Gym Routine
 

What is your guys weight lifting routine??? What lifts are you doing to keep you in optimum shapre for cycling? How do you do to work the minor muscles in your legs like hips, groin, ass ect. Do you do light weight with many reps for endurance, or should it be more so power lifting for strength building? I do the usuals squat, calfs, leg curl and extension. What are you guys doing to strengthen your core? What are you doing for anything I might have forgotten to mention?

For most cyclists, I don't think weights are beneficial. Ride harder. Perhaps track sprinters would benefit.

Too many questions in one shot. Get professional advice.

Most people here don't touch weights. Some do. I think there is some benefit to do such.
As it has been pointed out, it is more vital for sprinters.
And PLEASE check the Track cycling forum for the best advice on matters of lifting.

True weight lifting doesn't do much for cycling. However, since cycling doesn't exactly promote general upper body strength either, you can do limited weight training to help stabilize yourself on the bike. Light weight, higher reps, try not to bulk up, more stamina and posture related than anything. Try mid and lower back body weight exercises on a swiss ball. Also some easy chest/tricep work just to keep them from wearing out on longer rides (to work the muscles that are engaged while leaning on the bars, as you can't eliminate all the leaning pressure on your arms no matter how good your fit or form.)

Core work is very important, as cycling again doesn't build it but saps it instead. V-sits, planks, back extensions on a swiss ball etc...

I lift, but it's more part of an overall fitness routine.

Most cycling training books have sections on weightlifting. There's also a whole book on weight lifting for cyclists.

lately?

http://www.ratebeer.com/beerimages/1478.jpg

I only workout my legs in the off season + mountain biking... now all i do is close grip ching ups, wide pull ups (18 reps each, 4 sets, 1:30 between sets), and lots of core. THe core exercise i do is very confusing to write down and even harder to do. Everyone who's seen me do it and try it has failed miserably, it takes alot of core muscle control.

I don't think it paticularly helps cycling, unless your doing alot of out of the saddle climbing or sprinting. Working out my legs in the off season seems to help though, to help keep my legs powerful because im a skinny. Getting closer to when it's actually enjoyable to ride outside though i'd stay away from leg exercises and just pound the pedals.

I lift 5 days a week. It's almost a powerlifting routine but ever 3 months I switch to a muscle building routine to keep it from getting stale and keep from hitting a that damned plattou. I don't do this for cycling, though it hasn't hurt. I have to lift for work. Let me know if you want need more help, just shoot a PM my way and I'll see what I can do.

I lift about 5 days a week too, but not for cycling but to promote weight loss/general fitness. I switch up days chest/tri's and biceps/back on alternating days. I use almost exclusively dumbells to promote a better core. I run/cycle/ellipticle for cardio daily.

i lift about 3 days a week (and ride 4 days usually). i find it keeps me balanced and much stronger than riding alone and keeps the sunken chest pro cyclist look at bay.
usually i do two days of upper body and one of legs each week, mixing up my routine all the time though.
for legs i mostly do some leg presses and squats and don't bother with extensions and curls and such.
for upper body i mix it up a lot. i don't lift super heavy (usually 3-4 sets of an exercise and anywhere from 8 to 25 reps depending on the exercise) my weight workouts take about 45 minutes.
the hard thing is balancing overall training volume and recovery. you've got to be able to keep an objective view on how you feel and learn to listen to your body.

I lift arms 3 times a week because I have been lifting much longer than I have been cycling, and I like working out in the gym. It doesn't hurt with the ladies either; its nice to have an upper-body.

I lifted 3x/wk all last year, the usual stuff with machines and free weights. I noticed within weeks that I had to back off the leg presses or my knees would complain. By the fall, I had wreaked my shoulder and both elbows (bursitis, tendonitis respectively), and am in PT currently. All this, while under the supposed guidance of a trainer. I should add that I went overboard trying to add some muscle to my 135lb, 5'10" frame.

I also included some core stuff and that helped with lower back pain while climbing, although I have yet to fully test that this season, because I just started back in on the bike. Now, I'm doing mind-numbing therapy moves for rotator cuff, etc.

However, this month's Bicycling (March 2008) has a great article on core exercises for cyclist, derived from yoga and pilates. I started those this week. Most of them make sense to me, and a few have pointed out some tight spots.

My gym work is different than most. I do 15 min on exercise bike to warm up. Then i do a full body set (all muscle groups) with 1 set of 30 reps each and no rest time between reps. Most work is done on machines or a swiss ball. Finished off with 30 min on an eliptical trainer and then a sauna.

The whole workout is over in about 90 min, covers all muscles, doesnt build bulk, and is fairly aerobic. Get your heart rate up on the bike then keep it elevated the whole workout.

Zero gym time, except for core. 2-3X per week of vinyasa or ashtanga yoga. 1-2X per week bouldering or roped climbing. I find the gym boring and the return on time less than optimal. I decided a year or so ago to focus on play rather than "working out". Climbing, yoga and of course cycling fall in my definition of really fun stuff to do.

i do core workouts. at home. no weights. you dont need a gym. later.

my leg workout (i try to go as heavy as i can)

squats= 5 sets, 10-15 reps,
leg extension= 4-5 sets, 10-15 reps
leg curls= 4-5 sets, 10-15 reps
calf raises= 4-5 sets, 10-15 reps
butt blaster= 4-5 sets, 10-15 reps (no joke) u will feel it the next day

having big legs dont mean squat when it comes to cycling, my buddies have smaller legs than i, and i always get dropped during rides, i think/hope, me being slow has to do with the fact that i just took up cycling and only ride on sundays

+1

when i used to be in peak cycling form (ie. pencils for arms and frog legs) all my friends thought i was anorexic. i don't mind a little extra weight to look balanced now.

Tabata, Tabata, Tabata. Other than racing, it's the only thing that's guaranteed to hurt every single time.

"You" don't need a gym. Some of us do.

if you want to be the best cyclist you can be, the only off bike resistence training you need to do is some core work, and some stretching.

In my experience, lifting weights for your legs in season prevents you from doing the most work you can do on the bike, and actually hurts performance.

Some people believe doing some weight lifting for your legs off season has some benefit. However, more and more people are going away from weight training even off season. and there is little if any data to support resistence training helping road cyclists.

The plan I follow incorporates on bike resistence training in the base phase (stomps, power starts and muscle tensions.)

When I started working with my current coach and asked him for a good weight program for the Winter, his response was "I can make you look Buff, or I can make you the fastest cyclist you can be, which do you want?"

I don't get to the gym as often as I'd like to (3 day/wk would be ideal). My routine is mostly compound lifts: deadlifts, squats, bench, row, torso twists, etc. I generally lift heavy enough that I'm considerably fatigued by ten reps/set and do about 4 sets. I've been recording weights and reps in an effort to ensure that I'm increasing volume or weight each session.

Contrary to general opinion, I find lifting helps my riding. Usually the day after heavy leg work I find I'm riding harder than I expect (even though I'm consciously thinking about recovery) and climb hills faster than usual. The core strength benefits of deads and squats really help out on the bike and the other exercises help offset some of the imbalances caused by cycling.

Then you're not riding enough or hard enough. Typical in season week might look like. 2 days of 2x 20's, and one fast group ride during the week. Then 2 days of racing on the weekend.

I guarantee you that will make you faster than deadlifts and squats. And I doubt anyone can do repeated weeks like that with quality efforts and do deadlifts and squats 3 times a week.

So lifting may make you feel faster. But it's coming at the cost of doing the intensity you need on the bike. If you took that time and effort and put it into the bike you'd be even faster.

i agree i trade off something by lifting, and if i was racing my training would be totally different. if i ride 4 days a week i can do one hard leg workout a week, and if recovery dictates it, i don't hesitate to skip it.
i feel so much better overall though with some strength training and i find it can help me from getting burned out on riding.

I agree but it does make sense to do some lifing with various body parts to keep up good strength. Longer rides can cause the body to start feeding on muscle especially if you aren't eating properly. You can be the fastest rider out there at mile 60 of a 100 mile ride but what good will that do you if your lower back craps out on you at mile 80. You aren't going to build that kind of strength on the bike so it makes sense to do something to improve core strength. I do a circuit routing that only takes 20-30 minutes which doesn't really take away from my time or intensity on the bike. Several posters above mentioned lifting heavy with the legs; be careful, going heavy can actually slow you down and as Merlin said, take away your training intensity on the bike.

No doubt riding more will make me faster, but it won't make me stronger as efficiently as lifting will. A rider benefits from strong posterior chain and core, both of which are not optimally strengthened on the bike.

Then again each person's goals are different.

One further comment, muscle mass (or bulk) is made in the kitchen, not in the gym. Lifting does not make you bigger without a significant calorie surplus.

1) I agree about core strength. My first post I said the only resistence training that will really help you on the bike is working your core.

2) Muscle strength does not equal speed on the bike. With the possible exception of track sprinting, how "strong" your muscles are does not determine how fast you can ride.

3) Peoples goals vary. There are legitimate reasons to do weight training. Winning bike races however is not one of them.

Considering the overwhelming majority of this forum are weekend warriors and club riders, i don't understand the aversion to weights. If you're trying to break into the top CATs or something and need the extra edge then fine, but for everyone else, the puny upper body might make you slightly faster on Wednesday nights, but it's a liability the rest of the time. Besides, having some definition in the upper body is not going to slow you down that much. You really need to top out elsewhere before you need to start worrying about cutting upper body muscles for a better power/weight ratio, and i would venture a guess that most of us here haven't done that.

I lift twice a week, hitting every major muscle group and using free weights where i can to activate some of the stabilizing muscles. Then again, i'm primarily a triathlete and an upper body is beneficial, plus i find a moderate lifting routine keeps injuries away.

I'm not adverse to weight lifting. What I think a number of people, including myself, try to dispel is the idea that doing a lot of intense work for your legs is going to make you faster on the bike.

Personally, I try to do core all year long. I also try to do a limited upper body workout a couple of times a week all year.

But I'm doing the upper body workout more out of vanity, and general fitness considerations than to be fast on the bike. And for me I have enough weight to lose that I'm not sure that adding a little upper body muscle mass isn't about a wash to the extent it burns fat.

I do strongly believe, based on my personal experience, and all the coaching I've got, lifting for your legs past the base phase will hurt your cycling.

Agreed.