Whether you are a competitive cyclist or just like to stay
healthy and ride your bike, strength training should be a regular part of your
summer exercise program. Cycling is a
repetitive sport; moving certain muscles in the same movement pattern over and
over, sometimes for many hours. What
happens is that those specific muscles get stronger but everything else gets
tight or weaker (including your bones).
In order to stay healthy and strong for the duration of the season
(April – October) you should incorporate one strength training day a week to
maintain, or even improve, strength gained during the off-season.
Years ago, strength training during the off-season for
cyclists was not thought of. For many,
the off-season is a time to ride your bike at a low intensity for many hours
and build the aerobic engine. Some are
fortunate enough to do this in a warm climate, while others in the northern
hemisphere aren’t as fortunate. Recent
research has shown, however, that there are benefits of strength training for
cyclists; pushing a bigger gear, having less injuries during the season, and
preventing burnout.
Newer pieces of fitness equipment make it easier to train
the aerobic system and build strength without fatiguing the body or reducing
on-bike performance during the peak racing/riding season. Equipment such as TRX and Kettlebells are
great because they can be used as bilateral (both sides of body moving
together, or unilateral (one side of the body at a time) during training
Strength workouts during the season should be secondary to
on-bike training. So especially on high
intensity training rides, perform the strength workout after the ride. This can be immediately or a few hours after.
If you keep a training log, (and you should) remember to
count the strength workouts as training hours when factoring in your recovery
days.
Here are 5 exercises
to keep you strong for the duration of the summer cycling season.
1.
TRX
Sprinter Starts
Start with straps positioned
under each armpit. Keeping your chest
up, lean forward and move one leg into a reverse lunge. Begin by bringing the back leg forward and
lifting the knee up in the air. To build
power for pedaling, add a little hop forward and backward before each time
moving the back leg into reverse lunge.
*Repeat 3-4 sets of 10-12
reps per leg
2.
½
Kneeling Straight-Arm Pulldowns with Ropes
For this exercises you will
need two rope attachments for the cable machine. Begin in a ½ kneeling
position (one knee up in
front and the other on ground behind) and grab the ropes handles. Keeping your torso tall, pull the ropes down
using your lat muscles while the arms remain straight. Keep your core muscles engaged during the
movement at all times and control the weight.
This is great for teaching you to keep your upper body relaxed on the
bike and not shrug.
*Repeat 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
on each side
3.
KB
Double Lunge (L/R)
Begin with one Kettlebell racked
at shoulder level. Your wrist should remain
flexed, do not allow the wrist to fall back while holding he weight. Keeping the weight at shoulder height, step
forward into a lunge, and then immediately step back into a reverse lunge with
the same leg. The goal is to not step
the feet together before moving into the reverse lunge. This will challenge your balance and
coordination and will make you more secure on the bike when riding in a pack.
*Repeat 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps
on each leg
4.
Pushup
with Knee Tucks and Abduction using Sliders
For this exercise you will
need two Sliders (or a piece of paper works as well). This is a great upper body exercise that can
simulate riding out of the saddle while cranking on the handlebars. Begin in pushup position with each foot on a
slider. Lower down and as soon as you
begin to push back up slide one foot forward bringing your knee towards your
chest. Extend the leg back and then lower
down again and this time bring the other knee forward, then lower down and bend
both knees forward together at the same time, and finally with legs straight
spread them apart and back together.
This series counts as 1 rep.
*Repeat 2-3 sets of 4-8 reps
5.
TRX
Single Leg Hip Press
Lie on your backside and
place one heel in the lower loop of a TRX Strap. Bend knees to about 90 degrees. Push your foot in the strap down as you lift
your hips at the same time. Keep the
foot that is not in the straps elevated as well. This is great for working the hamstrings to
“pull” on the pedals.
*Repeat 2-3 sets 8-12 reps on
each leg
