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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

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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

Edited by dbarnet1 (02/22/08 08:30 PM)

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