Training & Nutrition - Need Training Help - Lifting & Cycling

Hi guys,

Here's my story. I'm 27 years old, and in fairly good shape. I'm 5'9", and 180 lbs, so I'm built more like a football player than a cyclist. I workout 3-4 times a week. This is primarily weight training and light cardio. Here's an example of my workout

I do xc mountain biking almost every summer, but this year I'm attempting to get a little more serious. I'm already scheduling a 2 day (75 miles per day) trip, and I'm sure there will be more after that. So, i need to start working on my cycling endurance and ability.

My question is, how do I continue to strength train while working on cycling? I don't want to lose the gains in strength that I've made. Like most people, I work during the day, so time is always a factor. I currently workout in the morning (6 am), so i could train twice a day if needed.

any input would be appreciated!!! thanks.

Hi guys,

Here's my story. I'm 27 years old, and in fairly good shape. I'm 5'9", and 180 lbs, so I'm built more like a football player than a cyclist. I workout 3-4 times a week. This is primarily weight training and light cardio. Here's an example of my workout

I do xc mountain biking almost every summer, but this year I'm attempting to get a little more serious. I'm already scheduling a 2 day (75 miles per day) trip, and I'm sure there will be more after that. So, i need to start working on my cycling endurance and ability.

My question is, how do I continue to strength train while working on cycling? I don't want to lose the gains in strength that I've made. Like most people, I work during the day, so time is always a factor. I currently workout in the morning (6 am), so i could train twice a day if needed.

any input would be appreciated!!! thanks.

Cycling is an endurance sport. You will never be strength limited on the bike. If you are concerned only about riding, skip the weights. If you are doing weights for other reasons, then you have to decide what compromise is acceptable. - TF

The compromise is what I struggle with. I don't want to over train myself. I would like to continue to do both.

I find it easier to do my weightlifting in the morning and cycling training in the evening. I do an upper/lower body split in the gym 2x/week and upper/lower 2 day split bodyweight. You will probably want to play around with lifting the day off your cycling or day before, etc. I find lifting the day of isn't too bad for me but I am also lifting so that I do not induce any soreness since my priority is cycling. My schedule looks like:
M - team interval training - lower body gym
T - recovery for legs, upper body gym
W - yoga, hill climbing
R - lower body bodyweight, spinups, one-leg drills
F - tempo, upper body bodyweight

just an example

Nickel,

Thanks for the reply. I agree with you that it will be easier to do the weight training in the morning. I do quite a bit of legs at the gym, and obviously, i'll have to switch my routine to accomodate the cycling. Do you do much in terms of leg workouts? Cycling won't quite hit my legs the same as squats, lunges, etc.

Recently I have been doing one-legged leg press and calf raise, deadlifts and explosive squats (focusing on the last push of the movement). I only lift heavy enough so that I can do 10-12 reps.

My question is, how do I continue to strength train while working on cycling? I don't want to lose the gains in strength that I've made.

The compromise is what I struggle with.

Why are you weight training...Are you training for strength or bulk? You can be strong and not bulky...

I weight train for nothing more than overall fitness and strength. I've been lifting since I was 15, so it's just been a way of life. I don't need or want to look like a body builder, but i want to continue with weight training since I've been doing it for over 10 years now.

I find it easier to do my weightlifting in the morning and cycling training in the evening.


I agree.

I can tell you I have also found lifting made me a better lifter. Riding made me a better rider. I’m 53, so a your age my best advice is you can do both IF YOU WATCH YOUR NUTRITION. Be sure to ingest enough protein, and calories, otherwise you may loose size.

Thanks for the input. I already take whey protein, and I will continue. I'm not sure if I'll take anything else, but I'll have to see how my body reacts to the training.

Im in the same boat as you jharber, Im 5 ' 6'' and 156lbs. I need to loose my size down to 145 at the most so I can do under 30mins in a 11 mile hilly time trial.

According to Muscle and Fitness magazine, it's preferable to weight and strength train in the evening rather than the morning. I don't have the article in front of me (I left it at work) but I'll try to get it.

I've always found weight room after cardio worked best for me. But that was generally about 1 hour after. Given your time constraints i'd say try both and see how your body feels.

Thought about commuting? Ride to the gym and then to work. Mix it up with some intervals. Try it 2-3 times a week and see how you like it.

Hi guys,

Here's my story. I'm 27 years old, and in fairly good shape. I'm 5'9", and 180 lbs, so I'm built more like a football player than a cyclist. I workout 3-4 times a week. This is primarily weight training and light cardio. Here's an example of my workout

I do xc mountain biking almost every summer, but this year I'm attempting to get a little more serious. I'm already scheduling a 2 day (75 miles per day) trip, and I'm sure there will be more after that. So, i need to start working on my cycling endurance and ability.

My question is, how do I continue to strength train while working on cycling? I don't want to lose the gains in strength that I've made. Like most people, I work during the day, so time is always a factor. I currently workout in the morning (6 am), so i could train twice a day if needed.

any input would be appreciated!!! thanks.



Cycling is an endurance sport. You will never be strength limited on the bike. If you are concerned only about riding, skip the weights. If you are doing weights for other reasons, then you have to decide what compromise is acceptable. - TF

What I've noticed in this or any other forum is that the first few and the last few responses to any particular post seems to get the most attention (with the occasional exceptions).

The latest post (just prior to mine) by Lamourish offers a viable solution to fitting in more saddle time and building a proper base.

The first response (as shown above), unfortunately, sets a tone that's frustrating at best to the OP and anyone else in his position for the following reasons:

1) The OP is primarily interested in mountain biking, which quite often involves short bursts of anaerobic power also known as power endurance. Endurance is important, but advising people like the OP that endurance-only training is the magic bullet is false for both mtb and road.

I know these endurance-only guys. They're the ones who brag about riding 20+ miles to the race or spirited group ride, racing/hammering in the group, then riding the 20+ miles back home. Strangely enough, these guys never seem to take the the town-line sprint, the hill, or anything else that's particularly impressive.

2) The level of power endurance can be improved for some riders with proper strength training. Based on the OP's description of himself, he GREATLY appears to be what I would refer to as a high-responder to this type of work. For these athletes, their power endurance WILL IMPROVE with correct power training. Power endurance is a confluence of power and endurance; to remove one from the equation yields less than optimal results.

3) The OP specifically asked: "...I don't want to lose the gains in strength that I've made..." He gave a fairly straightforward answer as to why he is interested in weight training. Nothing wrong with a guy who wants to be physically stronger than he was before.

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Now here are some suggestions to the OP.

If your priority is to perform well in xc mtb, the weight training will have to take a back seat. This does NOT mean you should drop it completely - especially since one of your objectives to keep the strength attained in the gym.

Just as you should avoid junk miles on the bike (saddle time that is too hard to promote recovery YET not hard enough to promote supercompensation) you need to avoid junk sets/reps in the gym. Learn to give most bodybuilding protocols the finger. You know what these are: the 8-12 reps of exercises that promote almost zero functional strength.

You can train to look strong or you can train to be strong. There will be some carry over from one to the other. However, focusing on the latter will better meet your goals. This, along with mtb, will take care of the looking-good aspect.

IF you do not have any injuries or are prone to injuries, stick with push ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, Olympic style lifts.

The bodyweight exercises may seem pointless; however, since you're an adult male of reasonable age and you can't do a bare minimum of 50 push ups, 10 pull/chin ups, 25 dips you're not as fit as you think.

Keep in mind these are bare minimums. Ideally, someone like you should be able to do 100+ push ups, 20-30+ pull/chins, 50+ dips before you can call yourself fit.

The high-repetition body work will help strengthen tendons and ligaments. They will also give you that end-of-the-day strength.

In addition to bodyweight only, you can occasionally make these movements harder by using extra weight (a harder variation of the push ups is to perform them with feet on a stability ball; you can even progress onto one, then both hands on medicine balls). Stick with weight that allows you to perform about 3-5 perfect reps. These seemingly antiquated exercises will strengthen a great majority of the muscles in your upper body, give you functional strength, and give a symmetrical appearance so many of the muscle heads lack.

As for lifting weights, IF you're not prone to injury and IF you know proper technique, I strongly recommend you look into Romanian dead lifts. Again, stick to weight that allows about 3-5 perfect reps.

I prefer the Romanian deads because you never round the lower back (in fact, you should bring the weight back up before this happens, the point at which varies depending your physical anatomy such as femur length, etc.)

Another great exercise to build power (which is strength times speed), I like a modified clean.

With the modified cleans, place the bar on a rack around knee level. You can, of course, perform the traditional clean with the weight on the floor; however, this increases the risk of injury to lower back and the knees. The modified version, in my experience, translates very well to the act of pulling hard on the bars and stomping down in the pedals in sprints. To further decrease stress on your shoulders, you don't have to finish the movement with the bar at shoulder level; as soon as the bar is exploded to this point, bring the weight back to the starting position. Use moderate weight to reduce the chance of injury. Unlike the Romanian deads, your goal is use weight that is 60-70 percent of your one-rep max and move the weight as quickly and powerfully as you can. You are NOT seeking muscle failure here! You are working on maximum recruitment.

Include some prehab exercises for any body part that you foresee getting injured. For some it's should stability work; for others, such as myself, it's mostly adductor/abductor, hip flexor, and posterior chain work.

And finally, add a pet exercise if you're really chomping at the bit. This exercise is something that you want to do. For some, it's biceps. For others it could be calves. Just keep in mind that this is the dessert and not the main course. This exercise should take up a very small percentage of your weight room training. Remember, any extra work in one sport will eat into the training/recovery time of the other sport.

Never train these movements to failure. Stop before your form breaks and leave the gym when you feel that you can still crank out more.

Every 3-4 weeks, make some change in your routine. The variation can be subtle or dramatic.

Remember - with perfect form and correct use of poundage, free weights are actually safer and more effective than machines (cable stations count as free weights due to the high-range of movement).

Always keep in mind that any exercise can be dangerous based on what the individual brings to the table.

Train around - and not through - any body part that feels less than 100 percent. Let the damn thing heal before it turns into a chronic injury.

Be objective with what you need to do in order to improve as an athlete.

Because you're trying to excel at two different activities, your ***** must be kept tight. No junk miles on the bike (every ride should have a purpose such as base building, technique, lactate threshold, etc.) and no junk lifts in the gym (get in, warm up properly, get your work done, and get the hell out - all in one hour or less).

Thank you very much for the strong response. You're right on point. As for the body weight exercises that you mentioned, I excel over your "minimums" already, but i do keep them in my routine. I have moved to olympic-style lifts, but am still struggling with a leg routine and a biking routine. This is probably my area where i need the most revamp of my muscles.

Right now, I just don't have the recovery built in me to do both. I'll continue adjusting my schedule until i hit a happy point.

Thought about commuting? Ride to the gym and then to work. Mix it up with some intervals. Try it 2-3 times a week and see how you like it.

+1

I commute to/from work with a roundtrip of roughly 50 miles. I do this 5 days a week. I race on the weekends (road). I do my on the bike training in the AM w/ intervals, sprints, recovery, whatever I feel like doing--nothing structured, though.

I eat when I get to work then go to the gym 5 days a week over my lunch hour. I do a modified 3 day split of: back&arms + abs/ chest&tri + abs/ catch all (shoulders/traps/etc). If I do any leg work in the gym, I do it on the weekends when I can spend more than an hour working out and tend to do full body stuff. I eat lunch after the gym and have a shake about 1.5hours before I get back on the bike for the ride home. The ride home is typically just tempo and I try to connect with teammates to keep the riding social. I have been doing this with great success for several years now. It was not easy at first but with proper nutrition and rest I feel I can have the best of both worlds... the overall strength and fitness I want as well as the ability to be competitive on the bike.

just my .02

I've been interested in commuting. I must wear at minimum business casual attire to work, so I'm always worried about how I would keep myself looking good for the workday. Do you pack your clothing? Where it on the ride?

I've been interested in commuting. I must wear at minimum business casual attire to work, so I'm always worried about how I would keep myself looking good for the workday. Do you pack your clothing? Where it on the ride?

I keep a few pairs of shoes at work as well as a suit / dress shirt for client meetings. Other than that, I carry my workout clothes and my work wear in my bag. Packed with tools, clothes and lunch, my bag usually weighs around 10-12 pounds. I use a Chrome messenger pack which I think best distributes the load and allows you to ride w/out worrying about your bag swinging around if you're doing sprints or something.

I don't have a shower here at work, but you can do a lot with a sink and a towel... I also have shower access at the gym but most days I don't bother showering until I get home. Sounds gross, but it gives me more time in the gym and less time in the locker room.