This video is a goldmine of knowledge for planning a strength training prog. My appreciation for the effort to not only provide the directions, but also include the rationale and sources.
Absolutely agree. After 3++ years of cycling and home gym lifting, I realize neat scheduling, focus on certain muscles, and proper food and REST are crucial.
This was excellent - maybe the best cycling strength discussion I have seen. Really focused and good specifics - especially the timing in relation to rest days and bike workouts.
Finally a clear presentation with actionable information. I'm sick of the likes of the RCA videos where you walk away even more confused where they hope you buy their training products.
I've read and watched a ton of stuff on strength training for cyclists and while I've probably heard or read it before the idea behind lower rep, higher weight made sense to me for the first time with this video. It's like comparing a 1 hour Threshold workout to a 2 hour Endurance ride, the endurance ride is lower intensity, feels easier but likely has a higher TSS and more kj burned due to the longer duration, sustained work. Get the adaptations without getting excess fatigue.
Deadlifts & squats are the only 2 exercises you need. These 2 exercises are certainly "the best" exercises to do if you had to choose 2. Nobody can argue with that. I do these 2 exercises twice a week. I also do 2 exercises for back, 1 per week. Like lat pull and seated cable row I also do dumbbell presses just for aesthetics, I dont wanna look like a scrawny cyclist. No need to work shoulders or Triceps because they get worked with flat and incline db presses. Biceps, if I can be bothered. Biceps get worked with back
The variation of dumbbells is extremely useful for a small person like me ruclips.net/user/postUgkxP26Tir6n60vUkdtn4mbwhRO8cwuJQNy2 But the dumbbell size being large it's hard to do certain exercises like deadlift ( I have to have my hands and legs a bit wider to accommodate the size of the DB )Otherwise happy with the purchase. No excuse not to lift weight when it's snowing outside.
Love how Dan talked about cost analysis , I see lots of cycling friends who just do to many gym exercises, I never do more than 3 exercises sometimes less is more and one year I was really time pressed so I just did Deadlifts but made them the best quality I could!
Started strength work after years of issues which we found was a hip FAI. Nothing heavy or ego just single leg controlled movements focusing on the negative and explosive drive. After awhile it really started to pay off, well worth losing 1-2 days of riding
RE 10; Pre fatiguing.. I'm 50 and resently changed to pre fatiguing with leg extensions/curls b4 heavy compounds. I can go a little lighter on my compond lifts and still get the same results, its easier on my lower back, spine, and systemic fatigue. Picked up the tip from Dr Mike at Renasance Periodisation. Also, dont forget the deloads
Interesting listening to this one. Plenty of decent advice. As long as you perform any weight exercise correctly and you enjoy it then it can’t do any harm. You definitely don’t need to pay to go to a gym.
I remember being in a Sydney Uni Gym and a Girl High jumper was in there doing eye watering Jump Squats with an insane weight. I was impressed with that leg power generated. And what is needed to get over the bar.
Naturally respect this guy - very open and honest! I’d add a suggestion to ‘at home’ strength training - there are certainly bodyweight adaptations than can make you aim for the 3-6 rep range (especially at first) - whilst not at the same level as a gym still, it’s strength training.
perfect program excellent video~! Chris Miller is yoked~! He got woke by dans coacing what a elite trainer~! Elite results for Chris~! Kudos Chris Miller~! Socal lookin at yuh winter time and ready to go to the gym now~! Come to southern california and i will show u around the Santa Monica mtn range~! World class terrain G and Froomey love it here~!
Finally, someone who agrees with me - stretching is useless! I've always thought this since I was a kid. I'd rather run around the soccer field. Before basketball practice and games we never did it at all for some reason. Basketball coach must have known something.
Definitely not useless, maybe useless for getting faster, but it’s not useless. There’s plenty of literature on this. Don’t let other people tell you how to think.
Keep in mind he says he likes to do “full range of motion movements”. You realize why that is right? That makes the eccentric part of the movement a stretch. If there was no benefit to be had he wouldn’t be fully stretching the muscle on the eccentric part of the movement. He keeps saying range of motion…you don’t gain range of motion without a stretch.
@@Dvlnerocoach stretching is stretching. Also, these world tour teams and professional sports teams must hire idiots on their training staff then. Maybe you should apply. In your interview make sure to let them know you don’t plan on having their athletes stretch, do you yoga etc.
@ 5:11 the guy doing the rack squat jumps is Johnny Candito, a world renowned powerlifter and youtuber. He has very good, free, strength programs for all levels btw
Daniel, great insight and advice on keeping it “simple” to improve your overall strength and performance on your bike. Also, touching on nutrition before and after training.
What about things like Pilates or yoga? I do a weekly Pilates class and find that it’s great for mobility and flexibility and I’m sure that it’s strengthening my core.
Surely its beneficial but bodyweight exercise whatever type is not similar to squatting your body weight with 100+kgs on your back. The bodyweight stuff has its own advantages . Apples and oranges. Maybe indoor bouldering would be bit of both
What even is this strength endurance people talk about. The stuff I have seen heavier weights is more effective at building strength even at the 10-20ish rep range (if that is endurance) for on the bike endurance performance most research uses heavy strength training.
You train your legs for strength in the gym (can be 4-8 rep range, or hypertrophy, 8+ reps ) Each of these have power based benefits for when on the bike. These do not build endurance . Bike riding builds endurance, both muscular and aerobic . Leg work in the gym is not for the benefit of endurance .
@@ingojaganjac strength range 4-8 reps is highly effective for hypertrophy gains especially when volume load is equated. As far as endurance if you mean actual endurance yes. If you mean strength endurance well there is debate about what this is but the strength range seems effective at improving this also.
I think if getting strong is really just your sideshow and you don't value gym cardio machines, getting a barbell and a hexbar and whatever amount of weight could be it. + Grips. Not entirely sure if true, as i prefer legpress to either squat or hexbar deadlift, but if you elevate yourself, perhaps use lifting shoes or a wedge too in order to get further down, seems to me hexbar deadlifts could replace squats. My thinking is doing leg focussed hexbar squats and conventional deadlifts, that a large piece of plywood( protect floor), hexbar and straightbar , thick piece of wood and plates can all stack in the corner of a living room while for squats you'll need a rack. Yes it's a substantial amount of money for good bars+ 100-250 kg weight. Not exactly saving money vs the gym for a while but a gym membership just to do squats and deadlifts? Both tough. Not really wanna do em same day. Getting gym shoes on. Getting to the gym. All that. I'd recommend hobby cyclist's recognize its a hobby and become a full blown gym bro, but if 1-4 sets of these tough exercises is all you do, i think the timesave of doing it at home can be worth it.
@@Dvlnerocoach ya same, my whole take is just keep it short simple .. I also do 90% of my str training on my way home from work as I picked a Gym that I have to pass to get home.. This way I have been able to keep it up the the last 20 years with no long brakes other than 2-3 weeks if I am on varication ..
4:28 Vulgarian splits are perhaps the most amazing squat's I've ever incorporated into my routine. They are the ultimate to improve your over all athletic ability and quads. Your core strength increases exponentially which allows you to SLAM that stem as much as you want.
I've made decent gains working out at home, for example, nordics both ways and pistol squats. Maybe not as efficient as a proper setup, but worth it for me over wasting training time commuting to the gym.
Yea there are some things you can try and do but often it involves pretty big jumps in difficulties (or jsut starts hard like Nordics) and then you run out of load you can all or it's difficult to get a well rounded project. Like pistols and Nordics are great but there isn't too much hip extensor load with these. Nordics isn't working the hamstrings as well in the range for cycling too (but still a good exercise). If I go back to the commuting analogy you can maybe do some vo2max efforts or something on the commute and get something done but you can't make a good training program out of the commute.
thanks for the advice, what exercise would you recommend for people who, due to back problems, cannot do any type of exercise that involves putting weight on the back such as squats?
I wager if you scrap all exercises, and do just ONE! You will be better off. Squats! 3-8 rep range x 3-5 sets. My theory is why try to be jack of all trades in the gym? Squats is the closest thing to cycling in mimicking imo. So my conclusion is become a Jedi of squats. I like how CM simplified the exercises in this video, but I bet/wager specializing in one would be good enough. Less accumulation of fatigue from other exercises and more time spent focusing on one exercise. Perhaps targeting closer to the 2-4 rep range for 3-5 sets. That’s obviously just for cycling. And the whole purpose of this is to time trial or sprint better. If there’s a study of this as I described I would be interested. Please let me know. Side note, I do 5-15min of core/mobility almost everyday. The marginal gain in this very slim, and almost feels like more of placebo than actual performance gains. All I care about is more power on the bike. Squats is the way to go. I would be interested leg press specialist. Purely focusing on the push and taking the back out of equation. That be interesting. I think I will try. 60 min in the gym is too long for a cyclist imo. In and out is the way. Don’t need to layer indicators one after another. Rather spend that time on my bike
This is great, what would you recommend for a total knee replacement to regain strength, currently I can only get a 60/40 split on power L/R. Any advice would be great.
Just a more single leg approach. You might need to start slower getting into but it's the same approach. I have pushed to pretty solid 1RM training post a hip replacement.
Thanks for the content Dan and Chris! Something I didn't catch in the video is how many sets should I be aiming for while working out? I come from a bodybuilding background, and we would traditionally perform about 3 to 4 depending on how many exercises you perform per muscle group. Does that same rule of thumb stand true for cyclist? I'm thinking about doing 8x3 for each movement with rep reserve in mind, so I won't be doing max fatigue efforts. Thanks again!
Yea we didn't actually cover that. The answer is it depends. 3 to 4 is a good place to be but I would be trying to be aware of the volume load of the session and what you can handle and/or what is needed for adaptation and where you are in your periodisation. Preseason is likely to be more volume load and peaking a lot less. If you haven't done much gym lower volume load if you have done lots you might need higher to drive adaptation.
@@Dvlnerocoach thank you for following up! I appreciate the answer. Truth be told, I am just an active person so I don't have any races in mind for peak performance. I just want to kill my friends on our hard rides haha. However, with periodization in mind, I will definitely reduce gym workload if nearing an event such as a fondo, etc. Thanks Dan!
A great video which gives a nice balanced view on the benefits of strength training for cyclists. I've believed in it for a long time. The only thing I'd add is: be meticulous in your technique for the compound lifts. Get proper instruction from someone who is qualified to teach you. I see some shockingly bad technique on squats and deadlifts.
Completely agree with that, technique is key to get the benefits and also not cause injuries. One thing I've really started doing recently is core activation at the start of every gym session, doing the likes of kneeling superman, planks, dead bugs. It's really helped out with squats and deadlifts technique.
The evidence is surprisingly limited on this. It appears technique (generally) matters a lot less than people think and it's more about smart overload. Have a look at Jefferson curls, they are becoming quite popular as a back flexion tolerance exercise and they are pretty much everything you are told not to do. I will put a disclaimer here there are some parts of technique that do really matter for efficiency but a lot of the hyped things with technique is nowhere near as important as people try to make you believe.
@@ollyknowles6266 good to hear from you! Your core will activate when doing the compound lifts whether you do activation work or not. Generally it is also considered a bad idea to pre fatigue the core (depending on how hard the activation work is) as the 'core' actually has the worst fatigue profile (it takes the longest to recover when fatigued). However there is some cases where the core is more a weak link and doing more supplementary work there is useful to be able to do the bigger lifts. I know for me especially with the deadlift my lower back is much weaker than my legs so lower back work helps a lot to progress my deadlift.
Wow, this is excellent, concise info. Thanks Dan. One question, for schedule reasons I have no choice but to lift and ride on the same day. My lifting occurs in the early morning. How long between sessions should I wait so I can achieve strength gains?
The answer to this is just as long as possible. You will still get gains it just appears they are blunted. If you can do the opposite ride early and lift later that would generally be my preference.
Generally it's better in the gym. What you really want if you are doing it at home you have listed. If not that than some really heavy kettle bells and dumbbells and a lot of imagination.
For the more specific exercises it shouldnt be too much of an issue. For the more compound exercises this might cause a bit too much fatigue and not allow you to recover well. If doing a super set (lower body then upper body exercise) you likely still need rest after those before going back to the lower body. You dont want to turn this into a circuit workout which often ends up not allowing enough recovery to allow for good enough lifting to really get benefits.
However you want really. It wont effect on the bike performance much. If you want to do upper body training then it can essentially go in where ever you want. Just realise mass gained in the upper body is usually not functional for cycling performance.
Thanks for this video, I have a question, as someone who has weight trained for 16 years I find it easier to do my lifting in the morning and then biking in the afternoon, as I’m a less experienced cyclist I find that a training session on the bike takes a lot out of me and ends up with a sub optimal weight session if I do it the other way around. Am I not getting the same benefit due to the reasons you described in the video? I try to leave about 5hrs between sessions which I think helps but I’m interested in hearing your reply.
Hi Joe, 5h between isnt too bad. Would be better if gym was done on an easier bike day or a day off the bike. However, of all the things discussed worrying about interference effect is maybe the thing that has the smallest impact. So get the rest of the session right and worry about any possible interference last.
Oh dear... I started doing a little session on my "powertower" (pull up/dip/leg raise, so more upper body) and then follow it up with a zone 2 ride. Is that also really a no-no then?
It's better than nothing but it's far from perfect. Not all adaptations are interfered with but it appears some of the major ones are. Zone 2 is better than efforts though less of an interference effect. I used to commute by bike to the gym but I just ensured it was really easy.
quick question, two gym sessions a week for legs, can I squeeze in another two sessions a week for upper body? Assuming similar pattern ride morning, gym late afternoon, not the day before hard training session and try to balance overall load (ie bit less on the bike). Thank you, very informative video.
I would love to answer this perfectly but we don't know how much different areas of the body are effected. Same area is definitely effected by interference different areas may not be effected at all. But that's what I would do ride in the morning gym in the evening and have sleep time (best for muscle growth and repair) before riding again in the morning. Another thing to think is just incorporating the upper body more into the session. Deadlift still requires a lot of upper body but could also add in bent over rows (quite good for back and hamstrings too) or standing military press (quite good core training while getting upper body) into the session. But if you have time adding in another session the day before an easier day where you only do upper body I think would be fine (even a harder day you might find is OK being different body parts)
@@Dvlnerocoach thank you for the comprehensive answer. I have the time, recently retired. I want to improve my cycling through strength training but also need to strength train for osteoporosis. So couple couple days a week for legs: squats, deadlifts, leg press etc. Will add explosive exercise first, box jump or step ups. Also add upper body sessions prior to easy days, military press, barbell row and bench press.
@@nickobec sounds pretty good. Feel free to play with different exercises too, that's one of the points here you don't always have to do the same exercises even if those are great ones.
This is great info Chris, looks like I need a cycling coach 😊 to customise my own program for health issues. Regards to food for training, unfortunately I’m GF & Dairy intolerance☹️ is my biggest problem.
I would be suggest getting a sports dietician advice first. I have intolerances with fructans (wheat and more), lactose (dairy) , fructose (but not to the level of other intolerances) and caffeine. Fuelling on a ride is a lot of liquids, mainly maltodextrin mixed with some sports drink containing fructose (at a level I can tolerate) and a little solids (home made rice cakes). Post gym and ride recovery smoothie with fruit, soy protein milk and whey protein isolate (does not contain lactose). There are plant base protein powders on the market pea, soy, rice etc but in my experience whey protein isolate is better (tasting, easier to dissolve, better value for money ).
@@nickobec thanks Nick, Less than 10 months ago I’ve been treated for leaky gut. This is where the discovery of my other intolerances “including coffee”. Dietitian has put me on high protein & low carb diet as my body weight has dropped off heaps with a loss of 18kg. So my food lifestyle has changed.
I don't think this should be too much of an issue. My partner is a coeliac so I eat mostly gluten free these days and it doesn't change much my session fuelling. As far as dairy intolerance I don't know enough about it but I know some people that couldn't drink milk that still found whey protein OK for their gut (but others didn't tolerate it either). You can get other protein mixes but it's a little harder to find complete proteins and it usually requires a few different types together.
@@anthonyrizzuto309 similar here, dropped 6kg in a month. Got diagnosed with IBS as I responded to low FODMAP diet, that was 18 months ago. You need to talk to your dietician about how to fuel for the bike or any endurance sport. As everything I know is carbs, carbs and carbs.
24hrs would be plenty. Most the effect is likely in about the first 8h. So 24h of a break is a very good amount of time between the gym and a ride. If the ride is easy it can likely be a lot less.
You should mention with regards core work. I guarantee you most watching this do not know how to brace their core correctly when doing heavy weight/strength sessions. So you should have said if you know how to properly use your core for the lifts then that specific study does not apply.
There is actually no evidence to any specific way to use your core properly for lifts. Our body is pretty good at finding good ways of doing different activities there is no evidence that in weight lifting this is still not the case. In saying that biomechanics will still matter to some degree and if someone really doesnt know what they are doing getting some help might be useful.
Doing low reps and consequently higher weight and expecting a relatively untrained cyclist to know how far from failure they are is complete trash. They're not going to have a clue. Also higher weights at lower rep compounds are going to run a higher risk of injury. This guys science sounds pretty good, but effectively and safely implementing it is another matter.
That higher weights and compound exercises are higher risk of injury is just bro science. Like I said don't go straight into the lower reps of the rep range but the aim should be to progress to there. As far as how far from failure you are yes it can be hard to tell. It didn't make the final cut but I would encourage people to go to failure occasionally so they know where failure is. And before you say its dangerous going to failure has been shown to not be very dangerous even in geriatric populations.
Check out Sika Strength if you like this topic The way he uses the terms "power" and "strength" seems very inconsistent with how other professionals in his field use them.
Thanks, it was so refreshing listening to someone without all the added ego of the usual strength training videos
This video is a goldmine of knowledge for planning a strength training prog. My appreciation for the effort to not only provide the directions, but also include the rationale and sources.
Absolutely agree. After 3++ years of cycling and home gym lifting, I realize neat scheduling, focus on certain muscles, and proper food and REST are crucial.
latest Nero podcast brought be here. Really helpful information. Thank you!!!
Glad you enjoyed it
This was excellent - maybe the best cycling strength discussion I have seen. Really focused and good specifics - especially the timing in relation to rest days and bike workouts.
Finally a clear presentation with actionable information. I'm sick of the likes of the RCA videos where you walk away even more confused where they hope you buy their training products.
I appreciate that!
I've read and watched a ton of stuff on strength training for cyclists and while I've probably heard or read it before the idea behind lower rep, higher weight made sense to me for the first time with this video. It's like comparing a 1 hour Threshold workout to a 2 hour Endurance ride, the endurance ride is lower intensity, feels easier but likely has a higher TSS and more kj burned due to the longer duration, sustained work. Get the adaptations without getting excess fatigue.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Deadlifts & squats are the only 2 exercises you need. These 2 exercises are certainly "the best" exercises to do if you had to choose 2. Nobody can argue with that.
I do these 2 exercises twice a week.
I also do 2 exercises for back, 1 per week. Like lat pull and seated cable row
I also do dumbbell presses just for aesthetics, I dont wanna look like a scrawny cyclist. No need to work shoulders or Triceps because they get worked with flat and incline db presses.
Biceps, if I can be bothered. Biceps get worked with back
The variation of dumbbells is extremely useful for a small person like me ruclips.net/user/postUgkxP26Tir6n60vUkdtn4mbwhRO8cwuJQNy2 But the dumbbell size being large it's hard to do certain exercises like deadlift ( I have to have my hands and legs a bit wider to accommodate the size of the DB )Otherwise happy with the purchase. No excuse not to lift weight when it's snowing outside.
Love how Dan talked about cost analysis , I see lots of cycling friends who just do to many gym exercises, I never do more than 3 exercises sometimes less is more and one year I was really time pressed so I just did Deadlifts but made them the best quality I could!
Good stuff!
This is one of the best videos I’ve seen in a long time!
One of the most nuanced videos on this subject. Good job.
Started strength work after years of issues which we found was a hip FAI. Nothing heavy or ego just single leg controlled movements focusing on the negative and explosive drive. After awhile it really started to pay off, well worth losing 1-2 days of riding
Yes!! All my questions answered in one video!! Thank you!!
RE 10; Pre fatiguing.. I'm 50 and resently changed to pre fatiguing with leg extensions/curls b4 heavy compounds. I can go a little lighter on my compond lifts and still get the same results, its easier on my lower back, spine, and systemic fatigue. Picked up the tip from Dr Mike at Renasance Periodisation. Also, dont forget the deloads
as an ex-powerlifter i say :"top approach"
Interesting listening to this one. Plenty of decent advice. As long as you perform any weight exercise correctly and you enjoy it then it can’t do any harm. You definitely don’t need to pay to go to a gym.
I remember being in a Sydney Uni Gym and a Girl High jumper was in there doing eye watering Jump Squats with an insane weight. I was impressed with that leg power generated. And what is needed to get over the bar.
@ChrisMillerCycling1 ScaMMer alert.
Great info on this video 👏🙏
Very useful and concise (all 15:30 minutes of it😀) Thanks
EDIT: I mean not a second was wasted 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent content, probably thr number 1 strength training for cyclists video thank you
Naturally respect this guy - very open and honest! I’d add a suggestion to ‘at home’ strength training - there are certainly bodyweight adaptations than can make you aim for the 3-6 rep range (especially at first) - whilst not at the same level as a gym still, it’s strength training.
Thanks for sharing!
Awesome advice. Loved the info around timing with respect to training on the bike. Taa.
Glad it was helpful!
perfect program excellent video~! Chris Miller is yoked~! He got woke by dans coacing what a elite trainer~! Elite results for Chris~! Kudos Chris Miller~! Socal lookin at yuh winter time and ready to go to the gym now~! Come to southern california and i will show u around the Santa Monica mtn range~! World class terrain G and Froomey love it here~!
Finally, someone who agrees with me - stretching is useless! I've always thought this since I was a kid. I'd rather run around the soccer field. Before basketball practice and games we never did it at all for some reason. Basketball coach must have known something.
Yea it's not useless but definitely better ways to spend the time.
Definitely not useless, maybe useless for getting faster, but it’s not useless. There’s plenty of literature on this. Don’t let other people tell you how to think.
Keep in mind he says he likes to do “full range of motion movements”. You realize why that is right? That makes the eccentric part of the movement a stretch. If there was no benefit to be had he wouldn’t be fully stretching the muscle on the eccentric part of the movement. He keeps saying range of motion…you don’t gain range of motion without a stretch.
@@djseitz425 yea "strength stretching" is good. Static stretching has limited uses
@@Dvlnerocoach stretching is stretching. Also, these world tour teams and professional sports teams must hire idiots on their training staff then. Maybe you should apply. In your interview make sure to let them know you don’t plan on having their athletes stretch, do you yoga etc.
One of your best ever videos
I couldn't cycle today because of knee pain. So I did a juicy Chest and Tricep workout. I'm like a small greg doucette
@ 5:11 the guy doing the rack squat jumps is Johnny Candito, a world renowned powerlifter and youtuber.
He has very good, free, strength programs for all levels btw
Chris this is absolutely perfect for what i was looking for, cheers! And thank you Dan for all the info, really informative.
Best strength training tip video ever! Cheers!
Great vid! Thanks!
Daniel, great insight and advice on keeping it “simple” to improve your overall strength and performance on your bike. Also, touching on nutrition before and after training.
Awesome video, loved when to fit strength training into a cycling plan - Thursday / Sunday night seems on point
What about things like Pilates or yoga? I do a weekly Pilates class and find that it’s great for mobility and flexibility and I’m sure that it’s strengthening my core.
Surely its beneficial but bodyweight exercise whatever type is not similar to squatting your body weight with 100+kgs on your back. The bodyweight stuff has its own advantages . Apples and oranges. Maybe indoor bouldering would be bit of both
Thank you for this. So helpful
Clean, fast, referenced information. Well done
Spot on is this, Low reps with heavier weight builds strength. Lots of reps with lighter weights increases endurance with marginal strength gain.
What even is this strength endurance people talk about. The stuff I have seen heavier weights is more effective at building strength even at the 10-20ish rep range (if that is endurance) for on the bike endurance performance most research uses heavy strength training.
You train your legs for strength in the gym (can be 4-8 rep range, or hypertrophy, 8+ reps )
Each of these have power based benefits for when on the bike.
These do not build endurance .
Bike riding builds endurance, both muscular and aerobic .
Leg work in the gym is not for the benefit of endurance .
@@ingojaganjac strength range 4-8 reps is highly effective for hypertrophy gains especially when volume load is equated.
As far as endurance if you mean actual endurance yes. If you mean strength endurance well there is debate about what this is but the strength range seems effective at improving this also.
Very helpful, thanks for the info!
4:48 140Kg Jump Squats.. Respect, I cant even 1RM close to that
Awesome vid Chris. Thanks
Quality info Chris, thanks!
Just the type of vid i need!
Brilliant.
Trying to balance gym and cycling and maybe football is tough on the body
I think if getting strong is really just your sideshow and you don't value gym cardio machines, getting a barbell and a hexbar and whatever amount of weight could be it. + Grips. Not entirely sure if true, as i prefer legpress to either squat or hexbar deadlift, but if you elevate yourself, perhaps use lifting shoes or a wedge too in order to get further down, seems to me hexbar deadlifts could replace squats. My thinking is doing leg focussed hexbar squats and conventional deadlifts, that a large piece of plywood( protect floor), hexbar and straightbar , thick piece of wood and plates can all stack in the corner of a living room while for squats you'll need a rack. Yes it's a substantial amount of money for good bars+ 100-250 kg weight. Not exactly saving money vs the gym for a while but a gym membership just to do squats and deadlifts? Both tough. Not really wanna do em same day. Getting gym shoes on. Getting to the gym. All that. I'd recommend hobby cyclist's recognize its a hobby and become a full blown gym bro, but if 1-4 sets of these tough exercises is all you do, i think the timesave of doing it at home can be worth it.
Dan, this was awesome, pragmatic advice!
Great video. Perfect summary of what a cyclist needs to do to develop cycling functional strength and power.
Great video! Super insightful and practical advice that can actually implement 👍
Great video. Thanks for sharing
Thank you! 🙏
You're so welcome!
I call it 5x5x5 5 exercises 5 sets of 5 rebs 3 for legs 2 for upper body I do have like a total of 10 different exercises I do but only 5 pr session
Yep your 2 gym days (or more in the week if you have them) don't need to be the same. I usually have a squat day and a deadlift day.
@@Dvlnerocoach ya same, my whole take is just keep it short simple .. I also do 90% of my str training on my way home from work as I picked a Gym that I have to pass to get home.. This way I have been able to keep it up the the last 20 years with no long brakes other than 2-3 weeks if I am on varication ..
4:28
Vulgarian splits are perhaps the most amazing squat's I've ever incorporated into my routine. They are the ultimate to improve your over all athletic ability and quads. Your core strength increases exponentially which allows you to SLAM that stem as much as you want.
Question:
Could you do a zone 1 or two ride instead of taking a full day off and still get benefit from strength training?
Dupla top das galáxias! ❤ Uira pedala encaixadinho demais, né? 💪
Great video thanks lads. How many sets/reps for accessory exercises?
8-12 is a good number, right in the middle of growth and endurance
Great video. Hounest and complete advice on how to start with power training as a cyclist.
Glad it was helpful!
Very clear advice on strength training for cyclists...
Thanks Dan
Thanks Wendy. Missed you at nationals … no Wendy selfie this year for me 😉
@@ChrisMillerCycling I was looking out for you. I'm usually near start/finish line or with TeamBridgeLane.
I've made decent gains working out at home, for example, nordics both ways and pistol squats. Maybe not as efficient as a proper setup, but worth it for me over wasting training time commuting to the gym.
Yea there are some things you can try and do but often it involves pretty big jumps in difficulties (or jsut starts hard like Nordics) and then you run out of load you can all or it's difficult to get a well rounded project. Like pistols and Nordics are great but there isn't too much hip extensor load with these. Nordics isn't working the hamstrings as well in the range for cycling too (but still a good exercise).
If I go back to the commuting analogy you can maybe do some vo2max efforts or something on the commute and get something done but you can't make a good training program out of the commute.
thanks for the advice, what exercise would you recommend for people who, due to back problems, cannot do any type of exercise that involves putting weight on the back such as squats?
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it that your account hacked by someone? Someone pretended u to reply my comment
I wager if you scrap all exercises, and do just ONE! You will be better off. Squats! 3-8 rep range x 3-5 sets. My theory is why try to be jack of all trades in the gym? Squats is the closest thing to cycling in mimicking imo. So my conclusion is become a Jedi of squats. I like how CM simplified the exercises in this video, but I bet/wager specializing in one would be good enough. Less accumulation of fatigue from other exercises and more time spent focusing on one exercise. Perhaps targeting closer to the 2-4 rep range for 3-5 sets. That’s obviously just for cycling. And the whole purpose of this is to time trial or sprint better. If there’s a study of this as I described I would be interested. Please let me know. Side note, I do 5-15min of core/mobility almost everyday. The marginal gain in this very slim, and almost feels like more of placebo than actual performance gains. All I care about is more power on the bike. Squats is the way to go. I would be interested leg press specialist. Purely focusing on the push and taking the back out of equation. That be interesting. I think I will try. 60 min in the gym is too long for a cyclist imo. In and out is the way. Don’t need to layer indicators one after another. Rather spend that time on my bike
This is great, what would you recommend for a total knee replacement to regain strength, currently I can only get a 60/40 split on power L/R. Any advice would be great.
Just a more single leg approach. You might need to start slower getting into but it's the same approach. I have pushed to pretty solid 1RM training post a hip replacement.
@@Dvlnerocoach thank you, appreciate it.
Stellar stuff....
Super useful!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video!
Super video! Really informative and practical.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the content Dan and Chris! Something I didn't catch in the video is how many sets should I be aiming for while working out? I come from a bodybuilding background, and we would traditionally perform about 3 to 4 depending on how many exercises you perform per muscle group. Does that same rule of thumb stand true for cyclist? I'm thinking about doing 8x3 for each movement with rep reserve in mind, so I won't be doing max fatigue efforts. Thanks again!
Yea we didn't actually cover that. The answer is it depends. 3 to 4 is a good place to be but I would be trying to be aware of the volume load of the session and what you can handle and/or what is needed for adaptation and where you are in your periodisation. Preseason is likely to be more volume load and peaking a lot less. If you haven't done much gym lower volume load if you have done lots you might need higher to drive adaptation.
@@Dvlnerocoach thank you for following up! I appreciate the answer. Truth be told, I am just an active person so I don't have any races in mind for peak performance. I just want to kill my friends on our hard rides haha. However, with periodization in mind, I will definitely reduce gym workload if nearing an event such as a fondo, etc. Thanks Dan!
A great video which gives a nice balanced view on the benefits of strength training for cyclists. I've believed in it for a long time.
The only thing I'd add is: be meticulous in your technique for the compound lifts. Get proper instruction from someone who is qualified to teach you. I see some shockingly bad technique on squats and deadlifts.
Completely agree with that, technique is key to get the benefits and also not cause injuries. One thing I've really started doing recently is core activation at the start of every gym session, doing the likes of kneeling superman, planks, dead bugs. It's really helped out with squats and deadlifts technique.
The evidence is surprisingly limited on this. It appears technique (generally) matters a lot less than people think and it's more about smart overload.
Have a look at Jefferson curls, they are becoming quite popular as a back flexion tolerance exercise and they are pretty much everything you are told not to do.
I will put a disclaimer here there are some parts of technique that do really matter for efficiency but a lot of the hyped things with technique is nowhere near as important as people try to make you believe.
@@ollyknowles6266 good to hear from you!
Your core will activate when doing the compound lifts whether you do activation work or not. Generally it is also considered a bad idea to pre fatigue the core (depending on how hard the activation work is) as the 'core' actually has the worst fatigue profile (it takes the longest to recover when fatigued).
However there is some cases where the core is more a weak link and doing more supplementary work there is useful to be able to do the bigger lifts. I know for me especially with the deadlift my lower back is much weaker than my legs so lower back work helps a lot to progress my deadlift.
Wow, this is excellent, concise info. Thanks Dan. One question, for schedule reasons I have no choice but to lift and ride on the same day. My lifting occurs in the early morning. How long between sessions should I wait so I can achieve strength gains?
The answer to this is just as long as possible. You will still get gains it just appears they are blunted. If you can do the opposite ride early and lift later that would generally be my preference.
Can you go into strength trading at home, suggested equipment alternatives to barbells and squat racks?
Generally it's better in the gym. What you really want if you are doing it at home you have listed. If not that than some really heavy kettle bells and dumbbells and a lot of imagination.
GOLD🙏🙏
During your 'rest' can you do upper body exercises, for example, chest Press, then go alternate to legs?
For the more specific exercises it shouldnt be too much of an issue. For the more compound exercises this might cause a bit too much fatigue and not allow you to recover well. If doing a super set (lower body then upper body exercise) you likely still need rest after those before going back to the lower body. You dont want to turn this into a circuit workout which often ends up not allowing enough recovery to allow for good enough lifting to really get benefits.
How would you incoporate arm strength training into this routine?
However you want really. It wont effect on the bike performance much. If you want to do upper body training then it can essentially go in where ever you want. Just realise mass gained in the upper body is usually not functional for cycling performance.
Thanks for this video, I have a question, as someone who has weight trained for 16 years I find it easier to do my lifting in the morning and then biking in the afternoon, as I’m a less experienced cyclist I find that a training session on the bike takes a lot out of me and ends up with a sub optimal weight session if I do it the other way around. Am I not getting the same benefit due to the reasons you described in the video? I try to leave about 5hrs between sessions which I think helps but I’m interested in hearing your reply.
Hi Joe, 5h between isnt too bad. Would be better if gym was done on an easier bike day or a day off the bike. However, of all the things discussed worrying about interference effect is maybe the thing that has the smallest impact. So get the rest of the session right and worry about any possible interference last.
@@Dvlnerocoach perfect, thank you for the reply I appreciate you taking the time.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Great vid
How should that be periodized in the mesocycle?
Squats, Deadlifts. Done.
Oh dear... I started doing a little session on my "powertower" (pull up/dip/leg raise, so more upper body) and then follow it up with a zone 2 ride. Is that also really a no-no then?
It's better than nothing but it's far from perfect. Not all adaptations are interfered with but it appears some of the major ones are. Zone 2 is better than efforts though less of an interference effect. I used to commute by bike to the gym but I just ensured it was really easy.
quick question, two gym sessions a week for legs, can I squeeze in another two sessions a week for upper body? Assuming similar pattern ride morning, gym late afternoon, not the day before hard training session and try to balance overall load (ie bit less on the bike). Thank you, very informative video.
I would love to answer this perfectly but we don't know how much different areas of the body are effected. Same area is definitely effected by interference different areas may not be effected at all. But that's what I would do ride in the morning gym in the evening and have sleep time (best for muscle growth and repair) before riding again in the morning.
Another thing to think is just incorporating the upper body more into the session. Deadlift still requires a lot of upper body but could also add in bent over rows (quite good for back and hamstrings too) or standing military press (quite good core training while getting upper body) into the session. But if you have time adding in another session the day before an easier day where you only do upper body I think would be fine (even a harder day you might find is OK being different body parts)
@@Dvlnerocoach thank you for the comprehensive answer. I have the time, recently retired. I want to improve my cycling through strength training but also need to strength train for osteoporosis. So couple couple days a week for legs: squats, deadlifts, leg press etc. Will add explosive exercise first, box jump or step ups. Also add upper body sessions prior to easy days, military press, barbell row and bench press.
@@nickobec sounds pretty good. Feel free to play with different exercises too, that's one of the points here you don't always have to do the same exercises even if those are great ones.
This is a refreshing
This is great info Chris, looks like I need a cycling coach 😊 to customise my own program for health issues.
Regards to food for training, unfortunately I’m GF & Dairy intolerance☹️ is my biggest problem.
I would be suggest getting a sports dietician advice first. I have intolerances with fructans (wheat and more), lactose (dairy) , fructose (but not to the level of other intolerances) and caffeine. Fuelling on a ride is a lot of liquids, mainly maltodextrin mixed with some sports drink containing fructose (at a level I can tolerate) and a little solids (home made rice cakes). Post gym and ride recovery smoothie with fruit, soy protein milk and whey protein isolate (does not contain lactose). There are plant base protein powders on the market pea, soy, rice etc but in my experience whey protein isolate is better (tasting, easier to dissolve, better value for money ).
@@nickobec thanks Nick, Less than 10 months ago I’ve been treated for leaky gut. This is where the discovery of my other intolerances “including coffee”. Dietitian has put me on high protein & low carb diet as my body weight has dropped off heaps with a loss of 18kg. So my food lifestyle has changed.
I don't think this should be too much of an issue. My partner is a coeliac so I eat mostly gluten free these days and it doesn't change much my session fuelling. As far as dairy intolerance I don't know enough about it but I know some people that couldn't drink milk that still found whey protein OK for their gut (but others didn't tolerate it either). You can get other protein mixes but it's a little harder to find complete proteins and it usually requires a few different types together.
Also nicks advice for a sports dietician is spot on. That is their area of expertise.
@@anthonyrizzuto309 similar here, dropped 6kg in a month. Got diagnosed with IBS as I responded to low FODMAP diet, that was 18 months ago. You need to talk to your dietician about how to fuel for the bike or any endurance sport. As everything I know is carbs, carbs and carbs.
Is a rest day required before a ride or can one ride the day after (24hrs) the gym day?
24hrs would be plenty. Most the effect is likely in about the first 8h. So 24h of a break is a very good amount of time between the gym and a ride. If the ride is easy it can likely be a lot less.
Great video Chris, cheers! 0:20 how heavy (how many kg) on each dumbell for the single leg squat (lunge)? Thabks
Anyone who has a turbo trainer... thats a pretty heavy weight for starting out doing some lifting. very awkward to hold so great for core as well
Haha! Not to mention mounting a tubeless tyre on a rim … 💪🏼
great info, but a gym membership for 2x 1 hour sessions a week is a bit out of the budget for me.
Maybe have a look around at different gyms. My gym is 10 dollars a week. It isn't a fancy gym but it has more than everything I need.
Just take my subscribe 😂
Woo
You should mention with regards core work. I guarantee you most watching this do not know how to brace their core correctly when doing heavy weight/strength sessions. So you should have said if you know how to properly use your core for the lifts then that specific study does not apply.
There is actually no evidence to any specific way to use your core properly for lifts. Our body is pretty good at finding good ways of doing different activities there is no evidence that in weight lifting this is still not the case. In saying that biomechanics will still matter to some degree and if someone really doesnt know what they are doing getting some help might be useful.
Doing low reps and consequently higher weight and expecting a relatively untrained cyclist to know how far from failure they are is complete trash. They're not going to have a clue. Also higher weights at lower rep compounds are going to run a higher risk of injury. This guys science sounds pretty good, but effectively and safely implementing it is another matter.
That higher weights and compound exercises are higher risk of injury is just bro science. Like I said don't go straight into the lower reps of the rep range but the aim should be to progress to there.
As far as how far from failure you are yes it can be hard to tell. It didn't make the final cut but I would encourage people to go to failure occasionally so they know where failure is. And before you say its dangerous going to failure has been shown to not be very dangerous even in geriatric populations.
In your title it’s “than” not “then” #ocd
#Kneesovertoesguy
Toothpick arms on the thumbnail lol
Why waste your time in the gym when you actually can go ride a bike in that time 😂
Ironically, I’m here to understand how I can increase my endurance on my road bike
Ironically, I’m here to understand how I can increase my endurance on my road bike lol
Because 200 kg on the legpress (GCN) is embarrassing
Check out Sika Strength if you like this topic
The way he uses the terms "power" and "strength" seems very inconsistent with how other professionals in his field use them.
Great video!