dhk2 said:Don't be a skeptic Tony....after seeing your photo a few months ago, I can see how adding a few more pounds of lean muscle could do wonders for your racing. Just look at the elite and pro racers and tell me that they aren't pumping iron in the off-season
GoldenGator said:So here's another 2cents comment on what I've taken from all the (mis)information out there about weight training. First, weight loss is achieved by consuming less calories than you burn in a given day. If you do no aerobic exercize and eat only rice cakes for the next two months you'll loose weight (not recommended). The point is controlling you calorie intake versus the amount of activity you perform will yeild weight loss and shooting for 1-2lbs per week is ideal.
Ok, on to the weight training for cycling. There is substantial evidence suggesting cyclist who increase weight training in the off season will see benefits in performance when spring rolls around (i.e. weight training=good). I do not believe there is any reasonable benefit to weight training more than once a week when you could be out on the road in the spring (i.e. leaves on trees=hit the roads).
As far as exercizes, ALL exercizes should be compound movements requiring more than one joint/muscle group and require the support of your core. The best exercizes are squats (standing barbell), leg extensions (if you feel there is a muscle imbalance in your hammys), bent rows, pullups or lat pull downs, standing shoulder presses, bench press, dips, dead lifts and power cleans.
A typical off season workout for me is a full body routine 2x/wk. This takes about 30 minutes followed by 30minutes running on the treadmill (triathlon training). Squats, Leg Extensions, Tricep Dips, standing dumbell Shoulder Press (I had surgery requiring dumbells but barbell is better), bent rows, core exercizes (lower back and abs). I do 3 sets of each exercize and try for reps 15-12-10 with the last set to failure. The core work is to failure on every exercize and high reps (20-30+). Each set is followed by less than 1 minute recovery and I immediately hit the treadmill for 3-4miles (30minutes).
Lastly, the gym is not your local pub. You go with a training goal, focus, FOCUS, and perform each exercize slowly and correctly. Bring a water bottle so you're not tempted to waste time at the fountain or chatting with your buddy. Weight training in the offseason will pay dividends. But the best return on investment is miles on the bike!! It takes years of training to generate real power so be patient and plan ahead!
Please provide said evidence or links to this evidence.GoldenGator said:There is substantial evidence suggesting cyclist who increase weight training in the off season will see benefits in performance when spring rolls around (i.e. weight training=good).
I'd love to see the evidence too! Actually, I'm not sure if you'd love to see it or not, but I know I would!Alex Simmons said:Please provide said evidence or links to this evidence.
The general rule I recall from the work of a man named Lyle McDonald is that if you're going to switch from a strength gaining to a strength maintaining phase, you can cut your volume down to as little as one third.GoldenGator said:I do not believe there is any reasonable benefit to weight training more than once a week when you could be out on the road in the spring (i.e. leaves on trees=hit the roads).
tonyzackery said:The fact that the expert hasn't made the statement is proof of its lack of veracity...yes? no?...
GoldenGator said:...There is substantial evidence suggesting cyclist who increase weight training in the off season will see benefits in performance when spring rolls around (i.e. weight training=good)...
swampy1970 said:Weight training on a bike. Get a 50lb bag of cement and stick it in a rucksack - then pop it on your back and go for a ride . Find a 10% hill that's a couple of miles long, put it in a gear bike enough to force you to ride out of the saddle at 70rpm and it'll feel like weight training and will give anyone who sees you a bit of a laugh...
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