Weight lifting for riding/racing

So I started lifting weights again with the primary goal to get as big as possible naturally. I used to lift pretty heavy a couple years ago but then I started getting into Kettle Ball exercises and things of this nature. Basically I started doing things that James Wilson would talk about doing for cycling to get faster for racing etc. Well I can say that I feel I have slowed down this past year which I attribute to not feeling confident taking hits due to lack of strength.

A while ago Sleeper told me about a gym down down the road from my house. I was working out at Gold's and honestly lost all motivation to even go there after a while. Since joining this new place it's been night and day. It's grungy, smells like B.O. and when you walk in there's faded Arnold posters everywhere…perfect.

My bench press is down almost 80 pounds from what I used to lift which is shocking. I feel like I'm pretty strong but as soon as I get under some weights my arms just give out, scary to think what effect this is having on the bike. There's a lot to be said for having brute strength on the dh bike I'm sure.

Anyway I figure for those that lift heavy can share training tips here. No weight loss body fat percentage talk here, just pure weight lifting.

Discuss

1. train the big lifts - squat, deads, bench, cleans, standing press.
2. master those at light weight, perfect your technique, find what works best for your body.
3. then start to lift heavy, but don't train to failure. training to failure is training to fail. always be just a bit under your max effort at any rep range. this way you always leave the gym knowing you could have done a little more which primes you for the following week.
4. read up on periodization and have a plan, otherwise you're on a treadmill going nowhere. decide how much of your riding (cardio) vs how much of your lifting you're willing to sacrifice. you can't maximize both so something will suffer, you just have to decide what.
5. focus on the big lifts. all the other stuff is good, but it's just accessory training. i've seen guys go from being good on the big lifts to being able to master the acessory stuff pretty quickly - that doesn't work the other way though.
6. choose an objective, determine a plan to meet that objective and then go get it. that way if you fail you know who to blame.

Look big, get Big.

Ya know.

1. train the big lifts - squat, deads, bench, cleans, standing press.
2. master those at light weight, perfect your technique, find what works best for your body.
3. then start to lift heavy, but don't train to failure. training to failure is training to fail. always be just a bit under your max effort at any rep range. this way you always leave the gym knowing you could have done a little more which primes you for the following week.
4. read up on periodization and have a plan, otherwise you're on a treadmill going nowhere. decide how much of your riding (cardio) vs how much of your lifting you're willing to sacrifice. you can't maximize both so something will suffer, you just have to decide what.
5. focus on the big lifts. all the other stuff is good, but it's just accessory training. i've seen guys go from being good on the big lifts to being able to master the acessory stuff pretty quickly - that doesn't work the other way though.
6. choose an objective, determine a plan to meet that objective and then go get it. that way if you fail you know who to blame.

I agree with this, except for 3. The problem with not taking each set to exhaustion is you train yourself to have an out. Just as the reps get real tough you get to stop. Its those last few squeezed out reps that give you the most benefit in both size and strength. I'm not talking about doing max weight power lifting all the time (that's once a week), just maxing out each set to exhaustion. As for the being primed for next time, that comes from(for me at least)being stoked on what you just accomplished and wanting to have the weight on that 4th set be just a bit higher next time.

There's a million opinions on this and as many variations. Personally I find the main fundamentals are key…
-Form, form FORM!! Learn the proper form and movement for each exercise. NEVER sacrifice the correct form and movement for added weight. Understand what muscles are activated, how and at what point during each movement. Mentally focusing on them during helps.
-Slow on the negative and then explode through
-How you construct your reps, sets and weight for each exercise needs to be tailored for your body, your mental style and your goals(size vs strength vs speed). I vary mine but usually use 4 sets, of increasing weight and decreasing reps all to exhaustion.

Happy lifting

I agree with this, except for 3. The problem with not taking each set to exhaustion is you train yourself to have an out. Just as the reps get real tough you get to stop. Its those last few squeezed out reps that give you the most benefit in both size and strength. I'm not talking about doing max weight power lifting all the time (that's once a week), just maxing out each set to exhaustion. As for the being primed for next time, that comes from(for me at least)being stoked on what you just accomplished and wanting to have the weight on that 4th set be just a bit higher next time.

there are a number of reasons why it's undesireable to always train to exhaustion, most importantly being physical and neural fatigue. if you're taking every set to exhaustion you're setting yourself up for overtraining and lower results. effective training requires a set plan that works towards a desired goal and this includes time spent doing doing maximal (training to exhaustion) and submaximal training.

there is plenty of literature on the theory and methodology of something called periodization which is centered around having training programs that progress from easier to heavier and eventually maximal loads. this is true whether you're a body builder, olympic lifter, power lifter or other type of athlete such as a distance runner.

the most underrated training variable is rest and this includes not only the sleep you get but including rest or unloading phases as well as submaximal training. trust me, you can achieve more by doing less (ie not always training to exhaustion) and it is well documented. ideally max effort days (for a given exercise) should happen only once every 3-5 weeks depending on your training program, and even at that you'd be looking at only your final 2 or 3 sets.

so if we look at an example of a 4 week training block or cycle for someone lifting weights, you'll have two primary variables that you're changing; volume (total amount of work done) and load intensity (% of your max). in the first week the volume is higher and the intensity is lower and as you progress towards the final week the volume is lower and the intensity is higher (at or near max). if you were to look at a typical 12 week training cycle on a graph that plotted intensity vs time it might look something like the following.

so note that while there are periods of lower effort, the overall trend is a rise in intensity.

edit

and just to add, as the op asked if someone is strength training with the purpose of boosting their performance on the bike it is even more critical to set up complimentary or appropriate workout intensities and loading, otherwise your performance on the bike will suffer.

Interesting stuff. I'm going to have to re-read that a couple of times for it to sink in. haha

I'm going to do some reading on the topic as well.

Interesting stuff. I'm going to have to re-read that a couple of times for it to sink in. haha

I'm going to do some reading on the topic as well.

check out stuff by tudor bompa - he's the recognized master.

charles poloquin is another good author.