weight training

barrylad66

hi everyone,
could someone give me a bit of advice regarding weight training?..i want to start using cycling specific weight training into my weekly workout's but i'm not sure when the best time to incorporate them into my training is.....
i train 5-6 time's a week on the track road and doing hill repeat's.i'm the right build for hill riding and i live in south wale's so i get plenty of oppertunitie's there l
i would really like to work on my strength and speed and i think weight's a few time's a week would really help...do you think it would be to much to do weight's after a steady ride,say 2 hour's,and finish with 15 min's of squat's and lunge's???

any advise gratefully recieved

regard's[/b]

redddraggon

I recommend a search of the training forum, this has been done to death

dennisn

redddraggon wrote:

I recommend a search of the training forum, this has been done to death

Only problem with searching is that all he will find is 50% of the people telling him lifting does no good and the other 50% saying the exact opposite.

Anonymous

dennisn wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

I recommend a search of the training forum, this has been done to death

Only problem with searching is that all he will find is 50% of the people telling him lifting does no good and the other 50% saying the exact opposite.

That is 100% correct.

Murr X

Hi barrylad66,

The topic of weight training for road cyclists has traditionally been highly contentious. If you want to lift weights to gain strength then feel free to do so as it is unlikely that a little bit of weight training (assuming little weight gain) will be highly detrimental to cycling performance.

In trained cyclists it may not drop sustainable power output much but it certainly will not increase it by any stretch of the imagination. The bottom line is if you wish to be the best road cyclist you can be then lay off the weights and focus on increasing sustainable power output. This advice is especially true for climbers.

Murr X

incog24

I do weights once a week. It doesn't appear to benefit my cycling much, however it does seem beneficial for things like lateral leg stability which you don't develop on the bike that well. I just see it as injury prevention, and its quite fun too...

Ginjafro

I would say there is nothing wrong with using weights to improve core strength and tone. I sometimes do my own thing at a local gym but much prefer the social fun experienced at Circuit Training, BodyMax, Abs&Dabs....and so on, which many leisure centres provide. I believe such exercise in addition to getting out on my bike has helped improve my performance and power to weight ratio.

Splottboy

Oh, Barry Lad, Wos occurin? ( Is that Barry Town, Barry Docks or Barry Island????)
Anyway, Weights are NOT going to stop you being a good rider. They can help with Power, Strength, Speed etc.
As long as you're not following an "Arnold" tyoe routine, own body-weight stuff like lunges, squats etc will help with Tendon, Ligament and Muscle development.
There are LOADS of websites, books and mags available, just need to use what works for you. 2 - 3 Sessions per week can only help, as long as they are not replacing the riding.

As a former Police Self Defence/Physical Training Instructor, and Martial Artist, I don't see the "Negative" attitude some Traditional cyclist seem to have with this topic. Things move on, we can't all live in the 1940's, lol!
I've been training since 1972, wts, circuits, stretching etc, and can still ride better than rider years younger.
( PS, My Great Grandmother was Madam Taleda, fortune teller on Barry Island/Cardiff Mkt .)

bristolpete

I train three mornings a week with a set routine.

Bench press
Leg press
Lat pull
Leg curl
arm curl

5 x 30 reps @ about 21-28kg, to fatigue, 4/5 times in an hour.

This all helps - from holding the bike on the bars to getting the legs used to pushing up a hill. I think it can also help maintain a better latic threshold.

But, I am not an expert, all I can say is it definitely works for me.

Pete.

acidstrato

i do weights every week day after tea, before a ride/30min turbo session

nothing too heavy, 15kg dumbells and a 22kg bar.

for me its mainly to maintain stength and kickstart the metabolism. few sets of 10-15 reps mix the sets up with squats and stretches. nothing to stop me getting on the bike afterwards though

floosy

Ive just stared and im following the programe in the book "Weight training for Cyclists"

will let you know how it goes.... (only been doing it 2 weeks)

Dave.

Splottboy

FLOOSY: So you've got 38 yrs to catch me up? Good luck and Don't give up !

phil s

"south wale's" WTF???? That really is plumbing new depths. Jesus.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Splottboy wrote:

Things move on, we can't all live in the 1940's, lol!

Indeed we have moved on and have the use of lots of science on the subject to help us make sounds decisions about what makes for a faster cyclist. Riding is best for that, not weights. Weights are good for other things but if cycling faster is the primary goal, then training on a bike is the highest priority by far.

Splottboy wrote:

I've been training since 1972, wts, circuits, stretching etc, and can still ride better than rider years younger.

Which is about as (ir)relevant as my anecdote:

I've been training for a long time too and had a leg amputation a couple of years back, I don't bother with weights, circuits etc and ride better* than riders years younger.

* Certainly my race results so far this year would suggest that.

barrylad66

splotty boy...what's occuring.i knew your grandma,she used to sit on the train next my old lady going over the island,and i'm from gibby!!!!...

anyway cheer's all,think i'll stick to the saddle

paul.k

just be careful if your cycling/training 5-6 times a week and also go to the gym to train legs aswell you could be walking straight into an injury from overtraining or at worse you may see a reduction in performance ,make sure that your diet is right and get all your aminoacids right and protien intake right 1.6 g protien per lb body weight per day should ensure this to aid in recovery not just for weights but for any endurance sport. remember rest after excersize is what makes you stronger more is not always better .

huuregeil

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

Indeed we have moved on and have the use of lots of science on the subject to help us make sounds decisions about what makes for a faster cyclist. Riding is best for that, not weights. Weights are good for other things but if cycling faster is the primary goal, then training on a bike is the highest priority by far.

This was recently referred to on weightweenies forum:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20072042

A very recent review article, which concluded:

"Despite the limited research on CT for highly trained cyclists, it is likely that replacing a portion of a cyclist's ET with RT will result in improved time trial performance and maximal power."

CT being combined resistance training (RT) and endurance training (ET).

I wondered what your (scientific!) thoughts were on this? I've had a quick read of the article, and a couple of the articles it references (e.g. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19960350) and I don't see any major scientific crimes in what they've done (not being a sports scientist, but a scientist nonetheless!). I think the take-home message actually is that the benefits you might see from weight training depend very much on the training protocol.

Further, a there's also a big distinction between "trained" and "untrained" cyclists. By trained, they refer to 7hrs/100miles+ per week. The study above relates only to trained cyclists (e.g. some of the underlying studies were done with national level cyclists). However, I think for untrained cyclists, the notion that weight training benefits cycling performance is uncontroversial.