Road Cycling - Part 3 - Weight Training and Plyometric Training

Part 3 – Weight Training and Plyometric Training

Off the bike training does not have to be complicated. Most cyclists have heard of the benefits of weight training, maybe not so many have heard of plyometric training. No matter what your experience with either, you can use both to help you with your on-the-bike goals. We will discuss both of these activites.
Weight training is to tone and strengthen your muscles, and improve your power output. This means that when you are on the bike, you will feel more comfortable, will be able to ride a larger gear for a longer period of time, and will be able to have more powerful burst of speed. These gains can be put into better long distance riding, better climbing, and better sprinting.

When you are designing your weight training program, you have to concentrate on more than one area of your body. Cyclists tend to bend toward the myth of only working their legs. This is incorrect. When you are riding, many muscle groups are working together. It is easier to look at a program by breaking your body down into groups. We will break it down into groups of: lower body, upper body, and core. Displayed below is a very common sample program. It can easily be modified to be fitted into an amounted time period, or to your physical condition. Remember, when choosing weights, it is a general observation that the last 3-5 repetitions of each set should be fairly difficult. Choose your weights wisely at first. You can always make changes to heavier weights later.

LOWER BODY:
Choose 1 – Leg Press, Squats, or Step-Ups 5 x 10
Leg Extension 5 x 10
Leg Curl 5 x 10
Calf Raises 3 x 15

UPPER BODY:

Bench Press 4 x 10
Bicep Curl 3 x 12
Tricep Extension 3 x 12
Shoulder Press 3 x 12

CORE (BACK & ABDOMINALS)

Back Extensions 3 x 20
Low Pulley Row 4 x 10
Choose 2 – Crunches, Inclined Crunches, Knee/Leg Raises 3 x 20



Plyometric training is definitely not as well known within the cycling community as a way to strengthen muscles that are usually not in use when riding, or weight lifting, but will yet help you ride more comfortably. Also, plyometric training helps fast-twitched muscle fibers get a workout. By training these fibers, you will get quicker standing-starts and sprints that involve a quick power output. Plyometrics can easily be fit in with your weight training program. Visit the following sites for ideas about plyometrics. Remember, plyometrics are not recommended if you have joint problems. Have an experienced instructor show you these exercises.

1st site: http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/legplymo.htm
2nd site: http://www.formapt.com/plyometric_depth_jump_off.html

For soccer we have been doing an hour's worth of plyometrics every day. I must say that they do help with agility and explosiveness. Using the body's on weight as resistence isn't a fairly popular form of training but it defidently helps. It looks funny when your doing them but it will help so anyone looking for good cross training over the winter shouuld look into this. :)

In addition cyclists can suffer from low bone density which weight training can help correct... ;)

Velo,
You're advice makes a lot of sense. But I have a couple comments. It seems to me that doing Bicep Curls and Triceps extensions don't make much sense because you are completely isolating the muscles, which happens rarely on the bike. The triceps definitly get a workout on the bench press and shoulder press while the biceps would get a workout on a row and a lat pulldown.

Bench press, don't curl. No use in curling.

Same with your legs. Squats are much more effective than leg curls.

I'm just repeating what I've read in several training books, so don't mind me.

Ideally, one would want to work both sides of a body part. For example, if you do squats, you should also do leg curls and/or stiff leg lifts. Same goes for the other parts - Bicep, tricep - back, abs - blah blah blah.
:beer:

I hate the bench press. Plus, what do you need pec muscles for??? According to the Lance training book he curls. Ha ha, like we should all traing "just like lance!"
You should try one leg squats, or one leg leg presses. That is freakin intense!

Velo, which plyometric do you suggest? All of them?

"Ideally" and "we should", but why?

As far as I know, biceps are used in bench pressing. Not very much in biking.

The idea of skipping more complex movements saves energy to be put into more useful training. Why would you want to waste energy isolating your biceps when it will do you absolutely no good in biking?

Originally posted by palooka
"Ideally" and "we should", but why?

As far as I know, biceps are used in bench pressing. Not very much in biking.

The idea of skipping more complex movements saves energy to be put into more useful training. Why would you want to waste energy isolating your biceps when it will do you absolutely no good in biking?

I agree dude. Are the muscles developed by the bench press used?

Why not just do a lat pull down, which used the biceps and strengthens the backs muscles, which the latest Bicycling issue labels as cycling's unsung heroes.

Velo,

When to you go at the weight training? My understanding is, for a roadie, to go easy during the base-training period, and work on serious development during the winter pre-season conditioning (i.e. Jan-March), tapering toward the end of that period as on-the-bike mileage increases.

Originally posted by fubar5


I agree dude. Are the muscles developed by the bench press used?

Why not just do a lat pull down, which used the biceps and strengthens the backs muscles, which the latest Bicycling issue labels as cycling's unsung heroes.

What muscles do you think hold you up when you lean forward onto the bars? It's not just your arms or just your chest but a combinations of the 2. Biceps come into use when doing hard climbing as do hamstrings. Pick apart various aspects of riding and you will discover that you use more muscle groups than you thought. So if you reallylook at it, the whole body comes into play which is why one would work all muscle groups but you do what works for you.
:beer:

Man oh man! I should have gotten on the internet sooner...look at all those posts...yes well, you guys answered your own questions, mostly.

About the bicep/tricep, thing, Stor Mand hit it right on the dot. You're using more muscles than you think. For example, when I'm not lifting, and I'm out on a long ride, my biceps/triceps/lower back really start to ache. Trust me, you use 'em. :)


roadbuzz,

Yes, you're correct. You should be going semi-easy right now. Harder in the middle of the winter. And, then, taper off again when the season rolls around.


fubar,

I recommend any plyo excercises that use the muscles that you use on the bike. Take a look at the 1st site. The better exercises I'd recommend are: combination of "hurdle hops", "box jumps", "depth jumps", & "tuck jumps". There are other leg exercises listed that work equally as well. You can go ahead and research it a little bit. Just look for ones that have the same basic movement. For example, you don't really need to do any jumps that are called "lateral" (which you will probably find). These work the outside of the legs. These exercises are used a lot in skating, since you have that side-to-side motion. Get that up and down motion used in cycling.

Good luck with them,
velo

Well I hate doing the bench press, so I do bicep curls and butterflys. Plus, I love being in my gym so doing more exercises makes me stay in there longer.

Velo, is this job stressful? :rolleyes:


I did my first "cross-training" session today. It was running in zone 3 for 45 mintues. I haven't run for more than 20 mintues(5k) since I ran 13 mi 4-5 years ago. Running certainly uses a totally different set of muscles!!!

Originally posted by fubar5
Velo, is this job stressful?

Nah...I love it. :p