I used DH over several months as my riding was picking up in the spring summer and I agree with all you said. It’s great when your focus is training/racing as the lifting is low impact and doesn’t require much recovery so you can do the bike workouts.
Though I also agree with most of the cons you listed.
Maybe just a simple RPE rating would help with some of the weight prescriptions but if you are a true beginner to lifting then there isn’t much outside of seeing a personal trainer that will alleviate that learning curve of “what weight is ‘Medium’ for this movement”. But that is something that is usually quickly picked up on.
The tracking was a bit clunky and I wish there was a better way to see further in your history for a movement. and to have those movement histories carry from program to program.
Short of doing personal training or very general recommendations I don’t know the best way for Derek to better direct the integration of the DH programs with a bike program. I know he uses TR and is friends with some of them but his product isn’t TR and isn’t tied to TR so I’m sure it’s a relatively small part of his customers that are using both.
I’m starting dialed health today. Did the questionnaire on Thursday night but no response. I thinking about going with the MTN XC plan and see how that goes. Going to do two day a week on top my mid volume plan. Using Sunday and Thursday for my strength days since they are followed up with a rest day. Will see how it goes.
I know Derek is trying to focus on getting replies out faster. They just launched the new app though, so he may be preoccupied. Try sending him a message directly through email or on Instagram.
Just finished my first workout for Dialed Health (Beginner body weight program) and am a bit meh on it. Most other programs I’ve done had “do it along with us”, continuous videos where as DH is more segmented and took a bit of getting used to. Repeating moves did go quicker and I could go at my own pace but being new to most strength work made it a bit disjointed.
I’ll give me 7 day trial a go but I might go back to Dynamic Cyclist. I used them for mobility in the past and see they have some strength now. Other problem is I don’t really have any equipment so the DH programs are a bit limited to me.
If you guys are looking for periodized strength work (which you should be), Menachem Brodie’s Vortex Strength is good. He gives fully periodized routines at the back of his book which is probably cheaper than a subscription service. A full annual routine there for gym, and two home gym versions, one of which I can vouch for is very good.
(Strength Training for Cycling Performance: The Vortex Method’s Ultimate Training Program Amazon.com)
He also has a very good YouTube channel and free video content for book readers on his site. I’ve found it very good but it is a time investment for full body strength with a cycling focus.
SoCalBikePT has a focus on prehab routines as well, which is a good thing. Activations and focused stretching are important. Frankly, most riders probably need an assessment on their strengths and weaknesses to target actual needs rather than just general programs you find on the internet. Dialing in strength and prehab routines takes an in depth knowledge of your body and many of us - including me - don’t know our problems as well as we think we do and we waste a whole bunch of time and effort on the wrong stuff!
I keep adding: another free resource which helps me quite a bit is the old school 12-minute foundation training routine. It opens my hips and strengthens posterior chain without being too fatiguing once you get used to it. Any cycling-related back pain I had previously is gone. I did the subscription to FT for two months but didn’t find any additional benefit beyond the free routine as a part of my training and prehab.
I agree that it’s harder to do the workouts that have each exercise separated. It also wastes time. It’s much better if you pick the Dialed Health Guided workouts, which is you working out along with him for one continuous workout. Try one of the “No Equipment Core Workouts” for example. (Don’t start a “Program”…instead, click “workouts” and select one).
I invested in 2 kettlebells and do his guided kettlebell workouts. You could do it with 1 with a few modifications though. I also already had a TRX, so I do the guided TRX workouts too.
Another option is the Peloton app. They have a billion guided workouts in many categories.
There are newer routines and probably some are a little bit better… but that one is free and readily available and it works (for me). It focuses on lengthening the hip flexors and adductors both of which are trouble spots that cause back pain in cyclists, in addition to strengthening the low back and thoracic region.
My only complaint is the section on stretching hamstrings which most of us might not need, but honestly it feels good so I do it anyway.
Wanted to thank you @Pbase for this suggestion. Found the guided workouts (not sure why they’re so buried) and have been enjoying it. Right now doing the mobility, no equipment, and the single band exercises…all kicking my butt. Might pick up a kettle ball at some point but even with those few it gives me something to do on the days I can’t get out and ride.
As I expected, they incorporated a lot of the new FT stuff - sphere of tension, decompression (spiral decompression in this case). Gorilla lifts are the work of the devil.
I will definitely try it out tomorrow. I liked a lot of the new stuff when I subscribed, but didn’t see the value in subscribing to it for longer since I did it twice a week and the original routine was so beneficial for me. This looks like a good option to get some new benefits.
So I just did the new 12 minute routine. I have the advantage of having done the FT Streaming Baseline program so I’ve already learned all the cues for the spiral decompression, wide founder (w/ lunge once) and gorilla lift (the three exercises used in that new video). I found it very effective, personally. I will definitely add it in and probably do it more often than the old one. Glad to have two good options.
FT is legit and resolved all my back and hip issues related to the bike.
I also subscribed and went through the first 8(?) weeks of intros, but then went back to the youtube ‘original’, since I felt it helped more with my lower back. Never made it to the gorilla lift for example.
Are there any sessions / programs in FT that you would recommend most?
Thanks!
Not really as I only got through the full baseline. My issue I’m working on right now is thoracic mobility, so the gorilla lifts are good for that. The archers and reverse archers help.
I liked a lot of the “spiral” work for hip mobility as well. So this new one hits well for me.