Cycling weight training should be a part of any cyclist’s exercise program. During the offseason, weight training for cycling is doubly important as it is a chance to strengthen those muscles so that when the season starts again the cycling muscles are prepared and strong.
Because the lower body bears the brunt of the work when cycling, cyclists tend to leave out the fact that they also need to strengthen the upper body and especially the core.
Whether you train simply to improve your fitness or for a sport, it’s important to have a fairly equal amount of strength in the upper and lower parts of the body. This is especially the case for mountain bikers, who use their upper body to handle heavier bikes in rough terrain.
Weight Training For Cycling
Weight Training for Cycling: The Ultimate Guide
The typical cycling training program consists of lots of miles with your bicycle and then a few more miles sprinkled on top of that. While riding a bike is a necessity for being fast on a bike, there is a great need in many cases to improve performance with a well-designed strength-training program.
Weight Training For Cycling includes a detailed program great for any cyclist.
This 192 page book includes mobility work, nutrition guidelines, recovery protocols, and detailed exercise instructions, that you will find invaluable. The best thing about this book is that it will give you all the tools you need to take your cycling to the next level and beyond.
No other cycling book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book was written specifically for cyclists to increase strength, speed, endurance, and stamina and will have any cyclist maximising their performance in all the necessary areas.
Weight Training for Cycling is written by cycling expert Chris Burnham.
Chris Burnham is a USA Cycling Level 1 Certified Power Based Training Coach who works with professional cyclists who have raced all over the world. He holds certifications in Crossfit Endurance and Mobility, Precision Nutrition, and Superhuman Coaching.
Coach Burnham has served as the West Coast Mountain Bike Development Camp Director and the Performance and Road Director for the Bear Development Team, and he has been a certified Body Geometry bike fitter for more than eight years. He lives in Monterey, California.
Weight Training for Cycling features a program guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.
At the time of writing this post, the book was available in Kindle and Paperback version, for a mere $14.00.
More Thoughts on Cycling Weight Training
What each cyclist has to determine is how intense their training should be, and when to do it. A logical approach would be to build strength during the off-season while you aren’t actively riding, and then switch to training that is more similar to what you will endure during the peak riding season. Athletes must always be careful not to do too much training particularly during riding season, as doing so can put a lot of strain on the body.
Building strength by lifting heavier weight with a lower amount of repetitions should only be done in the off-season. Combining cycling with heavy weight training is too much for the body to handle, and will ultimately hinder a cyclist’s performance. Whenever you lift heavy, the body is going to need time for it to recover.
Diet is critical component to getting the most out of your cycling weight training. Muscles need fuel, particularly when they are active. They need to get the necessary nutrients so they can repair themselves and get stronger. This means consuming a sufficient amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals on a daily basis.
Because cyclists tend to put their bodies through constant training, They also need to allow the muscles to get sufficient rest and recovery. This will help ensure that the body can continue to perform at a high level.
The winter is the best time for heavy weight training because there is more time for recovery. If you lifted heavy during peak season, too much stress would be placed on your muscles, and ultimately you would be doing more harm than good.
A cyclist has to determine where their fitness currently is, and how hard they should push themselves when designing a cycling weight training program. It’s also important to find ways to motivate yourself during the secondary season, as doing so will allow you to get the most out of it.
A single pedal stroke may not require much maximum strength, but weight training does increase bone density. Cycling naturally decreases bone strength because it’s not a weight bearing activity, so cyclists should be very conscious of this fact.