Originally Posted by
kzin
interesting stuff, thanks for the link
cycle erg + leg press + measure results in quads is very tightly focused
Was it 'endurance training' per se that helped or just extra volume of work for the quads?
What effect would the cycle endurance training have on hamstrings? glutes? upper body?
Would a few sets of leg extensions added to the leg presses have the same effect as leg press + cycle erg?
Sounds like the entire resistance workout was the leg presses. If it were a more realistic full body or even general legs workout would the fatigue from endurance training become a negative?
Interesting that the resistance only group had a reduction in slow twitch area. Would have expected a little hypertrophy.
The researchers made several interesting decisions and there is too much we don't know about the participants' activities outside the lab.
I surmise that one would not see that increase in CSA of the type 1 fibers without the endurance training, and it's endurance performance that road cyclists are after. In the gym, I'm an oddity in that I can do sets of 30 with relatively heavy weights if I want. So the type 1 fibers are in there working during the lifting program.
I would think that any muscle which is worked hard during endurance training would see the same effect as the quads saw in the study.
No, I don't think see any reason that other lifting exercises would so stimulate the type 1 fibers. Powerlifters have no use for type 1 fibers and they of course do many different weight exercises. During the off season, I do several different leg exercises. What one works gets stronger both on and off the bike. During the season I only do squats, single leg presses, and calf raises for leg exercises, though of course I also do upper body and core work.
You are right to wonder about the effect of adding the stress of lifting to an already full endurance training program. My practice has been to do weights twice a week during the off season and then once a week during my season. That works, in that during the off season I see nice steady increases in my weights and during the season, if I'm able to find the time to lift, my weights don't decrease. But that's a big if. Some weeks during the season I can't lift due to tours, vacation, or simply spare time limitations, so my max weights may fall off a little. That doesn't seem to negatively affect my endurance performance in the short term, though it does seem to hurt my sprint, about what one would expect.