For those that hit the gym or do other weight exercises outside of cycling, curious what you guys/gals do? I've been primarily spending my time in the gym doing upper/lower splits focusing on heavy weights, but am thinking of tailoring more towards higher rep/lower weight to cater to my time on the bike and other higher endurance activities. What works for you?

I don't like lifting weights. They are too heavy.

Cycling is an aerobic endurance activity. It robs you of you muscle mass if you do not lift weights to counter it. You just have to take a look at the physique of most professional cyclists/runners. While it's not impossible to build muscle mass as an endurance athlete, it's very difficult, and requires that much more discipline in your nutrition. But the key to keeping that precious lean muscle mass is to lift heavy weights. That's essentially what I try to do: 6-8 rep range at 80%max. Front and back squats, dead lifts, dips and pull-ups, overhead barbell press, bench press, and limited core work because doing the other exercises will already engage your core, sometimes quite intensely.

No split for me, don't have that much time in the gym with all on-the-bike training. I lift once or twice a week depending on the season: full-body workouts mostly focusing on the major compound lifts, lower reps, heavier weights. I also do some explosive-power stuff like power cleans/snatches, kettle-bell swings. That would be my recommendation if you want to change it up from low-rep heavy weight, rather than the higher rep bodybuilder style program.

Weights? What are those?

The arm muscle adds to much weight

I thought I was getting straining in my arms from my position on longer rides. Turned out sleeves were too damn tight for jerseys that fit my torso. Been consistent for about 10 years in the gym. Now since I have been riding go about twice a week just to remember whats there.

I would also add that the benefits of lifting weights are many, especially as you age, as helps you maintain muscle mass, but also bone density. Cycling, unlike running, is a non-impact activity. So while doing a 100-mile training ride might be great for your cardio-vascular system, it does little for your musculo-skeletal system. Take note, those of you who are over 50 and are proudly eschewing lifting weights. You're not doing your future self any favours.

The photos I see of top tier pros have very muscular legs. Arms? Nonetheless, they aren't devoid of muscles.

Some track riders also do weights.

Good to know I'm not in the minority lifting heavier weights. I would though, like to improve my lactic threshold, but I guess that'll come from time on the bike.

Good someone pointed this out. It's not just for older folks either.

During the off season, I lift heavy. I hit the gym 2-3x per week, with 1 day focused on upper body and 1-2 days on lower body.

With upper body, I generally work on a circuit, getting in 2-3 exercises each for the back, shoulders and chest, with usually three sets, dropping reps and increasing weight for each set. While I don't specifically try to set new PRs, I eventually start lifting some solid numbers. I work in abs in between sets, and usually finish with some tricep and bicep stuff - I go til exhaustion as the back, shoulder and chest stuff also hits arms.

For lower body, I have four workout sets I go through. The first two are pretty standard weight lifting regimen with leg press, squats, deadlifts, leg curls, leg extensions...

The the third one incorporates more different workouts - turkish get ups, one-leg bench squats, sissy squats.

The last workout is 10x20s. I've never made it through a full workout as I end up exhausted.

During the racing season, I don't lift, though i do do strength work. I spend a lot of time working the core, and I do a lot of body weight squats, step ups, lunges...

I used to hit the gym 6 times a week before I took up biking. 3 days would be weights and 3 days cardio.
Now it is down to 3 days (Mon - Wed) and 2 days biking (Thursday , Sat/Sun)
Out of 3 days in the gym, 2 are for lifting and one for cardio. I focus on squats/deadlifts, bench presses and lat pulldowns for the first half, and second half on core and agility.
My workout in the gym is more focused on back, legs and core, so that I can ride pain free

I miss weightlifting. I had to stop due to my enlarged heart, weightlifting builds heart muscle in the wrong places for me.

My favorite plan was a weekly basis, easier to make the plan and follow it than trying to time it to recovery. Monday was push day (chest and tri's), Tuesday was pull day (back and bi's), and so on. I aimed for three sets of eight, failure expected toward end of third set.

I used to do strength training two or three times a week. Three sets each of pushups, dumbbell bench presses, bent over rows, dumbbell arm curls, bench dips, pull ups, shoulder shrugs, situps, and supermans. Sometimes I might throw in single leg squats but usually not. All at home with whatever weights I have available. I don't go heavy but that's because I don't have the weight plates to do so. To be honest, when time is tight, I am happy to just get in body weight strength exercises, and that's been good enough for general strength, can which is fine since I have zero interest in body building.

I do 12 oz curls a few times a week and it helps build my abs.

I will lift when I am back home in CT again after this move. Will have to get a membership at planet poop-ness or perhaps shell out a little extra money and get a YMCA membership. They're getting pricey around certain parts though.. I tell ya that much.

Crossfit was fun / great but too expensive and a little too culty.

I come from a background of contact sports and lots of gym work.

I don't see how lifting could hurt your performance on the bike in any way if you're a commoner. If you're competing in the tour de france, I'm sure that there's a specific routine (that still probably involves lifting to a degree) that would be more beneficial than 'lifting'.

And I bet the more curls you do the lighter that 12oz seems to get.

Lots of pros have well defined legs, but that isn't the same thing as having muscular legs. They're still skinny (i.e. the actual muscle is fairly small). Track sprinters have big, muscular legs.

When I was younger I did 2 days upper, 2 days lower each week with Wednesday the off day. But these days I just do the same thing MWF. I find as a 60+ guy I have to restrict myself to weights I can do sets of at least 10. Otherwise inevitably I will get some sort of joint injury that just gets worse and takes weeks to recover from. Lately I've cut back on the squats as it seemed I was too tired riding. Also last couple years I've been doing more on Nautilus because is seems easier to isolate a muscle and not put stress on the joint.

scott s.
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Might want to check out the -33. I think for racing - lifting makes you a better racer than not lifting.

My main goal, besides being healthy, is to look lean and muscular at low bodyfat %. Strength training is absolutely essential (and it helps in bike sprints).

I mainly just bike for commute back/forth from work, the gym, and the climbing gym. I do mostly bodyweight exercises at the gym (high rep pull ups, pushups, front levers, pistol squats), but also do normal deadlifts and dumbell overhead press exercises 3X/week. I don't like splits, but rather train everything each day.

Rock climbing also helps tremendously in building posture, back strength, and core strength.

I've been lifting almost my entire adult life and just picked up road biking a few months ago. I don't plan on giving up the weight lifting. Not sure if it will help much, but I am sure it won't hurt. I just have to give myself the appropriate recovery time for either activity.

https://www.youtube.com/user/BroScienceLife

+1...lol
Time for a quick story. There was this hot Asian chick at work another guy and I liked and we used to chum around a bit together. This guy was 30 years younger than me and went to the gym almost everyday and was also a cyclist...a German living in America who grew up cycling in Germany. Good looking guy and I admit I really liked him but he felt he was all that...had a love affair with himself and we all used to laugh a bit about it. Typical gym rat....lol. I hate gyms. I am a fit older dude who looks a lot younger than I really am. So we were all chums, this hot, fit Asian girl, my German buddy who thought he was a combination of Lance Armstrong and a Greek God and me, a guy a bit arrogant about my cycling until I get dropped which happens once in a while.

So, I basically had enough of his blather which was both hilarious and also getting a bit old, and so I proposed a bet which got found out in the department we worked....I was an American working at a German company...word got around that this guy who was known to be in love with himself in a comical way...that the old dude challenged him. So, this older guy...me...challenged this fit young German to a bike race. Honestly, I felt pretty confident I was going to crush this guy. A sprint may have been close but not a 10 mile race around a lake at the nearby park. I decided my strategy. Would I pace him and then drop him at the end, or would I crush his soul early. I decided on the latter to remove any chance he could edge me in a sprint. I took it out real fast....about 25 mph for the first 3 miles or so and then looked back and I could barely see him. I put even more distance on him toward the end. I admit I went real hard to prove to him how much stronger I was than him...all because of his bluster and his great weight lifting and exercise training.

The best was dinner with the three of us...what we bet...the girl enjoying the spoils of two men fawning over her , the restaurant of my choosing and of course he not only had to eat crow with his fellow German co workers but also lose face to this girl who btw was a very cool chick. We all laughed hard about it. He said, he honestly couldn't believe I could ride like that. Btw, an average CAT racer will drop me if he tried. This guy wasn't a strong cyclist and FWIW I am probably about average on the 41. Lots of weak riders out there however.

better to do one arm planks while drinking Budweiser.