I am not a fan of the weight room, or weight lifting. I would much rather find myself outside riding by bike. Though, I have read many articles that suggest weight training during the winter months to help boost strength for the following season. Does anyone have any "on the bike" alternatives such as something like hill climb intervals that is been found to be as effective?

Weight Training Alternatives??

Bite the bullet and get in the gym.

The improvement you will see on the bike will be worth the minor inconveniance of being in the gym.

Why can't you just continue riding? Is it THAT cold where you live? Or are the snow drifts higher than your bike?

Weight training is supposed to be good for another reason. Cycling does nothing for upper body muscles and bones. Weight training makes up for this deficiency.

weights are cool and you can check the girlies out at the same time! the university gym i use is a bit of a hotbed.

what i do in the gym is this, other people probably do it differently:

row 20 minutes
leg extensions
hamstring curls (the one that works the backs of your thighs)
leg press
calf press.

3 sets of 10 reps each circuit and 3 circuits, so you do each exercise 90 times.

i know of people who won't do their legs in the gym for fear of damaging themselves but there's not much can go wrong if you're sensible.

Don't forget ab/core work, see if you can get on an excersise ball, they do a job on your middle. Plus a little upper body work will help as well (though I honestly bulk over the winter for track and let it wain so by spring I have some left but not a ton)

1. Get a heavy bike and carry it over your head! Lift it up and down.

2. Carry a dumbbell with you as you ride, and do dumbbell presses while steering with the other hand.

Your too much man! Too much!

Or pull the kiddie trailer like I do. With a 30 lb kid and a 45 lb trailer and 10-15 lbs of diaper bag/kid stuff you will get one helluva workout.

There are joint benefits to lifting too. Your kneecap is held in place by many muscles, but the vastus medialis oblique a teardrop shaped muscle in the middle of the group just above the knee is not worked out properly during regular cycling. This muscle is important to holding the kneecap in place and if it is weak, the kneecap is less likely to stay in the groove that it moves up and down on. This will cause extra friction in areas not suited to it and will lead to knee pain. However, the problem is easily resolved by doing leg extensions. Problems like these can't be fixed on the bike so I would say if you hate weight rooms, buy a cheap home gym, and then half of your problem is solved ; )

I lift over the winter, and notice a marked improvement in climbing and overall tourque, though the endurance part of it pretty much has to be worked out on the bike, and I don't like the stationary ones that gyms have, so keep your endurance by riding, and build your strength this winter with some weight training.

You really should get yourself off the machines and in to free weights. One major purpose of weights for cyclists is to build stabiliser muscle in and around the knee.

Things like squats, front squats, romanian deadlights, dimel deadlifts, SL deadlifts, reverse hypers, glute/ham raises, pull throughs etc are all much more effective.

I agree with Bike Spokesman. Here's a couple exercises I like. Sit on a pad on the floor in front of a exercise station. Bend the legs a little so you can row. When you row, try and keep the back straight. Bend from the hips, and make sure your abs are tight on the return swing. That's a good warm up exercise for the back. After you can do that at 80-90 pounds start in on the Roman Chair. I really like to hold a weight against my chest when I do that; but add back work gradually. Once a week is plenty, Once every 5 days at the most. Another thing I like is Ascending Pyramid sets.
You can vary this to suit yourself; but the idea is to start easy; and add weights and reps slowly. You can vary this, but do 2 reps at 20% max, 4 at 40%, 6 at 60%, 8 at 80% , 9 at 90%. The idea is to pump the muscle up; not to go to a burn.Like with cycling, you want to mix it up. With the pyramid you only hit 100% every third or fourth workout. You then start over and add 5 or 10 pounds. So you might try doing a high rep workout no higher than 60%. Then the next time could be 80% with the standard 3 sets of 10. Then on the 100% day use few reps. Say 1 at 40%, 2 at 60%, 3 at 80%, and then as many as you can at 100% (but not more than 12). Some of the traditonal weight lifting exercises are hard on the joints or back. Lunges are an example. It's easy to work any of those muscles without using the knee in such an unnatural manner. And speaking of knees, learn where the Vastus Medialus is. It's a knee muscle, it works on the upper part of a Leg Extension exercise, roughly 70-90% of range of motion. You don't want to go all the way up so the leg is fully extended. Finish with a set or two where you just slowly go up and down from about 3/4 of the way up, to about 9/10 of the full extension. You can feel the muscle working above, and to the inside of the knee on the thigh. That muscle protects the knee. Keep it strong and you can avoid a lot of grief; it's also a killer exercise for skiers.

Thanks everyone for your opinions and help. I am a member of 24 Hour Fitness (Gym) and will continue my workouts with some of your suggestions, especially "the lifting a heavy bike over my head one". Good thing I live in So. California so I can ride most of the winter anyway.

I have a set of dumbells at home that I use for upper body resistance training. I also have a swiss ball for working the core. I also use the Montel Williams book as a guide for the resistance training.

I like squats without weights sometimes; also overhanded pullups.

Jacob

in response, i should have said i do circuit training too, which does the core stuff nicely...

and it's fun to show football (or soccer if you will) players how unfit they really are

I am considering doing exercises and/or weight training this winter. After 50 years of being an out of shape couch potato, I started cycling 2 years ago. I'm thinner now and my legs are very muscular, but I need upper body work. I no NOTHING about resistance/weights. I'm not going to a gym and can't afford allot of equipment.

Where can I get some good info for a beginner?

Hey MikeR.
I started with the Montel Williams book.
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS.../etxratvcom-20

You don't need a bunch of room or equipment to get going! Check it out and let me know what you think.

Good luck!

I've been an avid weight lifter for quite a while...used to do body building comps actually...which is why I just got a road bike, because my back and knees are shot at 26! I'm just started physical therapy for my back and they have me doing pilates along with the PT. I have to say that I can throw weights around all day, but pilates (with minimal resistance) kicks my but after 20min. I plan on continuing with it after my PT. It gives you amazing strength an flexability. I use muscles I never knew I had! It's pretty amazing and quite a sense of acomplishment. I highly recommend it.

Kevin

Sounds interesting - I like the inclusion of the motivational part. I'm going to get a copy from the library. Thanks

I sucked it up and invested in 12 sessions with a trainer to learn proper form and principles. It's been close to the best money I've ever spent-aside from my bike of course. Lifting 4 days per week right now, and I don't mind it, at all.

How much did that cost? How much time did the trainer spend with you?

This is my off-season leg workout. It is brutal. I do 3 sets of each exercise, around 10-15 reps.

30 minute cardio (I do stationary bike, anything except the treadmill)
STRETCH (very important. Do it thoroughly)
squats
one-legged leg press (man, do these hurt)
one-legged leg extensions
leg curls
abs

You'll barely be able to walk for the next 3 days, but you'll get strong quick.