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Weight lifting for legs

11K views 61 replies 26 participants last post by  Devincicx 
#1 ·
Hi,

Has anyone got any weight lifting programmes for legs, if possible one that can be done at home and not in a gym.

Im 42 been racing around 10 years and want to have some more power, and something to do when its really bad weather outside or I only have 30-45 mins to spare. (For fitness level references I get into the top 10 in local MTB races and scrape top 20 in national events. Sub hour 25 mile TT and 21.30 min 10 mile TT)

I would like more power and maybe a bit more definition (for vainty) :eek:

Cheers.
 
#34 ·
As you get older and ride more, doing some winter work on the core and opposing muscles is really smart. It helps prevent injury when you crash, improves posture and reduces loss of bone density.

You don't need to do a lot, just enough to balance yourself back out. If you want to hit your legs a little more, it won't hurt and may (or not) help your cycling performance.

For a rider with just 45 mins to invest, 2x20 at tempo or higher with a quick cool down on the trainer is the best bang this time of year.
 
#35 ·
I think Friel and anyone else that say mimic bike riding knee angle with squats is wrong. What about bench press....don't bend elbows past mountain biking angle? Give me a break.

Squats are done with hip joint below knee joint to fully engage adductors, abductors, and hamstrings to ensure a safe, powerful motion. This creates a balanced force on the knees and hips. Look up Mark Rippetoe if you actually want to know how to squat or deadlift. Ass to grass is also wrong, you lose the bracing effect of the spine that low down.

But, ah, the lifting. I've done it and felt it was pointless and wore me out (Morris). Right now I do KB swings a few times a week and would do deadlifts if I had a bar around.

MTB needs exercises that complement cycling, which is not the same as mimic it. If you are trying to mimic it, you guessed it, riding a bike works well.
 
#36 ·
If I had a bar around...



Sounds like you do a lot of reading.

DeFranco's Training - Ask Joe 03.24.06
you can "control F" keywords "sport specific"

Per DeFranco
The Cliff Notes version of my little rant is this…"Sport-specific training in the weight room is ********! Get strong in the weight room using the most economical exercises and then make that strength "sport-specific" by practicing the technical aspects of your sport separately!" Simple enough?
 
#41 ·
it depends on the type of effort you'll be doing on the bike.

Lifting will recruit all type of muscle fiber and certainly fatigue you, but you will still have enough energy for certain type of effort on the bike.

I lift heavy, think 5-6 reps and I often train after my lifting on the bike, doing short L6 power micro intervals with short recovery, I only do a total of 4-7min of total time spent at L6 power. If I dont lift prior, I hit the same power at same RPE.
 
#45 ·
weight lifting has little to nothing to do with bike power. Lift, sure, but dont expect it to inprove your cycling. Do it for the right reasons.
Correct, for the Masters Athlete during the off season - lifting has little to do with cycling (outside of sprints and short steep climbs), but everything to do with testosterone production and bone density. Both of those are worth it for the over 40 crowd male cyclist of which the OP mentioned he was.

And the OP did mention one of his goals included vanity.:thumbsup:
 
#46 ·
weight lifting has little to do with endurance cycling sprints and steep hills, same goes for bone density. Weight lifting is not an impact activity, unless you do plyos etc. You're better off running or playing impact sports such as badminton, for bone density.

As for sprints and steep hills involved in endurance cycling discipline, nothing to do with legs size/strength. Power production relies on metabolical processes, not muscle contraction absolute force.

Sorry to play the smartass there
 
#61 ·
weight lifting has little to do with endurance cycling sprints and steep hills, same goes for bone density.
Others would disagree with you in terms of weight lifting and bone density.

Cycling and Bone Health: Why Cyclists MUST Lift Weights « AnthonyColpo

References

1. Stein J. Cyclists at risk for bone loss. LA Times, February 16, 2009.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/16/health/he-cycling162. Frost HM. Why do marathon runners have less bone than weight lifters? A vital-biomechanical view and explanation. Bone, Mar 1997; 20 (3): 183-189.
3. Karlsson MK, et al. Bone mineral density in weight lifters. Calcified Tissue International, 1993; 52 (3): 212-215.
4. Mudd LM, et al. Bone mineral density in collegiate female athletes: comparisons among sports. Journal of Athletic Training, 2007 Jul-Sep; 42 (3): 403-408.
5. Magkos F, et al. The bone response to non-weight-bearing exercise is sport-, site-, and sex-specific. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, Mar 2007; 17 (2): 123-128.
6. Rector RS, et al. Participation in road cycling vs running is associated with lower bone mineral density in men. Metabolism, Feb 2008; 57 (2): 226-232.
7. Campion F, et al. Bone status in professional cyclists. International Journal of Sports Medicine, Jul 2010; 31 (7): 511-515.
8. Nichols JF, et al. Low bone mineral density in highly trained male master cyclists. Osteoporosis International, Aug 2003; 14 (8): 644-649.
9. Sabo D, et al. Bone quality in the lumbar spine in high-performance athletes. European Spine Journal, 1996; 5 (4): 258-263.
10. Warner SE, et al. Bone mineral density of competitive male mountain and road cyclists. Bone, Jan 2002; 30 (1): 281-286.
11. Wilks DC, et al. Forearm and tibial bone measures of distance- and sprint-trained master cyclists. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Mar 2009; 41 (3): 566-573.

 
#51 ·
I hear you and its all good, no hard feelings, just a good discussion going on, like it should.

Lactic acid is nobody's enemy. I think you focus too much on the "overall" fitness aspect and forget the specificity principle.

Any MTBer should focus on improving at least a few important things fitness-wise: their FTP, their AWC and power, their vo2max power, in no particular order.

I dont get the relation between body fat % and improving overall fitness, they're not interdependant. At some point which comes after a few good training years, improving overall fitness and physical condition wont do much for your cycling, or, at least, will do a lot worst then pedaling your bike in a meaningful way.

RE pushing your limits, it can be done on the bike, but I think what you mean is more on the psychological side of things. Bring on any gym-beast who's decent at cycling against a real competitive cyclist, the gym beast doesnt stand a chance. Why? Because his physiology simply doesnt match the cyclist's one. The hability to overcome fatigue CAN be strengthened in the gym, the question is what kind of fatigue are we refering to here?

Since this is a cycling forum: endurance cycling involves metabolical fatigue coming from different energy production systems. To be a more powerful cyclist, one needs to improve his central and peripheal adaptations to increase/push the "threshold" (loose term) at which will come that fatigue. The main goal in cycling is producing as much power as possible while using as little energy as possible all that resulting in as little fatigue as possible. Improving power at different length of time should be a priority for any cyclist who wants to become faster.

People often make easy assumptions based on popular beliefs which often end up being total myth or crooked logical conclusions. Cycling training is literally filled with myths and exemples based on pros or "reknown" coaches. Yet, those coaches would touch my training plan with a 10 foot pole.

I'd reiterate the following important bit of the discussion: it really comes down to who you are, what you need: individualisation.

Although I think the discussion is aimed at getting better at cycling using weight lifting for the legs.

Could you define more precisely what you are refering to when speaking of gym work etc? Is it weight lifting? Plyos? X-fit? Max strength?
 
#57 ·
Ill state the obvious. Lifting weights make you strong long term, but weak in the short term.

If you are fine with heavy legs for a couple days after your weight workouts, go for it. I personally dont like that feeling in my legs so I dont do it. I am a firm believer in specificity.

Remember we are racing mountain bikes. Most of us are not sprinting on the road or track.

Though I do pushups/pull ups once a week to hold my arm warmers up though :D
 
#60 ·
A lot to consider, thanks everyone.
Lately I've been skipping rope and have focused on my shoulder and abdominal work outs. I was a bit of a hefty toad for a while, but riding bikes helped me lose a lot of that weight. Now my body is suffering a little. For a while, I only got into shape to be better at riding. Now I know riding needs to be a part of staying in shape.



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