Quote Originally Posted by bluebug32 View Post
My goals this winter are to increase on the bike endurance and power.
How are you defining power? Sprinting? Increasing total speed?

For endurance, you need to build type I, slow twitch muscle fibers. These muscle fibers excel in oxygenating the muscle tissue and do not fatigue easily. They are also smaller than type II, fast twitch (think body builder) muscles. If your lower body work entails pushing big weights for 10 reps X 4 sets, you are engaging the little used type II, fast twitch fibers. That could be part of the cause of your soreness, along with using your muscles in different angles than you usually use on the bike.

I do train lower body in the off season. I use higher reps, never lower than 10, and I train explosively because this mimics the type of muscular power I need in a sprint, or to power up a steep hill. Since type I fibers are smaller than type II, I don't worry about adding muscle weight that I won't need on the bike - although that isn't a big concern for me anyway. Being a 54 y.o. female, I'll take any muscle I can build because it increases my metabolism. It also makes you look better nekked!