gabiker

Just wondering if anyone does weight training for the legs during the riding season or just during the winter. That is those of you that do any weight training at all.

skydive69

I do one set of 20 repetition squats once a week (I warm-up with one set of 12 reps at a lower weight) with enough weight that after about rep 12, I wonder if I can finish the 20. I would die prior to racking up the weight prior to finishing the set. I then do a couple of sets of seated calf raises. I used to also to a couple of sets of shrug bar deadlifts which works the back and legs, but I am just riding too much and too fast to do everything.

gabiker

That is what I have been thinking of doing. I pretty much quit doing weights when I started riding so much, but I decided to go back to the gym to do some upper body workouts like twice a week and do legs once a week. Next winter I may try legs twice a week.

Thanks...

DXchulo

I do a lot of legs in the winter, but practically none during the summer.

I do this because it takes me a couple of days to recover from lifting, and when it's actually nice enough to ride I don't have the time for that. I'll lift hard maybe once a month just to be sure that I'm not completely losing all of my strength. You could lift easy maybe once every two weeks, but I've never had the discipline to lift light weights.

I do upper body and core workouts all year long.

skydive69

That's basically my routine - two upper body workouts a week, and legs once a week.

spindog

I hit the legs once a week during the season. I just don't train them as intensely as I would during the winter. I do centuries on the weekends, so usually a Tuesday or Wednesday leg workout works best so that I am recovered from the weekend's mileage and I won't be too sore for the upcoming weekend's rides.

I am a much stronger rider when I keep my hamstring strength in balance with the quads. Knock on wood - I have not suffered any injuries or ill performance from muscle imbalances or overtraining yet.....

aikigreg

I train all year long, heavy weight, low reps - though I switch it up sometimes. I will however, make sure I don't train legs 48 hours before a race or tour. That affords me the benefits of the lift (increase in hgh, metabolism, testosterone production) without being deficient in muscle glycogen and allowing enough recovery time. Individual recovery time may vary, up to 72 hours.

Though if you train legs and bike during the same week, I'd suggest lower reps and higher weight. It's not as stressful on glycogen levels. Higher reps just overtrain you. JMHO.

chewbacca07070

I actually maintain the same training in summer/winter. Legs 3-4 times per week, mixed in with upper body excercises. You can work your calf muscles everyday, quads and hammys every other. Every 4th day I'll do lower body to point of fatigue then rest them for 48 hours. Helps get my butt up those hills, ya know?

forum*rider

I plan on wrestling next year so I weight train mon/wends/fri. Tues/Thurs/Sat are cardio days.

Mon/Wends I do upper body, fri I do legs.

Guest

Not so much in the summer. I'm building up to power training, which starts at the end of the month and just goes 3 weeks, then I cut everything back by 50%, and stick with 2 days a week of the low weights, high reps. Towards the end of the summer, I'll cut back to 1 day a week, then gradually build back to my current weights once the season ends.

Koffee

powells2

I lift heavy during the off season: squats, deadlifts, bench press, and a lot other compound lifts. I continued to leg train last cycling season. This year I want to do upper body twice a week and compound lifting once a week. I want to make sure my leg training does not affect my cycling capacity this season. Last year I think I did too much with leg weight during the riding season.

mntbikedude

Yes I still work legs in the weightroom year round.

skiguy2000

Yes, i play football and am into putting on size. Right now i am 6'3" 194, about 10% bf. My goal is around 210 and 8-10 bf. But yea, i do a lot of cycling as well as strength training every day. It is possible to have both great muscular strength as well as endurance. If i ride with enthusiast cyclers, over many miles of flat ground, i will lose, but when it comes to final sprints, max speed, i can easily own any of them, and they dont understand why. lol

WJ13US

This is what I do. (year round)

Tues:
Squat
Bench Press
Pull down (lats)
Ab cable crunches

Thurs:
Dead lift
Overhead press
Side bend
L-fly
Crunches

I've been lifting weights for a number of years (too long to remember) and have reduced my routine down to the above. I am longer trying to get "big."

I do think, however, weight training should be a regular part of your overall fitness regimen just as much as diet and cardo. It is necessary not only for strength but also for joints, bones and tendons. And if your over 30 it gets to be a "use it or loose it" proposition. And if your under 30 better to get into that sort of lifestyle early.

And remember you don't have to lift heavy or do a lot of reps of a lot of different exercises to get the benifits of weight training. A lot of the latest research suggests less is better.

Bill