gym exercises for cycling

jibberish
jibberish Posts: 151
edited May 2012 in Training, fitness and health
I'd like to get a little faster at my cycling and wonder if anyone has any tips for gym exercises that would help towards this. I'm hoping for exercises other than the obvious exercise bike or doing more cycling :-)
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Comments

  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    jibberish wrote:
    I'd like to get a little faster at my cycling and wonder if anyone has any tips for gym exercises that would help towards this. I'm hoping for exercises other than the obvious exercise bike or doing more cycling :-)

    Seriously... just ride your bike more.
    Ben

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  • jibberish
    jibberish Posts: 151
    Yeah - haha. I guessed that would be the answer I got. I'm already doing that and thought there's probably some benefit in some leg exercises at the gym though

    :-)
  • Yossie
    Yossie Posts: 2,600
    Do squats and stuff for leg exercises and loads of sit ups a la Valverde for core strength.

    There is a video on this here site of my delicious Victoria doing some gym exercises so its worth a watch (well, its worth a watch for her alone, but also if you want to see the gym exercises).
  • jibberish
    jibberish Posts: 151
    Haha - do you have a link?
  • Frank the tank
    Frank the tank Posts: 6,553
    I just do basic crunches, leg raisers,press ups. Burpees are good as well.

    Ride off road on the MTB you use a lot more "body English" and it helps build up upper body strength. (I'll go and hide now :lol: )
    Tail end Charlie

    The above post may contain traces of sarcasm or/and bullsh*t.
  • jordan_217
    jordan_217 Posts: 2,580
    Lunges, dead lifts, calf raises, squats, swissball hamstring curls.

    My personal favorite - Hungarian squats :twisted:
    “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”
  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    jibberish wrote:
    Haha - do you have a link?


    If by 'link' you mean hard-on then yes - yossie will have one after seeing his vicky in a gym.
    The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
    momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    I focus on core stability, and maybe a little upper body work in the gym... If you do leg work then it restricts what you can do on the bike due to fatigue.

    If the weather was consistently bad and putting me off riding then i would turn to leg work though.
  • El Zomba
    El Zomba Posts: 164
    A triathlete I know reckons TRX is very good at building leg strength, so see if your gym has that and give it a go.
  • Tom Dean
    Tom Dean Posts: 1,723
    Do a search on the training forum
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Moved to training forum.
    _
  • Davey C
    Davey C Posts: 80
    is thread a wind up? :?
  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    Davey C wrote:
    is thread a wind up? :?


    I don't know. But I am planning on returning to my football days of my youth. I think the ideal preparation for this might be a spot of fly fishing. Thoughts?
  • Matchstick Man
    Matchstick Man Posts: 565
    I was advised to do at least 12 hours a week structured on the bike training. If I had time on top of that, and it wouldn't compromise my recovery then start thinking about gym work on top.
    Are yiu honestly averaging 12hrs/week over the course of an entire year? If you are then leg press and squat away, otherwise just ride your bike
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    I found that close grip pulldowns and hammer grip dumbbell incline press really helped me get up the hills. According to my personal trainer these exercises really stabilise your body when you're holding onto the bars meaning that you can get much more power out of your legs. Sounds odd, but it really works!
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,320
    celbianchi wrote:
    Davey C wrote:
    is thread a wind up? :?
    I don't know. But I am planning on returning to my football days of my youth. I think the ideal preparation for this might be a spot of fly fishing. Thoughts?

    Yep, maybe a spot of bird watching. You could take your flask, binoculars and dark chocolate hob nobs (on offer at Morrissons, just 89p).

    Feck the gym - Wear ankle weights whilst doing a pub crawl.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • jibberish
    jibberish Posts: 151
    Matchstick Man wrote:
    I was advised to do at least 12 hours a week structured on the bike training. If I had time on top of that, and it wouldn't compromise my recovery then start thinking about gym work on top.
    Are yiu honestly averaging 12hrs/week over the course of an entire year? If you are then leg press and squat away, otherwise just ride your bike

    Yeah - about that. I commute 2 hours on the bike each day and do the odd long ride at the weekend or do a longer journey on the way home - so yeah on average about 12 hours / week.

    Gonna give the leg presses a try. :-)
  • Alex_Simmons/RST
    Alex_Simmons/RST Posts: 4,161
    jibberish wrote:
    Gonna give the leg presses a try. :-)
    Will more than likely slow down your cycling. Speed comes from on the bike work.

    Perhaps consider some flexibility exercises to enable you to adopt and maintain a more aerodynamic position on the bike.
    RST Sport : Coaching - Training Plans - Powermeters -- My blog -- AeroCoach Australia
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I think the exercises done by Pendleton and Hoy will hinder you on the road. They want explosive speed. I suspect most of us just want to ride longer and faster ?

    Spin classes are the best from the gym activities.
  • Eyorerox
    Eyorerox Posts: 43
    I have just finished reading Performance Cycling The Science of Success Chapter 7 suggests 12 weeks strength training at the end of the season or before the next season may help.
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Performance-Cyc ... 1408146517
  • Davey C
    Davey C Posts: 80
    Serious reply. Everything you want to know about this subject, including the most detailed up to date studies and research, is here:

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/fitness/ ... engthstern

    To sum up: Strength training (gym work) will make no difference to your cycling. If you want to improve your cycling, do more cycling.
  • cwm
    cwm Posts: 177
    feck!!!!! and i just joined a gym :|
    now sharing my plods on
    http://www.strava.com/athletes/cwm
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    cwm wrote:
    feck!!!!! and i just joined a gym :|
    Nobody is saying gyms are bad or dont join one... so chill and enjoy.
    Great for hobby cyclists who dont want to put in pain and suffering and time and effort and grief to get quicker , faster, better on a bike ... :lol:
  • Steve John B
    Steve John B Posts: 47
    <unskulk>
    Davey C wrote:
    Serious reply. Everything you want to know about this subject, including the most detailed up to date studies and research, is here:

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/fitness/ ... engthstern
    most recent study is from 2000, has there been nothing since?

    <reskulk>
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Human physiology hasn't changed much in 12 years I reckon ?

    Gyms are fine really - but don't go putting on muscle if you want to fly up mountains.

    Greg Lemond spent one winter cross country skiing and he put on too much upper body muscle and had a crap season after that I recall.

    (better to be in a gym doing anything than sitting on the sofa eating crisps anyway - just dont buy in to the energy drinks that they flog you for 20 minute work outs)
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,320
    Having done heaps of gym work after hip replacement no.3. Gym work helped but really slowed my ability to spin the gear and pedal at a healthy 90rpm - one and a half turns per second. Weight exercises help build muscle quickly but it shortens the muscle at the same time.
    Lance Armstrong changed his pedalling style from a 'Rouler' to a 'Grimpeur' because the chemo changed his physiology and weakend him. In other words, he went from a one day rider (slower pedalling style) to a tour rider by spinning the gear. In fact, he revolutionised cycling in that blogs and mags were saying "get a triple chainset, if you are pedalling too slow".
    Look at Cadel Evans last year. He rode the final TT at 104 rpm!! Somegoing after all the miles he previously put in. So I concur with what has been said before. Don't do gym work that bulks you up and learn to pedal smooth and fast in a nice straight line keeping the body and bike as still as possible. You will gain much more from that.
    The gym can be a benefit if you stick to cardio-vascular activities and core stability (abs, lower back). Very high reps, low weight or circuits. So don't cancel the membership just yet.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    Good lord. I wrote a bolleaux answer, and I have been utterly outbolleauxed. Bravo
  • Eyorerox
    Eyorerox Posts: 43
    read this
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Performance-Cyc ... 1408146517
  • ric/rstsport
    ric/rstsport Posts: 681
    Steve John B wrote:
    <unskulk>
    Davey C wrote:
    Serious reply. Everything you want to know about this subject, including the most detailed up to date studies and research, is here:

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/fitness/ ... engthstern
    most recent study is from 2000, has there been nothing since?

    <reskulk>

    there's been research since that time.
    Coach to Michael Freiberg - Track World Champion (Omnium) 2011
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  • Davey C
    Davey C Posts: 80
    pinarello001 wrote:
    Having done heaps of gym work after hip replacement no.3. Gym work helped but really slowed my ability to spin the gear and pedal at a healthy 90rpm - one and a half turns per second. Weight exercises help build muscle quickly but it shortens the muscle at the same time.
    Lance Armstrong changed his pedalling style from a 'Rouler' to a 'Grimpeur' because the chemo changed his physiology and weakend him. In other words, he went from a one day rider (slower pedalling style) to a tour rider by spinning the gear. In fact, he revolutionised cycling in that blogs and mags were saying "get a triple chainset, if you are pedalling too slow".
    Look at Cadel Evans last year. He rode the final TT at 104 rpm!! Somegoing after all the miles he previously put in. So I concur with what has been said before. Don't do gym work that bulks you up and learn to pedal smooth and fast in a nice straight line keeping the body and bike as still as possible. You will gain much more from that.
    The gym can be a benefit if you stick to cardio-vascular activities and core stability (abs, lower back). Very high reps, low weight or circuits. So don't cancel the membership just yet.

    Oh my god.

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