Hi, I’d like to add some strength training to my week ( at first once a week up to twice a week, I don’t think I’ll be able to do 3 times a week )
I found TrainerRoad recommendations, and they seem fine.
But did anyone try those?
Were they any good?
Any other recommendations?
I plan on not just working out the legs, but also the torso. Mainly for posture and stability
I think deadlifts (and variations which also target the posterior chain) have made the most difference to my much improved posture over the last couple of years.
Oh really?
I’m curious to see how it’s going to unfold then.
As I spend all my time either cycling or on the computer, I think back strenghting and pecs stretching will help a lot too.
I think I heard somewhere that it wouldn’t hinder performance significantly
As long as you don’t just throw a whole bunch of strength training on top of a whole bunch of riding without regard to balancing overall stress and recovery, it’ll only be advantageous.
The podcast crew did a couple of episodes a while ago around strength training, they’re definitely worth a listen.
I’ve avoided the gym for years out of fear of hurting myself - I have a spondy. Recently (3 months?) started strength work following listening to the podcast. I bought a 14 kg kettlebell, basically spent the first month not using that and just doing body weight exercises focusing on form and getting ready for it.
So far, so good. For a strength session I pick and choose 5 or 6 exercises, 2 or 3 reps depending on how I’m feeling - very much following the principles in the podcast
As an aside, I would recommend spending some time watching YouTube videos to understand the correct form and practice a lot before starting your training program. A friend has just injured himself doing dumb bell rows using very light weights. He just bought the weights and jumped straight into a beginners training program.
If you’re new to strength training, definitely don’t over do yourself. I would even suggest having you only do the big 5 which are Deadlifts, Squat, Bench press, dumbbell rows and dumbbell presses.
In my opinion if you’re a cyclist who is new to strength training you don’t need complicated movements. Work on form over weight, meaning make sure the movement is right before adding more weight. There are plenty videos on YouTube to walk you through them. Being great at those movements will have tremendous carryover to other more dynamic movements.
Maybe even better if you’re a beginner is to do push ups instead of bench press. Once you can do 4 or 5 sets of 10 good quality push ups, it’s time to approach the bench. Push up handles are great for targetting the chest over shoulders/triceps.
Many folks also recommend starting with Romanian Deadlifts instead of Conventional Deadlifts. Slighty gentler, more hamstring-focused (especially if you keep your knees relatively straight and concentrate on depth). I like to alternate them with deadlifts if I’m lifting twice a week, as deads once a week is sufficient for me.
Oh, and goblet or kettlebell squats are just great for learning coordination and form before thinking about loading up a bar and squatting heavy.
Are you asking if these recommendations are good recommendations for training? Or are you asking if they are good recommnendations as benchmarks you should work towards?
I’d posit they are acceptable benchmarks, very generally. But I don’t think they are training recommendations specifically. If they are, they are quite lacking, due to complete lack of training specifics (number of sets, frequency of training, etc), and most importantly, progressive overload. But I’m 99% sure what you’ve posted here are just benchmarks to work towards.
But also read a bit of the “Strength Training” thread in this forum. Most of the replies with the highest “thumbs-up” are pretty reasonable recommendations and can be considered educational. I can’t vouch for other specific lifting programs in that threads because I have not reviewed them in detail, whereas, I wrote (and profit from) the sale of the above.
Great point.
100% agree. Get a program with video instructions for every movement and film yourself. If you don’t look the same as the videos while doing the exercise, hire someone to help you get there.
Preach! Even as a pro cyclist, with decades of experience in the gym, you don’t need complicated movements.
My life motto “no complicated movements”. I’ll just add as a cyclist and not a body builder and just somebody who will quickly drop something if it’s too complicated I just stick to simple stuff that will help me build some strength and help me on the bike.
I pretty much stick to dumbbells, kettlebells, body weight, and resistance bands
I stick mostly to single leg deadlifts, squats, rows, turkish get ups, kettlebell swings, push-ups, dumbbell presses and a fair amount of core. I just make sure I am not just going through the motions and actually working hard.
I guess as a non-pro who’s not aiming for podium in every race I just like keeping it simple.