Weight Training Article

[Veronica]

I've seen some references to studies showing that weight training is not neccessary to improve your cycling.

Being an inquiring sort of person, I wanted to read the article for myself.

So here is what I found.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=strengthstern

Happy Reading!

V.

[han-grrl]

I know there is a lot of debate over weight training and cycling...the thing is most of the "experiments" are on some pretty high level athletes. They are already very fit and extra leg presses or the like don't help.

BUT, there are many many many more cyclist on the planet who aren't elite and who don't have strong core or legs or may have some issues with muscle fire sequencing (ie piriformis muscle taking over for glutes). in this case, strength training is necessary to build up muscle mass to handle the load for required for cycling.

I would be interested in seeing NON racers being tested before and after a strength routine. especially those non racers who only picked up biking in their 30's and beyond.

my two cents

H

[Bike Goddess]

I know there has been a lot of conversation on this topic.

I'm been going to the weight room for 2 years now. I generally go 2-3 times a week. I have found that it is helpful for strengthening abs, glutes, and core muscles. Whether this has helped my cycling, I can't tell you. I do know that I can ride long distances without lower back pain. I believe this is due to ab exercises (I do the "captain's chair).

The women who designed my program is a cyclist herself as well as a trainer at the gym (a former Velogirl racer). Occasionally she will redesign my program to give me variety.

I also do weight training to help keep osteoporosis at bay. I currently have some in my neck, but not critical yet. Not sure what I can do for that area other than take calcium supplements (EZorb) and hope I don't have to do Fosamax.

A pro racer came to our club meeting a few months back to talk about training. He says that doing weights (especially during the off season) helps keep your body in condition. He also said that reps were more important than heavy weights. He recommended 3x a week in the gym for no longer that about 45 mins.

[velogirl]

The women who designed my program is a cyclist herself as well as a trainer at the gym (a former Velogirl racer). Occasionally she will redesign my program to give me variety.

Hey Bike Goddess! Who is the trainer you're working with? Debbie H?

[Velobambina]

BUT, there are many many many more cyclist on the planet who aren't elite and who don't have strong core or legs or may have some issues with muscle fire sequencing (ie piriformis muscle taking over for glutes). in this case, strength training is necessary to build up muscle mass to handle the load for required for cycling.

H---Piriformis Syndrome ended my distance running "career." Could you please provide more details on the piriformis taking over for the glutes? I suspect that weaker hips/glutes caused my problem, which, occasionally will flare up and result in awful sciatica in my left hamstring. Since I stopped running in '96, I have been pretty serious about weight training. I have started running again, but I am sticking to shorter distances. That said, I love the half marathon and someday, would love to run them again.

[han-grrl]

I am just still learning about this. Apparently my piriformis is trying to do some of the work of my glute max. i was able to tell my left ehmmm cheek wasn't contracting on demand, and it seemed to be weak. my physio figured out that my piriformis was over doing it.

i should also mention i have a scoliosis in my low spine along with shearing between L3-L5 which doesn't help things either.

[Cassandra_Cain]

I know there is a lot of debate over weight training and cycling...the thing is most of the "experiments" are on some pretty high level athletes. They are already very fit and extra leg presses or the like don't help.

BUT, there are many many many more cyclist on the planet who aren't elite and who don't have strong core or legs or may have some issues with muscle fire sequencing (ie piriformis muscle taking over for glutes). in this case, strength training is necessary to build up muscle mass to handle the load for required for cycling.

I would be interested in seeing NON racers being tested before and after a strength routine. especially those non racers who only picked up biking in their 30's and beyond.

my two cents

H

I posted references from the article mentioned above a while back ago during yet another weight lifting thread.

For people who are low fitness, then basically any form of exercise, including weight training, is going to improve their conditioning.

For those that ride their bikes 4-6x/week and do so consistently with a sensible plan, then I doubt any benefit would come from weight lifting. Plus weight lifting and endurance cycling combined have been shown to cause what's called an interference effect, which further limits the benefits. Moreover, weight lifting diminishes mitochondrial capacity in muscles which also decreases endurance ability.

Endurance cycling, (tdf, giro for example) don't require high strength at all, the forces are low. I've said this ad nauseum here but some still want to think otherwise despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

High strength is a requirement for track events like the 200m, 500m, and the kilo to a lesser extent. Look at Chris Hoy or Anna Mears, they lift weights and need to have high strength in their legs, torso, and even arms, to excel at their events

For everything else, if your goal is to be faster on a bike, then you are better off spending your training time, which is a limited resource for us all, on your bike.

[velogirl]

I think it's unfair to emphatically say that strength isn't important to cycling. There is no black and white (except maybe in accounting and even that's questionable). Science evolves dramatically and if you review information from a decade ago it will be different than information from today or information from two decades ago. Gosh, how many of you remember when doctors endorsed cigarette smoking on television and in magazine ads? My point being that while there is some evidence that points toward little/no benefit of resistance training, there is other evidence that points to definite benefits. And given that most of the studies performed on cyclists wrt resistance training are completed with athletes at a very high level, it's unfair to advise athletes at a more recreational level based on that research.

I'm a cycling coach. I do this for a living. I've studied this sport extensively since 2000 (including a resistance training for cyclists three-day clinic presented by USA Cycling at the Olympic Training Center). I'm also active on a handful of coaching forums and email groups where there are other coaches, exercise scientists, biomechanists, and some of the greatest minds in the cycling science world. There is strong debate about this subject in the cycling science world. Obviously USAC and USOTC still believe there are gains in performance due to resistance training or they wouldn't be teaching it in their curriculum or training their resident athletes in resistance training.

Here's my opinion (no more or less important than anyone else's on this forum).

Most of the women on this forum, including the competitive athletes, would benefit from resistance training. Now, here's my rationale. Some of these reasons are performance-related and some are health-related. Knowing the demographic of most of the women on this forum, I absolutely believe they would benefit from resistance training.

• Adding lean muscle mass and reducing adipose will improve your power to weight ratio.

• Adding lean muscle mass will help you reduce adipose by increasing your rmr, thus also improving your power to weight ratio.

• Improved cycling (increased strength and decreased injury) depends on a strong core (abs, back) and strong upper body. Resistance training will improve both of these.

• Most women do not create enough testosterone to gain strength benefits without overload.

• Most cyclists don't train in a manner that generates overload (ie there's lots of soft-pedalling going on). Most cyclists also don't train enough hours to create overload.

• From a health perspective, resistance training is one of the best things women can do to prevent osteoporosis and osteopenia.

• Most cyclists do not train with enough variety or intention to continue performance gains past their first 2,000 hours of cycling.

• Many cyclists aren't able to train sufficient hours in the winter to maintain base fitness and strength. Resistance training is a great alternative to losing fitness.

[velogirl]

Plus weight lifting and endurance cycling combined have been shown to cause what's called an interference effect, which further limits the benefits.

Current studies (one study, actually) indicate that this is only true if you are participating in maximum strength and/or power phases of resistance training at the same time as you're working on aerobic endurance. If an athlete is following a periodized resistance training plan, any detriment to aerobic endurance disappears once those two phases of training have been completed.

And I don't have time to find the ref for this, but my understanding is there is only one study that even indicates this might be true. Nothing is black and white, remember?

[Veronica]

What is this overwhelming evidence?

You say cyclists don't have the same leg strength as the average dude on the street. I'd like to see the average dude propel himself up a 17% grade. You're telling me climbing like that is all VO2 Max and lactate threshold?

No, I don't believe that.

Veronica

[Cassandra_Cain]

What is this overwhelming evidence?

You say cyclists don't have the same leg strength as the average dude on the street. I'd like to see the average dude propel himself up a 17% grade. You're telling me climbing like that is all VO2 Max and lactate threshold?

No, I don't believe that.

Veronica

Everyone's favorite cycling hero, Lance Armstrong, won on Alpe D'huez exerting a total force of 25kg between both legs while en route to his win on that stage.

This is the TdF, the ultimate prize in endurance cycling and the most famous stage race in the world. Is that good enough for you?

Can you do 25kg between both legs? If you can so much as climb stairs then you can.

What people can't do, outside of elite riders, is ride at 400+ watts for an hour, and it has nothing to do with strength.

Power and strength are not the same thing.

That's physics, if you chose not to believe it, then hey, don't believe it.

[Cassandra_Cain]

Current studies (one study, actually) indicate that this is only true if you are participating in maximum strength and/or power phases of resistance training at the same time as you're working on aerobic endurance. If an athlete is following a periodized resistance training plan, any detriment to aerobic endurance disappears once those two phases of training have been completed.

And I don't have time to find the ref for this, but my understanding is there is only one study that even indicates this might be true. Nothing is black and white, remember?

The only way to NOT be doing strength and endurance training at the same time is if you completely EXCLUDE one or the other. So yes, if the choice is to sit on the couch all winter or lift weights, then weights wins hands down. Then again, anything is better than being sedentary or if one is low fitness, I said that before.

If the choice is lift weights or ride, then I'm going to choose riding.

Many people here live in warm enough climates to ride year-round and even those that don't can have access to trainers. There is no reason you can't ride seriously 12 months/year. Whether they choose to or not, is their preorogative.

Whether you are a coach, athlete, or the fairy godmother, saying strength is important in endurance cycling again and again doesn't make it true. Strength requirements for an endurance cyclist are low, it is basic physics, I repeat, basic physics not magic, or some esoteric study I secretly conducted. Check your powertap files if that's what you need to be convinced. Show me forces are any higher than doing a basic step-up. I have many PT files, i've looked at them, i've studied them, I know the physics and that's how it works. Whether you chose to accept that or not, that's not my issue.

Riding at 300 watts requires no more strength than climbing stairs 2 at a time. So if you feel your core is weak for cycling, where forces are low, then, by that logic, you might as well start doing weights to strengthen your core to bring in the groceries from the car or carry your 2 your old around the mall.

Inducing hypertrophy in a gym means you have to haul that same muscle up any climb. While that extra muscle may improve your 5-second power (NM), that same muscle isn't going to to a darn thing for your FT, improve your vo2 max, or AWC. 5s power may win 200 meter sprints, but it sure as heck won't get you up a long climb.

If somebody rides for fun, to lose weight, for appearance, or for general fitness, raising money for charity, reducing pollution, than lift weights, do pilates, stretch do - whatever you like.

If somebody rides with a goal of being the best, fastest cyclist they can be and win races, then that goal is best realized by training on the bike.

Sorry but I come across more nonsense in this forum than any other when it comes to training methods. I give up, people can believe whatever they want, no matter how ridiculous it is.

[velogirl]

I think anger management might also improve your endurance cycling. Or at least the number of friends you make on a forum like this.

If this forum is full of nonsense, batgirl, why don't you hang out on the wattage forum. They debate the same thing "ad nauseum." Only difference is they have advanced degrees in exercise science an have been successfully training athletes for decades. Oh, and a few of them have written books, like Joe Friel, Andy Coggan, and Hunter Allen.

If I recall from your earlier posts, you started riding in July or August? This year? I'm sure you're a smart girl but I also know you've got a lot to learn. People skills should be at the top of that list.

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Everyone else, forgive me for being blunt, but I get tired of the holier-than-though attitude she imparts on others here.