Thanks! I bought some kettle bells during the lockdowns and now they’re just gathering dust. Might be a good time to put them to use again.
If you are in your build season, and lifting twice a week try doing an upper lower split. This was only one day of lifting is possibly interfering with your cycling.
Also, as you are just getting started, remember less is more. Always keep a few reps in the tank. I know 10 is a classic rep scheme, but if you feel like you are really struggling or grinding those last few reps, drop the reps. You will still see the strength gains, and it should keep you fresher. Say for instance you are squatting 4x10 with a certain weight, doing the same weight but as 5x8 may be less taxing, but is the exact same load on your body.
Also, if you are just starting out, doing squats and deadlifts (conventional) on the same day can be very taxing. I would choose one or the other, then go with the RDLs or other hamstring specific exercise.
When you get back to your base season, then you could probably transition into doing legs twice a week as the intensity of the cycling is decreased.
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The strength work I’ve been doing since the beginning of the year is paying off for me in a huge way! Been using a kettle bell for goblet squats, oblique lifts, overhead curls (from behind my head), rows, kb swings & also doing pushups. I’d do about an hours worth of all these over the course of a work day in my office 3 days per week. It helped me lose weight & I just feel better. I’ve increased my riding volume so I’ve now cut the strength work roughly in half.
This weekend, I really saw what it was doing for me on the bike. I was able to ride very comfortably on rough mtb terrain for 3 hours Friday 2000ft ascent, 4 hours Saturday with 4100ft ascent & 2 hours relatively easy on Sunday with a bit over 1100ft ascent. There is absolutely no way I would’ve been able to do even the single 4 hour day this early in the season let alone string 3 pretty tough days together without the strength work. I’m so stoked! My on bike power isn’t where it needs to be yet but it’s building & I feel like this year is going to be my strongest yet. Thanks to TR for promoting strength work & also to the many great forum members sharing the work you’re doing so folks like me can learn from your experience!
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Quick update on this. After lifting for just over six months, this season’s power curve is higher than my previous all-time bests over the 5-15 second range (the delta ranges from +54 to +108 watts). I have dramatically reversed what had been a slow decline in top-end power over the past three years. My on-bike training this season has been similar to recent years, so I attribute this completely to strength training. My power data goes back four years to when I was 50. So it is possible for a middle aged cyclist to reverse losses and make gains on the bike with strength training.
The strength gains are coming slower now, but I still think I can eventually reach Coach Chad’s level 3 benchmarks. My biggest struggles are with upper body and core strength, but that’s also where I have felt the biggest improvements. The compound lifts are great for developing well-rounded strength.
Happy lifting!
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Congrats on seeing improvements in strength and power after 50! 
Thanks. I have felt like I’m riding stronger but I was happy to see a more objective measure! 
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Came across this video about programming and progress of strength work.
Really learned a lot, recommend watching for anyone who is planning to create their own strength program.
Or you could even copy one of the examples he gives later in the video.
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Would be interested to know what @Nate_Pearson is doing in the gym at the moment given he’s been taking some time out from cycling to put on a whopping 20lbs 
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Absolutely!!! Especially if its cycling specific… he’d be a beast! Moreso than he is. lol
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If I wanted to split my training days equally between gym (mainly hypertrophy to be truly honest), and endurance sports, do you think a Mon, Tues, Wed, at the gym then Thurs, Sat, Sun doing steady endurance runs and rides would work better than mixing them all up?
Put another way. At a purely recreational level, do i really need to worry about conflicting signalling or can I just do what i want, when I want, and get most of the potential benefits?
No goals currently, just like being fit and the process of training. Have raced bikes for over a decade so enjoying a break from it.
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If you are coming into fall/winter and looking for strength/fitness gains in the gym, rather than splitting days evenly, consider a four-day split Mon/Tues + Thurs/Fri and then do long fun rides outdoors on Sat/Sun.
I’m mid-50s for age and last couple seasons have done strength training in the fall/winter and then switched back to the bike in Spring/Summer. Haven’t been racing last couple years so it’s all fitness and fun. I enjoy the gym during cold / wet weather a lot more than indoor bike training. Find it takes me about 8 weeks of ‘serious’ bike training to start feeling strong again.
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IMHO, if you’re not racing, a balanced mix of strength work and riding will have you in better overall condition than a solely bike focused training regime. “Conflicting signalling” is actually good for you. Specialization is important for maximum performance in a given activity but when it comes to the more diverse physical demands of being a functional human, mixing it up is the way to go.
I raced and did the fast group rides for years but as I approached 60, I switched over from a race type cycling program (TR then later some other plans) to a mix of strength and functional fitness stuff while cutting back to 4 days a week on the bike. I’m slower on the bike (but not that much) but in better overall physical condition. A mix is not best for maximum bike performance but its better for overall health and wellbeing, especially as you get old.
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Absolutely agree with this. I struggle with finding good gym routines to stay on top of though. I also like higher rep ranges because 5x5 etc leave me shot. With higher reps I find I am more snappy out on the trail and just feel better while riding. This is something I learned this year.
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I love Dialed Health plans. They are really well balanced so you aren’t over taxing your nervous system with heavy squats. I never felt great after 5x5 even when all I was doing was lifting.
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Agree. For me, this not only applies to my physical condition but also my general motivation. Even though my favorite thing is biking I think sprinkling in rowing, running, as well as strength training keeps me mentally fresh.
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If you’re not doing them both on the same day then any conflicting signaling will be extremely minimal.
I would probably mix it up since it’s not best to go Sun -Thurs with no endurance and Wed - Mon with no lifting. You’d probably also have better performance in both areas if you put some days off in-between.
I’d probably do something like:
M - Lift
T - Ride/Run
W - Lift
Th - Ride/Run
F - Rest (you left it off in your list)
Sa - Lift
Su - Ride/Run
You could swap those around if riding/running is your main focus so your lifting the day after rides and not riding after lifting.
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You could also try some lower volume. Like 2-3x5 with some higher rep warm ups. 5x5 is like the lifter’s 2x20. It’s just an easy baseline that will probably work for most people but isn’t optimal in all situations.
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Strength experts…for same day is it better to ride before lifting or lift before the ride. On the bike doing z2 for the next block or two so no structured intervals.
Separate them by as much time as possible. The closer together in time they are, the more likely it is that you’re better off riding first, then lifting, but it’s quite individual so maybe try it both ways and see which works best for you.
Most important caveat: you’re very unlikely to injure yourself using poor technique on the bike because you’re fatigued from lifting an hour before. The converse is rather more likely. Be cautious. Nothing adversely affects fitness more than having to lose training time because of injury.
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Agree with this. The advice is usually, do your primary sport first and separate them as much as you can. But in the end, your life might dictate it be done one way or another. Don’t force it to be a certain way if it’s way more complicated to make it happen.
I usually lift before riding just because it’s easier to take an hour in the middle of the day to lift in the basement than to take 2 hours to ride.
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