whats everyones opinion on doinupper body training? the race season starts next week, but i want to continue doing upper body training. .. 10 minutes on a different erercise a day. monday do 5 sets of pullups. tuesday do 15 sets of 25 pushups. wednesday do 600 crunches. off thursday. friday do 5 sets of 15 dips. off sat. sunday do some military presses. 4 sets of 10. just 10 minutes 5 days a week, to keep a strong upper body.
will doing these exercises take away any energy for the hard bike training and races? my number 1 goal is to be a better bike racer, but also, to be healthy and strong.not after a bodybuilder look at all. i look like a skinny cyclist. just after a healthy body with strong bones.
will doing these zap any energy from my hard training/racing?
thanks

it's all good

Upperbody training is controversial in cycling. Personally, I never get away from the fact of relative strength (positive strength/power-to-bodyweight ratio) when strengthening my upperbody. A cyclist that generates 400 watts of power with a 145-pound frame is more efficient than the cyclist that creates the same force with a 180-pound body. The ability to run, do pull-ups, being a faster cyclist etc is compromised with the extra weight your having to haul, so your right not too train for mass or like a bodybuilder. So, if you start hitting the upperbody, never forget relative strength.

Relative strength is much lower for large men compared with smaller, lighter guys.

When I started strengthening upperbody, I made a pact that I maintain/decrease bodyweight, never increase & I did that by cutting calories. Personally, I strengthened my upperbody because It meant increasing the loads of performing my lowerbody exercises (Deadlifts etc) & that made me a faster runner/cyclist.

You should live on special upper body exercises for triceps, lats, and delts. These are basically the "pulling" muscle groups used in my "main" lift for lowerbody.

Staple upperbody exercises should include...

1. Dips (Probably the most efficient ways to build your triceps, chest and shoulders in one exercise).
2. Chin Ups/Pull Ups (Over/Underhand) (One of the best upper back, lat and biceps exercises you can do).
3. Push-Ups
4. One-arm Dumbell Rows or Barbell Rows (One of the best ways to build upper back and lat strength). The the dumbbell version is better because it takes some of the back strain out of the movement, (learn't from experience) & I use a tricep bar.
5. Barbell Shrugs (Good for broad shoulders & the women quite like them, so I do them), lol...

Other notables...

Dumbbell Bench
Dumbbell Military
Dumbbell Incline

Yeah, don't forget the core (Abs/Lowerback/Hip Flexors/Obliques) that is where its at. Start out slow, the brain does eventually adapt & you will look better for the ladies too.

Oh... (& don't eat pizza or drink beer when starting your workout) won't be good for you...

Relative strength.

You only get one (1) 'number 1 goal'. If it is the former then you're probably wasting your time and energy lifting 5 days a week.

But being a better bike racer eventually leads to all 3 goals. Plenty of time to supplement other things as the body adapts.

*****3nin.vend3t ~ nice assortment than you listed. I'm a big fan of body weight exercises but if you're not slender it can take a bit of work to develop a routine. I do a 5x5 program and I'm in and out of the gym in less than an hour. I'm not a racer but I like what the combination of cycling; swimming and weight training is doing for my body. I'm 50 but in the right light I looked better than I did at 23. no the right light isn't complete darkness! ha! :-)

I'm really happy with my dips right now.

50 years old. You got my respect. Jeez, I'm hardcore, but don't know if I'll be upto it at that age. Might be time for me to lean back.

I'm quite a fan of bodyweight exercises too (dips, push ups, pull ups) etc, performed with perfect form but the hardcore seem to do these weighted. You should also try out the hand cycle for upperbody, I'm impressed, really impressed, hits almost everthing.

The 5x5 program is good, because of its simplicity:

• Do 5 sets of 5 reps with the same weight
• Add 5lbs/2.5kg total weight each workout until you can't get 5 reps on all 5 sets anymore
• Take 10% weight off for the exercise you stalled on only, continue adding weight on the other exercises
• Continue adding 5lbs/2.5kg total weight each workout until you stall again
• Repeat this 1 step back, 2 steps forward approach until you can Squat close to 1.5x your body-weight for 5x5

• Strength. You can lift faster & lift more weight using 5 reps vs. 8. Lifting fast recruits more muscle fibers and lets you use heavier weights. Lifting heavy stresses yourbody more.
• Progressive Loading. Always lifting the same weight causes strength loss. You have to add weight systematically to get stronger and build muscle. It’s easier to add weight eachworkout doing 5 reps vs. 8.
• Short, Efficient Workouts. The 5×5 method uses compound exercises like Squats that hit several body parts at the same time. This keeps the workouts brief, but intense. Great if you’re short on time.

Madcow & Starting Strength have increased the popularity of the 5×5 method in recent years.Tens of thousands of lifters have done it with success. And while 5×5 isn’t the only way to train,it’s proven efficient, especially for beginners.

I got introduced to the "universal' gym in 7th grade and I've using weight training ever since. I used my college gym after graduating but after moving out of state it took a few years before I saw my body change and so i got a gym membership in 1986. It wasn't until 2006 that I decided to get hard core, well ... hard core for me. I began stressing my muscles more and then found out about the 5x5. at 50 yrs old a man has to do what he can to counter the effects of aging and muscle mass loss. the better I get, however, the older I get.

stay lean men, cuz i's much harder to reverse years of "settling down". marrying a good cook and having kids can do a lot to ruin a perfect physical specimen ... :-)

well, i am going to continue doing my exercises of pushups dips pullups abs military presses and hang cleans. my original question was how much does exercising take away from your cycling?
i have been exercising 49 years now and wont stop. just curious on, lets say, doing a trainer ride in the morning and recovering all day vs a trainer ride and recovering all day, but add 400 pushups in at evening time.
this is what i do, and will continue.
a friend told me to stop lifting and exercising to only ride i'll be better at riding, but at 55 years old and a cat 2, i aint going no higher up the ladder. just wondering how much energy is saved only riding.

I certainly won't be at it at 50, been at it since leaving High school, time for me to crash & burn at 50.

You might too just want add a little variety to your core/ab work just too mix things up a little, to the 600 crunches you do (Good exercise), upto you...

• Weighted Sit-Ups (Use Abdominal Board) (Recommended). (Weight plate behind the head not lying on the chest).
• Dumbell Side Bends (Recommended).
• Hanging/Lying Leg Raises (Recommended).
• Incline Leg Raises (from Abdominal Board).
• Russian Twists (Weight plate/Medicine ball).
• Incline Russian Twists (Weight plate/Medicine ball) from Abdominal Board.
• Lying/Sitting Russian Twists (Weight plate/Medicine ball).
• Incline Knee Ups (Ankle weights). (from Abdominal Board).
• Lying Cable Leg Raise
• Abdominal Wheel
• Medicine ball work (Recommended). Overhead throws/Chest throws/Lying or Sitting Pass Arounds/Lying Toe touches.

Some sport scientists believe core work will bring the biggest dividends in enhancing any athlete over ANY exercise. If your core muscle groups are not strong, you are not as fast, quick or mobile as you can be.

*****3nin.vend3t
thanks
yes, i do a combo of 600+ abs. i didnt want to mention them all, but i do bicycles, crunches, planks, knee ups etc...
do you think that by NOT doing 10 minutes a day, of very hard training, you save that much energy for the bike, that you're way more recovered and rexaxed?? just doing a bike workout recovering and another bike workoutthe next day vs the bike workouts and the hard 10 minutes a day exercising. i dont know how to find this answer out. i guess the only way would be to stop exercising , but i dont want to/ wont do that.
it isnt like i am in the gym for hours. i go out to my garage do 100 pullups, or downstairs for 100 dips... no legs, as cycling does all that.
whats your opinipon?
thanks

Very "hard training" made me a better athlete. The stronger I got, the more force that gets applied to the pedals or applied to the floor when I'm running/sprinting playing soccer. With regards to being relaxed & recovered, I found that my body adapted to it all through dedication & dicipline to working out, you never miss a session for example, your body adapts.

“Strength endurance is characterized by a combination of great strength and significant endurance” -V.M Zatsiorsky- Biomechanics in Sport-

Cycling does do legs but not in the sameway weights do. I never go out riding without having performed my deads & squats routine (2 hours approx). Then I'm on the bike (much quicker/stronger having performed my lowerbody weights) At the very beginning (years ago), I remember getting home & be out for the count for pretty much the rest of the day (tough), but now I get home & I workout the core/abs too, not so stressed. Its not for everybody, its extremely tough on you especially from the start.

The answer is, your body will adapt if you choose to put in the time, effort, dedication, discipline to supplement your cycling/running/soccer etc through other sources of exercise, controlling the intensity & listening to your body. It all gets easier but never at the expense of getting lazy, you'll never adapt.

"Strengthening" made me apply more force to everything I did. So actually (at the end of the day) I'm actually saving energy from having trained much harder than just riding alone & it makes your body look better.

I don't know how you ride after doing squats. My leg day consists of squats,lying hamstring curls,& DB calf raises. I can hardly walk never mind ride. In fact if you ever want to kick my ass do it after my leg day, I'm pretty helpless at that point. I tend to do 1 muscle group a day 2 day on 1 day off and I pyramid up 3 X 3 raise wt. drop reps. I also never lift over 200 lbs on any muscle group. I prefer to be lean & cut as well as uninjured. Ab day is a muscle group opposite Leg day and always with wt. I do 1 muscle group a week 45 min to 1 hour 15 min, never more. It helps that I have my own gym & I work out at 4 am.

like some have mentioned solid core is necessary for a cyclist. after spending a winter working on my core i was able to ride longer and harder, with less pain and/or discomfort in the neck, shoulder, and back. i noticed the difference for sure on the bike and off the bike. my routine is simple consisting of exercises done at home.

push ups, sit ups, dips, plank, side plank, pedal plank, bird dog, sicossor kicks, ect....

typically i do this on a non riding day or after a very easy effort. later.