One thing that has definitely helped me in recent years is including a significant amount of plank work in my routine - straight-arm, forearm, one-legged, side, etc. Gradually built up to an 8-minute session, and along with regular Pilates I can hold aero positions for much longer and never get the back and neck problems I used to.
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I agree and I always feel the same applies to peopleās diets and life in general. People make things more complicated than necessary.
But maybe this is my confirmation bias kicking in as I like things simple.
I get if oneās job is that if a pro athlete but for the rest of us āmortalsā especially those of us who may not be racing at the front of the pack all of the time I focus on consistency. If workouts start getting too complicated Iām less likely to do them.
Not at all. In fact if you have a pullup bar at home you could get in a really good progression working pull ups and push ups.
In any event, I would focus on the multi joint upper body lifts like pullups (or lat pulldown), rows, overhead pushing movement and possibly bench press or push ups.
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Thanks so much! Iām not even close to doing a proper push up or pull up TBH thatās why I really donāt want to neglect upper body work. My squat rack at home has an attached lat pulldown set upā¦I can definitely get in lat pull downs, rows and bench press in that 3rd session.
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I would also include an overhead pressing movement of some kind. Additionally, if you have some bands, that is a good way to do assisted pullups which is a nice bridge exercise until you can handle pullups. Once you get used to pulling your own weight, you will be surprised at how quickly the body adapts and you can go from barely doing 1 pullup to cranking out sets of 5.
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For the past 4 months Iv been working with a trainer at a gym they are not a cycling coach but I told them what I was looking for. I have been pretty much doing whole body work outsā¦ Iv seen some gains idk about on the bike but heading into the build phase and I let that coach go but Iām trying to build my own program.
I know itās laid out in a PPL format but Iv been putting together stuff various resources and from the past few months. Iām trying to condense this down to 2 days of work outs. Any suggestions on what to keep and what to change?
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I have a similar routine and weights are in the same ballpark. For legs I also do goblet squats (3 x 10 @ 46kg) - the front-loading is reckoned to hit the quads in a different and possibly more productive way for cyclists than back barbell squats.
I also warm up on the leg extension machine - 3 x 15 x 100kg. Not sure how productive these are but they seem to get the quads activated for the rest of the session.
For core Iāve built the planks up to 7 minute session including full arm, forearm, raised leg (on forearm), side (full arm stacked feet) and then torso rotations (so one hand full arm). I reckon for cycling planks are good if you use tri bars a lot (as I do) to keep good position and avoid neck and back problems.
Iāve been strength training since Mid December - Iād like an opinion on my routine, Iāve mostly used the podcasts and this forum to help guide me as I am completely new to GYM and donāt have much external help. I canāt afford a PT at this point of time.
I am 66kg @ 4.5wkg - My focus is to primarily get faster, both on road and off - but my events are mostly XC
I do 2 sessions @ 20 min sessions and 1 rock climbing session per week for fun.
Session 1
Squats 1x20 @ 40kg (Warm up)
Squat 2x15 @ 50kg
Squat 1x10 @ 60kg
-
Bench Press 2x15 @ 30kg (havenāt been able to progress this much since Iāve started :sad:)
ā Grip exercises below have only been recently added as I started rock climbing.
Dead hang 2x30 sec
Assisted Pull upās, depending on which resistance band is available at the gym.
Session 2
Deadlift - Increasing weights and lowering reps building up 5x70kg
-
Bent Row 2x15 @ 30kg (Havenāt progressed this much, I am having difficulty with form so am reluctant on increasing weights)
-
More pull ups/Dead hangs.
Generally with my main workouts being Squats and Deadlifts, I take it very conservatively, never over RPE 7 Iād say. This is due to the fact I have bike work In the evening and that I am still learning how to do these moves with good form. I do still see slight improvement with weight although I havenāt tried to lift very heavy yet.
My strength goals are to develop good form and consistency so that I can remain un-injured, particularly in the off-season (November) when I start lifting heavy.
My goals for gym is to be generally robust and be a decent rock climberā¦ and be able to do 5 pull upās unassisted!
All feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated!! 
Iād include some form of overhead press and dips then you have all 8 major compound exercises covered
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If lifting two days per week, I think you have two options, either an upper lower split, or a whole body split.
For the lower body exercises I would stick with squats. If you are doing traditional deadlifts be careful doing them on the same workout as both of those exercises together are very taxing. Personally I would alternate those each workout, and maybe throw in an RDL to focus on the hamstrings after squats.
As for the box jumps, I saw you have those written as 1x20, but I really hope those are broken into smaller sets. If not and you want to keep the exercise, then try 3-4 sets of 3, where you focus on jumping as high and fast as possible, while also Resetting after each jump.
I would probably either throw in a leg press as well or
Some other type of multi joint leg exercise leg step ups as well.
Regarding the upper body, you canāt go wrong with pull-ups. If you can already do 10 reps, for 3 sets with good form, then you can start to think about adding weight like a dumbbell between the legs. I would move this to the first pull exercise. I think you should also try to incorporate a row movement as well.
Regarding the push exercises, Beach press, dips, and overhead press are a good foundation.
If you decide to do whole body twice a week I would do something like this:
Workout 1:
- Squat
- rdl
3a) pull ups
3b) push-ups
4a) seated row
4b) overhead press (seated)
5a) dips
5b) face pulls or reverse flies
Workout 2:
- DL
- step ups
3a) bench press
3b) pull ups
4a) overhead press standing
4b) renegade rows
5a) overhead extension
5b) face pulls or reverse flies
You could then work in box jumps as a warm
Up for squats and maybe hammer curls as the last exercise when you have time.
Hope this helps
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Thank you Iāll review this and see how I can make this happen. I appreciate the advice from you all!
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FWIWā¦ when spring comes and itās time to focus on cycling, I drop the leg work and cut the number of sets for upper body. Have found I can maintain pretty well on reduced sets and focusing on the big movements. But if I try to keep the lifting volume up and increase the cycling volume I run into recovery issues. YMMV
Something else to consider is quality sets per workout. If you start to cram in several primary moves and a collection of auxiliary movements plus core, can quickly get into doing too many sets per day on top of cycling fatigue. For me, anything north of 20 sets total in a session and itās the equivalent of junk volume. Again YMMV but number of total sets per day is worth considering in your programming.
Hope thatās useful as you program and keep working out!
-Darth
Thought Iād report back in on how winter strength training went. When we last spoke (lol) I was doing a PHUL 4 day a week program and trying to add Zone 2 / LT1 cycling on top of it.
The PHUL lifting went well. I lifted consistently four days per week and on the big lifts got close to historic PRs. It was a busy and stressful winter so am happy with the results and my consistency lifting.
Winter Cycling was more miss than hit. I lacked motivation to sit on the rollers and grind out boring Z2 work. All mental on my part. Lacking riding goals other than to be fit and have fun just isnāt enough to get me on the rollers religiously. I still rode 2-4 times a week but with little enthusiasm for indoor training.
Now that spring weather is upon us the enthusiasm for cycling has returned. Iām getting outside when possible and doing 1.5 - 3 hour rides and loving them. Look forward to trails drying out so we can hit the dirt again.
*** Looking Forward ***
Spring + Summer + Fall will be cycling oriented. Lots of mountain biking and some road time trials.
Going into next winter, I think Iām going all in on strength training and wonāt worry about the bike. Trying to do both just leads to over reaching and feelings of not meeting goals. I may look for some professional strength programming / coaching and may even get some coaching on lifting technique to see if I can drive up those PRs a little bit.
TL;DR - Good winter, glad itās spring. Lifting weights is fun
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How are you guys - and especially women - handling the extra fatigue? I just started weights twice a week at the beginning of Feb and it definitely affects my workouts on the bike. I did the first few weeks mostly for form because itās been a while since I last did a weights programme but now Iām adding heavier legs Iām struggling with recovery. Stacking after a bike workout doesnāt fit in my schedule so Iām doing the weights sessions on the rest days. Not ideal, I know.
Is February just before or the beginning of your off-season?
No that was end of base, beginning of build, but you know the ābest time to start weights was years ago and the second best time is nowā. Basically want work on my core and upper body strength to improve my aero position. Some extra leg strength wouldnāt go amiss either.
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This is my Wednesday night! Ride 1 hr after work, dinner, then lift after kids go to bed
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Thatās where I am in the season, and personally Iām a big fan of glute/hip mobility work and kettlebell swings and a few other things (rows, push-ups, etc). 10 swings every minute, 10 times (100 total). That works out to about 10 seconds swinging and 50 second rest.
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Iām currently on 4x10 of (not in that order) squats, DL, RDL, bench presses, rotations, and some other back and shoulder exercises, but I may cut out some of the leg exercises to keep my legs fresher
Watch this Simple & Sinister: A Tip for a Better Kettlebell Swing - YouTube and work on your technique if you decide to do kettlebell swings. Its a fantastic hinging exercise to work the entire posterior chain - shoulders, lats, upper/mid back, glutes, hamstrings. Swings and rows/pushups help me increase time in aero position on the bike.
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