Weight training - legs

[robz400]

I train with weights a few times a week, but since starting cycling have dropped the squats purley as after a heavy leg session theres no way im going to cycling for a couple of days.

There is however a lad in the gym who wears his look cycling shorts, sporting shaved legs who sqauts over 130kg!

Do you racer types train legs for strength in the gym with low reps or do you use high reps for endurance?

 

[palinurus]

I guess low reps would be the thing, cycling will work for endurance and it'll be strength you want.

 

[cheadle hulme]

Whilst strength work is slow and controlled, seated leg presses are good for developing "explosive" power using lower weight and lifting quicker.

Theres no way I could squat 130kg though! My can never get my legs to spin properly after a tough leg session.

 

[Ravenz]

Do you racer types train legs for strength in the gym with low reps or do you use high reps for endurance?[/quote]

ouch.. all I can say.. put 50 k on back of the shoulders pains me enough even with padding on the bar!
Use high weights on a machine leg press combined with leg curls and leg extensions - on machines. does the job as well as
Use the weight training for strength to encourage recruitment of muscle fibres and hopefully growth. Keep the reps low and SLOW!
I hope that the 130k guy wasnt wearing padded shorts to overcome the all too common weightlifters bottom problem lol eeeeow


I agree, the challenge after that is to get the legs spinning fast again

 

[robz400]

Thanks for the replies.

What supprised me the most was that he doesn't have oversized legs, they look almost skinny!

Would a once a week heavy leg session be enough to see gains in cycling speed?

Think I'll have to drive to work the day after though as I live at the top of a mile long, steep hill!!

 

[Ravenz]

Thanks for the replies.


Would a once a week heavy leg session be enough to see gains in cycling speed?

again .. this is all personal advice and therefore subject to you taking any notice of it at all ..!
A once per week weights session is probably not going to do the trick and I have to add in that solely concentrating on lower body could be almost counterproductive - you shouldnt neglect core and upper bodyto keep you stable on the bike and able to apply the strength in your legs to get you going....

now as to faster.. thats another mix in the bag.. sustained speed or sprint speed? for the latter have a look at plyometric based training...
Otherwise, presumably you know your best time for any particular time trial.. keep it simple do a progressive 12 week weights program and go out and blast another TT.. if yur quicker .. well rest me case m'lud.. if you aint back to the drawing board.....

 

[col]

The once a week idea is one that does work for strength and muscle gain,but to help increase speed on the bike i dont know.
As long as the muscle is trained within about an eight day period you get the maximum benefit of rest too,this was used by bodybuilders to get maximum muscle growth,as long as you have your diet sorted too.
Start with 2 or 3 sets of warming the muscle up with about 70% of your maximum wieght,then put your maximum wieght on to allow you to do five reps and your failing on the sixth but only just getting it,then probably total failure on the seventh,but maximum effort is needed for this to work,so make sure the muscle your working is well warmed up.
As for improving your speed on a bike,i think training would have to be cycle specific for that.

 

[walker]

Robz,
If you want to see cycle improvements in the gym then your best aim is to work on your muscle Endurance 3 weeks for the month then swapping over to strength for one week. While doing your endurance reps you need to mimic your Cylcing rpm on the bike so you need to be doing these at a faster rate of reps but higher, say around 20 reps for 3-5 sets. Work on your Compounded exercises most (i.e. squats, leg press, lunges, etc) as not to fatigue smaller muscles first. then go onto leg curls, or leg curls on fitballs and then calves. I personally would suggest throwing in some chest and back exercises too. these don't have to be on the same sort of reps range but to keep it easy to remember might be best off doing.

for strentgh your needing to do reps of around 2-6, heavier weights are needed here.

Muscle size does'nt always represent a great deal of strentgh, body builders aren't always that strong, and bruce Lee was a skinny little tike but could wrestle a bear. I can leg press around 300kg but still have bandy legs

 

[Dave5N]

How's Oz, Walker?

 

[Razor]

squats

I have been doing squats with a 15kg weight .i have gone from doing about 50 before failure to 120 in 3 months .my thought was that if i can keep this up for about 20 minutes (only 5 at the mo) it would improve my 10 mile tt.should i increase the weight and lower the reps or just keep going higher with the reps.I am also doing press ups to keep my arms in shape.I have been drinking a protien isolate straight after which seems to be making a huge difference.I am just a bit concerned it could all be in vein as i cant get out on the bike much this time of year and only recently took the sport up again.

 

[walker]

How's Oz, Walker?

All good mate. The cycling here is obviously different, the bikes only arrived last week after waiting 4 months to get here so I am yet to try the racing scene yet, give it time.

 

[walker]

I have been doing squats with a 15kg weight .i have gone from doing about 50 before failure to 120 in 3 months .my thought was that if i can keep this up for about 20 minutes (only 5 at the mo) it would improve my 10 mile tt.should i increase the weight and lower the reps or just keep going higher with the reps.I am also doing press ups to keep my arms in shape.I have been drinking a protien isolate straight after which seems to be making a huge difference.I am just a bit concerned it could all be in vein as i cant get out on the bike much this time of year and only recently took the sport up again.

you should be raising the weight up as well at this point but go back to doing 50 reps (is that all at once or over so many sets?)

And what part of your arms are you trying to achieve in doing push ups? this will only strengthrn the triceps, as well as the deltoids, there is very very little biceps in this move, but as a cyclist the triceps is what will be needed in handlebar control so keep it up what you are doing.

 

[Razor]

Thanks Walker ,i will increase the weight and keep it to 50.I was doing a little warm up and then all the squats at once until i cant do any more.
Sorry Robz didnt mean to crash your thread.

 

[steve23]

at the gym i press 180kg, do 3 sets of 20 reps. i do 5 slow, then 5 fast. i think that it helps my power.

then i drop the weight to say 100-140kg and do 30-40reps. i think it does help.

 

[jayce]

i train 3 times a week in the gym twice heavy and once light for the burn . i take protopure,creitine and hurricane and go out on the bike as often as i can . so my legs a quite big but still got strength and stamina . all in all its how your body takes to training.