to lower his overall time but fades towards the end (or bonks, hits the wall, etc) needs strength endurance. He needs to be able to apply the same or more force to the ground to propel himself forward for a longer period of time. If he could do it for 100 meters, that's great, but it's the strength endurance part, or the ability to produce that force for up to 26.2 miles that will determine if he can lower his time.
I guess I was shooting for the same thing with my last post, but looking more at time trial riders (40K for example). Sure, for what Ric is talking about with endurance riders (Tour riders maybe...doing 100+ miles in a day?) then I agree that strength training for strength or strength endurance might not help that much for some riders. I do think that an endurance program would work where they are doing high reps with lower weight before and during (as a maintenance thing) a race season. But for the other type of endurance rider...a TT rider for example...I think strength training can work well. At one point or another in a TT you're going to be applying quite a bit of force to the pedals, so the ability to apply that force for a longer period of time will help, whether it's coming off the start block and getting out faster, or getting that final kick to the finish...you might be able to start your final sprint earlier...it's at these two points in this type of endurance race that you would be applying high amounts of force to the pedals and where the ability to produce more force would come into play.
Then the question of specificity comes into play. There are great workouts on the bike that you can do, but developing raw power in the weight room can help a rider such as a TT racer since that last kilometer or so is just a balls to the wall effort.
Second, what evidence is there that "...an appropriate strength training program..." provides a faster, easier, and/or better way of improving the performance of cyclists than just plain ol' on-the-bike training?
So many people follow strength training programs that are worth **** because they're not designed by professionals or by people who take into consideration what the athlete is doing along with the strength training (i.e. his on the bike training). For some people who are genetically gifted or untrained enough to see big strength gains from resistance training in the gym, strength training can be a faster/easier way to get that strength to help them on the bike. For others who aren't as lucky genetically, working out in the weight room may not help them at all when they get on the bike. So I think it's a matter of individualizing the strength training to the athlete and seeing what works. Sure, you might have him/her do power lifting and find that it doesn't work...then stick to on the bike training. For someone else it might give them the power they need for the sprint at the end of a crit or at the end of a longer race...they wouldn't need to call on that reserve for the entire race since it's an endurance event, but producing just a bit more power could mean the difference between getting 1st or 5th in the final sprint just because you have that little reserve in the back.
It's like any type of training. If you do only endurance training, you're going to loose speed and strength. If you do only speed or strength training, you're going to loose endurance adaptations. Nearly any endurance cycling race you look at will have some sort of speed/strength component to it (except maybe RAAM).
Tour de France - many stages have a final sprint that means a stage win or loss for various countries
Crits - "sprint - draft - sprint - draft" and so on...the race goes to the guy who has the strength in the end to outsprint the guys next to him
TT's - same as i mentioned above
hill climbs - strength for a strong finish
My take on it is that there's nothing wrong with having strength, even if it means increasing your body weight a little bit...but only if you do it properly and can increase the strength to weight ratio. If you just put on useless muscle or add fat, then who needs it? But if it's more muscle that can produce more power, there's nothing wrong with having it. Your body will adapt and it can only make you better.