Exercises

littlerascal

Hi Guys

What exercises do you do or a pro would do as well as cycling.

Just wondering as you don't see/hear them talking about anything other than training sessions, eating right but I'm wondering if there is anything else i can do .

danlikesbikes

Above answer is pretty spot on.

I do core work at home (I'd rather spend the gym fee on bike stuff) look up plank exercises on YouTube and you'll see plenty of exercise variants you can do.

In the winter I up my running miles as find it compliments my cycling and helps me come out in good shape fitness wise through spring and into summer.

imposter2.0

As above - running is a good workout if you can't get out on a bike for any reason, and it also makes a nice change sometimes.

But if the OP is asking 'what else can he do' - he needs to be clear on where he is now, and where he wants to be, perfomance wise. Having said that, on the assumption that you want to improve as a cyclist, then cycling more pretty much covers it.

littlerascal

Thanks Guys

I am fairly fit as I cycle on a weekly basis and play football twice a week but looking for a more lean physique so was wondering if weights were maybe being used to tone the body up.

I have a turbo trainer which I will use in the winter.

imposter2.0

Get a 'lean physique' by controlling your diet and balancing it with whatever exercise you do.

briantrumpet

madasahattersley wrote:

So basically there's one thing I'd recommend doing alongside cycling it's running because you won't put on any weight and it's equally enjoyable as riding, more bearable in bad weather, less dangerous in the winter months and easier to do with less time available.

In my own case I absolutely hate running ... so it's swimming, and a few occasional weights at home, if only for reasons of vanity, to avoid the emaciated top half look that a cycling-only regime can lead to. Oh, and eating. That's my other sporting activity I take seriously.

diy

I'm not sure I've understood the above (2nd poster) correctly. But there is no way you can put 10kg of muscle mass on in 3-4 month. If you were a clean body builder you'd be lucky to have gained 3kg over that time.

I would say stretching and core strength are pretty useful, but as non-pro's we should also think about neutralising the negative impacts of cycling on our bodies and balance it out with a bit of upper body toning too.

ai_1

As above, running complements cycling very well but probably won't make you faster than cycling alone.
Cycling does nothing for core strength or upper body. Running engages some different muscles, especially if you run on uneven surfaces - trail running is great and I find it more enjoyable than sticking to the roads too. Running is also great for a short session when getting the bike out or heading to the pool is hardly worth it. 30 or 40 minutes is enough to throw on your runners, get out and run 5km or so and have a quick shower. It usually takes me at least 10 and probably 15mins just to get out the door on the bike and even a short interval session is going to take at least 30mins.
I also find I often prefer running over cycling on cold, wet and dark winter evenings. In the summer cycling's my 1st love. In winter it's a close call.
Running definitely has a bigger impact overall than cycling on how I feel physically and it's good if you want to reduce weight too. Cycling gave me very good cardiovascular fitness and got my legs pretty well toned, but I think running gives better overall conditioning. Some impact is good for bone density too (especially for women) and you don't get any of that cycling.
During the summer I was mostly cycling with a little bit of running (maybe 75%/25%). Now as the evenings get dark earlier and the weather gets less pleasant I intend to start replacing some of my evening rides with running and I'll reduce the duration of my Sunday ride and add in a long run on Saturday morning to maintain the training volume. I'll probably be doing at least 50% running from late October 'til February and I might throw in some swimming too. I've been doing some duathlons which are good fun, if I got my swimming sorted I could try triathlon....I know: sacrilege!

As you'll have gathered, I think running in addition to cycling is well worthwhile for geenral fitness, but while it won't slow you down on the bike it probably won't make you much faster.

bahzob

The book "Core Advantage" provides a whole repertoire of graded exercises for the core. It's excellent and while obviously targeted at cyclists will suit most sports.

The routines take around 20-25 minutes and require no equipment and only limited space. If you do these 1-2 time per week your general fitness will most likely improve and you may well notice an improvement in your riding.

As a general rule, if you are focussing on cycling, I would avoid running. For the same aerobic intensity this puts more stress on the body so will make you more tired and slows recovery , while providing inferior cycling benefits. There is a saying that cycling pros never run when they can walk, never walk when they can sit and never sit when they can lie down. There is some sense behind this.

ai_1

bahzob wrote:

...As a general rule, if you are focussing on cycling, I would avoid running. For the same aerobic intensity this puts more stress on the body so will make you more tired and slows recovery , while providing inferior cycling benefits. There is a saying that cycling pros never run when they can walk, never walk when they can sit and never sit when they can lie down. There is some sense behind this.

If cycling performance is your priority and you do a high volume of training that may be valid. Otherwise, and especially for general health, running is excellent. I want to be fast on the bike, and have continued to get faster on the bike since adding in running gradually over the last 18-24 months. However I'm not an elite cyclist by any means and my priorities are general health and fitness followed by duathlon performance followed by cycling performance followed by running performance (obviously #2 is dependent on both #3 & #4).
Cycling is fantastic for general health especially with respect to cardio-vascular fitness but it does have some shortcomings if used in isolation.

dennisn

I believe that YOU need to spend more time finding out what YOUR body responds well to and that you enjoy doing. Not what someone else does. This could be anything from running to weight training to, well, you get the picture. Trying to do what the PROS do is pretty much folly. You're not going to become a pro, you haven't got the time to train like one, you haven't got the time to recover like one, and you haven't got the time to race like one.

Like Eddy said "ride lots". That's the number one thing. Second(at least on my list) is stretching. Top to bottom, for at least a half an hour every day. If you still have the time and inclination to do something else then add in whatever you enjoy, whatever it may be, weights, swimming, running, tennis, etc.