Seems reasonable enough credentials. I read his book since it was pretty cheap. Light on details for making training plans but does have some sample plans.
Can anyone recommend a good MTB XC strength training plan? Iāve read a lot but would really benefit from a program to follow to base my own plans off in the future. Iāve had recommendations of James Wilson (bikejames.com), Dialled Health, Fit4Racing but Iād like some real world feedback before splurging the cash!
Cheers!
I cant but before you take of a specific strength program Iād encourage you to determine what your weaknesses are - this is where I think @chad ās strength targets are valuable.
Otherwise you might benefit from a more general training plan.
Having used Chadās benchmarks, Iām fairly close to all of the benchmarks for an XC racer -
Deadlift - 5 Reps 150% BW - can do 200%
Back Squat - 5 Reps 125% BW - can do 133%
Bench Press - 5 Reps 90% BW - only at 60% currently
Barbell Row - 5 Reps 90% BW - only at 60% currently
Pull/Chin-Ups - 15 Reps - yep, rock climb regularly so this isnāt an issue
Military Press - 5 Reps 55% BW - yep, can do 60%.
Is it worth something like Dialled Health for this - Iād rather get more specific MTB fitness but with a general focus on being a good athlete rather than just XC MTB!
Honestly this whole idea of āspecificityā is really more of a distraction than anything else. Mainly marketing to sell a program and make you feel like you are doing something special. At the end of the day, strength is strength. I know this probably isnāt a popular opinion these days but oh well. I If you need help building a strength program around your specific bike training sessions then you are probably going to want a coach that heāll hold out all of your weekly bike/strength sessions. But honestly I would pick a strength program that is about 3-4 days per week and just follow it and see how/if it impacts your rides. If you like kettlebells Iād look at StrongFirst and if you prefer a barbell then checkout starting strength.
I agree with @Watts4bfast I donāt think you need something specific and those weaknesses are minor - youāll easily catch-up of Starting Strength of StrongLifts. And as you are already āstrong enoughā Iād be doing this for the ancillary benefits to core stability etc rather than for tha big gainz so maybe just once or twice per week.
You might want to consider some cross training with running or swimming if itās off-season
Somewhat of a counterpoint to the benefits of lifting to endurance training:
this episode we are joined by Professor Sara Mahoney, who has her Ph.D. in exercise physiology, researches nutrition for endurance athletes, is a runner herself, and coaches Division 1 and 2 cross country and track and field. Sheās on to talk about how she uses resistance training to help her endurance athletes improve performance.
This is a lifting podcast looking into endurance training so youād expect they might overly favour the benefits of strength but itās quite muted.
Dialed Health, hands down. The programs are very well laid out and easy to follow, esp at home. I really like the kettlebell work outs and the core work alone with that type of workout is huge for MTB. The monthly fee is only $20 and the library of workouts is huge. You can cancel at any time if it does not work for you. He is currently working on an app as well.
I have a few of James Wilson programs and honestly, they are hard to follow and not well laid out.
EnduroMTB is also very good, specifically the MTB Strong program. That program consists of usually 3 gym days, rotating between strength and mobility. He also lays out intervals, etc. It is a 6 phase (6months long) program with a calendar for every phase and tell you when to workout, when to ride and has recovery weeks every four weeks. Once you buy the program it is yours forever.
Point 1 Athletic Development is also very good. It is more geared toward enduro as well but crosses over nicely with XC riding. It is a 19 week program. Once you buy this program it is yours forever.
Fit4Racing from what I have looked at seems overpriced and way to much crossfit focused for my liking. All the videoās look like they are doing VO2 max workouts in the gym, no thank you I will save that for the bike.
What is the best set up for home to get a good work out for a triathlete with little experience?
This is a good resource:
They have a plan for triathletes that is a good one. Youāll need some weights, or better, a gym. If you can afford it, get help from a local strength training coach.
Thank you for a very comprehensive answer! I was definitely swinging towards Dialled Health as I also really enjoy his podcasts!
I think that it kind of depends on your weaknesses, so what I did was look at Coach Chads strength benchmarks, read the Scientific Tri guide that @bbarrera linked, Dave Scottās recommendations, Joe Frielās chapter on weight training in his āTriathleteās Bibleā and a bunch of other online sources.
What I found, or how I would summarise it, was that there were some slight variations but the five basics movements covered what everyone was after; squat, press, deadlift, bench and row. So I went with StrongLifts 5x5 (Starting Strength is similar) because itās simple and the guy who put it together has a very no nonsense approach, just get on with it attitude.
For this I used a gym, 30mins 3x week in autumn, 2x week winter/spring, 1x week in summer - this aligns with Friel essentially and sci tri. but in reality I stopped each summer.
When covid hit I bough a barbell, a cage, bench and weights allowing around 120% my body weight. Probably Ā£600, cancelled my gym membership and saved money. You need a space 2.5m2 and 2.25m high. I slotted my bike into the cage to re-use the turbo trainer space I was already using.
However, I will say that there is no clear need to be very strong, I suspect a moderate all round body strength achieved in any fashion Iāve just never seen the appeal of kettlebells and dumbbells but my ego is stroked every time I lift a barbell 
Dumbbells allow a decoupling side to side and a larger range of movement.
Barbells restrict ROM but allow for heavier weights and more overload. Also, plates are a cheap way to get more weight and store more weight. Nothing seems cheap nowadays but not long ago you could find new plates for $1 a pound and used stuff for fifty cents a pound.
Kettlebells are great for larger range of motion exercises. Swings, arm ups, etc.
Do you need them all - of course not. My first āgymā was a set of adjustable dumbbells and a flat bench. More than enough for āfitnessā.
But if you get into lifting and strength training, gear is fun and having the option to mix up different exercises and routines and do them safely is very enjoyable.
FWIWā¦. Starting strength, 5x5, et al are great. But for overall fitness I might argue we would be better off with lower weight but bigger ROM movements. More functional than power lift (for argument)
This maybe a really dumb question, but every time I try to incorporate Strong lifts into my workout routine my power on the bike drops. Really struggle with Threshold over/Under. This is starting with very light weight and little to no DOMs.
Iām guessing this falls to the additional stress and workload on the legs.
Would love to hear others thoughts.
Very light weight squats 5x5ā¦I canāt see that affecting any TR workout.
What are you calling very light weight, and how hard does the threshold workout feel without lifting?
How much seperation between lifting and TT workouts?
Do you have a regular strength training routine when starting strong lifts or are you starting by from zero? If you donāt have a recent background in strength training then even light weights could take something out of you. And soreness or DOMs isnāt correlated that well with fatigue so also keep that in mind.
No starting Strong Lifts from zero. Squats are only 135lbs at the moment. SO should I decrease Riding volume, currently at 5 days per week to 3 days and alternate days with strength. Right now I ride in the am and Lift in the PM 3 day per week during harder TR sessions-- doing SSMV Base 1.
If you are new to strength training and that is your current focus then I probably wouldnāt do SSB for now and drop most riding intensity thatās above tempo. At least until you feel like you arenāt getting extraordinarily sore/fatigued from the lifting. Idk when your key events are but this early in the year I would probably do mostly endurance, maybe with some tempo thrown in if you feel good. And if you can I would keep your normal riding volume.
Yepp. Iāve started lifting weights a couple of weeks now while also trying to follow the polarized hv plan.
The first two weeks everything went fine, but last week the wheels fall of the wagon. I cannot work at threshold anymore. Legs are fried after a couple of minutes.
Decided to stop the pol plan for now and just focus on lifting while maintaining Z2 volume. In about 8 weeks i will maintain the lifting and switch focus back to the bike.
This was my experience last summer where I was running a HV POL-ish plan and lifting 2x a week with 5/3/1. Just did not work, even though I was in great shape. Just felt like it was not sustainable. Had to back off the gym entirely for a couple months. Iām doing almost a pure Z2 plan the first few weeks of my base this fall while gradually adding more weight training. I obviously donāt feel as strong but I think easing into it will be better in the long run while still maintaining a HV plan.