Strength training

one.tour.more

Hi all

I am looking to incorporate some kind of weight training into my program over the winter. I don't really want to fork out £40 a month for gym membership that I will only use twice a week. Any ideas or sites that might have some kind of plan for winter strength training that use home equipment (dumbbells etc..)

Any help will be greatly appreciated, many thanks

StorckSpeed

This very site will give you a starter for 10.....
This article was published in the November 2009 issue of Cycling+.
http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/traini ... ight-24094
I bought a £20 set of dumbells and then eventually added 4 x 5kg weights for another £15.
I repeated these sessions twice a week.
I definitely noticed an increase in my strength, (able to perform more repetitions and then heavier weights), relatively quickly, approx 12 weeks.

Hope this helps.

one.tour.more

Many thanks, Ill take a look...

t.m.h.n.e.t

bodyrock.tv FB workouts are relatively easy to do in your living room.

amaferanga

Strength for what?

Eyorerox

http://www.netfit.co.uk/cycling-weight.htm

Although I suspect weight training (for bike fitness) is a waste of time with perhaps the exception of increasing core strength.
Resistance training might be good for other things.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Eyorerox wrote:

http://www.netfit.co.uk/cycling-weight.htm

Although I suspect weight training (for bike fitness) is a waste of time with perhaps the exception of increasing core strength.
Resistance training might be good for other things.

It's absolutely fine as long as you don't start eating 4000 calories a day with 20gms of creatine. Muscle (even lean) only adds to fat metabolisation,takes less space than the equivalent weight in fat and generally your wife will love your sexy toned body.

JimboPlob

amaferanga wrote:

Strength for what?

Core strength, injury prevention, to look good, increased metabolism, something different to riding a bike....

I understand that strength training may not benefit cycling performance i.e. it may not make me any faster, but i doubt its going to make me any slower, even if the science says it does, dont care, we're not pro's

Live and let live....

t.m.h.n.e.t

JimboPlob wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

Strength for what?

Core strength, injury prevention, to look good, increased metabolism, something different to riding a bike....

I understand that strength training may not benefit cycling performance i.e. it may not make me any faster, but i doubt its going to make me any slower, even if the science says it does, dont care, we're not pro's

Live and let live....

Better carrying a little extra in muscle than extra in fat though. 10 different trainers/coaches will say 10 different things.

http://youtu.be/uDawlrIeaVM

CoachFergie

Best to have neither excess muscle or excess fat.

jgsi

CoachFergie wrote:

Best to have neither excess muscle or excess fat.

Welcome back, but hey, before the strength lobby ruin the day , why not join the 'make the turbo interesting' thread...
oh second thoughts that also an impossibility

rock_hopper

There are loads of strength training exercises you can do at home with dumbells/barbells/body-weight. Squats, single leg squats, step-ups, lunges, upright rows, bent over rows, deadlifts, push ups, the plank, side plank, the bridge, mountain climbers. Do a google search for cross-fit routines and you can also combine these exercises without rest for a really tough workout.

Pufftmw

This is a very good book, tells you what you are training and why it is important for your overall cycling. Complete with training exercises that you can do at home (bench, balls, dumbells etc)

http://www.amazon.com/Cycling-Anatomy-S ... 25&sr=1-19

For all equipment, ebay is your friend

Pokerface

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

10 different trainers/coaches will say 10 different things.

10 different trainers that know what they are talking about will say the same thing. (I'm not saying what the correct thing is though).

phil s

Pokerface wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

10 different trainers/coaches will say 10 different things.

10 different trainers that know what they are talking about will say the same thing. (I'm not saying what the correct thing is though).

I think both Hunter Allen and Alex Simmons know what they are talking about - yet one has winter programmes without weights, the other is anti-weights.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Pokerface wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

10 different trainers/coaches will say 10 different things.

10 different trainers that know what they are talking about will say the same thing. (I'm not saying what the correct thing is though).

No,they really won't :P

Alex_Simmons/RST

phil s wrote:

I think both Hunter Allen and Alex Simmons know what they are talking about - yet one has winter programmes without weights, the other is anti-weights.

I'm guessing you are saying I am "anti-weights"?

I am not "anti-weights".

I have however made it clear that strength (maximal force generation ability of a muscle/group of muscles) is not a limiter to endurance cycling performance, and that training to increase strength can run counter to the actual limiters to ECP, which are aerobic metabolic in nature. (Pithy Power Proverb: "It's an aerobic sport, dammit" - A. Coggan)

The OP asked about incorporating some weight training into their program. Since I have no idea what their objective is, there is nothing to be "anti" about as doing weights may not necessarily be about gaining strength or ECP.

phil s

LOL, I'm just trying to stir sh1t, buddy!

siamon

I got a 6 week membership at Fitness First for £32.50 which included 3 personal training sessions. You also get a body assessment which includes body fat, body water proportion etc then a training plan. There is no obligation to join at the end. I was ordered to join a gym (reluctantly) by my physiotherapist to re-couperate from a knee op, but have been very pleasantly surprised at the positive effect a bit of cross training has had on my cardio, and what some leg strength work did for my running times. There are also other benefits (of a more social nature)!

If you want cycling specific work outs then Mr L Armstrong has posted a few vid's on You tube of his core and leg work.

Alex_Simmons/RST

siamon wrote:

If you want cycling specific work outs then Mr L Armstrong has posted a few vid's on You tube of his core and leg work.

which was after he retired. He had to undo a lot of that when he decided to make a comeback.

t.m.h.n.e.t

How many people in this tread are confusing muscle strength with muscle mass? Put your hands up lads

amaferanga

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

How many people in this tread are confusing muscle strength with muscle mass? Put your hands up lads

What's your point? And who cares anyway?

okgo

FWIW

I do weight training twice a week, as I'm still not sold on looking like a corpse. I DO think it helps to do a bit, actually. I do one legged bodyweight sqauts and the ocaasional deadlift session.

I doubt if I stopped doing this I would get faster...

Tom Dean

okgo wrote:

I doubt if I stopped doing this I would get faster...

Maybe you wouldn't. But if you want to get faster, the time and energy you use in the gym would be better spent on the bike.

t.m.h.n.e.t

okgo wrote:

FWIW
I do weight training twice a week, as I'm still not sold on looking like a corpse. I DO think it helps to do a bit, actually. I do one legged bodyweight sqauts and the ocaasional deadlift session.

I doubt if I stopped doing this I would get faster...

I personally visit the gym 6 days a week,short sessions <60mins mostly. I change the routine around every couple weeks for a little added interest but generally,

Mon Wed Fri - Strength work upper body hitting pretty much all muscle groups

Tues Thurs Sat - 20-25k worth of intervals on the bike straight into a 5k@10kmhr ish run(building run base atm)

Tom Dean wrote:

okgo wrote:

I doubt if I stopped doing this I would get faster...

Maybe you wouldn't. But if you want to get faster, the time and energy you use in the gym would be better spent on the bike.

Not strictly true. Very few sports concentrate 100% on one discipline,footballers do a lot more than kick balls,swimmers do a lot more than swim.

Tom Dean

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Tom Dean wrote:

okgo wrote:

I doubt if I stopped doing this I would get faster...

Maybe you wouldn't. But if you want to get faster, the time and energy you use in the gym would be better spent on the bike.

Not strictly true. Very few sports concentrate 100% on one discipline,footballers do a lot more than kick balls,swimmers do a lot more than swim.

I don't know anything about swimming or football training. I was assuming amateur cyclist somewhat limited in the amount of training they can (or want to) do.

You don't seem to have offered a suggestion as to why weight training or 'strength work' is a good idea for amateur cyclists.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Tom Dean wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Tom Dean wrote:

okgo wrote:

I doubt if I stopped doing this I would get faster...

Maybe you wouldn't. But if you want to get faster, the time and energy you use in the gym would be better spent on the bike.

Not strictly true. Very few sports concentrate 100% on one discipline,footballers do a lot more than kick balls,swimmers do a lot more than swim.

I don't know anything about swimming or football training. I was assuming amateur cyclist somewhat limited in the amount of training they can (or want to) do.

You don't seem to have offered a suggestion as to why weight training or 'strength work' is a good idea for amateur cyclists.

Why would a cyclist limit themselves to only cycling? Amateur or pro status is highly irrelevant.

Strength is never a bad thing regardless of sport(you don't even need to be involved in a sport),better all round fitness is always a plus is it not?

Tom Dean

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Tom Dean wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Tom Dean wrote:

okgo wrote:

I doubt if I stopped doing this I would get faster...

Maybe you wouldn't. But if you want to get faster, the time and energy you use in the gym would be better spent on the bike.

Not strictly true. Very few sports concentrate 100% on one discipline,footballers do a lot more than kick balls,swimmers do a lot more than swim.

I don't know anything about swimming or football training. I was assuming amateur cyclist somewhat limited in the amount of training they can (or want to) do.

You don't seem to have offered a suggestion as to why weight training or 'strength work' is a good idea for amateur cyclists.

Why would a cyclist limit themselves to only cycling? Amateur or pro status is highly irrelevant.

Strength is never a bad thing regardless of sport(you don't even need to be involved in a sport),better all round fitness is always a plus is it not?

Because training to race competitively takes a reasonable commitment which most people have to fit in around other things, such as work (I use the word 'amateur' with regard to this). Since this is a bike race training forum I was assuming the question about strength training was asked in relation to cycling.

Strength is never a bad thing per se, but it takes valuable time and effort to build. Valuable time and effort which would be better spent doing some training that will actually make you faster on the bike.

CoachFergie

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Strength is never a bad thing regardless of sport(you don't even need to be involved in a sport),better all round fitness is always a plus is it not?

Depends on what your goals are. If looking buff or if you occasionally enter the off Strongman competition then strength or muscularity may be an advantage. If cycling performance is your goal then strength is meaningless for 99.9% of competition (Man 1 in Team Sprint or BMX). Strength does not limit performance in cycling.

Pseudonym

in case everyone's forgotten, this topic was 'beaten to death' on here a couple of months ago.....

viewtopic.php?f=40011&t=12796394

keef66

Strength training for cyclists is on a par with the helmet debate when it comes to infinitely long threads in which neither side convinces the other.

My views as follows:

If you want to look buff, then go to the gym. If you want to improve your cycling then train on the bike. The two are not mutually exclusive; you can look buff on the bike (but it won't make you go any faster).

I choose to wear a helmet but I wouldn't dream of compelling anyone else to do the same