wieght training and cycling

[Munitedsoccer]

I am a bit curious. How many of you do any sort or resistance/ weight training? Do cyclist prepare in the off season by doing leg presses, squats, leg curls, leg extensions?

If so, what are the areas you focus on? Upper body, just lower body, cross fit, core training, all around body workouts?

If not, why not? Is all your training done on a bike?

Additionally, how many hours a week do you dedicate to stretching exercises?

 

[swampy1970]

Why leg press when you have steep hills?

I never saw a guy cross the line first in a bike race on a weight bench...

Ooh ah Cantona...

 

[Wlfdg]

I weight train but I'm a recreational rider. I Olympic lift 2 days a week and powerlift 1 day a week. I'm currently following Charles Staley's EDT system with great results.

 

[Bigbananabike]

I know weight training and cycling performance is a controversial topic but after doing squats at a gym over a couple of months I went the fastest I'd ever gone in a Crit.
The only trouble was because I'd been going to a gym and not riding much I didn't have the endurance to go with it.

Now I've made up a wooden 'box' to do Step ups on while lifting dumbbells (squats are too hard out for me now) and I'm also back to doing seated calf raisers and standing calf raisers.

I'm doing these because even though I'm light weight and have pretty good endurance I don't have enough grunt for sprinting and could use a bit for some hills too.

I'll see how I go in the next few weeks.

 

[fergie]

All my training to ride the bike faster is done on the bike. After building a base of good health, fitness and a low body fat level I perform event specific intervals.

 

[Wlfdg]

All my training to ride the bike faster is done on the bike. After building a base of good health, fitness and a low body fat level I perform event specific intervals.

You might be missing out on something? You may never know?

 

[nwilliams]

When you are suppose to do cycling it is necessary to do weight training.Well it is a very complicated thing to go through it, but if weight of the body is light than the pressure of cycling would be less otherwise there would be difficult to breath while cycling.

 

[tonyzackery]

I am a bit curious. How many of you do any sort or resistance/ weight training? Do cyclist prepare in the off season by doing leg presses, squats, leg curls, leg extensions?

If so, what are the areas you focus on? Upper body, just lower body, cross fit, core training, all around body workouts?

If not, why not? Is all your training done on a bike?

Additionally, how many hours a week do you dedicate to stretching exercises?

I preface my response by informing my background includes over 20 years of weight training prior to becoming "a cyclist". As such, I already possess more than my fair share of upper and lower body muscle. With that put out there...

Cycle more to become a better cyclist. Do not weight train at the expense of more cycling.

Weight train and cycle if you think your overall general conditioning will improve by doing both. Results of weight training's effect on cycling are equivocal, at best....

I do deadlifts once a week during the racing season because I like the exercise, not because I believe it will improve my cycling. I don't weight train in the off-season thinking it will lead to increased performance on the bike during racing season.

Riding hills, in and out of the saddle at relatively low cadences, provides all the resistance training I need.

Maybe 1 hour/week of stretching.

 

[jollyrogers]

I am a bit curious. How many of you do any sort or resistance/ weight training? Do cyclist prepare in the off season by doing leg presses, squats, leg curls, leg extensions?

If so, what are the areas you focus on? Upper body, just lower body, cross fit, core training, all around body workouts?

If not, why not? Is all your training done on a bike?

Additionally, how many hours a week do you dedicate to stretching exercises?

Consider what specific physical adaptaions you want to achieve to become a better cyclist.

Consider what specific adaptations come from strength training.

Is there a significant overlap? If yes, hit the gym. If no, ride more.

FWIW, I do a bit of lifting in the off season and leading into my semi-annual physical readiness test, but I don't believe it improves my cycling.

 

[fergie]

You might be missing out on something? You may never know?

So what do you suggest in terms of supplemental training...

-Hypertrophy training
-Low rep high weight training
-Med weight fast movement training
-Plyometric training
-Gimmickcranking
-Running
-Cross Country Skiing
-Yoga
-Pilates

anything else you suggest? Hate to miss out on something

 

[Wlfdg]

So what do you suggest in terms of supplemental training...

-Hypertrophy training
-Low rep high weight training
-Med weight fast movement training
-Plyometric training
-Gimmickcranking
-Running
-Cross Country Skiing
-Yoga
-Pilates

anything else you suggest? Hate to miss out on something

Heavy weight, low rep, low set movement that recruits the posterior chain. Strictly to prevent the development of an exaggerated thoracic kyphosis. You know, the ******* child of Quasimodo and Olive Oil (from Popeye cartoon) look.

I know cyclists have no need of power or strength developed by alternative means.

 

[RChung]

So what do you suggest in terms of supplemental training...

I would think high weight low rep strength training is just about as essential to producing power on a bike as very low weight very fast speed training -- say, 0 weight at 300 rpm.

 

[fergie]

I would think high weight low rep strength training is just about as essential to producing power on a bike as very low weight very fast speed training -- say, 0 weight at 300 rpm.

Pretty much, Aussie Sprint Squad used to do that. I asked why and they had no real answers. They just thought it might help.

 

[kopride]

So what do you suggest in terms of supplemental training...

-Hypertrophy training
-Low rep high weight training
-Med weight fast movement training
-Plyometric training
-Gimmickcranking
-Running
-Cross Country Skiing
-Yoga
-Pilates

anything else you suggest? Hate to miss out on something

-Pilates. It's all about the Pilates. If I were you, I'd give up riding my bike altogether, and improve my cycling solely through Pilates.

You also forgot jelqing.

 

[Wlfdg]

-Pilates. It's all about the Pilates. If I were you, I'd give up riding my bike altogether, and improve my cycling solely through Pilates.

You also forgot jelqing.

Good idea! Pilates will help with stalling the onset of the exaggerated thoracic kyphosis.

Won't help with the skinnyfat syndrome. Can't do anything about excessive cortisol levels. Quiting riding will help that though.

 

[dhk2]

Heavy weight, low rep, low set movement that recruits the posterior chain. Strictly to prevent the development of an exaggerated thoracic kyphosis. You know, the ******* child of Quasimodo and Olive Oil (from Popeye cartoon) look.

I know cyclists have no need of power or strength developed by alternative means.

lol on the "thoracic kyphosis", but you forgot to mention "Champion", the star cyclist in the best-ever cycling film "Tripletts of Belleville". To me, he embodied the classic cycling physique to a tee

 

[fergie]

-Pilates. It's all about the Pilates. If I were you, I'd give up riding my bike altogether, and improve my cycling solely through Pilates.

As used by Levi, of course, well there is an extra 40% right there.

You also forgot jelqing.

 

[kopride]

Quote: You also forgot jelqing.


Yes, when you are not doing pilates, you should be jelqing. Or, you could do both activities simultaneously. Nothing improves FTP like a good pilate/jelqing routine.

 

[fergie]

Not trying to brag but what if you don't really need to Jelg

Does that mean I can spend more time and energy on event specific intervals?

 

[LB CYCLIST]

interesting topic