Developing Leg Strength Off The Bike

brung whatever you like

Here's a gym + weight training guide.

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

I just started at a gym with an instructor who cycles and I'm starting off doing calf raises, using leg press machine (v. carefully) and squats and lunges using a cable machine.

Also doing core/upper body work so I am able to control the awesome wattage I am obviously going to unleash :)

not the best article I have seen on weights for cyclists.

There is a lot of evidence from the sports scientists saying weights wont benefit endurance cyclists at all, I am not completely convinced on this thou as the tests so far have only looked at weights improving aerobic out put which common sense says it wouldn't any way.

I certainly think a lot of amateur athletes can benefit from a strength and conditioning program even if its just to strengthen their whole body enough to endure the rigors of hard training.

As a few above have said free weights are the most effective way to train, machines really have little value for athletes as you tend to find the strength gained is very specific to that exercise and doesn't carry over into other movement patterns.

A program of squats, dead lift, bench press and chins would see a big improvement in most people and I wouldn't recommend going more than 15 reps and ideally once you have gone through a good learning and conditioning phase somewhere between 5 and 12 reps would suit most people. Once you have done a year or so like this then you can add things like plyometrics and more explosive exercises.

Power cleans are a fantastic exercise, however they are very difficult to fully master to the point that you can get a real strength benefit without the risk of injury, so unless you have an experienced Olympic lifting coach I would give them a miss, 75% of the people I see doing these in the gym are doing them poorly and a good 50% are doing them in such a way as to risk back injuries.

My number one bit of advice would be get a good gym coach, the guys that really know what they are doing can make a massive difference, where as those that don't are likely to get you injured. When it comes to weights(and in my view all training) form is everything, always strive for perfect technique, if your form starts to go the weight is too much, remember you are there to improve your sporting ability not to be a gym hero or to brag to your mates! Ignore the styles you see on tele in strong man comps etc, where they care more about the weight that is shifted rather than the effect it is having on there body.

Good luck and lift safely!

ps I am really not a fan of half squats either, they tend to allow people to lift a weight that puts too much strain on their lower back, less weight and full range of movement usualy has a higher sports benefit.

When it comes to weights(and in my view all training) form is everything, always strive for perfect technique,

I couldn't agree more. And from more than one perspective:

• As an athelete, good form (attuned to your very personal physiology) protects you from injury, increases efficiency, and gives you the most realistic neurological feedback, if you know what I mean.

• As a spectator, good form is a thing of beauty to perceive. The aesthetic of human motion has always been something special - it was no accident that the earliest moving pictures recorded were of boxing matches.

Anyway, hope the ergotraining's not driving you too insane, Lee ;)

Great advice there, thanks.
Actually what Lee says correlates with my trainers ethos - he wants me doing free weights to develop core strength and form, and is not interested in leg presses etc.

I would like to know how free-weights compare to swiss ball or "own body weight" type stuff for improving core strength.
Do you really need a bar and weights to provide a good core strength?
I'm asking as an endurance rider not track sprinter, bear in mind.

Dave Lloyd mentions weight training being beneficial to endurance cyclists:
http://www.tourofireland.eu/daveLloydTraining.pdf

well, again, my guy is a big advocate of push-ups and ball-squats without much or any weights.
if you're a heavier gentleman, like us, then you're already lifting a lot of weight.

it's an obvious point, perhaps, but he got me to sit in the chest press machine with it set to my body-weight. there is no way on earth i could move it. but i can do some push ups..

My number one bit of advice would be get a good gym coach, the guys that really know what they are doing can make a massive difference, where as those that don't are likely to get you injured. When it comes to weights(and in my view all training) form is everything, always strive for perfect technique, if your form starts to go the weight is too much, remember you are there to improve your sporting ability not to be a gym hero or to brag to your mates! Ignore the styles you see on tele in strong man comps etc, where they care more about the weight that is shifted rather than the effect it is having on there body.

I've been put off going to the gym precisely because of the above.

Would high gear, low cadence, seated high climbs replicate some gym work ?

Ste_S - if you just want to improve your cycling, then Yes. But use high cadence too!
There are a lot of Sketchy trainers out there mate - and weight training needs to be personally adjusted to your current training levels, with progressional planning.
If you think you're lacking in power, or sprint endurance - then using some resistance will help you raise your lactic threshold, allowing you to work harder for longer...

"Would high gear, low cadence, seated high climbs replicate some gym work ?"

I used to do these. Hillsprints. Find steep hill, select big ring/small end of cassette, slow to an almost stop, sprint for particular distance - maybe 50m, roll around for a minute or two to recover (I used to use a crit circuit in Hawthorn so one lap = one effort+recovery). Do these at the start of a training ride after a warm up since that is when this work is most effective, apparently.

This was not a high cadence exercise. High cadence stuff was done in 10/20/30 second burts in a low gear on a flat track.

well, again, my guy is a big advocate of push-ups and ball-squats without much or any weights.
if you're a heavier gentleman, like us, then you're already lifting a lot of weight.

it's an obvious point, perhaps, but he got me to sit in the chest press machine with it set to my body-weight. there is no way on earth i could move it. but i can do some push ups..

he's right, the point is to develop the strength gradually, you can't go into olympic lifts straight off the bat, but you can develop muscle and loose fat by doing press-ups, chins etc.. you can squat without weights (put hands on your head) which will get you used to the correct form and depth without damaging your back or knees.

he's right, the point is to develop the strength gradually, you can't go into olympic lifts straight off the bat, but you can develop muscle and loose fat by doing press-ups, chins etc.. you can squat without weights (put hands on your head) which will get you used to the correct form and depth without damaging your back or knees.

Going to disagree here slighty Rob, you can go into Olympic lifts straight away and its what I would do with youngsters. You just use very light weights eg 5kg bars instead of 20kg olympic ones.

I would like to know how free-weights compare to swiss ball or "own body weight" type stuff for improving core strength.
Do you really need a bar and weights to provide a good core strength?
I'm asking as an endurance rider not track sprinter, bear in mind.

Dave Lloyd mentions weight training being beneficial to endurance cyclists:
http://www.tourofireland.eu/daveLloydTraining.pdf

Heavy free weight exercises like dead lift and squat place huge loads on the core, so will do a lot for your core strength, but with careful training and exercise picking I dont see why you cannot get similar results with a good core work.

Not a great article there, rather out of date and inaccurate.

Ste_S - if you just want to improve your cycling, then Yes. But use high cadence too!
There are a lot of Sketchy trainers out there mate - and weight training needs to be personally adjusted to your current training levels, with progressional planning.
If you think you're lacking in power, or sprint endurance - then using some resistance will help you raise your lactic threshold, allowing you to work harder for longer...

Hey pistaboy, if by resisitance training you mean weights, then no it wont raise your lactic threshold, you need to do shortish intervals above race pace with short rests to do this.

Ste_S - if you just want to improve your cycling, then Yes. But use high cadence too!
There are a lot of Sketchy trainers out there mate - and weight training needs to be personally adjusted to your current training levels, with progressional planning.
If you think you're lacking in power, or sprint endurance - then using some resistance will help you raise your lactic threshold, allowing you to work harder for longer...

I have a proper (I say proper, more like something I cobbled together) training plan that includes max cadence intervals.
I've not done gym work before, and wondered if seated climbs in a high gear would replace some gym work for building leg strength ?

I wonder how long the RST forum search bots will take to find this thread ?

Heavy free weight exercises like dead lift and squat place huge loads on the core, so will do a lot for your core strength, but with careful training and exercise picking I dont see why you cannot get similar results with a good core work.
Not a great article there, rather out of date and inaccurate.

I only added that Dave Lloyd pdf since it was linked to the Tour of Ireland ride which a few of us are considering/doing.
I've not read any/many articles about weights for enduro riders that stuck in my brain.
Do you have any references for core work that doesn't involve free weights/gym that you'd suggest?
Someone at work recently mentioned dragon boat racing!! For some reason this really appeals and must be useful for core and upper body :)

Going to disagree here slighty Rob, you can go into Olympic lifts straight away and its what I would do with youngsters. You just use very light weights eg 5kg bars instead of 20kg olympic ones.

I think my terminology may have been slightly wrong, (I'm much newer to this than you are) by saying olympic lifts I was envisioning heavy weights and single lifts or low reps.

very light weights will help the lifter to learn correct form and technique as he progresses through the weights. I know you wouldn't advise someone with no previous lifting experience to go straight into 50kg squats or something like that.

we are basically saying a similar thing?

How was Crystal Palace then?

cold.

and I'm knackered.

going to bed to try and sleep, if the neighbours will stop lugging things up and down the stairs all night, the ignorant twats.

so we're agreed on the following?

free weights > cable machines
full squats > half squats
core strength is fucking important
don't lift too much, put your ego away
proper technique is the most important thing
olympic lifts = dead lifts, cleans, power cleans? does bench press count?

please add more good advice.

my current weights program is built around bench press, chin-ups (mix of underhand and overhand), dips, full squats, and swiss ball plus medicine ball abdominal exercises. plus a revolving door of other stuff of course (you need some beach weights hehe), but these are the main ones that i hit regularly. seems to work well when i am disciplined enough to maintain it.

"beach weights"
See, I found just being a charming fucker much easier than being fit with the ladies.. :)
Bitch, what do you pay your gym each month? Everyone I work with has started doing PowerPlate or something and I've got gym envy but loathe them so.

the thing is, i actually don't like the beach at all. it's boring.

i pay about £48 a month for gym membership. that's after work subsidies, i think it's about £75 for normal members. that's virgin. it's the epitome of soulless corporate gyms. there is one place to do dips, and it's combined with the chin-up bar (which is under a low roof so i have to be careful not to smack my skull on the ceiling), yet they can afford about 6 powerplate machines...

i don't enjoy it as a gym, but it's close to work, convenient and warm. and they have free towels. i quite like weight training, it appeals to my inner masochist.

I think it's worth mentioning weight gain as well. There must be an optimum calorific/nutritional intake to facilitate the development of strong muscle fibres without bulking up to the detriment of your performance in a specific discipline.

As I've mentioned before, the year I was coached through a tough free weights (and circuit training) programme, I went up to 75kg in weight, although prior to that I was heavier than the compact 63kg I race at these days. I outgrew all my cycling kit, felt totally pumped and cardiovascularly fantastic, and yet I had one of my worst seasons on the bike.

There were obvious mistakes, and I think the club coach got as obsessed with my weight/circuit programme as I did, and totally failed to 'convert' that into on the bike power, or at least a strong scaffold to support my cycling power. And I suddenly couldn't climb like I used to, with power to weight ratio for 2min hillclimbs dropping from about 9w/kg to 7.5kw/kg.

The following year, I dropped weight (& circuit training) altogether, worked out a 4 month winter turbo schedule concentrating on seated strength and power (which was a real labour of hate), and just started riding away from people I used to consider untouchable on flat terrain.

I'm not saying integrating a weight programme into that schedule wouldn't have caused further gains, just that I had to prioritise due to time constraints. And it didn't stop me knocking out a few token (but routine) press-ups, crunches, and dumbbell lifts at home - but we're talking bare bones stuff.

Bulking up isn't much of a problem on the track though is it? :)

I'm not convinced. I've had a conversation with badtmy about sprinters (bike/foot) carrying too much weight, and he also pointed out that it seems to increase the risk of certain injuries.

I'll don't want to put words, or anything else for that matter, in his mouth though.

I think it's worth mentioning weight gain as well. There must be an optimum calorific/nutritional intake to facilitate the development of strong muscle fibres without bulking up to the detriment of your performance in a specific discipline.

yeah, it's just finding it that takes time. it's highly dependent on which discipline you're targeting, and your own personal physiology.