How many of you use weight training (e.g., hamstring curls, leg press, lat pulldowns) to supplement your S/B/R training? How much has it helped you?
Yes.
I like the way it looks.
I weight train in the winter, following the ‘training bible’ routine. However as soon as it gets nice outside I hate going to workout in the gymn. I do plan on building 2 hours a week into my schedule starting in the fall and keeping that up year round - hitting late 30’s and need to maintain some muscle!
I think it has helped - particulary the leg press work. I have increased leg power and continued to improve my TT times as a result (probably 30 secs over 10 miles). I think the lat-pull downs also helped with my swim power, although it is hard to tell how much of my improvements in T times came from that versus improvements in technique. The biggest change was being able to do flip-turns consistently as my stamina got better and therefore I knocked 10 secs of my 100yd T pace this season.
Twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays). Has helped me a lot on the bike. Not as much on the run. Gave up swimming. I also like the look.
Twice a week during race season and three times off season. Of course here in Hawaii we don’t have much of an off season. :~)
Aloha,
Larry
I weight train year-round now, though when I was racing heavily, I virtually never did at all.
"Twice a week during race season and three times off season. Of course here in Hawaii we don’t have much of an off season. :~) "
Ditto…kj
3x per week core strength training + stretching for TT racing. Upper body work and core work, abs, back, weights.
I find that cross training in various sports bring better results and keep me interested in racing and training. Sports like running, bodysurfing, mountain biking.
Off topic, hopefully Marisol & co. can get me fixed up (ART) so I can start running again and get back into du’s/tris a little.
I am thinking my IMAZ '06 aspirations were a bit more than I can manage and still hit my CAT 3 state TT champion goals for '06 … hmmmm. We will see how it goes with my running over the next couple months.
Thinking about going to Kona this year to watch the race and island hop a little, maybe climb Haleakala or Mtn bike Kauai
-g
Very little in season…as an ex-(albeit small)college football and rugby player, I tend to run a bit larger than most of the greyhounds here so I don’t need much. Will do pushups, core work, pullups, bardips and the like here and there, but other than that not too much.
Off season I’ll spend 3-4 days in there, working the legs as much as I do upper body, trying to focus on the weakspots. Admittedly this last off season I spent more time on the bike than in the weight room, working off the theory that sport-specific training would be more beneficial.
to my knowledge, there’s no scientific data worth mentioning that high-intensity strength training aids in endurance training performance, so I use what little time I have to ride hard. “Core work” is probably not a bad idea though, as long as you don’t pack on too much muscle mass.
I think the value of weight training depends on what is currently limiting your performance. For me, weights are the single biggest factor in my cycling improvement, period.
Here’s my weight story - in the mid-1990’s, I was cycling about 4000 miles per year, lots of racing, lots of intensity, periodized training. We have a local 37 mile time trial up and down a canyon, and I came in MOP three years straight with a time of 1:42-1:45. I was very fit, but just didn’t have the strength to compete.
The fourth year, I worked with our university’s strength coach, and he put me on a “he-man” leg strength program - basically the same one he uses for his football team. Big weight - low rep. You know, the program they tell you NEVER to use as an endurance athlete.
Well, that next year I followed the same cycling plan, logged slightly less miles (cut back some days to do the squats). I rode the same time trial in 1:32 (10 minute PR) and came in 4th overall in the worst conditions of any of the 4 races. I’ve stuck with the squats since, and have continued to improve even though my miles or riding intensity haven’t really evolved much. My imrovement my not be typical, but it certainly helped my with my limiter.
I do…3 days a week in off season…2 days a week in season…
I weight train year around (3x week off season, 2x week in season, 1x race week), low weight, high repetitions with leg presses/squats at higher weights. The main benefit I have seen is the increase in overall core strength. I used to get injured a lot and since going to year around weights I have been relatively injury free. Also, I am stronger on the hills both running and cycling.
“You know you are getting old when you see your father in the mirror.” anon.
I do about 4 days per week for 30-40 minutes. Nothing to heavy, I consider it injury pervention.
Dave in VA
Have free weights and a NordicFlex machine in the basement but it’s kind of on/off. Do more in the winter and less in the race season. In winter I mostly x-country ski and will do weights about three times weekly. Would rather be riding the bike in race season. Now that I’m getting older I’ll likely begin to add more weight training to the regime.
3 days a week in the gym during the winter. Core workout only during the summer.
I used the same program for two winters when I was stuck in the froze wastelands of Alberta. I came off a couple of seasons of mt. bike racing. Did only heavy, heavy squats w/low reps and did much less aerobic work. Result was huge increase in speed and better recovery. However, I did get to a point of diminishing returns. I’ve actually been trying to get my size down a bit so I can ride longer…found the big legs were great for 2 hr sessions but once I started going longer it wasn’t as good. Trying to find the balance…
Question for you guys who weight train for the lower body. When do you do it? Because of my schedule I always feel that my legs need a rest after a difficult workout, or I don’t want to trash them the day before a hard workout. I travel most weeks so my schedule is a little wacked. Monday - off, Tuesday-long run, Wed - easy run, or tempo ride when not traveling, Thur - tempo run, Friday - easy bike, Sat - long hard ride with short run. Sun - easy long ride with easy run. Any suggestion on when to weight train for lower body?
Thanks
Question for you guys who weight train for the lower body. When do you do it? Because of my schedule I always feel that my legs need a rest after a difficult workout, or I don’t want to trash them the day before a hard workout. I travel most weeks so my schedule is a little wacked. Monday - off, Tuesday-long run, Wed - easy run, or tempo ride when not traveling, Thur - tempo run, Friday - easy bike, Sat - long hard ride with short run. Sun - easy long ride with easy run. Any suggestion on when to weight train for lower body?
Thanks
I ALWAYS do mine immediately after my fastest run of the week (typically intervals, sometimes a hard tempo run). The next day I follow with my biggest brick of the week. I find the squats don’t bother me much the next day, but two days later I hurt like hell!!
If I had to follow your schedule, knowing how I respond to squats, I would swap your Thurs and Friday workouts, and do the squats after the Friday tempo run. Shouldn’t bother you for Saturday (if you respond like I do). You may be sore on Sunday, but it doesn’t look like that is a fast/quality day so you should be able to handle it.
I should also note that after about 6 weeks, I don’t get sore anymore, but I still feel the fatique. I’ve had a bunch of people ask me what a heavy squat routine is equivalent to in terms of cycling miles, and for me they fatique me as much as a 4-5 hour steady ride. I do heavy squats (heavy for me is that I start with 135 pounds, do a set of 5, add 20 pounds, another set of 5, and keep going until it crushes me, usually around 255-275 or so), then do 3 sets of lunges with 40-50 pounds in each hand. Early in the season I can’t set on the toilet two days after without squealing like a little girl, but later in the season (now) they don’t hurt me, just fatigue me.
I cut out the squats about 4 weeks before a big event. I’m doing Placid, so this is my last squat week.