You’ll generally want to do weight training when you’re properly recovered.
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Yes. During the winter weightlifting months I prioritize lifting and plan bike sessions around the strength programming. Lifting stuff is a nice break from hammering intervals.
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Word. Makes sense, thanks guys. I was having trouble fitting in lifting during times when i was fresh, but on second thought, it’s probably because i was trying to lift and ride on separate days. SO lifting would be on a “rest day” for riding and, at least for high volume lifting, ended up being too taxing.
Question: For anyone who has been building leg strength in the off-season and base period, how well has maintenance (e.g. heavy squats 1x/week) actually worked out for you in the build and specialty phases? Don’t know if it’s just me or do others also feel that some strength will be lost no matter what? I’ve been on one of the build plans for the last 6 weeks and really struggle to maintain the strength I built in the early winter.
Pretty stoked. Down 26lbs body weight since November, and i hit a deadlift personal record today.
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Maintenance isn’t only limited to the strength aspect; if you’re practicing the movement (back squats) more than once a week and drop to doing it once a week is it enough practice to stay fresh?
Maybe, but consider that the strength and Neuro-muscular adaptation is specific to the stimuli you apply to the system. As you apply less stimulus you’ll see less adaptation over the long term.
Strength maintenance and strength build phases should be viewed through the same lens as on the bike training - maintenance will work to preserve gains you’ve made through the build phases but won’t be enough forever. This is why you peak at various times throughout the season.
Hope this helps.
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Does it make any sense to lift after TR workouts? I’m time crunched and in my mind if I can lift after TR rides, even if I am not max’ing out to 1RMs I can gain some benefit, and profit from better rest days between. I have lifted before, and once I get back into I can hit the % bodyweight lifts in the strength calculator - I could probably hit them now but want to ease into it.
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It’s usually better to do something rather than do nothing. Obviously that statement comes loaded with caveats, but if you only had that time available to you to work on strength, then you should take advantage of it. The primary concern will be adequate fueling once the weights really ramp up (or if you’re in the middle of something like Build). I saw something recently (a Dylan Johnson video? maybe reddit /r/weightroom?) that suggested strength and endurance can improve concurrently, but people often peak and then regress in strength, and the main reason is just insufficient energy.
Good points.
In my head I have something is better than nothing, and looking at what I would consider modest goals of a BW squat and a 2-plate deadlift, me being 150lbs. I also have to consider age as a factor (52) especially around getting adequate recovery time
I think you want to come into any session relatively fresh.
And lifting is secondary exercise so no I don’t prioritise being fresh for lifting.
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Makes sense. Just wonder how top endurance athletes in general are able to build strength year after year even though the endurance work they carry out is so demanding. Take Nino for example
It takes time to gain it and time to lose it.
Build, sustain, recover is a cycle and not a year-long thing. I’m sure Nino’s not in racing shape in December. Peak too early or too late and your season’s over.
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If it is the only time you can lift (right after the ride) make it an easy endurance workout as per the recommendation on the concurrent training - point (d). However, as others have mentioned, lifting is better than not lifting, hence any combination will do.
I prefer to keep my hard days hard and even if I can’t perform the bike session in the morning (preferred option) I will still do the gym session the same day (straight after the bike).
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This is a helpful guide as well, as it goes into many of the caveats: Concurrent Training: Science and Practical Application — GC Performance Training
I also will, from now on, only be doing strength on a hard day. Strength on an easy day can work but it’s a fine balance and if you’re not a fast recoverer you’re basically reducing the number of hard days you have available for on-the-bike training
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I found that through both MVSSB I&II I could do some more intense weight training on the 2 off days and recover fine for the bike sessions. But now that I am in Sustained Build I am significantly more fatigued and will probably only be hitting the gym once a week (maybe some upper body and core a second day).
Before and during SSBI I tried doing 2-a-days with the bike before work and lifting after but ultimately the days of short sleep caught up to me and put me in a deeper hole than just lifting on the non-bike days.
Found that one too but one I posted was what I had bookmarked and liked for the recommendations.
Same here, hard ride after strength session day before is not fun.
Yeah it’s gonna be very personal and having to find what works. I know that doing strength as its own separate hard day (vs. pairing it with an on-the-bike hard day) worked for a while but then ultimatley wasn’t the right choice for me personally
Squat Load vs Leg Press Load
How similar weight-wise could/should they be?
Back in the day when I wasn’t very fit (ok 16y ago!) I think I was doing 2 maybe 3x12 slow reps of 140kg leg press for a few months.
I didn’t even know how to do a weighted squat back then. Now I’m doing 5x5 Squats which are more explosive and I’ve built up to 70kg so far.
Are they comparable at all?
my experience is that squatting is a skill and it takes much more balanced athleticism than a seated leg press. the more skilled you are, the stronger your core, if you use a lifting belt, etc., you’ll be able to squat a greater percentage of your leg press. Just like with any isolation exercise vs. the most comparable compound lift.
I don’t know whether there are “standards” per se
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They definitely aren’t comparable because the angle of the leg press will make a huge difference in how much weight you can push. It also takes all (or most) of the stabilizers out of the movement. Not to mention your entire back and core. If your squat goes up your leg press probably will to. But there is no way to say “if you leg press X weight you should be able to squat Y”.
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