Leg Strengthening Routines In Gym

[Capricorn]

There is pretty much no evidence that says gym work for your legs will improve your cycling. You're better of cycling more.

 

win much podiums lately? Maybe you doing it wrong... or are you referring to a specific discipline of cycling for which leg weights training is utterly useless. Please elaborate on what I presume is a scientific basis for your claim.

 

Shane Perkins disagrees with you..

Edited July 2, 2011 by Capricorn

[Minion]

win much podiums lately? Maybe you doing it wrong... or are you referring to a specific discipline of cycling for which leg weights training is utterly useless. Please elaborate on what I presume is a scientific basis for your claim.

 

Shane Perkins disagrees with you..

The number of podiums he's achieved is completely irrelevant to whether or not what he says is valid. That is a completely misleading, purely ad-hominem, argument.

 

A quick search through Pubmed shows he is probably wrong (certainly for claiming there is no evidence): there is some evidence that strength training may help endurance cycling, though it is mixed.

This review of all research up to 2009 says the evidence is not strong, but the may be a benefit for sprints and time trial performance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20072042

 

Joe Friel also says this evidence is mixed, but there may be some benefit to weight training:

http://www.trainingb...-endurance.html

 

Andy Coggan, on the other hand, feels the evidence for weight training is seriously lacking and you'd be better doing specific strength training on the bike

http://forum.slowtwi...i?post=1514619;

 

Finally, Shane Perkins is a track cyclist . Not a good example of the kind of cycling most of us do.

Edited July 2, 2011 by Edman

[camerons]

win much podiums lately? Maybe you doing it wrong... or are you referring to a specific discipline of cycling for which leg weights training is utterly useless. Please elaborate on what I presume is a scientific basis for your claim.

 

Shane Perkins disagrees with you..

 

I do alright thanks champ.

 

Let me explain a little... I used to think that weights in the gym would help my cycling but I have slowly moved away from stronger is better mantra after reading more. My old theory was if I have a max squat of say 100kg then when I'm cycling I'll be working at a smaller percentage of my max so therefore I will fatigue more slowly. Right?

The problem comes with the force production used in cycling! Even at full pelt, 400 watts, the amount of force you need to produce through the pedal is very small (max of 10kg/ 100N) per revolution. The speed that you pedal at is so much faster than anything you do in the gym. A big squat takes 2 seconds to get to full extension, at 90 rpm the power part of the stroke is about 0.3s long

So big weights will help you to pull away from the lights in a big gear but for POWER, think of people like the Schleks, with stick thin legs - can produce a lot of power. You don't need a lot of strength just to be strong enough and have the aerobic capacity to repeat it over and over.

 

Anyhow do yourself a favour and do some research on the internet, this topic is one of the most hotly debated in cycling formus all over the internet. The common wisdom is that leg specific strenght training will not improve your cycling, cycling more will.

 

Interestingly there is quite a big of research that shows that core strenght training improves cycling due to improved efficiency and work rate economy.

[camerons]

The number of podiums he's achieved is completely irrelevant to whether or not what he says is valid. That is a completely misleading, purely ad-hominem, argument.

 

A quick search through Pubmed shows he is probably wrong (certainly for claiming there is no evidence): there is some evidence that strength training may help endurance cycling, though it is mixed.

This review of all research up to 2009 says the evidence is not strong, but the may be a benefit for sprints and time trial performance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20072042

 

Joe Friel also says this evidence is mixed, but there may be some benefit to weight training:

http://www.trainingb...-endurance.html

 

Andy Coggan, on the other hand, feels the evidence for weight training is seriously lacking and you'd be better doing specific strength training on the bike

http://forum.slowtwi...i?post=1514619;

 

Finally, Shane Perkins is a track cyclist . Not a good example of the kind of cycling most of us do.

 

Thanks, it is nice to be able to have some intelligent debate. I will read your links when I have a chance and reply in more detail.

 

I've been out cycling (to improve my cycling) and lunch is calling

['Dale]

Did some of those curls yesterday on the circuit at gym.

With quads and hammies.

 

And some calf strengthening / raises.

 

It was good. Can feel the difference in the pedal stroke.

[Capricorn]

lol. tsk tsk. both you and edman need to unbunch, as well stop the finger wagging. I did ask for the basis, which OBVIOUSly, or should have been obvious to you google sponsored researchers, that i didnt have a clue what you (camerons) were on about. BUt do njoi the self wedgy, and njoi the new strength in that finger... maybe once it's strong enough, it might remove that bunch.. thnx!

 

oh and you (cams), instead of flamebait (which makes your 'jibe' bout intelligent debate highly ironic), post a proper explanation for your claims. Carry on finger wagging ladies.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Capricorn

[camerons]

lol. tsk tsk. both you and edman need to unbunch, as well stop the finger wagging. I did ask for the basis, which OBVIOUSly, or should have been obvious to you google sponsored researchers, that i didnt have a clue what you (camerons) were on about. BUt do njoi the self wedgy, and njoi the new strength in that finger... maybe once it's strong enough, it might remove that bunch.. thnx!

 

oh and you (cams), instead of flamebait (which makes your 'jibe' bout intelligent debate highly ironic), post a proper explanation for your claims. Carry on finger wagging ladies.

 

I'm not too sure what you're on about in the above? I think I've explained my point of view quite well. Please provide a decent counter argument (this is what I mean by intelligent debate) if you disagree. I am always keen to learn. Like most people on here I am interested in becoming a better cyclist so beleive me if I thought there was merit in doing weights I would be doing them.

[camerons]

The number of podiums he's achieved is completely irrelevant to whether or not what he says is valid. That is a completely misleading, purely ad-hominem, argument.

 

A quick search through Pubmed shows he is probably wrong (certainly for claiming there is no evidence): there is some evidence that strength training may help endurance cycling, though it is mixed.

This review of all research up to 2009 says the evidence is not strong, but the may be a benefit for sprints and time trial performance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20072042

 

Joe Friel also says this evidence is mixed, but there may be some benefit to weight training:

http://www.trainingb...-endurance.html

 

Andy Coggan, on the other hand, feels the evidence for weight training is seriously lacking and you'd be better doing specific strength training on the bike

http://forum.slowtwi...i?post=1514619;

 

Finally, Shane Perkins is a track cyclist . Not a good example of the kind of cycling most of us do.

 

Thanks for the links however nothing there changes my mind.

 

You are right in saying that the statement "there is no evidence" is incorrect however I will say that to my knowledge there are no peer reviewed studies that show that strength training will improve endurance cycling. THe last time I looked into this subject in depth was about a year ago and as far as I know nothing has changed since then. I would be glad to be proved wrong. Conversely there are a few peer reviewed studies that show that strength training can actually have a negative effect on endurance cyclists. I don't have access to them right now but if you are truely interested I can find them for you to look at.

 

You will notice how I have changed my tune slightly to say "endurance cyclist" rather than "cyclists" as there has been some studies done that show improvement in track cyclists as far as I know.

 

Anyway I am sure there will be a few more people along at some stage who have different points of view but my experience tells me that they will all be based on anecdotal and n=1 type evidence.

 

As mentioned in an earlier reply to that other chap, I am interested in improving my cycling so if anyone can show me that strength training will improve my cycling I will be at the gym tomorrow.

[toadwart777]

As far as I am concerned and taking all opinions into account... A comprehensive strength training program for a particular sport should consider a person's biomechanics, sport specificity and muscular imbalances which can be caused by the sport. So even if gym work may not help your performance it can help iron out muscular balances and most importantly help prevent injury especially to joints. I dont think you can debate that stronger muscles will give better support to joints therefore reducing your chances of injury. If a person does choose to hit the gym in the hope of improving their cycling performance then the exercises must be specific to the sport they are training for.