If you are a cycling enthusiast and your goal is to build on-the-bike strength during the offseason, you should engage in an appropriate strength training program. It is very important to complement your biking routine with some weight lifting and other strength exercises in order to prevent bone loss. If you were asking yourself how to properly incorporate these exercises, search no more, because the text below will provide you with all needed information.
How to start?
First of all, in order to prepare your muscles for exertion and protect them from injury, it is highly recommended that you warm up before the strength training with some easy spinning on the bike. Another way to warm-up properly is to use weights, but don’t forget to do it lightly. You don’t want to overexert your cold muscles since the injuries can be very painful and hard to heal.
Perfect the form
After you’ve finished stretching and warming-up, it is time to start with some exercises. In this phase, you should be completing 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions of your favorite strength exercises which will help you to get ready for the rest of the weight training. You may start with hip extensions, push-ups, seated row, burpees or whatever you prefer. Try to focus on the form and the repetition will make it perfect. In order to do the exercises right, make sure to do them with light weights and slowly.
Once you are able to control the weight, you may increase it. Weight lifting and other strength routines should be performed once to three times per week. For the start, it would be great to engage in 2 to 4 stressful workouts weekly, which will be easy to do in a couple of weeks, even if you increase the weight. Every strength session is one stressful workout. Keep up with this routine between four and eight weeks.
Getting stronger
Now that you know how to properly perform different exercises and your muscles are warm and ready, continue your strength training with 4 to 6 sets on a hip extension machine. Keep in mind that this exercise is maybe the most important one when it comes to cyclists. Start light and complete the first set with 15 repetitions. The next set should be done with increased weight and 10 repetitions. After that, increase the weight some more and do 8 repetitions. At the end, do the last three sets with even higher weight and repeat the exercise 3 to 6 times.
Of course, if you are inexperienced at strength training, you can always decrease the weight until your form is perfect. Keep in mind that these sessions will take up a lot of energy so it is recommended that you do them twice a week. As you get stronger, you can increase the number of sessions. Perfectly, this phase of your strength training should last between four and six weeks. Feel free to search for bikes shop online in order to provide yourself with a brand new bicycle, before you start combining strength routine with tempo intervals or long rides with different intensities.
Improve the endurance
If you want to prepare your body for long distances, you’ll need to modify your strength training a little bit. After the warm-up, go ahead and reduce the weight you used during the previous phase. Try to find the perfect load, which won’t be too light or too heavy. Concentrate on 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions. Another way to get strong is to use a specialized machine in your gym, that allows the user to jump while working on a leg press. Of course, if you can’t find such machine, go ahead and focus on plyometrics. After four weeks of this phase, you’ll see that you can cover longer distances and drive much faster.
Remain strong
Now that you managed to strengthen your muscles and are prepared for the season, you can slightly ease up with strength training, so go ahead and decrease the weights. Continue with 3 sets of 6-12 repetitions. This should be enough to maintain the strength through the whole year. You’ll need to engage in this type of routine just once a week for about 30 to 45 minutes. Of course, decrease weights and sets even more during heavy racing periods, or completely forget about the strength training during the week of an important race.
Final thoughts
Once you picked the exercises that suits you best, go ahead and start preparing for the upcoming cycling season. Keep in mind to be extra careful if you’re new at strength training, so don’t be ashamed to start with light weight. It would be great to seek help from a professional, and they’ll be happy to guide you through all workout stages. Keep up with a positive attitude and stay safe while working on your strength.
Meta description: If you’re a cycling enthusiast and your goal building on-the-bike strength during the offseason, you should engage in an appropriate strength training program.