weight traning??

I was wondering if anyone here uses weight training routines to improve their race times and make climbing hill less tiresome? thanks in advance.

 

Cross training is a must, or else you will be out of balance. Do some laps in the pool, get a heavy bag, or just a good pair of dumbells. If all else fails check out the noweight warrior workout or combat conditioning.

 

Good ol calisthenics. I used to be a personal trainer and it seemed to get my clients in the best shape. they're simple, you can do em anywhere, and you dont need any equipment. great way to get into overall shape. for hill climbing i'd say trying to get your cardio up by running and doing a decent leg workout 2 days a week. lunges, squats, calf raises, and glute kickbacks. and dont forget to work your core. any other ?'s shoot me a pm if i can help i'd be more than happy to. i dont charge too much haha jk

 

I do a circuit. I sprint 35 seconds on a stationary bike then i do 10 close grip bench 10 wide grip bench then 10 push ups and another sprint and then the same thing again. and then another sprint and another exercise twice. I do governators, frog cleans, punching bags 3 times and lots of other stuff. And at the end i sprint for 3 minutes. Its great work out.... I feel realy dizzy and like puking the whole time its fun!

 

Try these previous threads:

Basic weight training, without the gym?


Weight Training/Riding

 

My friend and I were considering throwing 50lb bags of sand in our packs for normal rides and taking them out for a race. Make us super fast, but then again, we'd be sandbagging :?:

more seriously, I just do my job. Construction has a lot of lifting etc to help keep me balanced. Granted, my legs are tons more powerful than my arms will ever be, but its the nature of the beast.

 

try this website, it has some pretty kewl stuff and may be able to do some yourself.

http://www.crossfit.com/

 

I run up and down the beach all day...



Seriously, yes I lift 2 days per week. Definitely helps.

 

I train with James Wilson who has created a program specifically for MTB.

 

I definitely second this type of circuit training. This is really what will make you strong and fast. I'd also throw in some squats, deadlifts, lunges, and reverse lunges. And if you can do them - pull-ups and chin-ups.

Whatever you do, don't waste your time doing isolation exercises. Stick to compound body movements and bodyweight work. You don't need fancy gym equipment!

 

I lift 3 times a week, though I do it namely for the general health benefits. As for how it impacts my cycling, I don't know how to quantify the benefits. If I really wanted to be faster, I'd probably be better off just riding in place of lifting.

I will say this though, I had been experiencing back pain for the last year or so, painful stuff. As a result, my singlespeed rides had left me with great back pain. After only just a month of consistent lifting, my back didn't give me any problems this past Sunday on a 3 hour singlspeed ride in Santiago Oaks.

 

Matt Furey’s Royal Court of Bodyweight Exercises
After receiving quite a number of emails from people telling me about their positive experiences with Matt Furey’s system of bodyweight exercises, I decided to order his book and video and check it out for myself. Guess what? They’re right. I believe his calisthenics have value. His "Royal Court" of three bodyweight exercises is demanding – and fun. I’m not prepared to say that his system is better than a combination of weight training and high-intensity aerobics for producing functional strength and endurance, as he suggests, but it definitely deserves a place in a well rounded training program, at least occasionally. I can even see doing his bodyweight exercises exclusively when you need a change of pace, as we all do from time to time, or when traveling.
It only took two sessions with Furey’s Hindu Squats and the Hindu Pushups to convince me that he’s onto something worthwhile. I’m less certain about the third exercise, the Back Bridge, which he calls the KING of the Royal Court, but it probably has merit as well. I have an irregularity in my cervical spine due to an unfortunate accident when I was a child – my father backed out of the garage and ran over me – which causes me to approach neck bridging with extreme caution. More about that later.
I don’t know Matt Furey personally – I never heard of him until recently – but I like what I see. He strikes me as a regular guy who’s not trying to put anything over on anyone. He’s found a system that works for him – and his students – and wants to share it. Plus, he’s a collegiate national wrestling champion (NCAA 2, 1985) and world Kung Fu Shuai-Chiao champion (Beijing, 1997). (I wrestled in high school. It’s one of the hardest things I ever did. So, I respect wrestlers.)
Furey calls the Royal Court "the three most important exercises for developing the entire body." Let’s look at them one by one.

Hindu Squats​

Hindu Squats, says Furey, "lay the foundation for strength and endurance." You’re not doing what he calls "Combat Conditioning" (the name of his book published in February 2000) without the Hindu Squat, says Furey. This high repetition, rhythmic version of bodyweight squats develops the hips, thighs, calves, and lower back – and lung power.
Like all of the Combat Conditioning exercises, photos are worth a 1000 words (see below), but the Hindu Squat is basically a deep, upright squat done on the toes with an assist from the arms; the arms come down and behind the body as you lower yourself, and then swing up as you rise. It feels wonderful once you get the groove and the rhythm.

Begin with your hands pulled in tight to the chest. (Photos by Carol Bass)

Bring your hands down and lower your body.
Keep hands behind your back for balance.

Come up on toes at the bottom. Keep your body upright and your arms down.

Swing the arms forward and push off your toes.

As you rise, the arms continue up to chest level.
When you’re upright, pull your hands in to the chest and begin again.​

Matt recommends doing as many nonstop repetitions as possible. In the beginning, depending on your condition, he says, you’ll probably be able to do 25 to 50 – I did 60 with no problem in my second workout. Matt says 100 reps is good – and "when you can do 500 straight Hindu Squats, you’re on your way to greatness." Believe it or not, Furey’s mentor, Karl Gotch, once did 9001 nonstop Hindu Squats. It took him four and a half hours, according to Furey, whose personal record is 2000. I'm impressed.​

Hindu Pushups​

Hindu Pushups follows the squats. Furey says Hindu Pushups, like Hindu Squats, have been used by Indian wrestlers for centuries to build upper body strength and endurance. The difference between this exercise and regular pushups is that it involves an arching movement -- Furey says it's like an ocean wave -- that stretches and strengthens the hips, shoulders and back.
The starting position is with legs spread wide and butt up in the air. From there, bend your elbows as in a regular pushup, bringing your back down in a circular arc, straighten your arms and end up with your chest up and your hips almost touching the ground. Like the Hindu Squat, the Hindu Pushup has a nice rhythm.

Start with your feet wide apart, butt up and head looking back at heels.
The legs remain straight throughout the exercise.


Lower your hips and bend your arms.

Finish with head up and back arched.
Your hips should almost touch the floor.
Now, keep your arms straight and push back to the starting position.​

Again, do as many repetition as you can. "If you can bench press 400 pounds, I’ll bet dollars to donuts," says Furey, " that you’ll struggle with 25 straight Hindu Pushups." That seems like a bit of an exaggeration, because I did 25 without any trouble. But Furey tells me it isn’t so much a matter of strength as a lack of "strength/endurance or the necessary flexibility in the spine, shoulders and hips." In any event, it’s a challenging movement.I like it. It feels good. I was surprised to find myself sore the next morning, especially in the traps and upper back; my lower back also complained a little as a result of the arching motion. Not what you would expect from pushups.

Back Bridge​

The wrestler’s neck bridge, Furey calls it the Back Bridge, is controversial. Many people think it’s dangerous, that it compresses the cervical spine. Furey says the exact opposite is true, that the Back Bridge stretches the spine and strengthens the neck, back, thighs, hips and buttocks like nothing else. As I said, he calls it the KING of the Royal Court. The key, says Furey, is proper performance. He acknowledges, of course, that people who have a pre-existing neck injury or neck problems of any kind should consult their doctor and proceed with extreme caution.
If you try this exercise, be very careful. Take your time and feel your way along. If you experience discomfort, stop immediately.
Most people bridge on the top of the head. Furey says that’s wrong. "The proper method of doing a Back Bridge requires you to place all the weight on your forehead, not on the top of your head," says Furey. He says to arch your entire back and relax your shoulders and neck until your nose touches the mat. Ouch! Most people, of course, can’t do that at first. Take your time, he says. "Don’t force it. Eventually it’ll come." Before you start, be sure to study the pictures and read Furey’s instructions carefully. Furey's obviously very flexible and has a strong neck.
I tried the Bridge with Hand Support, as he suggests in the book. I found it helpful to grab the bottom of a cabinet to stabilize myself – my bad left shoulder wouldn’t go back otherwise. From this position I was able to arch my body and rock back on my head without difficulty – it actually felt pretty good – but I did not feel comfortable rotating back on my forehead or trying to touch my nose to the floor. Again, proceed with extreme caution. Take your time. Ease into the position.
Furey says to rock back and forth 10 or 20 times. I did 10 bridges to start and my neck felt okay the next day; it didn’t complain. Again, don’t force it. With practice, he says you should be able to hold a perfect bridge for three minutes or more. Matt says that Karl Gotch, his coach, once held a bridge for 47 minutes!

 

I sure hope I don't look like this when I work out! Talk about asking for trouble.......​

 

Just dont drop the soap fish.

 

Awesome advice!

 

It may sound chickified and ghey, but Pilates will kick yer arse. A racer bud of mine uses Plyometrics. Willie has it right: focus on prime movers and compound joint movements.

I've found core work (abs and back strengthening) to be most beneficial. Fit ball crunches are good for recruiting more ab muscles and reducing skeletal strain on your back.

 

There are muscles that just cannot be strengthened on the saddle; it must be conditioned elsewhere. This is especially true if you have a major concern, such as lower back pain. I've reduced my weight training down to once per week only but still find positive results from them. Having a strong, yet not bulky, physique can seriously improve your riding. The most overlooked group of muscles on the body is still your core muscles (abs, lower back, obliques, etc).

 

Just get a chubby girlfriend and have a lot of stand up sex. That'll give you all the "edge" you'll need.

 

Great workout you can do anywhere in a short amount of time with excellent results.

Hold a Wall Squat for as long as you can.

Hold a Plank Pose for 2-3 minutes, a couple times a week.

Lunges, calf raises and squats all with body weight or small hand weights (40-80 reps).

 

Weight training will help a lot. You'll feel an almost instant improvement with bike handling. Your climbs and explosiveness will improve as well. If you ride 3 or more days a week try for 2 days a week of strength training. Don't neglect your core. James Wilson has some good stuff.

http://www.mtbstrengthcoach.com/videos.html

I really like the DB combination lift, the plank squence and body weight stuff rocks to finish up a workout. Try using the foam roller after your workout and rides as you'll be sore.