If there are any exercise physiologists out there I'd like to know your opinion about how useful weight training is for improving cycling power. I'm also interested in the experiences of TE members in general!

I read recently that cycling is good cross training for runners because cycling requires short explosive muscle contractions that translate directly into improved running performance. The opposite, apparently, is not true. Running does not necessarily improve cycling power (might improve your aerobic fitness in general, but it doesn't appear to directly impact power/endurance on the bike).

So then I started thinking about weight lifting. I lift in the winter and then taper off when outdoor riding starts. I focus on cycling specific muscles...hamstrings, quads, calf, butt, abdominals and some limited arm/shoulder stuff. For the big leg muscles it seems to me that a traditional lifting style (lift to a count of two, lower to a count of 4) won't do that much to build the contractile efficiency and power that is important to improvements on the bike.

Carmichael Training Systems and others have suggested that plyometrics is a good way to improve cycling power because this kind of excercise promotes the recruitment of muscle fibers needed for strong contractions. My challenge is that my knees are toast from past years of Tae Kwon Do training. The impact of jumping that plyometrics requires would, I'm afraid, set me up for knee surgery rather than cycling power!

So here is my question (finally!)... If I do my squats, dead lifts, and leg presses with a "forceful" motion up rather than a slowish steady count of 2 will this recruit more of the same kind of muscle fibers that plyometrics would recruit?

I'm not talking about an accelerated lifting style that would hyperextend my knee joint....just with more force than the slow, steady lifting motion that I'm used to.