+ HEALTHY LIVING
Cycling has seen a rapid rise in participation levels of the weekend warrior cyclist. On any given weekend morning between 7 and 10 a.m., you don’t have to venture far to see Lyrca-clad enthusiasts pedaling their way along the right bike lane or path. If you are one of those weekend warriors and want to gain an advantage on your friends or set some new personal records on Strava, listen up!
There are a number of ways you can improve your cycling, including ride more, get a proper bike fit, improve your pedaling technique, enroll in regular spin classes, buy a new bike, or even lose weight. But there is one way that most recreational cyclists haven’t considered yet: Weight training that’s tailored specifically for cycling.
Just one dedicated leg weight session per week is a game-changer. If you want your legs feeling fresh over the weekend, I recommend a leg weight session to be completed early in the week to allow enough time for recovery. The session needs not be longer than 45-50 minutes and all facets of power, speed and endurance can be addressed using various resistance exercises.
Breaking down the movement of a pedal rotation, the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves all work in unison to create energy to propel the bike forward. Therefore, by placing these muscles under the heavier stresses of weight training, they will become accustomed to higher output levels. Squats are a perfect exercise to achieve this as it loads the whole body and engages the core. Doing squats at a lighter weight with higher repetitions will increase muscular endurance helping with long distance rides, whereas heavy loads with low repetitions will train more power and speed for climbing and sprint efforts.
In addition, the pedal motion is opposite at any given time in the legs. While the right foot is pushing down on the pedal, the left foot is pulling the opposite pedal up. Bulgarian squats (aka as split squats) are ideal for replicating the pushing phase while single leg Swiss ball curls address the pulling movement of the stroke.
Traveling higher up the body chain, the hips need to stabilize so that the power can be transferred directly to the legs. This requires a strong core to limit upper body movement, and strong hip stabilizers so that the pelvis stays horizontal with each pedal stroke.
A combination of bilateral, unilateral, hip stability and core exercises should be included in a well-balanced weight program. Compound exercises are also encouraged as they require several muscle groups to work together to produce the output, making them specific to cycling.
Angie Ferguson is an exercise physiologist and Tony Robbins Results Coach from Fort Myers, Florida. She also is a Corrective Biomechanics Specialist, USA Triathlon Advanced Level 2 coach, USA Cycling coach, has a Specialty in Sports Nutrition certification, and a PhD in results! For more training tips, contact her at www.gearedup.biz