Building muscle strength?

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Magazines, papers, books - sure those are a source. Lets discount them then assuming they misquote or mislead.

Another is the cyclist him/herself. The pro, elite racer or even keen amateur. The cycling coach or the team trainer.
Point being that all of these positions may tell you that weight training is beneficial for some types of cycling. Perhaps for extra explosiveness in a climb or that sprint at the end of a race. Maybe it is to raise ones power to weight ratio.
Whatever the reason, some of the best riders in the world do weights. Some of the best cycling coaches in the world tell their riders to do weights. Now you could assume that they have done some research in to the matter and that is one of the reasons they are at the top of their game. Team Sky leave no stone unturned and several of their riders are on weight specific training.

What i disagree with entirely is the 'what works for one works for all' idea that is sometimes put across. Exactly the same with dieting. Sure there is a starting point that will serve you well but after that it's up to the individual to discover what does and doesn't work for them.

You're heading down an anecdotal route there slightly. Don't you think if there was truly a gain to be had, they would all be doing it and not a few? I'd surmise that the pros who aren't track sprinters/sprinters are probably in gyms for rehab/prevention over gains.

 

[Boyfrom64]

Right now my intention is to get out and ride more whilst keeping a note of my performance on each ride to see what gains I get and how quickly or not they take to achieve. Then in 3 months time I will take stock of what my performance is at that time, which may result in me doing some weight training on my legs or I may just continue doing what I have been doing.
I think the important point is, that I have base level to start analysing my performance from and then to measure against this in 3 months time to see what improvements I have gained.

 

[Rob3rt]

How long have you been cycling? It may have been stated in this thread, but I haven't seen it.

 

[Boyfrom64]

Two years although the first 6 months were hit and miss due to work, which i'm sure for most of us gets in the way from time to time.
Generally I try to ride 2 - 3 times a week

 

[Hacienda71]

Do you do intervals?

 

[Rob3rt]

With a couple of years experience, you are probably okay to do some higher intensity bike work, intervals as Chris says. Don't go bonkers though, ease yourself into it.

 

[Boyfrom64]

No but it is something I have been reading up on since starting this thread and making the decision to not go down the weight training route.
Would I be right in thinking this is something you do or have done yourself Hacienda?
Do you have any recommendations to try?

 

[Rob3rt]

I would suggest you add a sweet spot session and a medium duration tempo session to your current riding. Once you have got a good base, you can then move into proper threshold work and higher VO2 max sessions etc. Do not underestimate the difficulty of a proper tempo session, it feels easy at the start, but some way in, you will need considerable presence of mind to keep it going. Sweet spot sessions are very good in terms of return for the time invested, the recovery time is relatively quick but you will increase FTP.

 

[Boyfrom64]

Do I need to get a heart rate monitor?

 

[Rob3rt]

It might help you to gauge effort, but you can do without. You can estimate intensity other ways, very simple one, a tempo ride, you would be able to say 2-3 words at a time, not be able to speak freely, but you won't be gasping for air either. If you can talk freely, you need to STFU and pedal harder.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

You're heading down an anecdotal route there slightly. Don't you think if there was truly a gain to be had, they would all be doing it and not a few? I'd surmise that the pros who aren't track sprinters/sprinters are probably in gyms for rehab/prevention over gains.

Dude you know as well as i do that many cycling coaches and high level racers use weights as part of their training. Not a minority. It is merely a way of acutely working certain muscles that may need strengthening. Going out on the bike may not be the quickest way to achieve that. Core muscles, for example, do not directly lead to cycling performance but play a large part in body balance and overall power. Core muscles cannot be trained, as effectively, purely by riding your bike. Core muscle work is the ONLY work i do, though it is not free weight related in my case.

Cycling alone is not, in every case, the only way to better your cycling performance.

Much the same as footballers and dribbling, runners and running, tennis players playing tennis, rugby players playing rugby, swimmers swimming and so on and so forth.
Most will do more than just their selected sport to better performance.

 

[Hacienda71]

Find a hill local to you that you know you can cycle up without blowing up, but will push you a bit. Probably no more than half a mile long. Cycle up it, not flat out and then roll back down it, do this four times. As you get fitter you can vary the types of intervals you do which will improve your cycling. As Robert says you need to vary your training with tempo rides and just increasing your mileage, all of which will help your fitness which in turn will result in better climbing and higher speeds. Honest

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

One should not put too much stock in what pro's or elite riders are doing with their time.

Curious so i must ask. Why do you say that?

 

[Rob3rt]

Because they are professional/elite athletes and perform at that level, thus have already achieved a substantial degree of physical and mental development so have different needs to less accomplished and developed athletes. You should train in a way that addresses your needs, not in a way that is developed to address someone else's needs.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

Because they are professional/elite athletes and perform at that level, thus have already achieved a substantial degree of physical and mental development so have different needs to less accomplished and developed athletes.

It may also have been one of the reason they got where they are. They were once mere mortals too! No cyclist has ever been great without hard training.