I find that as I inch closer and closer to the half century mark weight training becomes more and more important. Here is a good article on that subject.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/fitness/how-older-athletes-can-fight-the-effects-of-aging/article21149953/
The winter months are a good time to hit the gym and start pushing around some weights.
For most of us racing is about achieving that next level: getting dropped to finishing with the pack, finishing with the pack to being in the sprint, being in the sprint to top ten, top ten to podium, podium to win. Simply spending another ten minutes on the trainer isn't going to get you to that next level. I think intelligent weight training is a great way to up your game.
I know that Randy B. and Lloyd L. do some serious weight training, perhaps we can get them to weigh in (pun intended) on the issue.
My personal thoughts… Friel's Cycling Training Bible is a great place to start. He spells out what types of workouts to do and when to do them -- in relation to your training and racing schedule. Some of his information is, in my opinion, a bit dated in regards to the actual exercises but the scheduling and basics are spot excellent. I've been working with physical trainer's (PT's) this past two years and it has helped enormously. Some of the latest teachings include involving your core in all exercises as well as the importance for balancing your strength.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, if you're going to improve the strength of your quads, ensuring your hamstrings and core properly offset the pressure will reduce your chances of injury as well as improve your overall quad strength. One way to do this is with deadlifts and squats. Historically I had awful form and as a result was prone to injury. For me, having a PT guide me on these exercises is paramount. I also avoid most machines because they isolate a given muscle-group without paying credence to the overall balance.
Another example is chest press; Instead of using a typical bench, I do them with dumbbells while positioning my shoulders on a large inflated exercise ball. I do this while keeping my back straight and horizontal to the floor with my lower leg perpendicular to the floor and my feel about shoulder's width. To keep my balance and the exercise smooth, I have to keep my core engaged the whole time. Additionally, as is generally the case, doing exercises like above actually require lower weights and lessen the chance of injury.
One area where Friel is rightly tentative is plyometrics which can include explosive high-impact maneouvers. As the description suggests, they can lead to injury if not done thoughtfully. However, with careful preparation, plyometric exercises are excellent for building explosive muscle response (think spring). As part of my Anatomical Adaptation phase (Friel specified phase which prepares the body for more serious weight training), The PT had me start with drops off a 1ft box, landing on my toes and holding for 2sec before resetting and jumping up to a higher box. The exercises seemed trivial and wanting in value but it is a necessary foundation for later exercises. Another preparation callout is building lateral knee strength which is something cyclists are generally very weak at.
I didn't even touch on the seeming mundane and sometimes crazy looking warm-up exercises the PT has me do before we even start on the real workout for the day. Bottom line, I highly recommend getting a Personal Trainer if only for a month or two so that you can learn proper form and technique.