Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
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Anyone out there cycle and lift weights? I lifted for years but when I started cycling, I had to stop doing leg excercises like leg presses because I couldn't ride the next day. I still work my upper body, but now if I want a good leg work out, I find a steep hill and climb it.
However, I just wonder if there would be any benefit to my cycling by doing weight training for leg strength.
Bruce
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cccyclist
journeyman
Reged: 09/27/05
Posts: 91
Loc: Central California
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I find the two very challenging to mix. Some do it successfully, by working out the legs in the winter while riding longer easier rides, then stop in the spring and increase the riding intensity. Either way it will be really bad at the beginning and get somewhat better after you have done the weights for a while.
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
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Quote:
cccyclist wrote:
I find the two very challenging to mix. Some do it successfully, by working out the legs in the winter while riding longer easier rides, then stop in the spring and increase the riding intensity. Either way it will be really bad at the beginning and get somewhat better after you have done the weights for a while.
Thanks for responding. I have given up on the idea of doing leg exercises. I agree that it is difficult to do both and cycling is more important to me. I will continue working upper body but even that is making my cycling more challenging. I went on a 32 mile club ride the day after weight training and I noticed a big drop in my performance. Hopefully, it will get easier over time.
Bruce
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cccyclist
journeyman
Reged: 09/27/05
Posts: 91
Loc: Central California
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I find exercises for the core very satisfying. My trainer will have me do upper body weights while on a ball or something that makes me have to stabilize my core while doing the lift. Also lots of crunch type work.
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
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Quote:
cccyclist wrote:
I find exercises for the core very satisfying. My trainer will have me do upper body weights while on a ball or something that makes me have to stabilize my core while doing the lift. Also lots of crunch type work.
Abdominal work is an area that I have neglected in the past, but am not doing a lot of crunches and leg lifts. I think having a strong core will be beneficial in cycling.
By the way, I find weight lifting a much easier workout than cycling. I don't think there are many workouts as difficult as pedaling a bike up a long steady incline that goes on and on and on. Fortunately, I am addicted or I would have given up already.
Bruce
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dbarnet1
friend
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 34
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Quote:
Darby wrote:
Anyone out there cycle and lift weights? I lifted for years but when I started cycling, I had to stop doing leg excercises like leg presses because I couldn't ride the next day. I still work my upper body, but now if I want a good leg work out, I find a steep hill and climb it.
However, I just wonder if there would be any benefit to my cycling by doing weight training for leg strength.
Bruce
Darby
I have combined ridding with weight training for increased strength for quite some time. It all started when I was riding my Mountain Bike and had a hard time keeping up with the kids. Now I do the same thing ridding my Road Bike. This is what worked for me.
First off I set a goal to increase leg strength. I went to the gym every other day for three days a week. I worked my legs, core, and upper body. I used light weights with high reps. i.e. 20 reps x 4 sets. I increased the weight with each set. I measured my response by the burn in my muscles on the 4th set. (Note; it's important not to over do it and gradually increase the amount of weight over time). The next day I would ride my bike but at an easier pace while spinning. This ride helped to get the lactate acid out of my legs. I did this for four (4) months and saw significant improvement in my ability to climb on the Saturday rides.
An important part of this training was that I would go easy each 4th week to recover and not get burned out. I then changed from lifting weight to working out on my bike. Finding a good hill (not to long or high) and making repeated climbs. Starting in a low gear and increasing to a higher gear with each climb. I usually did four (4) climbs. After doing this combined training for about six months I had made significant progress. But like every thing else if you don't use it you'll lose it. I hope that this method might be some use to you.
Dave
Edited by dbarnet1 (02/22/08 08:30 PM)
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
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Darby
I have combined ridding with weight training for increased strength for quite some time. It all started when I was riding my Mountain Bike and had a hard time keeping up with the kids. Now I do the same thing ridding my Road Bike. This is what worked for me.
First off I set a goal to increase leg strength. I went to the gym every other day for three days a week. I worked my legs, core, and upper body. I used light weights with high reps. i.e. 20 reps x 4 sets. I increased the weight with each set. I measured my response by the burn in my muscles on the 4th set. (Note; it's important not to over do it and gradually increase the amount of weight over time). The next day I would ride my bike but at an easier pace while spinning. This ride helped to get the lactate acid out of my legs. I did this for four (4) months and saw significant improvement in my ability to climb on the Saturday rides.
An important part of this training was that I would go easy each 4th week to recover and not get burned out. I then changed from lifting weight to working out on my bike. Finding a good hill (not to long or high) and making repeated climbs. Starting in a low gear and increasing to a higher gear with each climb. I usually did four (4) climbs. After doing this combined training for about six months I had made significant progress. But like every thing else if you don't use it you'll lose it. I hope that this method might be some use to you.
Dave
Dave,
Thanks for the feedback. I will give it a try. Light leg presses, leg extensions and leg curls should be enough. I would guess that you are doing high reps like 25 or 30.
I work it into my routine and do an easy ride the day after.
Regards,
Bruce
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dbarnet1
friend
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 34
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Darby,
I usually don't do more than 20 reps. Don't forget to work on your Quadriceps and Hamstrings.
Dave
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Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
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Quote:
dbarnet1 wrote:
Darby,
I usually don't do more than 20 reps. Don't forget to work on your Quadriceps and Hamstrings.
Dave
Thanks Dave,
I will start off very light with 20 reps for each of the leg's muscle groups except for the calf muscles. I do not see any reason to work them.
Bruce
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