Last year I started the most basic of weight training programs. I just wanted it for health and wellness and maybe better cycling.
I designed a basic plan around push, pull, squat, hinge. Mostly I’ve just used the Precor machines at the gym and a kettlebell swing for the hinge because it was easy to start there and not racking plates made for a quick workout. Occasionally, I’d do other sets on the precor machines for variety.
In the first six weeks I was able to increase the weight on every machine between 60 and 100%. Just an example, I went from 160 to 240 on the leg press machine in those six weeks and topped out at 260 some months later.
In the first year, strength training was affecting cycling a lot. My legs would be smashed for at least 3 days and I couldn’t push the same watts. For the whole summer part of the year I went into maintenance mode. I’d do less sets with less weights once every 7 to 10 days. I tried Joe Friel’s, do lower weight and 20 reps, method and that was a little better. What really worked for maintenance was just doing a couple sets at like 180 and 220 and never pushing near max. That allowed me to maintain and not have tired legs on the bike.
These last few months, about a year into this program I’ve noticed something interesting. Weight has been going up again and I’m recovering much faster. I’m up to 300lbs on the leg press machine and my legs are not smashed for days. They aren’t even smashed at all and I feel fully recovered in one day.
Compared to a year ago, I’m swinging a 40lb kettlebell now. I’ve been playing around with trap bar deadlifts and the bench press bar. Racking weights still takes longer, a lot longer. I can breeze through the machine only workout in 20 minutes if I wanted.
This last point was the main point of my post. You might have to give it a year once you get past the newb gains. Just stick with it. Do way less than you think you should do if the legs don’t recover fast. You can just do maintenance during a large part of the cycling year. One can make good progress, especially as an add-on to cycling for general health with just one session per week or even every ten days.
I’m just a few years younger with similar outcomes. This past summer i would miss a ride before missing a gym session, I couldn’t believe it!!!
Same experience with leg work. I was doing only body weight squats and lunges, maybe sometimes holding a small kettlebell and my legs would be so wiped for cycling I have completely stopped leg work and doing just push pull.
I want to start up legs but don’t know when. I’m just in a TR block now and don’t want to sacrifice any quality but I know eventually I need to do some leg work
I tell myself legs are “strong enough” from working on my property, walking and carrying construction materials etc on uneven ground for 100s of metres at a time
Great (and timely) post. I hit 57 in November and started doing more weight work. I’ve been doing half-ass efforts on squats and deadlifts for a long time, but mostly ignoring the rest of my body (typical dumb cyclist approach). I’m all cardio (bike and rowing), but very little strength. I was embarrassingly weak with the upper body work to start, but amazed how quick I saw some dramatic improvements (only 7 weeks in now). The trick now is figuring how to work it into my cycling season (which I just started this week). I’m going to try to fit in 2 days full body each week, just not sure how that will work with my bike training. If I can’t make 2 days work during the season (which wraps up by early August), I will make at least 1 day per week non-negotiable (even if it hurts my cycling). I’m just getting too old to keep ignoring this stuff.
In my experience it’s too much unless you have a lot of weight training experience and even then, focus on cycling if you want to be your best at cycling.
I maintained all my winter strength gains all year doing whimpy leg workouts at 60% once every 7-10 days. Some days, I literally did one set and it felt like nothing but I maintained.
I still did my regular upper body stuff (push (bench), pull (row)). I’d save the 2 days a week for after August.
That said, I also do extra dumbbell work 3-4 nights a week while watching a tv show.
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