Cyclist Training

Weight Training To Augment Your Cycling

Are you a weekend warrior or an elite athlete (or somewhere in the middle) who is trying to improve your ability on the bike? Have you tried the different exercises that you may have heard or learned about from another cyclist? If you’re like most, you are willing to try anything (legal) to give you that extra edge. Many people turn to a Cycling Coach to improve their skills on the bike but for most that might not be the place to start. It may be the gym where one should look to improve their general fitness and strength, which will in turn show huge gains on the bike.

So why would a gym workout (even at your home or office) using weights strengthen your ability to ride the bike? Many research studies have proven that when a person uses resistance training to strengthen the body they will be more productive in everyday activities including cycling. If you have ever spent a fair amount of time on the bike you are probably aware that some of your muscles get shortened, tightened and ultimately weak because of your riding position on the bike. But of course we aren’t going to stop riding so what should we do to combat this situation? This is where weight training is crucial for strengthening our weak muscles and lengthening our shortened and tight ones. In addition, a study of elite cyclists showed that they basically had old men bones in really fit bodies because their sport was not weight bearing. Yet another reason why weight training is absolutely essential for cyclists in order to increase bone mass density.

Unfortunately it is not as easy as just joining a gym and getting on a few machines and watching what others are doing. You may have to put some time and effort into designing your routine. The good news is that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what you need to do to improve your strength and riding ability. I will help you see how the fitness industry looks at the latest research and designs fitness routines for anyone from the everyday person to the elite athlete.

The first place to start is the core. This is definitely the latest buzz word floating around the gyms and bike shops today. Everyone wants to work on the core for various reasons. Some feel that if they do these goofy exercises they will lose the fat around their midsection. Let me be the first one to tell you that you will be wasting your time if this is your intention. Instead, try to push away from the table a little sooner instead of having that second or third helping of food (calories). Our core constitutes essentially three main areas - the abdominals, low back and hip/butt. Of course, there is technical lingo for these muscles but for now lets pretend we are on a Saturday Sundance Cycle Ride, enjoying the scenery so we don’t have to think too much.

I will not start by explaining how to work specific muscles but rather how to train using certain movements. What’s the difference? Well for instance, we all know that crunches work the abdominal muscles, however, they don’t do anything for the low back or hip/butt. Time is precious so why waste time doing something that is not going to help you get to your goal efficiently. Instead, try performing an old yoga/pilates move called the Plank. Start on the ground face down, position your body so that your forearms lie flat on the ground and your elbows are under your shoulders. Next, with your legs straight, pull your toes toward your shins and lift your whole body off the ground. The only body parts touching the ground will be your forearms and toes. A few guidelines for this position: your ears should be in alignment with the middle of your shoulders; your shoulder blades should be slightly indented toward the floor, not sinking in or rounded off but the heel of your palm should be able to lie between the shoulder blades; pull your bellybutton in as if you were trying on a pair of jeans one size to small in the waist; you should still be able to breathe; squeeze your butt muscles. When you’re in this position with good form, try to hold your body up in the Plank position for 60 seconds. Work up to three sets for 60 seconds each. When this gets easier you can try for longer or try lifting one leg 3 inches off the ground. This exercise will strengthen your neck, shoulders, abdominals, back, hips, butt and lengthen your hip flexors and calves. I call this more bang for your buck.

When I design an exercise, I look at it from fingernail to toe nail. If at least 90% of your muscles are not involved in the exercise, then it is a waste of time if your goal is to develop overall strength. If you look up the word exercise in the dictionary you will find that it doesn’t say anything about sitting down. When we exercise, we should be using as many parts of our body as possible at one time – so stand up and MOVE. Now don’t get confused with the difference between exercise and sports. Sports are considered a skill activity and with that there is a risk and a benefit. Take cycling for instance, the benefit is it’s a great form of cardiovascular training. But the risk is that it is a repetitive seated motion in one direction that could upset the body’s natural balance between muscles. Exercise on the other hand will strengthen the body and lengthen the muscles in a balanced way. This only happens if we perform the right type of movements and don’t rely on weight machines to direct our movement.

In future articles I will explain how to train all movements that the body performs, whether it’s in everyday activities or in sports. The great thing about the way I teach exercise is that you don’t need a lot of equipment and can do it at home or in the office. As a matter of fact all you need is a set of dumbbells and a stability ball which can be purchased from Perform Better. If you are already a gym rat that means you are already addicted to exercise but I will just show you a different way of doing things. Gym rats are typically harder to train because even though they love to exercise, they tend to be addicted to machines and resistant to change. Stay with me here and remember the mind is like a parachute; it works best when it’s open!

~Mike Pincus, CNT, CPT