Strength training and burnout

[TwiggyTN]

In general I feel most people do way too much volume way too little intensity, and most riders have piss poor form for the heavier compound movements. There is a time and place for everything, but starting mid-season makes it hard to really do much more than basic acclimation and move towards more perioidized work.

I agree with this. What I'm really trying to say in the previous post was that effective weight training has to be part of an annual or even multi-year plan, not something you throw in place in April. And I completely agree that your lifting program isn't generic lifts but tailored to your cycling needs and shortcomings. If your lifting isn't stressing your muscles more than hard interval or climbing workouts on the bike, it won't accomplish much. Your muscles adapt for strength when they are tested at the limits of their maximum strength output so that's where you need to be doing your lifting.

And I'd add one other point. Weightlifting isn't just to create quadriceps and glute strength for pedaling. If you go down, some precise upper body weightlifting can go a long way to protect tendons and collarbone. Ditto for the knee. If you're a masters racer over 50 and a hip fracture becomes a bigger issue, weightlifting is the best thing going to keep you from a fractured femur or pelvis. And as your spine inevitably gets injured or simply ages, lifting helps avoid back pain while cycling or elsewhere in your life. Anyone racing who is anything less than a successful UCI pro should be paying attention to these issues as well.

100% agree the the old dudes comments. As somebody well on my way there you look around at a 50+ field and half the bros look almost brittle...(especially the big mileage dogs) gotta keep some muscularity just to hold it all together. I also really question the wisdom of starting a serious lifting program in April. (Unless you're down under in Oz)

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[KWalker]

In general I feel most people do way too much volume way too little intensity, and most riders have piss poor form for the heavier compound movements. There is a time and place for everything, but starting mid-season makes it hard to really do much more than basic acclimation and move towards more perioidized work.

I agree with this. What I'm really trying to say in the previous post was that effective weight training has to be part of an annual or even multi-year plan, not something you throw in place in April. And I completely agree that your lifting program isn't generic lifts but tailored to your cycling needs and shortcomings. If your lifting isn't stressing your muscles more than hard interval or climbing workouts on the bike, it won't accomplish much. Your muscles adapt for strength when they are tested at the limits of their maximum strength output so that's where you need to be doing your lifting.

And I'd add one other point. Weightlifting isn't just to create quadriceps and glute strength for pedaling. If you go down, some precise upper body weightlifting can go a long way to protect tendons and collarbone. Ditto for the knee. If you're a masters racer over 50 and a hip fracture becomes a bigger issue, weightlifting is the best thing going to keep you from a fractured femur or pelvis. And as your spine inevitably gets injured or simply ages, lifting helps avoid back pain while cycling or elsewhere in your life. Anyone racing who is anything less than a successful UCI pro should be paying attention to these issues as well.

My plan last year was to spend much more of the off-season increasing my lifting capacity, re-learning form, and staring the season off with a good bit of periodized on and off bike work under my belt, however, breaking my hip meant starting from zero. Each week is a small tweak in volume, intensity, and movement selection to try to hit this off-season ready as well. I never understood how people would lift for 12-16w, then not lift the rest of the year and were surprised that they didn't feel it was a key variable. I'm glad you reemphesized this point.

As for intensity one can manipulate tempo, contractions, all sorts of variables to make unilateral or non-technical movements maximal enough to accomplish many goals until more complicated movements can/should be worked on. Even working up to next season being able to do dumbell step ups for 6reps at an 8rm or a 9 RPE is a significant stressor and much better than traditional plans that would have someone hammer out 20 reps on a leg press in running shoes. Not directed at you 11.4, but noting that as long as the key intensity and volume levels are in place things are not all that complicated.

[trickydisco78]

I also recommend the performance of pure alactic bike sprints to do no more frequently than every 48hours and the purely alactic work must always be performed first in the session in order that the highest outputs are acheived

Think i need to do some reading. I haven't come across this term before