Interested to read this thread. I’ve been cycling and gym-ing off and on for years, but with no real structure. Signed up for the Tweedlove Enduro this summer so thought I’d try and take it all a little more seriously. Have added a couple of 45 minute spin or watt bike classes to my week and now last week have added a short session of weights to the end of each class – 5 x 5 deadlifts and squats on one day and bench press, dips and pull ups on the other.

Is this going to benefit me much? I’ve noticed my cycling has improved with the spin classes, have much more power on the hills and generally feel faster on the bike – is this small amount of weights (which I can certainly feel the next day) going to help without hindering?

Sorry for the thread hijack!

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/article/izn20130115-All-Cycling-Cross-Training-0

So long as the training load isn’t so great that you end up over training, they’ll really help.

never saw this the first time round.

I’ve followed strong lifts twice now. (had a long pause between).

The first time i was doing intervals on the turbo as well. The second time the intervals always got dropped due to time, or needing recovery.

I was crap on the bike second time round. I think the leg/ core strength is great but you need to get in the cycling to transfer it across.

Had a decent chat with Gee Atherton regarding this a while back. He reckoned it was impossible to compete consistently without gym work and he was spending as much quality time in the gym as he was on the bike.

http://breakingmuscle.com/cycling/off-season-strength-training-for-cyclists-a-well-planned-transition-phase

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/bike-kit/article/izn20160113-Ask-the-experts-How-to–Beginner-strength-exercises-for-cyclists-0

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/training/off-the-bike

I have been following strong lifts since Christmas, didn’t start with the empty bar, but didn’t start too heavy either, also only been doing it twice a week instead of 3 times. I have now already got to a stage where the squats twice a week are leaving me in a bad state for cycling.

I think I am going to change it round and replace squats with cleans, which I see as being more dynamic and compatible with mountain biking, and make it a full series of dead lifts rather than a single set.

Does anybody know of any good apps that work like the strong lifts 5×5 one, but allow more customisation of your workout? As someone who is just looking at hitting the gym twice a week for around 1/2 an hour a time to support mountain biking, I probably found the app the best thing about the 5×5 program.

MSP – Member
I have been following strong lifts since Christmas, didn’t start with the empty bar, but didn’t start too heavy either, also only been doing it twice a week instead of 3 times. I have now already got to a stage where the squats twice a week are leaving me in a bad state for cycling.

I think I am going to change it round and replace squats with cleans, which I see as being more dynamic and compatible with mountain biking, and make it a full series of dead lifts rather than a single set.

Does anybody know of any good apps that work like the strong lifts 5×5 one, but allow more customisation of your workout? As someone who is just looking at hitting the gym twice a week for around 1/2 an hour a time to support mountain biking, I probably found the app the best thing about the 5×5 program.That sounds very similar to my experiences. The squats mean that a good bike session the day after is just not happening, but I’m fine if I do deadlifts. 3×5 deadlifts works really well. 5×5 is just too many IME.

MSP – Member

I have been following strong lifts since Christmas, didn’t start with the empty bar, but didn’t start too heavy either, also only been doing it twice a week instead of 3 times. I have now already got to a stage where the squats twice a week are leaving me in a bad state for cycling.

I think I am going to change it round and replace squats with cleans, which I see as being more dynamic and compatible with mountain biking, and make it a full series of dead lifts rather than a single set.

Does anybody know of any good apps that work like the strong lifts 5×5 one, but allow more customisation of your workout? As someone who is just looking at hitting the gym twice a week for around 1/2 an hour a time to support mountain biking, I probably found the app the best thing about the 5×5 program.

JEFIT is a pretty good app for that.

Well, what I did was continue to follow the stronglifts programme, but swapped Deadlifting and Squatting around so I deadlifted every workout and squatted for a single set every other session. It worked great, in that I didn’t have knackered quads for cycling.

During an uplift session at BPW was the first time I’ve actually felt the benefit of the gym work I’ve been doing, which I put down to the deadlifting.

From now though I’m gearing up to follow getonyourbike’s workout that he listed up there^^ as I’m going to be stepping up the cycling for the summer and need a workout that covers the full body in a single session in case I end up only doing once a week.

BlobOnAStick – Member
From now though I’m gearing up to follow getonyourbike’s workout that he listed up there^^ as I’m going to be stepping up the cycling for the summer and need a workout that covers the full body in a single session in case I end up only doing once a week.

Since I wrote that, I’ve changed bench press to 5×5, scrapped the core exercises at the end and chin ups are 4×8. Hope it works out for you. Is a fair amount of time in the gym but it covers all the major movement patterns and is a proper full body workout.

I’m going to start your workout getonyourbike, how often do you do it? I’m thinking of doing it twice a week.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/juliewilcox/2012/05/31/health-benefits-weightlifting/#3108eefb4d20

craig24 – Member
I’m going to start your workout getonyourbike, how often do you do it? I’m thinking of doing it twice a week.

2-3 times a week for me. In the winter, normally 3 times a week but with the on bike sessions getting more intense near race season, I’ve cut down to 2 times a week. When the rides were long but low intensity in the winter I found that I could quite happily train harder in the gym, but now with sprints and intervals going, training in the gym too hard or too often holds me back.

I am going for a twice a week workout.

workout 1 – cleans, bench press, bent over row.
workout 2 – deadlifts, shoulder press, pulldowns.

Going to stick to 5×5 sets for now, just done the 1st workout at lunchtime, think its going to take a few weeks or more just to get the technique right for the cleans.

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I was wondering if anyone had followed getonyourbike’s workout and how you had got on?

Hi,

Yep I’d forgotten about this thread and had to scroll back to re-read Getonyourbike’s workout but apart from the rotator cuff bit I’ve pretty much been following it, although I’ve taken some advice from one of Macavity’s links and gone to 3×8 on all exercises.

I virtually stopped lifting during the summer (I don’t think I stepped foot in the gym in August at all) due to a combination of ramping up the riding and work pressures. However I started again in September at about 75% of the weight that I’d been doing in the spring.

I follow the principal set out in the StrongLifts programme where if I achieve all 3 set and 8 reps then the weight goes up by 2.5kg for the next workout. I’m now on about 115kg deadlift, 95kg squat, 45kg shoulder press, 70kg bench, 70kg barbell row. Plenty of room to improve the weight on deadlift and squat, but getting to a bit of a ceiling with the other exercises.

If you’re going to follow the routine then my advice would be to have an A and B routine (one starting squat, one deadlift) and to mix the order of the other exercises; even though they are the same, the order you do them in can make a difference to progress.

Hope that helps.

Didnt follow exaclty that workout, but tried similar a few years back. I found the squatting compromised my riding too much. I’ve seen better results with on the bike big gear work.

Not against trying it again in the future though, particularly if my focus shifts to shorter more explosive events rather than endurance.

The simple approach is to just do a minimum of 3 x 20 reps per exercise and don’t add any weight unless you can do more than 20 reps at 70% effort. This way you keep your endurance whilst improving your strength.

Any strength and conditioning incorporated into a ‘training program’ ultimately depends on the individuals goals at the culmination of your program. As an ex elite level rugby player, I had a lot of access to coaches and served my time in the weight room. My S+C coach repeatedly stressed that without a goal at the end to aim for its all for nothing as its a great motivational tool and gives you the building blocks for your exercises / rep range / drills etc. Figure out your races, workout what kind of rider you need to be for those events then build your gym program from there. No point squatting heavy and low reps if your a cross country racer and need to be light etc.

In my experience the weight room was seasonal, off-season and pre season very much in the gym (i guess autumn winter for mtb). In – season, more maintenance / imbalance correction as all the ground work was done pre-season (i guess spring summer for mtb)

I’m retired from rugby, and dropped the size, but still dabble in the weight room to help with power and rate of force application through the pedal as its been such a big part of my life, I would find it hard not too. I race enduro, and as the majority of races, you just have to get to the top of the hill then into a more interval based, sharp bursts of power stage, i find exercises to increase that benefit most, like clean variations, snatch, along with your standard compound lifts, incorporated with some plyometrics /mobilty routine.

Make sure you get a coach or at least advice if your going to lift, as poor form is dangerous and will offset any work you do.

Nathan Haas says
http://www.menshealth.co.uk/fitness/how-to-build-your-body-like-a-professional-road-cyclist

I did some dead lifts for the first time in about 20 years last Wednesday.
Can anyone give me a rough estimate of when in the distant future the pain will stop and I’ll be able to walk normally again or touch my toes?

4 to 7 days colp. Embrace the DOMS.

When I was more into powerlifting than cycling the weights room in my gym was upstairs. I spent many an evening walking backwards down the stairs after going for a PB deadlift, then being unable to walk properly the next day. Happy times.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/assess-your-season-rest-and-cross-train-dee-tidwell-2016.html

If you are starting out with deadlifing then i thoroughly recommend looking at some mark rippletoe videos or buying his book.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AObAU-EcYE[/video]

It so easy to get the technique wrong and i’ve seen a lot of instructional videos that are wrong (
including training peaks (hips are far too low)

Thanks for the video link, yep, I had a nasty technique!
Good news is that 5 days later, I’ve stopped walking like John Travolta

Deadlifting with Brian Shaw.
He talks a lot but he is the worlds strongest man so he is allowed to.