Strength training
I am quite weak (cold blooded and spinless too), weak in the legs as has been highlighted to me recently with some responses in context about leg power but I've also noted the average watts Strava says I put out is also quite pathetic... so I'm off to the gym and I have a new stationary trainer.
Do you do a specific leg/ glute/ hammies/ quads/ core strengthening program in the gym with machine or barbell, hand weights and incorporating squats?
I am trying to develop a plan that'll take me 30 mins a day after warmup that will focus on 4 - 6 specific exercies and start out with high reps in sets of 3 (so reasonable resistence) and increasing resistence over the next 10 weeks and reduce reps.
Strong men and women's thoughts welcome. I have got a book called Stronger Legs and Lower Body (by Kinesis) and The Cyclists Training Bible by Joe Friel which has a good chapter on gym work. To be honest I've done all body balanced weights before and never really seen any benefit but I wasn't really riding and not focused on one group.
In addition I want to use the trainer to develop strength as well as cardio. My trainer is a Cycleops which promotes these training videos which you can run on your iPhone which is great. http://www.realrides.tv/index.html
Tags: force, power, stationary, strenth, training
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Phil Crick on -
Buy a heavy bike Gus and start doing hills on it, better still, get a trailer with a large child in it.
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Permalink Reply by Gus K on -
I do that already. A 16kg steel tourer and from this school term a tag-a-long with child to school (and empty to work).
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Permalink Reply by Belinda Hoare on -
How does Strava measure power output? I'd be very wary of trusting any mathematically-derived power output that's not measured by a specifically-calibrated power meter...Work on increasing your power-to-weight ratio, not just increasing power output. That said, I stumbled on this the other day:
"Why we don't use Strength Endurance anymore"
http://www.aboc.com.au/tips-and-hints/why-we-dont-use-strength-endu...
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Permalink Reply by Gus K on
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I understand it is purely a vague estimate and probably for me thrown by my high heart rate and reasonably low bodyweight. It was suggested to me its estimates were on the high side, which of course got me thinking some more about needed to harden up.
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Permalink Reply by Tim B on -
Strava's explanation of their power formula.
https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/20426531-how-does-strava-measure...
https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/20959332-power-calculations
I believe it should be a reasonable guide given a reasonable incline, say 6% as anything below can be scewed by wind, drafting etc. also important is accurate bike and rider weight values in your profile. No substitute for a propper power meter IMO, but then guess you get what you pay for....
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Permalink Reply by Tim B on
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Easy fix with Strava, enter your weight as 120kg and you'll soon be pushing 400w and impressing your friends!
I did a lot of core training a few years ago due to issues with neck and back and headaches etc. It helped a lot with keeping stable on the bike and power transfer and posture in general life too. Didnt fix the headaches, but thats a long story.
Found a lot of the leg work certainly makes your legs stronger, good for peak power output and sprinting, but I also put on muscle, which can be counter productive when it comes to hill climbing. I find the best form of strength training for my legs is hill repeats in a harder gear, low rpm than you would normally use.
These days, as I'm not training for an event or race, I just prefer to enjoy riding my bike and not getting too hung up about it all.
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Permalink Reply by Gus K on
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I use a fit ball at work to accidentally strengthen my core. I also reckon that being a lightweight means less load on my legs and so accidental workout by walking.
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Permalink Reply by A.V.O. on
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that all sounds too hard to me :-)
just ride a fixie lots (in a decent gear ratio)
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Permalink Reply by Lucas Pittaway on -
Ride fixed with a 44x16 ratio through the hills. It's the perfect gearing to learn to spin on the downhills and to push hard on the uphills. If things get too tough then zigzag your way up the hill, it's how I rode up Corkscrew.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Palfrey on -
I found that spin classes at the gym were tremendously helpfull for building leg strength but I also found that the results varied according to which instructor was on duty, (the blonde Amazonian seemed to work the best), I recall that she regularly used Pyramid Training. Having cancelled my membership I miss the classes (as well as the Amazonian)
But Angus I'm wondering what the issue is, winter weather, health, and family commitments you cycle regularly and frequantly ride hills. You're not likely to keep up or catch up with the skinny buggers or those with legs like hams why push yourself harder, just enjoy the ride with your mates.
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Permalink Reply by Gus K on
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I do think July has been hard but I just gave in to the Tour and now some rest. I found last year some consitent riding in winter (but not July) left me in a better place for Amy's ride season etc. And yes, I don't get out to ride as much as I would like. Often when I talk to people and trainers about riding stronger they ask 'how often do you ride' and when I say twice I get told I need to do more.
It's like those training plans the magazines publish. As if I can ever complete those plans.
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