Training & Nutrition - gym and road bike workout

i want to start having a gym and a road bike workout for the week but im having some trouble, i seem to focus my attention most on the biking and not the gym. any one have any ideas

What are you goals? First define them, then you can tune a workout.

i want to start having a gym and a road bike workout for the week but im having some trouble, i seem to focus my attention most on the biking and not the gym. any one have any ideas

I have a full gym in my house (leg sled, power rack, power block dumbells, treadmill, etc).....Elite Level Set-up.

But you don't need that much stuff....

If I were you I would get some power block adjustable dumbells (check ebay......new they are a little bit expensive) and an adjustable incline/flat bench. That way you can do dumbell workouts at home.....eliminating wasted time driving to gym. Do this 3 times a week for twenty minutes a workout. As you get used to doing your lifting endurance will increase.....Haha soon you will have to force yourself to quit a the 1 hour mark!

Or you can join a gym which in my opinion is a big pain and hassle........and inconvienient.

i do a shoulder and leg workout twice a week
i do an upper body circuit twice a week
i spin 3-4 days a week
i play basketball once or twice a week

shoulders includes: pull downs, side and front dumbell laterals
legs is: sled, leg presses, lunges OR squats

upper body circuit is: barbell bicep or dumbell bicep curls, dips, cross cables and incline bench for chest.

the shoulders really helps to prevent fatigue when standing and climbing.

i concentrate on form, and do 15 rep's and 3 to 4 sets of each.
of the two shoulder/leg or two upper body workout, i alternate heavy and lighter days.

i spin to have my body stay in rhythm and to keep pounds off.

I start the off-season spinning/riding for 40-45 minutes, followed by 20-25 minutes of lifting then 10 minutes of ab's/stretching. There is no reason to ride more than 45 minutes in the off season (if it's cold and damp where you are) because 1.5+ hours inside will melt your brain and cause burn out come june/july and there is no possible benefit to work on endurance in the off season.

**for future, when posting include your current situation, your expectations, age, etc. it makes it easier to respond**

I used to scoff at weight lifting. But, when you hit 'a certain age' you will realize that to keep muscle mass, you need to lift. Unlike 53-11, I like gyms! For one thing, I don't want to buy all the equipment and have it taking over my house - bikes have already taken over my house! Plus, they have fun classes at the gym - like spinning - and, there are lots of babes at the gym (for motivational perposes...!). Plus, it is fun to go to the leg sled after some young puffed-out dude is done his presses, throw on a few more plates and out-lift him...just to see the look on his face......

But...

Unlike 53-11 I don't want to gain any bulk. Big arms, chest and shoulders are a hinderence to climbing. So, I do 3 sets of 10-14 reps of leg presses, leg extensions and leg curls at maximume weight (can barely do the last rep. when I get to 14 reps, I add some weight), 2 sets of lunges with 90 lbs of dumbells and one set of everything else (uppper body machines). I try to ride outside 3-5 hours on the weekends and 1-2 hours on the trainer mid-week (alternating days with weight lifting).

This has worked for me for the last 3 years. I am trying to stay < 200 lbs through the winter. If I can stay light, I should be fast come spring....

I work out every day, switching muscle groups that are worked out, varying between an hour or two. When its warm out I ride my bike every day too, and just ride a shorter distance on my leg workout days. The hardest part of working out is getting yourself to start, after that its all easy :)

Every other day for 30 minutes or so workes really well, I just have more time for myself now that I'm in college. Get yourself some dumbells and a bench at least. I reccomend a decline bench to work out your core and a bar for bench pressing and squats.

Just find something to motivate you that first time, whether its self improvement or your girlfriend/wife or improving yourself for cycling and the rest will follow.



Ay Galen, just because you can lift more doesnt mean you gain more weight!!! I've stayed around 165 for 3 years and have gone from being able to bench 60 max to 170-180 max. The rest of my body has improved similarlly as well (my legs even more).

Ay Galen, just because you can lift more doesnt mean you gain more weight!!! I've stayed around 165 for 3 years and have gone from being able to bench 60 max to 170-180 max. The rest of my body has improved similarlly as well (my legs even more).

LOL.......what kills is when I hear guys talk about how they gained 15 pounds of muscle by lifting hard for a few months......BULL****!!

What the hell? I don't think people realized how difficult it is to gain 15 pounds of solid muscle.....Sheesh.

Anybody gaining 15 pounds in a few months was also gaining fat......probably at least half of that was fat....if not more!

Unlike 53-11


Unlike 53-11


Unlike 53-11




As the supreme master of tall gear ratios I can tell you that lifting helps.

Besides I like how I am able to handle my steel bike and 130 gear inches of power.

Besides I pedal a 53-11 probably better than most of you guys pedal a 53-12.

LOL.......what kills is when I hear guys talk about how they gained 15 pounds of muscle by lifting hard for a few months......BULL****!!

What the hell? I don't think people realized how difficult it is to gain 15 pounds of solid muscle.....Sheesh.

Anybody gaining 15 pounds in a few months was also gaining fat......probably at least half of that was fat....if not more!

ehh in all fairness from Late august to about two weeks ago I gained a whopping 4 pounds. I think maybe 2 pounds of that was exercize, and 2 was the college food (mmm....). I'm back down though now, and still as strong :)

You might want to check out the cyclist's training bible by joe friel, its got a pretty good cycling-minded lifting plan

My gym routine. Swim for 20-30 minutes, then shower very quickly, hit the weight room, starting with an elliptical (or anything cardio) to get my heart rate back up. Then I focus on my muscle group of the day.

1st day of the week - Chest
2nd - Back
3rd - Shoulders
4th - Arms
5th - Finishers (defined as push-ups, dips, pull-ups, etc. Exercises that target more muscle groups than say a bench press does).

2 rest days per week thrown in usually by necessity because of other obligations. You know, the real life type stuff.

I do abdominals every day. I don't rest in between exercises, that's when I do my abs. I only take 15-30 seconds between sets to rest in order to keep my heart rate up.

Then after each weight workout it's back to the cardio. Usually in the form of the treadmill, running for another 1/2 hour.

Then there's cycling and running outside which are seperate from the above.

Obviously it's not a workout designed to make you big, but I am 6' and about 185 lbs with about 11% body fat. So, it hasn't exactly made me small either. But I keep my intensity way up while lifting weights. That's key to building mass.

I'm starting to work out for a bike ride in April. I just need to get motivated. What would be the ideal workout for a beginner? I've been reading so many different things and cannot decide on which workout regimen to do.