After my dexascan early 2025, I started weight training back in February of 2025 because I was told I was pretty much at the lower limit of healthy bone density and muscle mass (43 years old btw). I’ve kept it up until last week. I have never really done weight training in my life before that so I worked with a personal 1on1 coach who I got along with and who loved pushing me. Gotta admit I loved pushing myself too. My progression was very linear.
Thursdays were leg day and I would get D E S T R O Y E D. Sometimes sore until Sunday. I’d still ride my Zone 2 Fridays and do my intervals on Saturdays but some days it would be very difficult.
Honestly though, now that I’m moving to the mountains (literally), I’m gonna be 40 mins away from the said gym / trainer and the nearest gym is not anywhere closer.
I do like the idea of stepping back from weight training as it wears me out a little lately. Maybe I was pushing too much? I wanna be able to ride 8-10 hours still. I used to ride 12 hours + do 2 hours per week at the gym at my peak fitness but I find it difficult nowadays, especially mentally with the added long car ride to do it.
How should I keep lifting? I’m not really asking equipment etc choices (although go ahead if you have suggestions) but more the strategy of it. All I care is being lean and protecting my bone density. I still prefer being light for climbing but I’d love to be overall healthy. Could body weight stuff at home be just as good? Pull ups, push ups, sit ups, other core stuff, glute activation stuff etc?
Has anybody tuned down their weight training and still happy to go that direction?
I think bodyweight is better than nothing, but it will likely be a struggle to gain strength without the progressive overload weights provide. Was your strength plan cycling-specific? I don’t think many personal trainer (non-cycling) programs would align with what a cyclist is trying to achieve as they gravitate towards HIIT and similar workouts where the goal is as much to burn body fat as it is to get strong. I’m not saying those plans are bad, but they are often counter-intuitive for endurance athletes. Most of us get enough cardio, so a lifting session should be focused on getting stronger which means heavier weight with more rest between sets. Maybe I’m assuming too much, but your “get destroyed” comment sent my brain that way.
With respect I disagree with this. It’s a bit like telling a strength athlete to not bother with cardio if they are not prepared to do hard VO2 max intervals.
I listened to some stuff with Brad Schoenfeld and read a couple of his papers and it was a game changer - as well as knowing how to optimise he is published in the field of minimal effective dose training and thinks (purely in terms of hypertrophy) that 4 working sets PER WEEK will achieve 60-70 of your genetic potential.
Additionally the ‘hypertrophy rep range’ is more like 5-30 reps than 8-12 so you can pick a weight that gets you to failure at 15-20 reps with lower weight and with a lower risk of injury.
I do bodyweight and dumbbell exercises at home, one working set per exercise, three times a week. I add core and injury prevention exercises to the classic compound lifts and unilateral leg exercises. I reckon I have got a little bit of muscle gain, a lot of strength gain compared to doing nothing and a huge sense of wellbeing. I plateaued after about 4-6 months (two years in at this point) and now the fatigue cost of the session is close to zero.
Is that going to maximise my strength or help a sprint? No, but I’d rather do that consistently and reap the massive health benefits than not do a heavy session at the gym because realistically I’m not going to go. I’m a recreational cyclist who wants to stay healthy. Perfect is the enemy of good.
I’ve toned down my weight training over the years. From around 16-32 I spent usually 4-6 hrs in the gym lifting very heavy. No cardio. Peaked around 220 lbs with probably around 10% BF. Got down to 190 at around 6-7%. I’m 5’9. At one point I would deadlift 455x6 and bench 275x10. I always knew as I got older I’d transition to cardio and endurance sports.
That transition happened around 32, got into running a few years, then biking 2 years ago (38 now). The last couple years have been around 7-10hrs/wk on the bike and 2-3 hrs lifting. I’m 155 lbs now (65 lbs less than my peak, about the same BF).
I’ve been lifting twice a week, but may cut back to one full body day. If you don’t want to lift as much, then don’t. Last thing you want is to get totally burned out then quit. Don’t “do nothing” though either. Sounds like you need it especially from a health perspective.
I’d get a set of adjustable dumbbells for home, a pull up bar, some bands, and an adjustable bench. Dumbbells and bands at a minimum. You can do PLENTY with just that. Then target for at least 1 hard full body day per week, or 2 shorter sessions. If you want some help building a program, PM and I’d be happy to share suggestions on equipment, exercises, reps/sets, etc.
I have a pretty good home gym from my years of weightlifting. This was my first week really going the full body route. Even at 155 I’m pretty strong and carry a lot of muscle for a cyclist.
If your concern is bone density and not just strength then lifting heavy is what you need. Heavy weights will create the greatest bone density response. Endless reps with lighter weight won’t help much with this.
An olympic bar and a bunch of plates, a bench and a rack (probably with some safety stops). That’s all you need. Don’t load up on kettlebells or dumbbells or whatever else they sell you. You don’t need it. Also don’t bother with pyramid sets or drop sets or who the heck knows what else everyone gets up to. Keep. It. Freaking. Simple. (or you won’t bother doing it!)
Deadlift = 3 working sets A WEEK as much as you can lift for 5 reps. 3min rest between sets. Stay here until all 3 sets are 7 reps. Add 5lbs for next week and start back at 5. (good idea to put this after your hardest ride of the week with an off-bike day afterwards)
Bench press = same protocol
Bent over row = same
Squat = same (hard ride day with a rest day after)
Overhead press = same
Similar to cycling do 3 weeks on and on the 4th week either drop the weight by 50% or use body weight alternates and go to failure for a few sets.
Remember, you are not lifting heavy for hypertrophy necessarily, you are lifting heavy for the bone density stimulus. For bone density you wanna go heavy.
If the OP wasn’t actively stating “I’m building a home gym” I assumed they weren’t interested based on cost/space, etc.. Tons can still be done with adjustable dumbbells that go heavy (80-90 lbs), a bench, bands, and pull up bar. Plenty sufficient for nearly everyone.
That aside, obviously barbells, weights, racks, etc. are ideal. Most don’t seem to prioritize the space, however, which is understandable.
True, I made an assumption. OP did say he’s moving much further away from the gym and I was simply pointing out how little equipment can be all you need. Cheaper than an ongoing gym membership and no need to leave the house. But either way the advice is still relevant even if you’re commuting to the gym; just focus on the barbell setup and keep it all terribly simple.
I take your point about space though, not everyone has enough for a typical setup but there are solutions for that as well if one is so inclined. I have a weight rack that folds against the wall and pretty much totally disappears, for example.
I’d try to get to the gym once a week for heavy weights. Once a week should be enough to keep your strength etc. Maybe go 2x a week in winter/off season. I’d maybe add second session with bodyweight and flexibility exercises at home, but do it in a way that doesn’t destroy you for riding.
If you get on well with the coach you could ask if they can help you with your plans. I think good coaches are worth keeping.
There is a lot of research showing that impact is more important than lifting for preserving/generating bone density. Look to do a few days of jumping and less lifting.
If your goal is health and bone density, not bodybuilding, I’d just do 2 short strength sessions a week at home. Better to be slightly less strong and enjoy riding than be exhausted from leg days all the time
I’m a former competitive weightlifter and current strength and conditioning coach who is currently diving into cycling with a secondary goal of preserving my hard-earned strength.
My biggest piece of advice for concurrently building strength without detracting from your primary goal of cycling performance is to distribute your lower body lifting volume across the week strategically rather than having a monster leg day that leaves you sore for days and tanks your cycling performance. In other words: shorter, more frequent trips to the gym.
For example, I’m doing low volume TR plans that include three higher intensity rides per week, which I schedule for M/W/F. I cycle in the morning on those days, and then in the afternoon on each of those days I do 2-4 heavy sets of one exercise (rotating through trap bar deadlift/RDLs, squats, and split squats/lunges). This only makes sense if you want to get stronger while minimizing impact on your cycling, if strength were a priority over cycling you’d switch the order to lift fresh and cycle while accepting some fatigue from lifting.
Each of these mini-sessions only takes me about 25 minutes total, but effort is important: like cycling, you get out what you put in. Your body will not get stronger beyond an early level of strength development unless you subject it to heavy loads (heavy relative to what you are capable of). I’m an advanced strength athlete so my goal is just maintenance while I improve my cycling fitness, but for less experienced lifters, aim to progress the load by a small amount each session while able.
The same principles apply to upper body strength, although I tend to do more traditional longer workouts for upper body since fatigue there doesn’t affect my cycling noticeably.
Let me know if you have any questions in general about strength/hypertrophy combined with cycling!
