track cyclists, winter weight training?

kumate_champ07

so who lifts during the winter? any other trackies go to RAW in Portobello?
I started last week, didnt lift this year so hoping for performance gains for next years racing.

nak

I do weights about 2-3 times per week all year round, started doing bar squats for physio, but plan on keeping it up as I enjoy it. Go to Carlisle gym in Kimmage as it's close to home. Have cut down the time spent in the gym for 'cross season as it can be pretty sore on the legs.

It definitely helps for the track and I feel stronger on climbs now too.

Harrybelafonte

2-3 times a week seems like a lot? Im trying to put a mini gym together at home, so I'll be looking to do squats, dead lifts and bench presses. That's it. Not sure at my sluggish stage how much it'll help, but have other reasons for doing it too.

nak

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

2-3 times a week seems like a lot? Im trying to put a mini gym together at home, so I'll be looking to do squats, dead lifts and bench presses. That's it. Not sure at my sluggish stage how much it'll help, but have other reasons for doing it too.

Doing 2-3 times per week as rehab, need to build up quads or I get ITB problems. It used to be everyday, then down to 5, so 2 days is getting off lightly. Mainly squats and lunges for me at moment. Not lifting huge weights, just below body weight is enough for now.

Dubba

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

2-3 times a week seems like a lot? Im trying to put a mini gym together at home, so I'll be looking to do squats, dead lifts and bench presses. That's it. Not sure at my sluggish stage how much it'll help, but have other reasons for doing it too.

You should be very carefully with deadlifts, if done incorrectly without proper form you could really mess up your back. Happened to a friend of mine, not good.

I've started lifting again a bit. Just going to do it at home with a barbell and lightish weights. Also adding in some core work like planks and exercise (medicine) ball work. Don't know if it'll help with the cycling, suppose I'll find out.

RacoonQueen

Good timing with this thread - been talking to the chap from HERE about a class more specific to endurance athletes and it seems he's had interest in one.

RAW's a great gym though, wish I lived closer to it.

Harrybelafonte

nak wrote: »

Doing 2-3 times per week as rehab, need to build up quads or I get ITB problems. It used to be everyday, then down to 5, so 2 days is getting off lightly. Mainly squats and lunges for me at moment. Not lifting huge weights, just below body weight is enough for now.

Ah, the weights thing is new to me, so I was confused there. I'm at 93kg bodyweight so it'll be awhile before I'm even close I'd say. What's ITB btw?

Dubba wrote: »

You should be very carefully with deadlifts, if done incorrectly without proper form you could really mess up your back. Happened to a friend of mine, not good.

I'd rather get a bit of training in it all, but have repeatedly watched all the Rippetoe vids and starting with lightest weights I have. Have been doing squats unweighted too.

nak

ITB is the iliotibial band, it's a fibrous band that runs along the length of the outer thigh. My quads wasted after knee surgery and when I ramped up the mileage, the ITB became inflammed. It can also be agrivated by weight lifting, but this hasn't been a problem for me. Using a foam roller and massage can help to loosen the ITB.

Could only ride for 10 minutes before the pain became unbearable, which was not ideal as I was training for a Gran Fondo at the time. Changed physio and after a month of doing weights and lots of massage, the pain was gone. It was a few months before I started doing bar squats though.

Not many girls in my gym lift free weights, get some funny looks alright. My physio suggested the Hercules club for training, looks a bit scary though. He showed me the correct lifting technique. I have gotten a bit leaner since I started lifting (and upped the protein in my diet), so several benefits for me.

Lumen

nak wrote: »

Changed physio and after a month of doing weights and lots of massage, the pain was gone.

I want that physio. Are they in Dublin?

joker77

I've been back in the gym at the weights the last while, really enjoying it again.

On the issue with Deadlifts - yes if you do an exercise like that incorrectly you will be in trouble, but it's a really great lift - can't recommend it enough.

If you're starting out lifting, I'd highly recommend reading Starting Strength:
http://www.startingstrength.net/workouts/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0976805421?tag=startstren-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0976805421&adid=1JMR0FC753M9GKWWM0YG&

It goes through the fundamentals of barbell lifting - what you should / shouldn't be doing. The Fitness forum on boards was a huge help to me when I started out with it a few years ago.

For the cyclists who are afraid of 'bulking up' - over Christmas last year I was 84Kgs, I'm now hovering around 71 - which is perfect for me cycling (I'm around 5' 10''). To bulk up, you need to eat... a lot. Just because you're lifting weights doesn't mean you're going to put on loads of muscle mass - for this you need to eat/train/sleep - a lot of each of those three. I find lifting weights helpful for losing weight, not putting it on!

At the moment I'm not Squatting - I gave that up well before the start of the racing season (club league, not track), but I'm planning on starting it again next week to do over the winter training season, looking forward to it.

My bench is a measly 60kgs (5 sets of 5 reps), Deadlift 100Kgs (5 sets of 4). To get these to increase significantly, I'd have to lay off the cycling and start eating a hell of a lot more, neither of which I'm interested in doing.

nak

Lumen wrote: »

I want that physio. Are they in Dublin?

He is, Aidan Woods http://www.pearsestreetphysio.com/index.asp

He has weights in the office and is also a cyclist. I had no idea a physio would make patients work so hard, knackered after just half an hour. Physio I went to post-op had me doing gentle exercises without weights/ progressions.

Harrybelafonte

nak wrote: »

Could only ride for 10 minutes before the pain became unbearable,

Not many girls in my gym lift free weights

Very sore. Everything I've read re cycling and weights has said to keep to free weights rather than machines, would you agree? I find the whole gym thing intimidating, hence the doing it at home, though I should maybe get over that.

joker77 wrote: »

For the cyclists who are afraid of 'bulking up' - over Christmas last year I was 84Kgs, I'm now hovering around 71 - which is perfect for me cycling (I'm around 5' 10''). To bulk up, you need to eat... a lot. Just because you're lifting weights doesn't mean you're going to put on loads of muscle mass - for this you need to eat/train/sleep - a lot of each of those three. I find lifting weights helpful for losing weight, not putting it on!

Another reason for me to do it. Having probs breaking the 90kg barrier and hoping the weights will help.

velo.2010

nak wrote: »

My physio suggested the Hercules club for training, looks a bit scary though.

Wow that takes me back. Classic old skool gym. My dad used to train in there. Deepheat and ricecakes! The Atlas club at the top of Parnell Square used to be another. I think it closed years back.

Yeah, all free weights in there. Those guys (and girls) know what the buzz is regarding muscle building.

Personally, I've maintained a good training structure incorporating weights since injury and managed to gain a few kilos. Still a light guy but all the better for it.

nak

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

nak wrote: »

Could only ride for 10 minutes before the pain became unbearable,

Not many girls in my gym lift free weights

Very sore. Everything I've read re cycling and weights has said to keep to free weights rather than machines, would you agree? I find the whole gym thing intimidating, hence the doing it at home, though I should maybe get over that.


I don't know, I also do some leg extensions and use the adductor machine to help with squats. Was reluctant to join a gym as have dumbells at home, but didn't want to buy a barbell etc, so gave in.

Core work is important too.

Greyspoke

velo.2010 wrote: »

Wow that takes me back. Classic old skool gym. My dad used to train in there. .

Yeah, that brings back memories okay! I never thought I'd hear the Hercs (as it was known) mentioned on this forum! I spent a number of years training in there several times a week way back when it was on Ormond Quay - you had to access it via a dark passageway through a run down building up near the Four Courts.

Harrybelafonte

Greyspoke wrote: »

velo.2010 wrote: »

Wow that takes me back. Classic old skool gym. My dad used to train in there. .

Yeah, that brings back memories okay! I never thought I'd hear the Hercs (as it was known) mentioned on this forum! I spent a number of years training in there several times a week way back when it was on Ormond Quay - you had to access it via a dark passageway through a run down building up near the Four Courts.

What exactly happens in gyms like this re coaching? Do you get someone to work with you as a beginner or are you left to your own devices with odd correction?

Greyspoke

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

What exactly happens in gyms like this re coaching? Do you get someone to work with you as a beginner or are you left to your own devices with odd correction?

Back then (and I'm talking mid-late seventies when I was there) the full name of the club if I remember correctly, was The Hercules Amateur Wrestling and Weightlifting Club. Most guys there ( I don't recall any women being brave enough enter the place!) were either training as competitive lifters (or wrestlers - only a few of them) or training for athletics throwing events which was how I got introduced to the place.
As such I think I was given a training plan by the guy who took me there, Phil Conway, who was a bit of a legend for coaching Irish throwers, some of them reaching a very high standard internationally.
Basically you just got on with things and whilst there weren't really coaches as such, there was a lot of knowledge and experience in the club and you'd be well looked after if you showed an interest. Personally, I enjoyed it so much that I dropped the athletics and took up competitive lifting for a few years.
I'm not sure if this really answers your question because gyms these days would be quite different (I know the Hercules club still exists in a larger premises but I don't know how it's run).
Most if not all modern gyms and fitness clubs would have qualified trainers whose job it would be to give you guidance in the safe and productive use of weights. After an initial introduction and a run through on how to perform the exercises you would be left to your own devices to an extent but there should always be someone around keeping an eye on things.
A lot of clubs also offer personal training on a one to one basis and a few sessions of that might really help to get you up and running.
Something else that sounds well worth considering, a friend of mine raves about it, is CrossFit (try googling it) - it uses free weights exercises in a very intensive circuit training type manner so there's a high cardio demand. It sounds like it would be excellent complimentary training for a cyclist.