X-training with weights



Fetus

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Oct 2, 2005
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Hi everyone,

Before I get started with my question, I will appologise for opening yet another thread about weightlifting. In my defense however, I read all the threads conserning the issue and could not find an answer to the question which I have.

With that said and done, my situation is that I have been going to the gym to weight lift (lower body mainly) to help fight burnout and boredem from spinning on my trainer in my apartment during the winter.

My question is, which type of weight lifting will be the most beneficial for me during the off season(more weight few reps or little weight with more reps)? I would like to become stronger in order to reach higher speeds in a sprint, but I would also like to have more strength and endurance for longer climbs.

Another question I have is, how can I most efficiantly train using both an indoor trainer and the gym?

I apreciate any input :)
 
Fetus said:
I would like to become stronger in order to reach higher speeds in a sprint,
To increase functional strength keep the reps between 1 & 5 (typically 3 to 5) and do multiple sets, i.e. not the typical 3 sets that cyclists do. 3 sets is only a warmup if you really want to train for strength. If you're only going to do 3 sets you might as well stay at home and watch TV, unless you're just starting out and are very deconditioned for resistance training. It's worthless once you past the break in period.

In other words do 3 to 4 sets of warmup and 3 to 6 sets of 1 to 5 reps with a weight that is heavy enough to allow you to complete all of the sets. Add weight incrementally once a week even if it's a small amount. Fractional plates are excellent for this. Do one heavy leg workout (85% to 95% of your 1 rep max) followed by one light leg workout (80% to 85% of your 1 rep max). Rest between sets should be about 3 to 5 minutes in most cases when training this heavy.

DON'T train to concentric failure. You don't need to in order to increase functional strength and it just wipes out your CNS and hinders recovery.

Train upper legs every 4 to 7 days depending on how hard you train and how well you recover. The older you are, the more miles and/or harder you ride, the greater the daily stress in your life means more recovery time. If you're young you can most likely cut the rest days. Don't expect to do a lot of quality work on the bike AND do a taxing strength routine. It isn't going to fly. You'll catch a cold or a flu within a few weeks as the body just can't recover from doing both.

Calves, if you train them don't need as much recovery time. You can do higher reps 8 - 12ish) for calves. Same for abs. Really high rep ab work is used by many for sculpting and not for increasing core strength. 40 reps for abs is way off the mark. Don't waste your time, even if you're sculpting as it's just too high to accomplish anything. Use more weight and do fewer reps and you'll accomplish the goal more efficiently.

Also, use compound movements, such as squats, 45 degree leg press, Romanian and Keystone deadlifts (for glutes and hams) and deadlifts. Don't waste your time doing leg extensions and leg curls. They don't transfer into real world functional strength worth a darn. Same goes for the Thighmaster.

High rep stuff is mainly for hypertrophy/bodybuilding. It won't help with functional strength. In other words don't train for the pump or the burn. That's just lactic acid. It does nothing toward increasing functional strength. Low reps produce lactic acid too. It's just that the circulatory system is capable of removing it from the trained area when low reps are used so you don't feel a pump.

And finally, ignore most of the other posters on this forum about resistance training with the exception of Felt_Rider. If anyone tells you to do 3 sets of 20 rep squats or leg extensions you know they're way off the mark. Capice?


but I would also like to have more strength and endurance for longer climbs.
It's not going to help with that. This is covered in the "gyming to improve power" thread. Don't confuse STRENGTH and POWER. These two have very different meanings. If you want to increase your sustainable POWER then scratch all of the above.


Another question I have is, how can I most efficiently train using both an indoor trainer and the gym?
Will only help sprints and track cycling and possibly MTB racing (although Ned Overend doesn't look like he ever touched a weight).