ronyex

Sorry if this is an old question but how effective do you think
is pushing weights in a gym for gaining biking fitness.
I thought about 2-3 times a week working for 1hour every time
and setting the weights to 100-120 or whatever.
do you think that this can improve my cycling strength significantly ?

DnvrFox

You might do a search on the forums for weight lifting and other similar topics.

This is a much discussed item, with varying opinions.

Personally, I do a lot of weight lifting with free weights, etc., as a portion of my overall fitness training, and, as I am getting older (64), to help prevent osteoporosis, as bicycling has been proven to be a strong factor in having osteoporosis.

pdx_gay_guy

I am confused...bicycle contributes to osteoporosis? I have never heard that.

jonnyweale

I wouldn't do it to try and improve fitness - the best way to do that is really to put the time in on the bike (or doing other aerobic exercise).

However, I do use strength work in the gym to help me sprint and climb more effectively. I really noticed a difference when I started strength training, I found that after a few weeks I was able to push bigger gears uphill at the same cadence, and that I felt much more powerful in sprints. These are only over short distances though - overall fitness really takes time on the bike.

The other aspect is endurance weight training to improve lactate tolerance (circuits etc.) but I feel that these are probably worse for your joints than cycling.
That said, a change can be really invigorating and you'll probably notice benefits from any training that you add to your cycling.

Jonny

DnvrFox

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...t=osteoporosis

DnvrFox

Well, I guess it depends upon your definition of "fitness."

My definition includes muscular strength, cardio vascular strength and proper nutrition.

As you get older, you particularly need your muscular strength to be reinforced, as it declines rapidly with age, and resistance exercises help tremendously. Also, it helps significantly with osteoporosis, the prevention of which also is a big factor in total fitness.

So, I would disagree.

jonnyweale

Osteoporosis?

Dnvr can you give us some links about that?

I'm a 4th year med student and that sounds really counter-intuitive to me. Exercise and exposure to vibrations (e.g. road hum, trial buzz) are both regarded as protective against osteoporosis. Unless the cycling is affecting our physiology in some way (mineral balance etc. and I would think you would have to be an elite racing cyclist for that) I would have thought it was protective.

I'd be interested to follow that up some time,

Jonny

ronyex

OK I think the photo slightly mislead you, this is not
me in the picture this is just something I found in the internet to make matters clearer, I am 28 y/o and not worried about aging side effects just yet.
What I do want however is exactly what Johny described @post #2 : climbing hills faster and riding for longer distances at bigger speeds without feeling my legs want to disobey me

nhorscro

There have been very recent articles in Velonews and Bicycling magazine.

For the science side look up the following references:

Osteoporos Int. 2003 Aug;14(8):644-9. Epub 2003 Jul 11.
Low bone mineral density in highly trained male master cyclists.
Nichols JF, Palmer JE, Levy SS.

Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2000 Sep;10(3):290-301
Effect of training mode and calcium intake on bone mineral density in female master cyclist, runners, and non-athletes.
Beshgetoor D, Nichols JF, Rego I.

DnvrFox

Once again

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...t=osteoporosis

Also, this has been mentioned for a number of years - at least the last 5, in bicycling circles.

jonnyweale

Thanks for the links about osteoporosis - I get online journal access in college so I'll look those up.

But back to the weight training -
Dnvr, I suppose I should have been more specific and stated aerobic fitness, I've always regarded being strong and being fit as different things - but I agree that both are essential for good health. I incorporate both into my training but I use different types of training for different goals.

So to get back to the original post, I would definitely adopt a weight training programme because you will gain power for short sprints and hill climbs; however on long climbs and rides out-and-out power is somewhat outgunned by fitness and it's more useful to be able to maintain a slightly lower power output for a longer period of time, than to be able to sprint for a few hundred metres.

Anyway enjoy the training, it's all good fun

Jonny

ps Miles makes champions.

DnvrFox

This might be a cultural thing. Around here (USA), our "fitness centers" are filled with strength and cardio-vascular equipment.

Tonight I am going to "Fitness 19" with treadmills, ellipticals, lifecycles, stair steppers, etc., along with many, many "muscle machines" - shoulders, biceps, triceps, lats, back, abdomens, hams, calves, pecs, etc., along with a whole plethora of free weight racks, dumbbells, basbells, kettle balls, Smith machines and power racks, all under the general nomenclature of "fitness."

Also, books and programs such as "Body for Life" and many recreation department programs are multifaceted fitness programs, generally emphasizing

1. Strength training
2. Aerobic/cardio/vascular training
3. Proper nutrition and eating habits.

all in one conceptual framework.

Allen H

Chris Carmichael's book about training Lance Armstrong has a whole chapter on weight training (mostly to help with leg strength for climbing and sprinting, but some upper body and core body work too - Carmichael believes it helps in climbing, and probably helps keep that "slumped over" look from getting in the way of decent bike posture, and eases pressure on the back).

Bokkie

I find it very helpful. I'm able to get an increase in muscle mass on my legs that makes hill tracks more tolerable to ride up. I also do winter spin classes 3x a week just to keep my overall tone in good state. There's nothing better than being on the bike admittedly, but I enjoy my gym sessions and I try to split anaerobic/aerobic 70/30 and 30/70 on alternate days to make it a bit more interesting and varied.

Limba

If you're going to lift weights make sure you get someone to show you proper form.It's easy to hurt yourself when you're pushing big weights.
I know Lance DOESN'T do certain movements because it's just not worth the risk of injury.

ronyex

OK, should I lift bigger weights @lower pace or lighter weights @higher pace ?
what do you consider is big weight ?120lbs? 150 ? more ?(both legs pushing together)
(I am 165lbs)

RiPHRaPH

here is my take. this works for me, so use it as you will.
i never had an off-season strengthening program before. my strength last year suffered (noticable during stretches when the road turned upwards)

after a decent season, i hit the gym. My first session on the sled (shown in the picture) was tough. my legs were wobbly and was not vey strong. now, my sled routine includes 20 rep's of 1 x 90lbs, 20 rep's of 1 x 180lbs, 20 rep's of 1 x 270lbs, 20 rep's of 1 x 360lbs, 20 rep's of 1 x 450lbs, then straight to the leg extension machine to do lighter weight with one leg (40lbs --->60lbs). sometimes squats, hamstring extensions, etc. then a 45 minutes fast spin with little resistance and high cadence (100-110rpm) to flush out my legs.
This is done tuesday, thursday and 1 weekend day.
**i am 185lbs**

i'd go bigger weights now, because during the season you can't push big weights. look at your HRM during your weight workouts. between sets of sled or leg extensions i will do something for my lats and chest. Lats are good for the muscles needed for climbing out of the saddle so you aren't tired in the upper body.

note: marty nothstein has found that leg strength may make a sprinter, but does little for all around road cycling. He has lost 40 lbs and has dedicated himself to road cyclingfor this year. that should be interesting.

note: spinning in control @ 110rpm takes a different fast twitch muscle than the big muscles you are training here.
i feel much more confident for having done my off-season program (guided by a former cat3 racer)

how this translates onto the road/season is anyones guess. well, i hope.

JustsayMo

There are many benefits to strength training.

Overal fitness depends on balanced strength. Balance strength means more comfort on the bike by mitigating back and neck pain, reducing joint injuries and muscle burns calories.

Few of us are really capable of putting on enough muscle mass to be a detriment to our cycling. Just look around the gym. Most are trying to put on mass and most don't look anything like Mr. Olympia.

I raced for years and never hit the gym. I believed it would be detriment to my performance. When I finally did start pushing the iron my performance improved and I set personal bests in every timed event I competed (40k TT, Pursuit, Kilo, flying 200) and that was in my late 30s... well beyond my "prime."

I only wish I had started sooner

Rdbiker13

I read that also in Bicycling Mag. I think it was really geared towards excessive cycling.More professional riders. Not the adverage person. I think that anything or any sport in excess can cause problems physically.

Rdbiker13

Hey DnvrFox,
Your right about weight training helping stop and in cases reverses osteoporosis. Each year after 30 your lose a pound of muscle mass which works out to 300 calories less each day that you can consume each year which accounts for a slower metabolism as you age.I was watching the discovery channel one day on ancient egypt and they said if they had an unidentified mummy they could tell if it was royality or not by the bone mass.The mumies who were royality had barely any bone mass because they had servants to do everything for them.They didn't lift a finger. Of coarse it was the opposite for the working class of that time.


just thought I'd chime in
Later,
Robin

JSpin

In agreement with many of the posts, I think resistance weight training, albeit conscientiously adapted to one's particular situation and done in the right measure with the proper form, can improve performance in many ways. Greater leg and upper body strength make climbing, sprinting, and dealing with other challenges that can beat you down (riding into a strong headwind, for one!) better and easier and, in so doing, help to take your overall riding experience to a higher level. Longer and higher quality rides will, in turn, build aerobic strength. I think weight training can also be very helpful in addressing certain personal strength or fitness issues. You mentioned osteoporosis - that was news to me and I read with interest. In my case, I'm of slight build and definitely do not have a naturally strong lower back. As I posted on another forum, I still struggle with lower back pain on long rides, but specific resistance exercises (squats, dead lifts, reverse sit-ups) have resulted in significant improvement. I suppose the importance of combining stretching with strength building should also be stressed.