that sounds reasonable. LMK if you want to toss ideas around.
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good to hear 5 x 5! Thanks Timmy!
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awesome! thanks! I’ll def do those next gym session. Rain rolling in this weekend so… lol
my only worry with those high reps is building muscle size vs strength…so went 5 x 5
I wouldn’t worry too much. I am way too skinny so a little hypertrophy in those back muscles is only welcome. However, there is no one rep range for strength and I would count doing 8 reps as still strength oriented. Also, total volume is still pretty low for any significant hypertrophy gains. I’ve read somewhere (couldn’t find it now) that upper body responds better to higher reps.
For reference, I am 189 cm (6’ 2’') and 64 kg (141 lbs) - classic ectomorph. I can do 1.6 x BW Deadlift and 1.2 x BW Squat (parallel). Pitiful but doesn’t stop me 
oh 25 reps total!! got it!
Correct! Sorry, should have expressed myself better.
The best success I’ve had lifting while training was 1x20-25. I was building enough strength, keeping the weight low enough to train effectively most days, and avoiding DOMS. I didn’t experience a whole bunch of hypertrophy because I was also running a pretty high volume at the time. Another advantage of that strategy was the entire endeavor took 30 minutes or less. I’ve gone back to that a few times. Any time I’m training, I have had greater success staying on track (with the endurance training) with higher reps and fewer sets. Offseason is where I do things like 5x3s and such, when I don’t care about the quality of the bike/run.
I try to do some kind of strength training 2-3 times a week, but some bodyweight stuff as well as lifting. Primary drivers are general health, injury prevention, functional strength and of course vanity! Not particularly doing it for performance gains so try to keep it at a level which isn’t impeding my cycling i.e. no DOMS during phases of heavy bike training. In my mid 40s.
I mix and match a lot, my routine is constantly changing depending on what equipment I have available, what part of the season I’m in, what I feel like doing, etc. Helps me not to get bored and I figure it’s probably good from the perspective of general health and reslience Typically don’t spend more than 30 minutes, and will include 1-2 chest/shoulder exercises (bench press, push up, shoulder press, dumbbell press, flies, etc), 1-2 back exercises (seated row, standing row, pull-ups, pulldowns, dumbbell row, etc), and 1-2 leg exercises (squats, deadlifts, lunges, single leg deadlifts, single leg squats, leg press, etc). If I haven’t done any aerobic exercise that day then I might throw in some squat jumps and/or compound movements like power cleans. And then will do some core stuff, have a whole variety of different planks, crunches and sit-ups I do in between other sets.
Normally do something like 3 sets of 10 of whatever exercises I’m doing. Sometimes in the off season I’ll lift heavier and do something like the 5x5 lifting programme for a month or 2. Also if I’m training for triathlon and doing run/swim training as well as the cycling I tend to drop to 1-2 times per week and really just do maintenance stuff. Figure cycling on it’s own is a fairly unbalanced sport that doesn’t really work out some muscle groups so it’s useful to counterbalance with some lifting. But if you’re cycling, swimming and running you’re working pretty much everything, plus you have a lot less time left for anything else!
that’s awesome, thanks! I agree with changing things up; I got too into doing the same thing week in and week out and felt like i plateaud. time to change it up!
The big lifts are really great (5x5). I feel like the squats, lunges and deadlifts help a ton in addition to the upper body lifts.
I’ve been doing F45 since late last summer about 5 times a week. During the winter I did not ride at all from December to March, but I kept up my F45 HIIT and strength sessions. I started back up on TR and did the 20 test (brutal) and to my surprise netted a 249 ftp. Since I’m not racing for anything and I simply like being fit, I kept doing my F45 classes at least 5 times a week focusing on the strength session and doing a low volume sweet spot base plan plus long rides on the weekend that are pretty easy. I will say my first big ride back in March was 65 miles long, gravel and mixed terrain, and I ended up being on of the first to finish on my route. No drawbacks to this and I love the freedom of not having any races to keep me out of the gym and on the bike. I’m after full body fitness.
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awesome, glad you have found something that is working well for you! Thanks for the comment and good luck!
This is my routine that I’ve been doing for about 6 months. Twice a week until Build MV and now once a week.
I weigh 70kg, FTP @ 277W the latest ramptest.
Power cleans - 65kg/144lbs 3x5
Deadlift - 120kg/265lbs 1x5
Squats - 120/125kg/265-276lbs 5x5
Single leg squats will be replacing leg extensions - 120kg/265lbs 3x5
Romanian deadlift - 110kg/243lbs 3x5
Barbell row - 75kg/165lbs 3x5
Box jumps 76cm - 3x6 alternating directly with crunches - 3x10
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What was your FTP prior to the December to March break?
I stick with Starting Strength. Just interested in maintaining muscle and helping core strength. Posture is one thing that improved dramatically. Was suffering from anterior pelvic tilt
I find starting strength FAR too taxing to also pair with riding. I did it last off-season and it was OK if i wanted to sideline my structured training (typically mid-vol), but its a power lifting program. Period. And it does not pair well with trying to do another training program (ex. TR) at the same time.
I also 1) hate mark rippletoe, the guy is a prick. and 2) don’t like the “increase by 5lb every lift” routine, though i did like the 5x5 structure of the program overall.
This off-season I am doing Juggernaut Training method. It was built to pair with other athletic training, and chad wesley smith took the best from other programs (mainly 5/3/1) to build it.
I’ll admit it sounds confusing as all hell at first, but once you build a sheet out (or download an excel file) its dead easy. You are never lifting at max weight except once every 4 weeks, but you are more than making up for it in volume. You also get a boatload of recovery which allows it to pair really well with TR or another structured training plan for the winter.
I’m into week 5 and i’m noticing similar gains to SS, but without the dead legs that plagued me with SS.
The other positive is that your own progress dictates the increases in your lifts (which is what the foundation of 5//3/1 is), and this means that you aren’t topping out due to the 5lb increases every time you are in the gym.
Hmm, I should’ve clarified I don’t follow SS to a T. I don’t train to 5RM every workout but I feel like it’s maybe 80-90% of what I could lift. I just want to maintain whatever strength and muscle I have. If I were eating in a surplus I would add the weight and I’m only doing low volume work as well. Eating around maintenance and lifting relatively heavy is all I’m shooting for at the moment
You should check out JTM2.0 then as it almost sounds similar to what you are already hacking together.
Looking at my career, I’ve been as low as 200 when totally out of shape, up to 307 totally in shape. Prior to this test, I was at 275 6 months prior when I was training on TR regularly following a plan. Prior to the 249 ftp I had not been really riding much
at all, and no riding on the trainer at all so that score was surprising but indicated that fitness does cross over for me. Also, I’ve been riding since 1997 and competed for a number of years so I do have some history going for me.
My tips, since you asked:
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If you cannot do a push-up, you have no business attempting a bench press.
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Deadlifting: you best make sure your form is on par
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Pull-ups: do them often. I have yet to see a guy who was good at pull ups and pushups, and not have a good physique.
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