Cycling & weight training

kingrollo

For years I did nothing but ride the bike.

I got lots of niggling back pain - but nothing major - but then at close to 50 years old - bang a major hip hamstring injury kicked in. I actually think I had rode myself to destruction.

It took close on 3 years to get back from that injury. I know do an all body weight lifting program 3 days per week - yoga once a week and some lighter days stretching 2 days per week. I Feel much better on the bike for it - sure a lot of the weight work is now for vanity ! - but personally as you get older - I don't think you can just 'ride the bike'

The dilemma now is I want to increase the cycling - but keep the weights going !!!

BTW I am only a recreational\sport\club run cyclist - so a little extra upper body muscle isn't really an issue for me !

bikes`n`guns

I`ve just started weights on the advice of a physio.

The 12kg kettle bell exercise I do is from a squat to a full upright arms up extension with the bell held in both hands .

You can definitely feel the benefit. I do 10 x 10 every other day mixed with 10 x 10 30kg squats on a smiths.

Various cable machine upper body work as well as my rhomboid is a major issue for me.

diy

I bet you're popular at the gym hogging the smiths machine all that time

gpgiant

Bikes`n`guns wrote:

I`ve just started weights on the advice of a physio.

The 12kg kettle bell exercise I do is from a squat to a full upright arms up extension with the bell held in both hands .

You can definitely feel the benefit. I do 10 x 10 every other day mixed with 10 x 10 30kg squats on a smiths.

Various cable machine upper body work as well as my rhomboid is a major issue for me.

Perfect. If your gym has a good PT then my advice would be to learn Olympic bar back-squats and deadlifts. Done properly will only increase the benefit you already feel.

singleton

diy wrote:

Particularly the younger person <40 ....

Oh well, I'll get my coat.

bikes`n`guns

diy wrote:

I bet you're popular at the gym hogging the smiths machine all that time

It`s offshore so it`s pretty much first in gets on No PT either I`m afraid.

I definitely feel better for it, but I`ve a long way to go to see any performance improvement.

I have a Diastasis Recti, and am seeing a surgeon about a repair so am trying to lose fat without hard core work and these workouts seem to fit the bill.

Surprised how much I`m enjoying lifting actually.

dennisn

I find it odd that some people seem to think that in order to be a top athlete in any sport (cycling here) that you must cycle to the exclusion of anything else. Nothing else could possibly help. I guess I'm a firm believer in the idea that there is always a better way to do things. Hell, I even found out that "There IS more than one way to skin a catfish".
To think that YOU know the end all of answers and the best way to do things will always be the way you do them is to give yourself way too much credit. You're not THAT good.

singleton

dennisn wrote:

I find it odd that some people seem to think that in order to be a top athlete in any sport (cycling here) that you must cycle to the exclusion of anything else.

I think to be a top athlete you would in fact have a broad exercise regime to follow.

I think the point that people are making is that if your goal is to get as good as you can on your bike, and assuming that you have limited time, you will likely see the biggest improements by spending your available time riding your bike.

imposter2.0

dennisn wrote:

I guess I'm a firm believer in the idea that there is always a better way to do things.

Well, if you do ever find a better way of improving endurance cycling fitness which doesn't involve mostly riding a bike - be sure to let us know. Until then, I guess we will just stick to what the available evidence shows us to be most effective... :roll:

dennisn

Imposter wrote:

dennisn wrote:

I guess I'm a firm believer in the idea that there is always a better way to do things.

Well, if you do ever find a better way of improving endurance cycling fitness which doesn't involve mostly riding a bike - be sure to let us know. Until then, I guess we will just stick to what the available evidence shows us to be most effective... :roll:

So, you're not even going to try or think about or wonder IF there is more than one way to skin a catfish, cause in your world what's here and now can never be improved?

imposter2.0

dennisn wrote:

Imposter wrote:

dennisn wrote:

I guess I'm a firm believer in the idea that there is always a better way to do things.

Well, if you do ever find a better way of improving endurance cycling fitness which doesn't involve mostly riding a bike - be sure to let us know. Until then, I guess we will just stick to what the available evidence shows us to be most effective... :roll:

So, you're not even going to try or think about or wonder IF there is more than one way to skin a catfish, cause in your world what's here and now can never be improved?

I know you don't like evidence-based discussions. There may well be a better way of doing things, as you say. Until then, we can only stick to what we know works.

dennisn

Imposter wrote:

dennisn wrote:

Imposter wrote:

dennisn wrote:

I guess I'm a firm believer in the idea that there is always a better way to do things.

Well, if you do ever find a better way of improving endurance cycling fitness which doesn't involve mostly riding a bike - be sure to let us know. Until then, I guess we will just stick to what the available evidence shows us to be most effective... :roll:

So, you're not even going to try or think about or wonder IF there is more than one way to skin a catfish, cause in your world what's here and now can never be improved?

I know you don't like evidence-based discussions. Like I said - if you ever do find a way to improve it, let us know. Until then, we can only stick to what we know works.

Why wait for someone else to do it? Sounds pretty boring to me. What have you got against searching for a way to make yourself better? And why wouldn't you? YOU have to find that better way that helps YOU get better. Sitting around waiting for something or someone else to do it for you just shows your lazy attitude. You'll never get better doing the same old thing all the time.

imposter2.0

Congrats on trying to start yet another pointless argument.

dennisn

Imposter wrote:

Congrats on trying to start yet another pointless argument.

Well, so you think that people like Arnold, Lance, Contador, Yates(the list is endless) just sat around doing the same thing day in and day out? Think again. They, unlike you, searched, pondered, wondered, experimented, sought advice, and did what they hard to do to be successful. They, unlike you, didn't follow anyone. They lead the way.

briantrumpet

Oh goody. Groundhog Day. Not going to play this time, as going round in circles makes me giddy.

dennisn

dennisn wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Congrats on trying to start yet another pointless argument.

Well, so you think that people like Arnold, Lance, Contador, Yates(the list is endless) just sat around doing the same thing day in and day out? Think again. They, unlike you, searched, pondered, wondered, experimented, sought advice, and did what they hard to do to be successful. They, unlike you, didn't follow anyone. They lead the way.

You're not very good at answering questions are you?

dennisn

Imposter wrote:

Please stop posting links? Most of them are sh1t anyway...

Real questions? How do you know that there is nothing of value in those posts? How do you ever expert to learn anything of value or of use in your life if you don't, at the very least, explore other options and ideas? Do you actually believe that ideas that contradict yours are "just wrong"?

diy

There is quite a bit of research to show that there are good ways of improving your ability as an endurance cyclist, that don't have much to do with just riding your bike more.

Tabata for example
Bonk training another example.
drugs

But its a pointless debate as I think there are entrenched schools of thought on both sides. I myself say that its essential to be able to bench 140kg and I wont listen to anyone who says I'm wrong But seriously, we all benefit from recognising opinions differ.

imposter2.0

diy wrote:

There is quite a bit of research to show that there are good ways of improving your ability as an endurance cyclist, that don't have much to do with just riding your bike more.

Tabata for example
Bonk training another example.

But those are both cycle-based activities - or is that not what you meant?

diy

Singleton wrote:

diy wrote:

Particularly the younger person <40 ....

Oh well, I'll get my coat.

That has less to do with >40s being past it and more to do with the downsides of promoting growth hormone. It really isn't something we want. One of the reasons I don't follow 5 meal macro-nutrient diet.

frisbee

Maybe some variation of this approach?

pinno

Wahey. ***Thread crossover alert**** ***Thread crossover alert**** ***Thread crossover alert****

I've run out of popcorn...

Look who sneaked in the fish pun :roll:

dennisn

diy wrote:

There is quite a bit of research to show that there are good ways of improving your ability as an endurance cyclist, that don't have much to do with just riding your bike more.

Tabata for example
Bonk training another example.
drugs

But its a pointless debate as I think there are entrenched schools of thought on both sides. I myself say that its essential to be able to bench 140kg and I wont listen to anyone who says I'm wrong But seriously, we all benefit from recognising opinions differ.

It's never pointless to debate. Maybe, just maybe it will set a few people to thinking. Then next thing you know progress along with better and easier ways of doing things are upon us. Of course people who are set in their ways will most likely have to play catch up or be sort of left behind.

pblakeney

briantrumpet wrote:

Oh goody. Groundhog Day. Not going to play this time, as going round in circles makes me giddy.

Track cycling not for you then?

bikes`n`guns

So anyway. Weights ,,,

dennisn

Bikes`n`guns wrote:

So anyway. Weights ,,,

NO. That's not the point. Don't wait for someone to tell you how to improve. Don't assume that any single method is the answer for you and / or everyone. The answer is most likely in your head, if you use it, and not particularly in your legs.

milemuncher1

You can split the training you get from cycling, as many ways as you like. Do some running, do some weights, do some other C.V. training. Until you combine all the various excercises you get through cycling, into one activity ( cycling ) you won't really be adding anything to your training. If you are unlucky enough to be put out of action by illness or injury, then doing a bit of gym stuff will help get you back to some sort of shape, to enable you to get back on a bike, at a reasonable fitness level.

dennisn

Milemuncher1 wrote:

You can split the training you get from cycling, as many ways as you like. Do some running, do some weights, do some other C.V. training. Until you combine all the various excercises you get through cycling, into one activity ( cycling ) you won't really be adding anything to your training. If you are unlucky enough to be put out of action by illness or injury, then doing a bit of gym stuff will help get you back to some sort of shape, to enable you to get back on a bike, at a reasonable fitness level.

You are more than welcome to so nothing but cycling. You might improve a little. However, if you want to move UP in the world of cycling competition then you're going to have to use your brains to do WHATEVER is required to achieve this this goal. If you find that weights are required for you to improve, then weights it is. I sometimes think that those who expound on the idea that ONLY riding will improve your riding are what I call "pack fill".

stu-bim

I think there seems to be two polarised opinions of which I think the middle ground is being lost.

To be a better cyclist more cycling will certainly help you achieve that.

But cross training, be it weights, running, swimming, etc. can certainly assist to become a better athlete/cyclist.

Cross training can make huge improvements to problem areas.

If you have a weak core, front or back, various exercises off the bike will improve this a whole better and quicker than just toughing out more and more miles on a bike in pain.

If your CV fitness is not where you would like it to be running hill sprints can be a lot more time efficient than cycling.

A lot of things you can do to be a better athlete will not directly benefit cycling and some will hurt

It is down to the individual to work out where they are lacking and how to improve
Maybe more time in the saddle or maybe accessory/assistance work

diy

I think the original question was can they be combined and what is the best combo of both, for maximum cross over benefit.

At the end of the day even if you lift big, you wont grow that much muscle bulk unless you diet differently. 4-5kg would be good going even at the level of benching 1.5-2 x bodyweight, which for most people is heavy. At the same time you'll up your BMR which will hopefully help you lose a few kg of bodyfat.

The best combo IMO would be Mtb and high-rep low weight, because in Mtb upper body strength can help and high rep low weight gives tone and mobility. Cycling is very bad for shortening muscles, so here you'll get a big benefit. Having said that if you don't lift properly and at least half don't, you'll end up with all the problems of both.