Best Gym Routine to Complement Cycling?

angelic upstart

Been lookin at this thread over the last couple of day,very funny.I have been a personal trainer for the last ten years and a competitive cyclist for 15 years.Here is my thoughts, nothing beats gettin out on yer bike,for gettin better on yer bike. But if you feel you need to do some gym based stuff, due to weather, dark night etc,here is what you do. DONT do any type of squats, great exercise bad on the knees,thigh extensions and hamstring curls are ok,but wont make you a stronger biker, just a stronger gym rat.Upper body comes into play while riding,"dont think so i hear you say" just try this little test, get down and do 4 set of press up and crunches to failure,then the next day or maybe the day after that go out on yer bike and give it some welly on the flat and up a steep hill.What this will show you is you use your abs and lats more than the others.So what to do, plenty of ab work, no swiss ball there only good for rugby players and ballet dancers.Do hyper extensions for yor lower back, srat of on the floor and work you wat up to a machine.Lifting weights will not bulk you up, unless your eating like a bodybuilder, or taking a load of gear in yer rear.For the average joe, puting muscle on is very hard to do.What i would say is stick to compound exercises,use free weight rather than machines,dont go to heavy,stick between 15-20 reps no lower.Cardio wise, spin classes are good and so is the concept2.

ding dang do

woody-som

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by angelic upstart</i>

B DONT do any type of squats, great exercise bad on the knees,thigh extensions and hamstring curls are ok,but wont make you a stronger biker
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
But squats do increase the muscles in the gluets, hams and quads, that all help to strenghten knees, and prevent injuries. I do however agree, that stupid weights are harmful, so is an incorrect form. Straight back, knees always behind the toes are a must.

If squats are so bad, and my gym doesn't have a leg curl/extension, what can I do to work the quads?

chris

whatstherush

Squats aren't bad for you if done properly. A badly setup leg extension machine will wreck your knees much quicker. As will a badly setup bike.

They won't necessarily make someone a better cyclist. For an interesting article that discusses the merits of more hours on the bike vs gym time see http://www.roadcycling.com/cgi-bin/artm ... .cgi/4/915

shockedsoshocked

Personally i'll continue to do weights etc, since i enjoy it anyway, but i thought (from a completely naive point of view) that having stronger legs would equate to being a stronger cyclist?


__________________________________
"The tyranny of distance, didn't stop the cavaliers, so why should it stop me?" - Split Enz

whatstherush

It's a question of degrees. Stronger legs will improve your cycling but generally not by as much as the endurance gained by more cycling.

As you don't compete the best advice I can give is stick to what you enjoy (which it sounds like you plan to do anyway). That's what will keep you motivated and in the long run and that will produce the best results for you.

terongi

I got a bike in order to avoid ever having to set foot in a gym.

All those people driving to the gym in their 4x4s and sitting on a bike going nowhere sweating buckets being shouted at by some musclebound bodybuilder to the accompaniment of horrendously loud techno hip hop pop.

Not what cycling is about at all for me, but each to his own.

the full nelson

i asked my gym what would be good training for cycling and the numptey simply replied "the exercise bike" not sure he got what i meant but i suppose he was right.

i find a rowing machine is good for increasing your stamina. only sport that comes close to cycling, fitness wise. I do upper body weights but leave my legs to the bike.

I also find it important to make an effort not to do your cum face while straining a weight. :x

monnet

I've tried gyms and weights but find them pretty dull. I find the bike keeps my thigh muscles healthy enough - I have to keep the muscle there as I have weak knees and doctor's have told me its essential I have good muscle mass to protect my ligaments.

So, in terms of keeping fit when I can't cycle, I go circuit raining. It's a real all round workout and you can push yourself as hard or little as you like. After a winter off the bike but regular circuit training (and a bit of squash) I had no problems when I got back on th bike in March.