Gramercy

I am trying to gain weight this winter, I lost about 15lbs by only riding 2000 miles this year. My metabolism goes crazy if I do any sort of ride longer than 30 minutes and it's hard to keep the weight on (yes, people hate me for it). Going to cut back on riding for the next few months and do compound lifts but also focus on upper body lifts so I don't look so skinny. 6'1, 155lbs right now. When I'm in the 175 range I look much better. I wonder how it will affect my Cat 4 riding skills, carrying more weight around but hopefully being stronger.

Right now, I put a backpack on with a laptop and clothes when I commute to work and it's very tough going up relatively steep grades so adding weight but not strength is very noticeable. The goal is to get a few top 5 finishes next year but not dedicate too much more time to the sport. Having a kid in January will be enough of an adjustment.

ridethecliche

I think you're just not eating enough.

30 mins of cardio is next to nothing and neither is 2000 miles a year. I think you're looking for a unicorn here.

ridethecliche

I think your kids would get as much out of doing box jumps than doing those 'bear jumps' there's like no weight on that thing anyway and doing box jumps with a dumbbell or kettlebell would do similar things without that awkward machine.

Doge

The method is gaining weight - to lose it - on purpose planning to keep the muscles you use and lose more of the ones you don't.

That machine was used after kettlebells and boxes and squats and weights for a year or so. All of those exercises use lots of other muscle groups and require coordination that is not sport specific. Those new to the exercise take a while to develop good form. If the weight form does not help the sport form, and their are alternatives, is it worth learning?

The machine along with jumping rope and just jumping resulted in about a 4" vertical gain in somewhere around 9 months.

oespinoza83

So I decided to smarten up and do some strength training (weights) into my offseason this year. I do not have access to a free/cheap/non-contract gym, so would really love for some training at home. If I have to join a gym, would hate to do so for only a few months (when lifting is more often than riding).

With that being said, I did lift a lot growing up, college, etc. so I know a lot about form and whatnot. Not looking to bulk up, but to increase lower body strength/flexibility. rkwaki's workout on post #1 looks fun, but probably something I should not swing for the first week, correct? I think I would need a few weeks to ramp up to a workout that intense. Suggestions?

gsteinb

What's the mod for tubeless users?

gsteinb

I've found for me that the best thing is to do my workouts with a reduced intensity, to pull up short rather than push to the end of a set. Focus on form and stop as soon as the muscle starts to tell you it's working. Full recovery between workouts. Go a bit harder each time.

hack

There's the rub. I think the answer to that question will vary from person to person and it seems there is no "right" answer and with that I can't say you're doing it wrong. Personally, I don't know enough about developmental physiology to put forth a qualified answer, but I'd wonder if isolating muscle development yields better results in youth than a more general physical development approach. It also seems to be a bit of putting all the eggs in one basket mindset and I'd be curious if there is risk of impairing future development of non isolated muscle groups. Again, just my opinion and I'll throw in that I don't have kids, so I haven't crossed this bridge. To date, it seems the results have been coming in.

Doge

I think its newly exposed to lifting people - including youth, but youth can jump from heights quite high and not get hurt. Maybe adults can too - they are just smarter. I have seen new "lifters" get strong fast and still have poor form. I have pretty good form and am pretty weak - because I don't lift that much. I also don't know, but do not automatically believe that tendon/ligaments keep up with muscle development.

The putting all eggs in one basket is not saying ignore core or other muscles. They can be hit with other than compound exercises. You are right in that sports specific trained athletes tend to look different than fitness models. Lower body will be more developed than the upper body. I'd guess that if you saw a line up of Olympic swimmers, distance runners and cyclists you'd be able to pick who did what. Track cyclists and Track runner sprinters might be harder to determine.

misterwaterfall

I won cat3 races at 180(6'2") so you'll be fine. I plan to race at 185-190 next *year and should be competitive in 1/2 crits and track so it's plenty doable.

gsteinb

Depends on your strengths and what you want to do. If you desire to do long hilly road races you're probably at a pretty big advantage being so thin. Might not serve you if you're doing park races and crits though. I'd also concur that your simply don't eat enough, or perhaps you don't eat the right things. Your regular exercise is modest at best.

Hermes

Below are two article from USA Cycling's website on strength training for cyclists that I wanted to contribute to this thread. I agree with the analysis and program and follow it with some variation although I have been doing this for years before ever reading the articles. When I started racing I used a cycling coach that advocated strength training.

What strength training work to do, when to do it and how much is specific to me and I suspect varies a lot from athlete to athlete. I have experimented with different variations of the training routines advocated in the articles and have one that works. I have also used one of our team sponsors, a physical therapy company, and got advice from them and added some additional exercises.

For me, strength training is a zero sum game with respect to how much energy and mental focus I have available for training. Strength training can carry a heavy training load and can zap my strength and performance on the bike for short periods of time.

A Case for Strength Training for Cyclists: A Practical View from a Cycling Coach - USA Cycling

Strength Training for Cyclists: Part 2 - USA Cycling

Grumpy McTrumpy

When I was with a coach, the strength training plan always included partial squats. The advice that was repeated again and again and again was "do not go all the way down."

ymmv

gsteinb

mattm

this thread is.... something.

ridethecliche

Grumpy, I can't find the study right now, but read that doing full squats (atleast till parallel) makes you stronger at every other point in the squat. I don't get the point of loading up more weight and only going halfway.

I don't think your kid counts as an experienced lifter/athlete. You can't attribute the 4" jump to the machine since she was likely untrained to start with. Doing box jumps makes you better at box jumps. That machine is just another toy to complicate things.

misterwaterfall

I would find a new coach. That's actually much more dangerous than doing the lift with a full ROM

rumrunn6

I know correct squats are straight and aligned but just a quick share in case someone finds it useful for a related reason. The surgeon that worked on my meniscus tear in '97 told me that the worst thing for a knee is a deep knee bend with a twist. Ever since then I am very careful about how I use my knees out and about in my yard or the woods, and especially during all the work lifting the years I was at The Home Depot lumber and building materials dept.

Ygduf

I like to bend at the back, lift, twist. Bend, lift, twist.

sgtdirt

the squat is by far the best leg strength exercise one can do. you can do many variations of it too: lunges, front squats, kettle bell squats...
the way i was taught to do squats, many years ago, was to act like your getting ready to sit on the commode. i've seen some people use a bench to touch off of just to make sure they get the full benefit of the exercise. btw, i've had both knees "scoped" for a torn meniscus (not related to lifting weights) and do squats every other week. my knees never hurt, it's like they were never broke.

sgtdirt

a good hip flexor exercise is the flutter kick. give it a try at he end of your workout.

Doge

Posts 295 and 296 touch on another thing - range of motion.
295 - much more than a cyclist uses
296 - much less

rkwaki

Go to the grocery store, buy a box of condoms and open them all up and tie them together...


Next question?

rkwaki

I'm shorter and fatter...

Wylde06

I did Monster Walks in PT with a resistance band...thats a hell of a workout.