i know the members of this forum are split between wether or not weightlifting should be used in conjunction with structured training programs for improvements on the bike, but i lift weights pretty much every other day and need some more variety in my excercises. so my question is this, do you guys have any unique and different excercises for the lower body? im sick and tired of doing my normal routine over and over.
I came from a weightlifting background. I was the skinny guy everyone made fun of, but for a long time the only exercise I did was lifting. So I’m pretty pro-lifting.
That said, if you’ve lifted for a couple months, just stop or do once a week maintenence. Do some hard-gear low-cadence work on the bike to fine tune your muscles. If you’re bored, move on.
well this is my fourth year taking weight training in school so i have been lifting for more than a few months. basically i have found that when i increase my max on the leg press and leg extension my climbing improves as well. the thing is i have hit a plataeu in my gains and was hoping that if i change up my routine i would again see some more progress. right now i can do about 685 to 690LBS for 2 sets of 8 with my max being like 720LBS on the leg press.( if i remember right.) but i have been stuck there for about two months.as soon as i break 750 i want to start focusing on endurence more, but i was wondering if anyone out there that is really into lifting would have suggestions as to different routines i could try.
Periodization.
If you are actually lifting at or near your max weight for 2 months, you aren’t periodizing your training, and the ATHLETIC gains (as opposed to aesthetic) you can make will be very limited.
I really only reach my max weight in the gym for a very limited period of time - like 1 month - in the max power phase of my training. You probably need to back down and build back up.
MH
Amen to the periodization. Build up to your max weight and then switch over to sport specific strength.
It seems like nobody else does them, but free weight squats have been a tremendous help to me. Sure, you can’t put on the enourmous weights to pretend like you are impressing girls like on the leg press, but the benefits of the free weight squats are tremendous. Be careful though, build up slowly and don’t go down too far. If you can’t/won’t use perfect form, don’t do them.
ditto
For athletics, it is not important what the number is on the weight stack. What’s important is how your body can transfer those gains to your sport. A lot of people can push quite a bit on the leg press but if your back, hips, etc. cannot support that force then it’s no good on the bike. Basically, during that leg press your butt and back are pushing against a bench. You don’t have that support in sport so you have to rely on your own body for it.
If you want more info, read the strength training article listed on the front page and email me with questions. I will have a follow up article soon (that’s why I can’t compete with u guys in this camp thingy!!!) and an article soon regarding the whole periodization thing.
take care all -maylene
Leg press is pretty much a waste of time for athletic purposes. It builds leg muscles, but that’s all it does. Replace leg press with squats.
Replace any hamstring/glutes exercises with good mornings.
Replace leg extensions with lunges.
Add deadlifts to your regular weekly routine to connect your lower and upper body.
Plyometric training is also another thing most people don’t do. Add some burpies and squat jumps to your training. They’ll prepare your muscles for sudden changes in intensity.
Change your workout routine every couple of months.
first, if you are a tri AGer weights every other day is too much! 2x/week is more than enough. if you have too much free time then add in yoga and core workouts. but if you have to be a weight-room junkie (you have your own belt and fingerless gloves and wrist-wraps) then in response to your question i’d suggest lunges w/ light weights, plyometrics & jump-rope. squats of course are also great and frankly, i also like the adductor/abductor nautilus machine even though it is for the girls. 
now go run ah-nold.
I do a lot of dynamic movements which use the entire body as opposed to just one specific muscle group. For instance, I do 1-legged squats, 1-legged bicep curls, 1 legged bent over db rows, etc. I find they recruit a lot more muscles and do a better job of strengthening than traditional movements. 2 sets, 30 second rest, tops, between sets. 8-10 exercises. I’m in and out of the gym in 40 minutes, 2X/week.
i know the members of this forum are split between wether or not weightlifting should be used in conjunction with structured training programs for improvements on the bike, but i lift weights pretty much every other day and need some more variety in my excercises. so my question is this, do you guys have any unique and different excercises for the lower body? im sick and tired of doing my normal routine over and over.
Get that old Mark Allen weight lifting tape…
I am very pro-weightlifting. After not doing it for a couple of months to “focus” on triathlon stuff, I’m back lifting twice a week (fullbody one day, upper/special on the other day).
I’m focused on the basic exerices that provide the most carry-over to balanced strength.
Weight-lifting advice always bothers me b/c what you usually get is people’s preferences disguised as facts. Weight-lifting, just like triathlon training, is an highly individualized matter based on personal aspects ranging from genetics to time allocation and stress.
I read information on weight-training for triathletes and it’s the same old 3x10 for exercise that is prescribed in any and every lifting book. Yeah, that’s real specialized to triathletes (sarcasm).
The important thing for you and I to remember is that we are triathletes that strenght-train, not strength-trainers that do triathlons. I have to remind myself that quite a bit. So, for the lifting, the intensity needs to be turned down a few nothces, to enable adequate recovery with all of the other activity going on.
There are a million ways of sticking with the basic, compound lifts while adding variation … use dumbbells instea dof barbells, use machines instead of barbells/DB’s, etc. I’ve pretty much always been a full-squatter … but am currently using Hammer Strength’s Uni-lateral Leg Press … some newness makes it fun. Vary your reps ranges. Do 2x8 or 1x15 instead of what you’re normally doing. Do a work set followed by a backdown set, such as 1x8, 1x15 … ro do some cumulative fatigure training … do 6x6 witha moderate weight with strict 60 second rest intervals between sets. There’s quite a few ways to get a good workout, have variety, and stick the the exercises that provide the most bang for your buck.