Originally Posted by
hhnngg1
If you believe so, please specify WHICH muscles in core strength are so crucial.
Abs? No. Those should be relaxed. If you're flexing your abs, wtf are you doing on the bike.
Back? Maybe slightly for climbing, but seriously, if you're strong enough to stand upright, you can do fine on a bike. Deadlifts will do NOTHING for you.
Chest? Ok, go do benchpresses and flyes till your chest is sore - won't make you any faster.
Erector paraspinal muscles? Again, if you can stand upright, you're strong enough. Making them stronger will NOT decrease soreness in your back on long rides. THrow any bodybuilder on a bike for 4 hours with no training, and they'll be hobbling even if they can deadlift 300 lbs.
Core = BS for cycling and even running unless you literally have never played any sports in many years, and thus ANYTHING you do will help.
Note that I am not saying core is useless for other activities and overall well being. For most sports (soccer, basketball, football, etc.), core strength is CRUCIAL. All that turning, cutting, twisting, that requires a lot of core endurance and power. It'll also help you in dailiy activities of living as we lift things and lift heavy objects all the time. However, on the bike, it's useless. Riding a LOT will give you all the core you need for bike training and then some. Alberto contador will get destroyed in P90x or crossfit or any other 'core' type workout by the average joe guy who goes several times per week to train moderately hard.
I'm actually a great example of this. I used to lift a ton of weights, and when in peak liting shape, have super solid core, very strong. It also coincides with my slowest cycling, because I'm not spending as much time on the bike and also adding muscle mass. I still lift because I enjoy it and it has other benefits, but I am under no illusion it's making me faster in swimming, biking, running. This has also been definitively proven by professional athletes in these fields - they do some lifting and core sometimes because they're maxxxing out the other training - but make no mistake, if they had to give up one thing, the core training would be first.
So what you're saying is that the hips and legs are isolated in cycling. That erectors and to some extent the obliques are not engaged for leverage and stabilization. I have never heard pectorals included in "core". Very strong abs may not be necessary for cycling but since the erectors are used it is better to have balance.
Then you veered back into the argument that lifting and/or cross-training do not make for better cycling. That was never my point. Lifting isn't the only way to work muscle groups.
Athletes train to improve and will give up what doesn't produce results. If core work is beneficial to them they will do it.