Hi. I’m looking to build strength training into my routine but curious on how to schedule it with other work.
Basically I can only strength train in the am before work. Unfortunately no flexibility around that for the short term
given the advice is to put the strength work after the interval work should I be putting the strength work the following day of my intervals?
looking at doing Sunday interval, Monday strength + endurance, Tuesday off. Repeat Wednesday/thursday. Friday or Saturday open for a ride and recovery.
Alternative is Monday strength (am) interval (pm), endurance Tuesday. Wednesday off. Thursday/Friday repeat.
The advice is to do them on interval days aka keep hard days hard and easy days easy. I’ve also heard at least a couple hours after intervals is best, but before is fine as well.
Not speaking from experience though as i also haven’t found a good way to fit strength into my week.
Yeah normally putting the cycling work before the weight work. In my case since it will always be the opposite does it make sense to offset a day and have the next day as a full rest
I am in the same boat (can only strength train in the morning and do my cycling workouts in the evening). I lift 4 days a week (two upper, two lower) and do 3 interval days and 3 endurance days. It has been a bugger to fit in. The upper body day does not affect my rides. Lower body has been more challenging.
-lower reps for main lifts, 3-6 reps. I have also been using a plan focusing on moving weight more powerfully and quickly with pauses, negative accentuation and jumping.
-I lift lower body on Sweet Spot day and Long Ride day. The Sweet Spot lifting day is more difficult. I have been programming short sets of dead lifts/hip thrusts/RDL/Good mornings AND then doing 5x5 squats after my ride because i can knock them out pretty fast. The deadlifts and hip thrusts do not seem to fatigue me much at all for the Sweet Spot workout. My legs are pretty wrecked the next day.
-Nothing ruins a VO2 workout faster than squats earlier in the day. i schedule VO2 the furthest away from lower body as possible.
-Long Ride day is a different strategy. This ride is usually 3 to 4 hours. I usually focus on accessory lifts (one leg RDL) and jumping because they do not induce as much fatigue. Or at least enough to make the ride too miserable.
-Something needs to give, you cannot fit it all in. What are your goals? I have been been trying to let go of a traditional lower body plan in order to prioritize cycling performance.
Personally, I like strength on an endurance day or cycling “rest” day. My strength work consists of <20 minute circuits though so it only leave me feeling fatigued for an hour or two after lifting. I focus on 3 rounds of 3-4 compound movements with 2 minutes rests in between. I then do my intervals the next day. The thought of lifting on an interval day feels like a no-go.
Progression is slow but sustainable and let’s me focus on strength and longevity versus maximum cycling performance.
A typical week is usually:
Sun - long endurance
Mon - 75 min endurance, lift - squat/box jumps/pull-ups/planks
Tue - Sweet spot
Wed - lift - deadlift, incline DB bench, pull-ups
Thur - threshold or VO2max or hard group
Fri - lift - RDL, BSS, side planks
Sat - 60 min endurance or long walk or rest
For reference, I’m 50 and this is very sustainable for me. I listen to my body and take a ride or a lift off when necessary. Life also forces me to sometime skip a workout or two each month so maybe that helps too with the sustainability.
