Training & Nutrition - Upper body strength

How imprtant is upper body strength to cycling? I am reading the Lance arstrong Performance program and they have quite a few upper body programs in teh strength training section. Plus, Lance can bench press 125 LB, which seems like a lot to me.

Plus, Lance can bench press 125 LB, which seems like a lot to me.

At least in the world of strength training, 125 lbs is not very much. I can do 235 lbs, and that is considered ok, but not great, for someone 62 years old. Bench pressing your body weight is sort of the start of being perhaps a little above average.

Beyond that i see debates all the time about upper body strength and the associated weight of the muscles. I guess that if racing is your goal, there is are few better than Lance to emulate, at least for the TdF. He seems to have it down pretty good, to say the least!!

I find that I am more comfortable on long rides when I've been doing my upper body workout. My workout is pretty simple - 10 chin-ups after every ride.

I have never had decent upper-body strength, although I do lift weights three times per week to try to maintain what little I do have. As we age, it is important to maintain muscle mass and bone density, and strength training is the only way to do this.

If your goal is to be healthy individual rather than the world's fastest hill climber, your routine should include some sort of upper body weight or resistance training.

Damn Fu, there once was a time 125 pounds was alot to me. And then time and effort increased where I was able to bench 6x 225 lbs.

for road cycling upper body strength is pretty unimportant - many coaches actually _discourage_ upper-body weight training to keep mass off - one of Lance's reasons for success after Chemo was less upperbody muscle he had from swimming from triathlon that he lost in Chemo - wider shoulders mean more drag and more muscle means more weight to propell...

for MTB you need a fair amount of upper body but not like a body builder...

i would say weights for back, triceps, stomach are most important and then maybe shoulders, pecs and biceps just a little...

125lbs bench press is measely for weight-lifter types but for a strong cyclist i'd say it's about right (many roadies are less i would think). i did a lot of weight training a few years ago and concentrated on back, tris and legs but also did all-round and chest at least one a week- for me at 170lbs, i usually worked out (and still do) bench press of about 150lbs (weak compared to the guys in the gym) but you don't need more for cycling. working out the back prevents injury, mostly triceps are used for control off-road (holding your body over the handlebar) with maybe biceps, chest and stomach also...

most serious cyclists do weight training in the winter and do some all-round body stuff including chest - but being big or a muscle-guy is not what you need or want...

Upper body strength is not as critical for cycling, unless you're into downhill or dual slalom or BMX!

For cycling purposes, I'd concentrate more on your CORE. You want to strengthen you abdominals and you back muscles, your shoulders and your chest. (in that order of importance!) from there your upper arms and then your wrists!

Working your Core area will allow you to ride longer w/o discomfort, and will improve your handling skills! It'll also make you a better climber!

Since you're cycling, you really don't want to do a lot of leg work unless you are trying to strenghten a weak area, (like a bad knee or recovering from injury). But there are great exercises that will build overall strength and balance without bulk. They're called "Lunges". These not only work your legs, but improve your balance to an incredible degree!

The new craze is to lift weights while balancing on one of those inflatable excercise balls. I.e. dumbell flys with your feet on the floor and your shoulders and upper back on the ball. The theory (and it makes sense to me!) is that by not only working the large muscles for the specific exercise you're doing, but you also work a lot of the smaller muscles in surrounding areas that help keep you steady!

I must add, that getting HUGE is not beneficial to adult life! When I was in my early 20's, I worked in a gym part-time after classes. I was about 205 lbs and could bench 315, but more critical was I could squat 590 lbs. I've pretty much destroyed my knees. I had a 48" chest and my upper arms were about 17.5". I was big, very big! But in shape! NOW I'm just BIG!

It's very easy to get into the get bigger, get stronger mentality! Now, I'm struggling to lose weight and lose size. Cycling has helped tremendously, but it's definately a challange!

Keep it lean and mean!
L8R

Originally posted by nathank
for road cycling upper body strength is pretty unimportant

Well...upper-body strength can be very important, or very unimportant depending what kind of riding your doing.

Sprinters, power climbers, and trackies need pretty decent upper-body strength because they're constantly trying to get leverage by pulling up and down on the bars.

Road riders upper-body strength is less important. The thing that is very important to road riders is core strength (like previously mentioned). This makes the ride more comfortable, and is great for endurance rides, and climbs.

No cyclist wants to become huge up top, but we do need to be toned and strong.

Upper body strength is one of the most important and most frequently overlooked issues in cyclists' fitness. When do you need it? Whenever you get out of the saddle. When you stand on the pedals, the biomechanical axis point moves from your pelvis[when you're in the saddle] to your shoulders. This allows you to engage your upper body as well as your legs and produce more power. [It also requires more oxygen and is thus likely to exhaust the aerobic pathway much more quickly, but I digress.] That's why you instinctively get out of the saddle for a quick acceleration or to maintain cadence on a steep climb. [It also engages alternative leg muscles, but that's a nother story, as well.] Consequently, the more upper body strength you have, the more power you will be able to deliver when you're out of your saddle and the longer it will take you to fatigue.

If you never get out of the saddle -- say, if your rides are all flat at a steady speed or with gradual acceleration -- then you don't need to worry about upper body strength. My rides aren't like that.

Moreover, upper body strength has two other potential benefits for cyclists: 1. With stronger abdominal and dorsal muscles, the expansion and contraction of your ribcage becomes much more efficient, making your breathing -- particularly under stress -- more efficient. 2. More strength means less fat; this will help by moderately reducing your weight as well as by making the delivery of glycogen more efficient.

The human body is an integrated system. You can't ignore part of the body.