Definitely plus one for the least worse kettle or dumbell alternatives, please @chad
Best chance for me to incorporate is at home, where I don’t have a spotter or a squat rack. I’m not using a barbell without a rack or spotter for anything bar a deadlift.
Just to use the squat as an example, is the best alternative dumbbell squats or goblet squats (I’ve always tended to go for the latter for my inconsistent attempts at incorporating strength training).
The podcast (and niggles) have worn me down and I think I’m ready to commit!
I can’t go too heavy on a goblet squat. If you can’t do high bar squats I would do bulgarian split squats instead. Even with much lower weight compared to regular squat your quads and/or your glutes will be burning. Focus on stability and proper form. By changing your torso angle you can manipulate which muscles do the most of the work.
And as a side note, you should do single leg/arm exercises anyway. It improves your stability and lowers the imbalances.
I would think so as well. However my arms are pretty weak and limit me on the goblet squat. It might still be useful exercise but not for the leg strength development more of a mobility and core/grip strength.
I’m working my way through the HV plans (Monday off bike) and my current strength routine is:
Monday or Tuesday:
Bench 3x5
Pendlay Row 3x5
Hanging Leg Raise 3x8
Oblique Wood Choppers with cable machine 3x10 per side
Chinups 2x8
Battle Rope circuit ~5 minutes total
Sometimes Bulgarian Split Squat 3x5 per side
Friday
Overhead Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5 or 2/3x3
Hanging Leg Raise 3x8
Pallof Press 3x10 per side
Pullups 2x8
Battle Rope circuit ~5 minutes total
Sometimes Bulgarian Split Squat 3x5 per side
I’ve found barbell squatting very difficult to combine with cycling, and haven’t done any of that since base. So if my legs feel fine I will do the Bulgarian Splits Squats one day a week. At 5’10" and 147lb/67kg I can hit or exceed almost all of the Level 3 targets, though my bench is a little low. However I would still say in general I am quite thin, that is to say even meeting this threshold does not require an impractical amount of muscle. I suspect the greater concern is time and energy.
Before starting TrainerRoad I had a greater than average level of experience with strength training, so have been in maintenance mode for the most part. I have been able to increase weight on all lifts over the past few months, albeit very slowly. With the deadlift for example, if I am feeling stronger I will increase the weight and switch to multiple sets of 3 vs 1x5.
Unfortunately due to time constraints I often skip the Friday endurance ride to lift, sometimes including a short ride on the rollers. Sacrificing a ride to lift is a overall benefit, for my body and health. Although I am considering through the next training cycle replacing most Sunday Sweet Spot rides with long aerobic rides, to make up for this missed component and vary the stress.
Not Chad, here, but he’s often talked about pistol squats as an alternative and if you don’t like those I have also sometimes done shrimp squats. Here’s a very chipper demonstration of them:
Like pistol squats, it is hard to add extra weight, but both effectively double the effect of just using your own body weight since they’re unilateral. I dunno if it’s quite true that they’re analogous to doing, say, 100% of body weight in a back squat, but it’s not far off and if you’re not going to do the back squat at all then it’s a reasonable approximation.
@runriderandi this is actually quite impressive. Want to know what’s not impressive? Someone who can bench press my 1963 VW Beetle, but can’t do a single deadlift. You freakin’ rock!
I don’t think you could go wrong with pistol squats or bulgarian squats as a barbell alternative. The difference being maybe the pistol is more of a balance/control test and the bulgarian can and probably should be loaded quite heavy, once the movement is learned.
And for anyone who is looking to add in strength training, you may come to find that the foam roller and lacrosse ball are your new best friends. And may want to make regular stretching/mobility work a priority as well, which does not need to take up much time.
I’d long heard that this exercise was one to be avoided because of the stresses it puts on your shoulders is quite likely to lead to injury. Do you know if there’s any truth to this, or was it more of a “if your form slips” sort of warning?
Mark Rippetoe isn’t without critics, but he has a decent argument that the overhead press is good for shoulder health in general:
Of course, he’s only one source, and he’s definitely predisposed to the “work it so it’s strong, don’t avoid it because it might lead to injury” argument.
If you look around at who is doing something at least similar to the overhead press at the highest level, I think looking to Olympic weightlifters training for the clean and jerk is reasonable. Here’s an article that seems to me to be representative of that community:
There is usually a pattern to symptom occurrence and production, with an increase in training load, volume or intensity, coupled with poor technique being the main culprit.
So I’d say that yes, of course it puts “stress” on your shoulders because the goal is to generate an adaptive response to that stress. A sensible approach to building up volume and intensity over time, coupled with an emphasis on good technique, will minimize risk while strengthening your body to reduce the risk of injuries outside the gym.
In all honesty, I’m more worried about the risk of shoulder and elbow injuries stemming from the bench press, and much more inclined to switch it out for other exercises (although it’s been smooth sailing for me lately, so I haven’t acted on that inclination).
Agree - I feel like this topic should really be called “weight training recommendations for cyclists”. Not everyone has space / money for even more sports equipment, let alone time / money to add trips to the gym on top of their turbo sessions.
I go with some of the exercises from the link above, but this thread makes me feel a bit like they’re second best.
For those who work out at home with limited equipment, I highly recommend checking out TRX suspension straps (or knock offs if you can find them). This opens up a host of body weight exercises that can take the place of weights and it takes up minimal space. Why TRX Suspension Training®? - YouTube
Spend $99 on the TRX straps and $200 for weight/bar set for dead lifts and you’ll have access to 95% of the training benefit you can get from a $5000 gym set up.
Hi, I started a weekly strength and conditioning session solely off the back of comments in the podcast before xmas. I’m 38 and ride 7-8 hours a week. I wanted to make sure I was ‘fit’ in a more rounded way and not just relying on cycling for exercise.
Currently my sessions will typically look like some activation exercises to get the glutes and lower body firing, some strteches across the shoulders and hip flexor stretches. This is followed by jumps, trap bar lifts (105kg at the moment, and I weigh 85kg), farmers walks, dead bugs and other core work and maybe a mini-circuit of shoulder presses and the like. I spent a long time learning to correct way to lift and am now increasing the weights. I feel stronger and have noticeably less lower back pain. I’m not sure exactly if it is directly imrproving my riding performance but I have been hitting power pb’s. I enjoy doing something other than cycling once a week and feel it benefits my overall health.
I’m going to look at incoporating some of Chad’s suggested exercises.
Thanks for this resource and keep up the great work!
I agree with all of this. If you don’t have existing shoulder issues then doing overhead press with reasonable weight and performing it correctly shouldn’t give you issues.
The other thing with shoulders that I’ve noticed is that they are particularly susceptible to imbalance. So if you are worried about these bothering your shoulders then you should couple them with things like lateral raises, rear delt flys, band pull aparts, and rotator cuff exercises (to just name a few options)
I have a L5S1 injury also. I find that single leg exercises works well. split squat or bulgarian split squat are a good alternative. I started with only body weight at first to learn the movement and get good form/range of motion. (working on that can help you a lot in your everyday life, think about all the time in a day you have to bend to pick up things. Having a good hip hinge mecanic can go a long way to spare your back
I am at the level 3 strength goals for legs and above on the upper body push/pulls at 75 kg, however I grew up as a strength athlete playing football as my primary focus, so I have been strength training for two decades. I am well off previous strength highs but am far bulkier than the average endurance athlete (although my friends would say I have disappeared over the last 5 years as I’ve become a cyclist).
In general, I will go for 2x a week of strength training year round, but I am usually shifting my focus in the fall to eccentric leg exercises to get ready for ski season. This is tough as it aligns with my primary focus of cyclocross and eccentric exercises make you sore! I’ve historically had trouble finding the time for strength training and on the bike in the same day, so it has quite often come at the expense of overall endurance training days or recovery days.
My biggest issue beyond using recovery days to strength train is getting back into a routine after battling back from an injury or illness. It is easy to jump back into endurance training, but if you have been off leg training, the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) you get from restarting compound leg exercises really hampers your endurance training, especially if you are in a key portion of training heading into an event.
My regular routine would be something of the nature:
3 x 6-10 Squats
3 x 6-10 Deadlift
Pull Exercise (Barbell rows, Pull Ups, Seated cable rows)
Push Exercise (Incline Press, Bench Press Dips, Renegade Rows)
Auxiliary Upper Body (Side raises, etc)
Auxiliary Lower Body (Side Steps with Bands, etc)
Core (Planks, Dead Bugs, etc)
I checked the levels and I am a level 3 women. I have been strength training for over ten years and I am also a personal trainer and USAT coach. I train mostly women and I have a hexbar that is great for teaching proper form for squats and deadlifts. If I have older women or women that are just starting to lift, the hexbar also comes in handy to use instead of setting a bar on someone’s back. I love your podcast!! You guys are amazing. I look forward to every episode.
I train mostly women and I have a hexbar that is great for teaching proper form for squats and deadlifts. If I have older women or women that are just starting to lift, the hexbar also comes in handy to use instead of setting a bar on someone’s back. I love your podcast!! You guys are amazing. I look forward to every episode.