Serious Chris said:Well said and a VERY informative post
What School do you go to, Denver Elementary.
Here's some myth busting: Weight training is not body building, even though body building is a form of weight training. One does not have to become a neck-less, muscle-head who spends 6 hours a day in the gym in order to strength train effectively for health, or even looks. The fact is there is no harm, only good, in being strong as well as healthy on a cardiovascular level.
Straw man. No one is suggesting body building. Only one person is suggesting that bigger muscles are better muscles for cycling.
The claim that strength training does nothing to help cycling is a generalized and ignorant statement, usually said by people who have never successfully or correctly strength-trained with weights.
Been developing strength and conditioning programmes for over 13 years for a variety of sports and events within those sports. Andy weight trains in the off season although not for cycling reasons.
On the other hand, body building will make you heavier and slower, so you need to figure out the ratio of lifting/cardio you want for what you're after.
Straw man, no one is disputing this.
Creating a core of healthy muscle will help your posture and prevent injuries from real world lifting and activity.
Like Frank Day and pedalling I defy you to be able to point out which riders in a peloton do and don't do weight training.
It will also help your metabolism stay up, as muscle is more metabolic than fat.
Straw man, no one is disputing this.
Realize also that long sessions of cardiovascular exercise do cannibalize a degree of muscle, even if your diet is very specific to help prevent this.
Evidence please? A recent study of the 6 day Tour of Southland showed a group of 5 riders all gained weight over the tour.
Strength training will further help rebuild and maintain muscle mass if you do lots of cardio.
Cardio? We call it bike riding, it's what we do. If it has cardio benefits well good for us. First you had better prove how bike riding cannibalises muscle. Sounds like the sort of thing a meathead personal trainer would tell you while trying to sign you up to a 3 month gym programme.
If you want another real world example of how lifting effects cycling:
Yesterday I rode to the gym (7 miles; it's the gym at my school) and did upper/lower back and legs; dead-lifts and squats were some of the exercises performed; then I rode home with no ill benefits. Today I have DOMS and still did a strong 30 miles on the bike, affected very little by said DOMS.
Seriously Chris, what does that tell you?