Weight Training Results How Quickly?

[cuocciom]

You are not thin. I am close to your height but weight about 130lb to 135lb. Same FT as of this pass May. Could be higher now. Know nothing about my body fat. I would benefit some from weight training but I don't have enough energy to spare if I want to increase my FT (lots of sub threshold ride) while working a 40 hours job.

I've just reviewed this forum, and I scanned the gym forum (now closed). There appears to be a basic conflict between weight trainers and those who oppose weight training. To date I've seen no DEFINITIVE evidence to support either side, although partisans on both sides claim truth (or God) is on their side.
I do resistance training in the gym. In fact I'll start my (winter only) gym training this week. I do leg presses, 100-150% body weight, high repetitions (20-120) at fairly high speed. I try to bring the weight low enough to match the contraction at the top of a pedal stroke. I realize that there are any number of objections to my routine, but it seems to work for me.

1. I'm 56 years old. Research confirms that males over 40 lose muscle mass at an increasing rate. This is an important issue for many Forum readers - if not for Tom Boonen.
2. I'm not a professional. I don't have 20-35 hours a week to train.
3. I work on specific weaknesses such as imbalances in the muscles above my kneecap. I work on hamstring strength in order to maintain something near a 1.5:1 quad hamstring ratio. I also do core exercises and stretching to counter the hours of forward leaning.
4. I maintain my weight within five pounds of my "racing" weight.
5. Peter Coe, in his book, Better Training for Distance Runners, advocates weight training. It didn't seem to slow his son, Sebastian, down at all. Proof? Not at all.
6. I rode the Mount Evans Hillclimb (CO) in 2005. I'd done no weight training. My time was 2:30:17. I rode it again in 2006 after weight training. I improved my time to 2:16:59. Does this prove anything? Of course not. But, as I said, it seems to help me.
7. I stopped reading and responding to the forum six months ago. I was tired of the personal attacks, the adolescent ego farting, and the lack of simple respect for others' points of view. Most of the writers and viewers of the Forum are adults - I think. Are we all so insecure that we feel compelled to launch ad hominem attacks? Do those attacks improve our race results or increase our riding pleasure? Cycling is fun, isn't it?

Mark Cuoccio

 

[RapDaddyo]

I've just reviewed this forum, and I scanned the gym forum (now closed). There appears to be a basic conflict between weight trainers and those who oppose weight training.

I actually don't think anybody opposes weight training. I think that most of those who you think oppose weight training are saying is that there is no evidence that weight training increases power other than perhaps neuromuscular (sprint) power. So, what many of them (us) are saying is, "Weight training is fine for lots of reasons. Just don't expect it to improve your cycling power other than NM power." The way to win this argument is to produce some evidence that weight training does indeed result in increased power. But, anecdotes won't do the trick.

 

[trymorecowbell]

The way to win this argument is to produce some evidence that weight training does indeed result in increased power. But, anecdotes won't do the trick.

FWIW, trying to win races or cross the finish line ahead of your buddy is much more fun(and rewarding) than trying to win arguments.

 

[RapDaddyo]

FWIW, trying to win races or cross the finish line ahead of your buddy is much more fun(and rewarding) than trying to win arguments.

And it's a good thing they aren't mutually exclusive.