Re: Weight lifting and cycling: Bikefanclub.com

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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