Can I work out and cycle?

[AroW]

I want to gain some extra muscle in my upper body and cycle at the same time, but find it kind of difficult. On days that I do some weight work should I still ride? I find it harder though, and Ive decided to ride after I do the weight work.

Also, if Im not training seriously in the weight room, whats the most basic diet I need before or afterworkouts? So far I just drink milk for protein and maybe a snack if I am hungry.

[aikigreg]

Absolutely. Don't neglect your legs when you work out though - you'll create some imbalances and while your on bike endurance may stay the same or increase, leg strength and muscle size will decrease unless you do lower body lifts as well. However - don't try to increase strength much in-season for the lower body. Strive for maintenance.

And train seriously or don't train. Half-assing it gets you no results, because there isn't enough stress to cause change. Proper post-workout nutrition always applies.

As far as lifting and riding on the same days - I don't recommend it at all. If you choose to, definately ride after the weight work, and at an easy recovery pace. I ride to and from the gym, but I don't really count it as a "ride" since it's an easy pace - it's not on-bike training just transportation.

[Carbonfiberboy]

Greg and I differ on this one. I'm always pressed for time, so I try to make every minute count. I'm not about to miss a day's riding so I can hump iron in a gym. For me riding is the main thing. Mileage counts. So I always ride before I work out because I want to emphasize riding, not the gym. You emphasize what you do first. I either ride outside or do a long roller ride, then go to the gym where I do a very intense 20 minute full body workout and ride or drive home, depending on the weather. It feels sort of like finishing a ride with a hard climb and then sprinting up a wall. My ride the day I lift will either be zone 2 on the flat, or one-legged pedaling drills, or fast pedal drills - no high HR work.

So yes, absolutely you can both ride and work out. Been doing it for many years. Be prepared for an additional stressor on your body. Working out is a training load about the same as doing intervals. Allow for the recovery. It's best to start doing it in the fall, say October. Then ride and work out all winter so you can phase out the workouts when you start doing intervals in the spring.

After every workout, I have about 15g protein powder, same volume of brown sugar, 5g creatine, and after about another half hour or so, dinner. If you want to just drink milk, dissolve about 5T of sugar into a glass of it.

[tbrown524]

I lift like a bodybuilder and still ride my bike to/from the gym and long rides on the weekends. You'll just need to eat a little more protein on days that you workout. For example.. If you're going to workout in the mornings like I do then a breakfast with 6 or more egg whites, ground turkey, and some type of carb would be beneficial. Even with this breakfast I still lost a large amount of upper body muscle due to cycling.