Hey all,
I’m looking for any advice on adding 1 or 2 strength workouts per week to my medium volume plan. I’ve never really weight trained, but I’m thinking it may help me develop more all around fitness. Does anyone know of a good full body workout I could incorporate into my plan or any advice?
Quite a few threads on this, example - New to Trainerroad - When/where to add strength training?
Ask 50 people which exercises they do, on which day and how many sets and reps, you’ll get 50 different answers.
TR have some recommendations on exercises and weights - have a search for ‘TrainerRoad strength benchmarks’
FWIW I do 2 X strength per week on days that I ride.
I ensure my strength doesn’t impact my riding in any significant way, but I’m not afraid of a little soreness here and there.
I do MV myself, so I am focussed on keeping my rest days rest days and not doing any training on those days, hence the strength on a riding day.
As the previous poster said, there’s every manner in ways to strength train for cycling and general life. My advice would be pick something and just do it and be consistent.
K.I.S.S.; Keep it simple, if you’re new to strength training I would suggest not doing any fancy moves you see “cycling coaches” do on Instagram or social media. Swinging a kettlebell around looks cool but if you’re looking for strength gains anything that last more than 45 seconds per set, I personally think is more of a cardio workout. That being said low weight high rep is good for working on form and then progressing with more weight with lower reps. I would start with the big 5 lifts and yes many people will suggest many things. I could go on and on about strength training but this article sums it up pretty well.
Personal preference, my input is keep it simple and no machines. In my humble opinion, having spent 3 years learning dying and cycling, barbells are great except for the learning curve and risk when going heavy. I’ve hurt myself a few times with barbells. For my money and time invested, I’m seeing better consistency (3 times a week) and results with kettlebells. No interference with cycling. These are general preparation plans. One key exercise is power swings with enough recovery to keep them focused on building power and speed (not cardio). Only need an area the size of a yoga mat. No excuses. After a year and f swinging and working on technique, I’m on a program now that is just power swings and power pushups. I’ve added muscle mass on upper body and upper legs. StrongFirst has plans based on science (with full biochemistry/physiology explanation) and experimentation, all for the price of some Kindle books.
Thank you all for the replies. I’ve read a ton of the articles but it’s always nice to hear what real people are doing!