Crosstraining?

[epoh]

let's take another scenario.. let's say you have a 30 year old dude that has been in a wheelchair for 15 years and he has got a very well developed CV system from playing non stop wheelchair basketball.

 

Tomorrow the dude wakes up and he realizes he has got some feeling back in his legs...he realises damn! he would soon be able to walk again and maybe even take up cycling...

 

So after 4 weeks he has got some muscle back from doing a bit of spinning etc...Now my point is if you put that dude on a bicycle he is gonna fall over with his uber dooper CV system within the first 5km because he has got very little muscle and very little muscle strength to go with it...  

 

 

 

[epoh]

 

All these arguments are proving that cross-training doesn't actually work.

 

Training specificity encompasses two things:

1. Joint angle - i.e. the range of muscle movement.

2. Contraction velocity - how fast and repetably the muscle is contracted.

 

When muscles get trained for a certain task' date=' it is not just the muscle that changes i.e. increased mitochondria etc, but neural changes as well (what is often referred to as muscle memory).

 

None of these changes impact the actual strength of the muscle, but they impact the efficiency of the muscles.

 

So, in the case of an elite runner doing a cycling race, he may have an efficient CV system, but his muscles are not efficient for the task they are being asked to do.

 

That being said - he would still outperform a body-builder in any endurance event, such as cycling.

 

[/quote']

 

Now that makes more sense

 

[BikeMax]

 

let's take another scenario.. let's say you have a 30 year old dude that has been in a wheelchair for 15 years and he has got a very well developed CV system from playing non stop wheelchair basketball.

 

Tomorrow the dude wakes up and he realizes he has got some feeling back in his legs...he realises damn! he would soon be able to walk again and maybe even take up cycling...

 

So after 4 weeks he has got some muscle back from doing a bit of spinning etc...Now my point is if you put that dude on a bicycle he is gonna fall over with his uber dooper CV system within the first 5km because he has got very little muscle and very little muscle strength to go with it...  

 

 

 

Now you are pushing it...

 

That individual will have a significantly reduced muscle function - we are talking about "normal" muscular strength here.

 

[epoh]

So the fact that the muscles in my legs got bigger since i started cycling doesnt mean they are stronger?

 

And next time you see a dude flying past you on a climb you cant say"sh*t that dude is strong?" You should rather say "sh*t that dude has got efficient muscles?"

[pastapouch]

Well , if you watched supercycling on Tue you wil recall that Owen said how much more MTBing drains you, because of more upper body usage. So you won't recommend weight training to strengthen your upper body?

And you think you're back/arms/shouldes/hip flexors don't do anything while you're pedaalling for hours?

[BikeMax]

Go and read this thread;

 

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t126133.html

 

very informative.

 

[BikeMax]

 

Well ' date=' if you watched supercycling on Tue you wil recall that Owen said how much more MTBing drains you, because of more upper body usage. So you won't recommend weight training to strengthen your upper body?

And you think you're back/arms/shouldes/hip flexors don't do anything while you're pedaalling for hours?

[/quote']

 

Owen said it... so it must be true

 

[epoh]

thanks BM, will check it out

[bruce]

 

Well ' date=' if you watched supercycling on Tue you wil recall that Owen said how much more MTBing drains you, because of more upper body usage. So you won't recommend weight training to strengthen your upper body?

And you think you're back/arms/shouldes/hip flexors don't do anything while you're pedaalling for hours?

[/quote']

 

Firstly Owen is a roadie so his upper body has not been trained by doing plenty of MTB riding.  You don't see top MTB riders complaining that they feel drained after riding an MTB race.

 

And yes, your muscles are working while you are riding, and hence they are getting the workout that you need while you are riding.

 

[BikeMax]

Try this one too..

 

http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/csa/vol73/hawley.htm

 

 

 

[BikeMax]

Or this one..

 

http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/csa/vol73/bishop.htm

 

[GoLefty!!]

Lefty' date=' your bad manners are matched only by your ignorance. Come back when you have learnt the difference between fact and opinion, as i don't have the inclination to spell it out for you. 

 

Given how long people have doing core strength trianing, funny how there are no studies showing it increases cycling power output.

 

The point is being horribly confused here. No-one from the orthodox scientific community (or just the common sense one) disputes that core training is good idea, and it will help back pain, comfot, whole body fatigue and so on. But to state as fact that it increases cycling power is either just unsupported by any evidence - not anyone's opinion - so your believibg it or saying it doesn;t make it so.

 

This really is getting futile. Next we'll be hearing those idiotic nose strips improve performance..

[/quote']

 

 

 

Granted, you are correct.

Sure there are no studies that show a direct link between core strength and on-the-bike-power but I believe it works for me and therefore I will continue to do cross training year round since I belive that if the legs are going to be doing a good job of transferring power the road then they better be attached to a rather strong chassis.