Training & Nutrition - Upper Body

Hi,
What do serious bikers do to work on upper body strength instead of just lower?

I work out 5-6 days a week. 5 day split. I work out every body part. My current routine is:
Day 1 - legs
Day 2 - chest/triceps
Day 3 - biceps/back
Day 4 - shoulders/traps
Day 5 - off

it works great for me. I focus mainly on heavy compound lifts like squats, deadlifts and bench press which are great for overall development.

Hi,
What do serious bikers do to work on upper body strength instead of just lower?

I'm not a serious biker but I am serious about fitness. I alternate routines for Upper body, core and lower body. I do each twice a week and have a rest day. (well...that's the plan.)

For upper body, I use dumbbells and currently do shoulder raises, bench press, bent-over rows, tri presses, curls and wrist curls. I use heavy weights and try to work to failure in 4 to 14 reps. I alternate the order I do them in, but always do the wrist curls last. I do them as a circuit and go as fast as I can. If I have time, I'll rest a few minutes and do another circuit. Each circuit takes about 15 minutes or less.

I did a lot of reading and talked with a lot of body builder acquaintances to devise this plan. It has worked very well for me. I hate weight lifting, so one goal is to spend as little time as possible on it while still getting decent results.

I started lifting this winter but am tapering down now that riding season is here. At the gym I currently do(all with dumbells) bench,bent rows, deadlifts, military press, curls, reverse flies. I vary weights and reps on different days and to meet my mid term goals. I also do dips, back extensions and ab work along with flexibility exercises. I have a pull up bar at home and do sets of 5-8 pull ups every time I walk by the bar - about 5 sets a day.

Push Ups, Pull Ups and Body Squats daily. I can now do 5 sets of 20,15,50 in less time than I did a year ago. Do them fast and you are getting a nice cardio workout also. When I started I only did one set of 10,5,20 each morning. I also do core exercises on a mat. I spend all my money on biking stuff and none on exercise stuff and club fees. I learned to exercise like this at www.crossfit.com. Enjoy.

You don't need much upper body strength. So if nothing hurts, don't do anything. Smaller is better if you are serious. If you're serious you could care less what it looks like. I find that I need to work my lats, deltoids, trapezius, and triceps muscles for long distance riding. I get sore and weak if I neglect them. Exercises for those muscles can be found on www.exrx.net (http://www.exrx.net).

Hi,
What do serious bikers do to work on upper body strength instead of just lower?

My favorite reply: It depends.

What type of cycling do you want to excel at? Once you know that, read up on what the best riders at that particular discipline are doing. I'm NOT advocating that you copy but simply use it as a starting point.

It's true that climbing specialists will want very little upper body work. However, even Lance did some form of upper body training during the winter (he'd phase out during racing season). Yes, yes, Lance was not a climber in the truest sense of the word; however, he wasn't too shabby.

Robbie McEwen does, among other exercises, seated cable rows. This makes sense because, for sprinters, the harder you can pull on the bars, the bigger the gear you can stomp.

Alessandro Ballan does wrist curls to help prepare for Paris Roubaix.

Chris Hoy and other track stallions lift heavy weights.

And, of course, you'll find those who do almost no cross training. This approach may work for you but I very much doubt it. Sooner or later, you'll most likely have some type of injury that could have been prevented with a carefully thought-out training program.

I'd strongly recommend some type of core training. The chances of you gaining unnecessary bulk is minimal and you'll reduce the risk of back pain. Also note the core is the bridge between your lower and upper body. If the bridge is weak, your ability to transfer power from one end to the other (ie standing up to attack or counter) will be compromised.

To a lesser extent, I'd also recommend push ups and pull/chin ups. As simple as these movements appear, there are countless variations. (Tonight, I just hit a new PR in the push up: feet on the stability ball and each hand on medicine balls for 31 strict reps. And I'm maintaining my body weight for this time of year - which means no unnecessary muscle gained from this type of work) You can include dips if you do NOT suffer from any type of shoulder injury. These body weight exercises, performed intelligently and with creativity will go a long way in enhancing your overall health.

Do a search on this forum. You'll find more than a few posts in which a cyclist injured some part of his upper body due to neglect (ie the belief that cycling and nothing else is all that's needed). Why not hedge your bets and strengthen those areas before trouble comes knocking...?

Why not hedge your bets and strengthen those areas before trouble comes knocking...?

+1

I work out 5-6 days a week. 5 day split. I work out every body part. My current routine is:
Day 1 - legs
Day 2 - chest/triceps
Day 3 - biceps/back
Day 4 - shoulders/traps
Day 5 - off

it works great for me. I focus mainly on heavy compound lifts like squats, deadlifts and bench press which are great for overall development.

Hey Xanthippus - what's your riding schedule/plan? I would like to lift that often, but have trouble finding enough time for that and the bike...