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a punctuation srew up. In conjunction, plyometrics…
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I’m about to turn 46, I’ve been with TR for 4+ years and I’ve seen my highest FTP this year at 325 and 4.1 w/kg. What worked for me this year was HV plans and swapping Sunday’s workouts to 3-4 hour z2 workouts. If possible, I’d say incorporate more volume.
Regarding strength training, I’ve done pretty much none for the past years. However, this is starting to bite me as I’m now having imbalance issues. I’ve incorporated strength ( only 3 weeks in) to this year’s Base and I plan to continue this throughout the next season. I’m not expecting any FTP gains, but rather being a more functional human being and balancing myself out.
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Thanks for the thread, just had a thread asking about adding strength to my training and this kinda reinforces the need to it in my mind.
Also since i’m more injury prone, stronger muscles might help prevent that from happening.
5 years of structured training, 44 with a 304w ftp at 172lb. no strength training before, introduced a 30 minute kettlebell routine this season, plan is once a week with only about 80% compliance to date. Benefits have included, 5% FTP increase; broke 1000w for first time this season then set new 10 sec PR on the weekend (1011w). No back pain; general increased fatigue resistance on 3+ hour rides; feel more solid and stable on the bike. Did put on 5lb, so around same w/kg but all-round stronger rider. Highly recommended especially Masters age categories. Kettlebell Exercises for Cyclists | CRC | - YouTube
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Same thing,
Incorporated strength training about 3 months ago. Cant say i gained much for an FTP increase although my max power definitely increased and I’m able to maintain near TH power for longer periods
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There’s a few other threads on here that have posed a similar question. The general consensus seems to be that strength training doesn’t improve aerobic fitness on the bike, but does improve resilience to injury on the bike, and helps for long gravel and MTB rides where your body gets shaken up and bounced around.
For me, being strong has helped me avoid numerous crashes of my MTB - where I’m able to muscle the bike through things vs turning into a noodle.
All in, strength training is worth incorporating into to your routine even if it does nothing for your FTP, as it will help in the long run as you get older.
as it will help in the long run as you get older.
which will help you have a longer cycling career, effectively making you a better cyclist overall than the same version of you who wouldn’t have done any strength training 
strength has revealed some imbalances and inactive muscles groups which could help me a lot in my cycling, i really wonder how the next season will pan out.
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I’m a little younger than you - 37, set to turn 38 in January. I started cycling in my earl-mid-30’s, maybe around 32-33. At first, I was “just riding”, but I jumped into structured training with TR pretty quickly. After the initial newb gains, I eventually moved onto a coach. This past year represents by far my best year on the bike, following some of my most intense weight training during the offseason/winter. Long story short, for a few years I was stuck at around 270-280 FTP, and could not seem to break that ceiling. I’m a bit of a larger guy (5’11", around 200 lbs, built a bit more like a football/rugby player). Therefore, that plateau made it difficult for me up climbs, etc. This year, I had a continual and pretty rapid bump over the summer which landed me around 315-320 FTP for 45-55 minutes. It all came in seemingly rapid succession, with relatively limited volume (5-8 hours a week).
Below is my basic offseason strength routine, which I’m getting back into this year, with the hopes of repeating last year’s success:
Lifting two days a week (usually Tuesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday):
Day 1 - Squats -Focused
Warmup/stretches/mobility
3x4-6 Reps of Squats
3x8-10 Single Leg Squat Variation
3x8-10 Hip Thrusts (barbell on hips, back on bench)
1-2 options accessory lifts
Core/Accessory:
Plank variation (front, side, etc.)
Dead Bugs
“7-Way Hips” (YouTube it)
Day 2 - Deadlift-Focused
Warmup/stretches/mobility
3-4-6 Deadlift
Single Leg Squat Variation
Bent Over Rows (from floor)
Good mornings
Similar Core/Accessory work to Day 1
My goal as I get over the initial soreness is to work pretty heavy, with my squat reps last year working up toward 315-320, and my deadlift reps getting up around 350. I don’t max out for safety reasons, but I would estimate my squat max was somewhere north of 330, and my deadlift was creeping up on around 380-400.
Aside from the lifting, I tried to ride at the very least 3 times a week, endurance with a few tempo sessions thrown in. Last year, I maybe hit 5-6 hours a week. This year, I’m trying to add a little more endurance volume, maybe in the neighborhood of 7-10 hours total riding. I worked this routing until late Winter/early Spring (maybe late February or into March), and then transitioned to pretty much just riding. That last part I think was the key for me. In years past, I continued to lift heavy and ride all throughout the summer, and I think this affected my bike gains. While I missed lifting in terms of the solid feeling it gave my body, it was hard to argue with the rapid gains on the bike this time around.
We’ll see how this year works out, as the goal with my coach is to get the body feeling solid again through winter with lifting, try and hang on to most of the current fitness throughout the gloomy winter, and come out the other side starting at a new, higher baseline to build into a strong summer. I’m also hoping to lose some weight, but the beer drinking is getting in the way of that presently, so I need to double down on that front.
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@andrieshanekom huge shout out for this link. This is a cracker of a 20 - 30 min workout.
I warm up with some plyo bands for the glutes, and then add in some push-ups, pull-ups, bar dips and planks … and 45 mins later I’ve had a great full body strength workout and am feeling worked over🤘- it really hits the parts of your legs that the bike neglects (glutes, hamstrings).
Super happy with this.
The original thrust of this question was less about the efficacy of weight lifting for whole body health … but more of a question of whether “heavy” weight work is worth it from an FTP perspective. By “heavy” I mean big bar squats and deadlifts and/or leg presses.
I come from a football (American) background and played through college, so heavy lifting was a big part of my youth. The good news for me is that I respond really well to resistance work and it doesn’t take too much resistance training to reactivate those dormant muscles.
Thanks for all the input!
Good luck🤘
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Worth a read:
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