Here Are Five Tips To Start The Practice Of Strength Training

Strength training is beneficial to all cyclists. It is possible to begin strength training at any time. Here are five suggestions to help you add the strength training into your routine.

1. Create Strength Training Objectives
As an endurance athlete, there are plenty of reasons to add strength training to your training routine. The majority of cyclists will benefit from some form of resistance training, whether it is to improve performance, improve quality of life or to combat the loss of muscle and bone mass. This kind of workout is very different to bodybuilding.

Setting cycling-specific strength goals is a great approach to begin. We have created strength training benchmarks that will help you set your goals. These benchmarks were created by Coach Chad with three types and types of cycling disciplines in his mind. You can enter your gender and weight to access the Strength Training Calculator. The result will include an overview of tips for strength training, and goals which are based on the type of rider you are.

2. Begin with Bodyweight Exercises
It's not necessary to wait until after the off-season to start strength training in order to enjoy the advantages. Whenever you do start, it's best to do so slowly. If you're new to resistance training, start with exercises using your body weight. This will allow you to work on your technique and will prepare your joints for additional weight later on. Make sure to practice these exercises twice or three times per week.

As a bonus that you'll require little or no equipment for these exercises. Once you are comfortable with the exercises, you'll be able to incorporate low-force, high-velocity movements such as jump squats and box jumps. As your progress then you can start adding lightly weighted, unilateral movements like lunges, split squats, and single-leg deadlifts.

3. Transition to High Weight and Low Reps
Once you're accustomed to weight-training, you'll be able to start focusing on building strength, which means using weights. The strength training program for cyclists is different from that of bodybuilders. It is important to not lift to the point of failure by performing high repetitions. This is a recipe to boost muscle mass, hypertrophy, and development of muscle. It is possible to build strength and muscle mass by using heavy weights with minimal reps. However, you will need to gradually increase your weight.

Start slow, and keep your weight in check with proper form. Once you are ready, you can raise the weight. Three sets of five repetitions each of bilateral exercises like the deadlift, back squat and bench press can be a good compromise. Allow yourself 3-4 minutes between sets to recover.

4. Separate Your Workouts
Combining strength and cycling at the same time means that one is going to impact the other. It is recommended to prioritize your cycling training by beginning it first. Then with as much time a possible in between you can complete your strength-training. This will protect the quality of your strength and fitness training. This only applies in the case of newcomers to the world of strength training. Lifting first is a good option if you're a beginner. This will help you avoid making fatigue-driven mistakes when it comes to form.

You should also separate the endurance and resistance exercises since they generate different cellular signals. They not only have competing goals however, they also hinder one another. You don't want to have both signals activate simultaneously so you should make sure that your workouts are apart by at least six hours.

5. Do not forget your primary
Bicycling is more than just an exercise for the lower part of your body. Core strength plays a significant contribution to power production in pedaling efficiency, as well as cycling position. Furthermore, a strong core can help stave off lower back pain and injury, and improve bike handling over bumpy terrain. While Strength and Fitness Training lifts that we recommend in the Strength Training Benchmarks will help build the posterior chain and torso, spending some time with core-specific exercises will serve you effectively.