Getting stronger legs
Discussion
To be honest, you dont really need a gym but if you are already a member of one, they should have a leg press/extension machine which will be great. You can either do short reps of heavy weights or longer reps of lighter weights. Personally I went with short reps of heavy weights and found it really beneficial.The advantage of teh leg press is if you change the position of your feet on the board, you work your quads or your calves/hamstrings
I also found Step training quite effective but dont use a step machine, just find a reasonable height step somewhere, about 10 inches, and go up and down it as fast as you can for a few minutes.
I also found Step training quite effective but dont use a step machine, just find a reasonable height step somewhere, about 10 inches, and go up and down it as fast as you can for a few minutes.
When I want to improve strength (usually when I haven't rode for a while) I do a "Big gear, Little Gear" circuit. Can be pan flat or hilly but basically I pick a 25/30 mile route and set my garmin to show HR & Cadence and set my auto lap for 10 minutes. I do a 15-20 minute warm up, nice and steady and then start. Pick a gear at least 3 higher than you would normally select for terrain you are on and push that big gear as hard as you can for 10 minutes then after 10 minutes pick a nice easy gear and spin away for 10 minutes to recover. Rinse and repeat for your chosen loop giving yourself enough cooldown time at the end.
Another thing to do is don't stand up when pulling away form lights. Stay sat down and stay in a hard gear. Work wonders
Another thing to do is don't stand up when pulling away form lights. Stay sat down and stay in a hard gear. Work wonders
hora said:
Shirley part of getting fitter IS stronger legs. My legs are slender. My resting/waking heart rate is 45 (54 resting without coffee). I can ride for 4hours off road. Road riding shows up my legs though- they just aren't strong on the bike. Lungs etc- yes.
No, its not its training your body to be able to send more blood to the muscles, the muscles will develop and become better for the job at hand, but in endurance cycling the job at hand is not strength. Look at pics of any pro climbers legs, there are nothing of them.I am a LOT LOT LOT weaker now than I was when I started cycling yet I am far far stronger in terms of the aerobic power I produce on the bike than I was then which means I can ride harder for longer. Do not confuse strength with power.
Resting pulse means fck all really, roughly it can point to things, but not really an indicator
When I was slightly unfit but ok, resting pulse: 60, now I am much much much fitter and good at hills resting pulse : 60
If you want to get better at hills, ride more hills, or at least ride more. If you are putting too much on your legs on hills get a lower gear so you can use your lungs more
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Gym work etc can sometimes be beneficial but its not as good as actually riding
When I was slightly unfit but ok, resting pulse: 60, now I am much much much fitter and good at hills resting pulse : 60
If you want to get better at hills, ride more hills, or at least ride more. If you are putting too much on your legs on hills get a lower gear so you can use your lungs more
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Gym work etc can sometimes be beneficial but its not as good as actually riding
As above, forget any kind of gym work to 'stengthen' your legs, it will have minimal benefit to cycling.
Also you mention you can't ride more due to having flat roads - then pedal harder. Seriously, there's no difference (apart from technique on super steep climbs) between climbing a hill at say 300 Watts (or 180 bpm) and riding on the flat at 300 Watts (or 180 bpm).
If you want a hard workout you can do that on any road/gradient. I usually do hilly rides (approx 80 miles and 6000+ ft) but yesterday did a 50 mile flat/rolling route at 19.5 mph. The flat route hurt more than normal as I was pressing on a bit!
Also you mention you can't ride more due to having flat roads - then pedal harder. Seriously, there's no difference (apart from technique on super steep climbs) between climbing a hill at say 300 Watts (or 180 bpm) and riding on the flat at 300 Watts (or 180 bpm).
If you want a hard workout you can do that on any road/gradient. I usually do hilly rides (approx 80 miles and 6000+ ft) but yesterday did a 50 mile flat/rolling route at 19.5 mph. The flat route hurt more than normal as I was pressing on a bit!
Okgo is right insofar as you will only get better at climbing by getting fitter and there is no quick win substitute (otherwise we would all be doing ti!). Weights training has been used to help develop a higher lactate threshold for cyclists but the limiting factor for endurance/performance cyclists will always be, as mentioned, cardiovascular not strength so its not a substitute but more a supplement because its not wholly effective as most weight training is about starting from nothing like a bench press and then pushing hard for a very short period of time which is something we dont do as cyclists. However, in building up leg strength those who dont have optimal technique or power/weight can draw upon that leg strength when climbing. Its not perfect but if you are only an amateur sportiverist having fun, weights training will not impar you ability in any way at all and it should help on the short sharp climbs popular on sportive routes.
Plus who wants to look like Chris "noodle legs" Froome when you can look like Chris "tree thighs" Hoy?!
Hoy needs that strength for the burst of power in the Keirin or the sprint and has time to recover after, thats the sportive analogy, Froome just has to go hard for 5-6 hours and is reliant on his "engine"
Plus who wants to look like Chris "noodle legs" Froome when you can look like Chris "tree thighs" Hoy?!
Hoy needs that strength for the burst of power in the Keirin or the sprint and has time to recover after, thats the sportive analogy, Froome just has to go hard for 5-6 hours and is reliant on his "engine"Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 13th October 15:42
hora said:
Shirley part of getting fitter IS stronger legs. My legs are slender. My resting/waking heart rate is 45 (54 resting without coffee). I can ride for 4hours off road. Road riding shows up my legs though- they just aren't strong on the bike. Lungs etc- yes.
Yeah but 4 hrs off road is a highly stochastic effort. 4 hrs on the road at a sustainable power is much harder. What you think is stronger 'legs' is actually a more efficient aerobic engine. Mix your rides up.Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 13th October 16:09
pablo said:
Plus who wants to look like Chris "noodle legs" Froome when you can look like Chris "tree thighs" Hoy?! Hoy needs that strength for the burst of power in the Keirin or the sprint and has time to recover after, thats the sportive analogy, Froome just has to go hard for 5-6 hours and is reliant on his "engine"
Interesting. Wiggo reckons next time we see him he will have bulked up as he's switching to Track cycling. Hoy needs that strength for the burst of power in the Keirin or the sprint and has time to recover after, thats the sportive analogy, Froome just has to go hard for 5-6 hours and is reliant on his "engine"Edited by pablo on Monday 13th October 15:42
FWIW, my legs are very strong, but I'm s
t at climbing as I'm too big and heavy. I can do calf raises with 500kg, but I'm in the bottom 10% on Strava on any long climb - despite being in the top third for most flat sections.Doesn't help that the excess fat I'm carrying weighs almost as much as my 9 year old daughter...
Kell said:
Interesting. Wiggo reckons next time we see him he will have bulked up as he's switching to Track cycling.
FWIW, my legs are very strong, but I'm st at climbing as I'm too big and heavy. I can do calf raises with 500kg, but I'm in the bottom 10% on Strava on any long climb - despite being in the top third for most flat sections.
Doesn't help that the excess fat I'm carrying weighs almost as much as my 9 year old daughter...
A lot of smoke and mirrors out there regarding his weight. I think a lot of weight he gains is because he is less strict about it when riding just track. He 'apparently' was at world record pace in team pursuit training this year at around 72kg, so there is no actual requirement for him to be back over 80kg beyond his motivation to stay lean. Obviously this year his carrot was maybe the tour, then maybe the vuelta, then the worlds which he needed to be lean for to beat Martin given the course.FWIW, my legs are very strong, but I'm s
t at climbing as I'm too big and heavy. I can do calf raises with 500kg, but I'm in the bottom 10% on Strava on any long climb - despite being in the top third for most flat sections.Doesn't help that the excess fat I'm carrying weighs almost as much as my 9 year old daughter...
You can be a good climber even if you're heavy, you just need to produce a huge amount of aerobic power. Indurain was over 80kg and could climb with the best (just about) because he could put out 500w for an hour. But very few people can do that, so the only way to get quick up hills is to lose weight
OP a winter of specific weight training will be beneficial to your climbing along with weight loss and aerobic fitness but don't listen to the" you don't need strong legs to climb" because that is just pish.
Read The Cyclist's Training Bible" there is a section on weight training and it's benefits.I don't know how old you are but as you get older the more weight training you have to do to maintain muscle.
Read The Cyclist's Training Bible" there is a section on weight training and it's benefits.I don't know how old you are but as you get older the more weight training you have to do to maintain muscle.
)Grandfondo said:
OP a winter of specific weight training will be beneficial to your climbing along with weight loss and aerobic fitness but don't listen to the" you don't need strong legs to climb" because that is just pish.
Read The Cyclist's Training Bible" there is a section on weight training and it's benefits.I don't know how old you are but as you get older the more weight training you have to do to maintain muscle.
A lot of the bits I post on here are based on what took me from being 16 stone and barely able to average 16 mph on any route to being able to do the 20th fastest 25 mile time trial of all time just last month (so pretty relevant to the OP given he is a similar weight and likely a similar position to where I was). I also get to bounce ideas off my coaches who are hugely qualified and have coached people at all levels, amateur to world champion, needless to say they have never told me to go and do any weights relating to my legs. Read The Cyclist's Training Bible" there is a section on weight training and it's benefits.I don't know how old you are but as you get older the more weight training you have to do to maintain muscle.
So obviously anyone can voice their opinion, but I felt that my cycling fits a similar theme to most new riders who are a bit overweight, that you can get good, and you do not need to lift weights, and that really it will only slow things down as you are asking your body to recover from riding AND lifting weights.
hora said:
Currently 15stone. Somehow lost 5lbs in a month. Im 6ft1.6, 35inch waist and 42. (No goatie)
Keep going and set some achievable targets for your weight (14st) before spring ,weight training will help with this and turbo training when the weather gets to bad will all help maintain fitness over the winter.McFsC said:
What you think to big gear work, Okgo?
I know a few prem cal riders who do ALOT of that stuff... Quite intresting debate really. One is over 85kg, finished top 30 at Beumont UCI 1.2...
Low cadence stuff? I do it when forced to up hills but not a specific training session of mine. I know people who do it that are pretty slow equally there are probably people that do it who are decent. I know a few prem cal riders who do ALOT of that stuff... Quite intresting debate really. One is over 85kg, finished top 30 at Beumont UCI 1.2...
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