Strength session or add another bike session - LV

Hi there
Just wondering what people add, in terms of best bang for buck, when they find they have time for another session or two a week when following the LV plan. And generally doing 3-4 rides a week on avg. Most weeks I find I have time for another ride or two for up to an hour each. Is it best to jump into a Train Now session or perhaps do some strength training (such as 5x5) or just put my feet up? I feel like I can handle the extra volume but don’t want to move to a MV plan as the LV just provides a lot more flexibility when life gets in the way.
Cheers

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Given what you write, I’d do strength training and do it as extra credit. I tried adding it, and while it felt super, super good, I had to stop, because I couldn’t fit it in with all of my other life responsibilities. It’s definitely something I will consider for my next season: sacrifice a ride for a strength session. On super long rides, I noticed some mild to intermediate shoulder discomfort.

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Really 1 set to failure is almost as good as a 5 set , x reps traditional session (though hard for pulling as usually my hands fail first so I do a quick drop set) and only costs 20% of the time

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I am really convinced to add reasonable volume of strength to my training plans. I am also 41 now and want to be healthy in future. As we know, endurance sports are on the catabolic pathways and as i am not a pro, it is ok to sacrifice some of my FTP to be more stable and start my older years with more muscle. I started strength exercises a year ago and i can tell that I look and feel better however it was not easy to balance the overall load. Last year I added 3-4 days/week strength sessions (~45/60 mins each) to my SSMV plan and I really was struggling some days.
Another difficulty is separating sessions, balancing work, family life and food.
I switched to polarized plans since July and things are more manageable I would say.

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My plan is to do two strength sessions per week for the first three (base) training blocks, gradually increasing the weight, and then back the frequency off to once a week maintenance once I start introducing greater amounts of supra-threshold intensity on the bike. At 53, I find I can work hard with weight or work hard on the bike, but both is pushing it.

Given the choice, I’d rather add a long ride than add a strength session, given that my short power is a relative strength and my endurance is a weakness.

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For general health and well-being, adding some strength training for a few months makes a lot of sense.

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I’m afraid it is so different for the variety of people on here is so wide.

How strong are you, what are your goals, what’s your injury history, how old are you, what strength program, what other training you do, what job you do and so on, that there is no single answer for all people.

Having gone in to strength fairly heavily with 5x5 two years ago, I recognise it’s benefits but for me, I’m naturally fairly strong, and for race day performance it’s not going to shave an hour off my Ironman time, but running more every week might.

As someone a few years away from fifty, it might have more health benefits that performance.

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Thanks all. Super helpful. Adding a strength session seems to be the winner. As a bit more background, I’m 37 so I’m conscious of making strength training part of a regular routine for general well-being and future self.

Strength sessions have always featured sporadically in my training so will continue on that basis. But try and focus it a bit more with some key exercises such as squat, bench, pull up or row, deadlift, and shoulder press. In other words the more traditional 5x5 sessions and split accordingly. Perhaps dropping to more of a maintenance session higher reps lower weight later in the season.

Thanks.

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