Friends For Life Bike Rally - A Benefit for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation

• Introduction
• Tips for Effective Strength Training
• How Strength Training Helps Your Cycling
• The Exercises

Introduction

Strong muscles will help you to control the bike and allow you to concentrate power through your legs to your pedals. In addition to improving your pedalling efficiency, lifting weights will also aid in keeping you injury free. Just as muscles are made stronger through strength training, the tendons, ligaments, and cartilage around joints also become tougher and more resilient.

Before you lift weights, however, you must be sure to know how to do so correctly or you could actually suffer injuries rather than prevent them. Read these tips and follow the instructions carefully. Most gyms have staff who are trained in free weights and will be happy to give you a seminar on how to lift properly and meet your goals.

A lot of people think that strength training means lifting the heaviest weights possible - not so! You want to be a better cyclist, not a weightlifter. That means building endurance to carry you further on the bike, rather than bulking up, which can actually slow you down. You need to lift lighter weights with more repetitions. Keep the weights light enough so that you can comfortably perform 2-3 sets of 15-18 reps. Once you can do 18 reps easily at a certain weight, you can increase the weight a little bit. This means that you should be able to keep perfect form to the end of each set - and perfect form allows you to reap maximum benefits from time spent strength training.

Use slow, controlled movements, even pausing and holding the weights for a full second at the peak of each movement as you near the end of your set. This will help to tone your muscles and ensure that you are using your muscles to lift the weight, not momentum. I see a lot of guys at the gym desperately swinging the weights up and down, which is wasted effort and hard on joints. Yes, they may be lifting a heavier weight than their buddy, but they aren't building muscle effectively.

No matter how fit you are, if you haven't lifted weights for awhile you will be very sore after. So for the first week, use weights that are so light it's almost silly. This will ease you into the routine without pain and allow you to lift more weight in the long run.

To prevent boredom, vary the routine. Try 7 to 10 different exercises in a span of 50 to 60 minutes. Depending on the time you have available, do strength training at least 2 or 3 days a week. If you can work out more frequently, exercise one of three muscle groups daily; i.e. back, chest, and abs in one workout, legs in a second workout, and arms, neck, and shoulders in the third workout. This allows for alternating muscle groups to recover in between workouts.

Cut back dramatically on your weight training during the cycling season. Rather than making you a stronger cyclist, intense strength training at this time will actually cause your legs will feel heavy and slow while riding. The best way to build strength during the cycling season is on the bike. Continue some upper-body exercise to maintain strength. Here's more information on cycling and strength training.

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Tips for Strength Training

 Wear proper athletic shoes to give you stability while you are lifting weights. Wear appropriate clothing so that nothing catches or snags when you're bending over, pushing, or pulling.

• Always warm up before you begin lifting, to start blood circulating in your muscles. Warm ups can vary from light spinning on a stationary trainer to calisthenics or stretches. Or you can start at an exercise station and perform a set with light resistance, up to 20 reps, to get your blood flowing.
• Maintain proper form throughout strength training. This is critical to receive the most benefit from the exercises and to prevent injuries. If you feel your form deteriorating halfway through a set, stop. It's better to do fewer good reps than many reps with bad form. Avoid jerking and swaying.
• Exercise with a fall range of motion. Don't rush the repetitions.
• Exhale when lifting or pushing the weight. Inhale when bringing it down.
• Work opposing muscle groups. Muscles work in groups and complement their functions by pushing and pulling one another. Work opposing muscles in sequence, such as exercising the triceps with a pushing exercise and then the biceps with a pulling exercise.
• Cool down with light stretching exercises. Hold each stretch position about 20 seconds, or until the muscle feels like it's beginning to relax. Stretch for 5 to 10 minutes.

How Strength Training Helps Your Cycling 

Upper Body

 Although cyclists tend to favor developing lower-body muscles, strengthening the upper body can make cycling easier by increasing power for proper bike control and pulling on the handlebar when pedaling uphill.

Back

Strengthening the lower-back muscles contributes to improved posture and aids in transferring more force to the pedals, especially in seated climbing situations.

Abdominal

One of the weakest areas for cyclists (and most people) is the abdominal muscles. Abdominals greatly affect the power a cyclist can put on the pedals. Weak abdominals contribute to lower-back pain because abdominal muscles balance lower-back muscles. Strong abs provide a platform for your legs to push against and therefore provide a base for a much more powerful pedal stroke.
Strength training here can really pay off, particularly in climbing in and out of the saddle, and preventing lower-back problems.

Lower Body

The pedal stroke is mostly dependent on hip flexion and hip extension, along with knee flexion and extension. The calf does not contribute greatly to the pedal stroke, but some work should be directed here.

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The Exercises

Upright Row (Shoulders and Neck)

This is a good exercise for the trapezius and other muscles in the shoulders. Stand upright, holding a barbell a few inches from the center with both hands, palms facing your body. Extend your arms down in front of you, holding the barbell at upper-thigh level. Your shoulders should be slightly drooped forward, but your back should be erect with a slight forward lean in the lower back.
Lift the barbell straight up, pulling it toward your head until it's no higher than nipple level. Your elbows should be pointing out. Don't sway or rock for momentum. Hold the lift for a count of three, then lower the barbell.

Shoulder Shrug (Shoulders and Neck)

Helping to strengthen both shoulders and neck, this particular exercise is a great workout for the trapezius. And since it follows a very natural range of motion, it's very shoulder-friendly.
Stand upright with your arms hanging loosely in front of you. Hold a lightly weighted barbell with your hands about shoulder-width apart, palms facing your body. The barbell should be at about upper-thigh level. Your feet are shoulder-width apart, with your shoulders back but drooped down as far as they naturally will go. Keep your chest out and lower back straight, with a slight forward lean.
Lift the barbell by raising both shoulders to the front of your body. At the highest point, rotate your shoulders toward your ears, then clench your shoulder muscles and roll them toward your back. Do not rotate your shoulders in a full circle.

Alternating Press with Dumbbells (Shoulders and Neck)

Grasping two dumbbells, sit on a bench with your legs slightly parted. Your feet should be firmly on the floor, your arms bent. Keep the dumbbells shoulder-width apart at shoulder level, palms facing each other. Keep your shoulders back and your chest out, and put a slight forward lean in your lower back.

Raise the right dumbbell until your arm is straight, but don't lock your elbow. Lower the dumbbell, then repeat with the left arm. Repeat, alternating your reps.

Side-Lying External Rotation (Shoulders and Neck)

Lie on your right side and prop your head up with your right arm. Place a small rolled-up towel or pillow between your left arm and your body, halfway between your shoulder and elbow. Keep your left arm bent at 90 degrees-your left elbow should be close to your side.
Holding either a light strap-on wrist weight or a light dumbbell, raise your left arm slowly, until your hand points straight up. Lower your arm, then do 10 to 12 repetitions. Do three sets, then switch sides.

Bench Press (Chest)

Lie on a bench-press bench with the barbell above your chest. Grasp the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Your palms should be facing your legs, and your feet should be resting flat on the ground. Your back is straight and your butt, shoulders, and head should be against the bench.

Lower the barbell to your chest right at nipple level. Your elbows should be pointed out while the rest of your body remains in position. Don't arch your back or bounce the bar off your chest. Raise to the starting position and repeat.

Inclined Bench Press (Chest)

Lie on an inclined bench-press bench with the barbell above your chest. Grasp the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Your palms should face your legs, and your feet should be on the ground. Your back should be against the bench.
Lower the barbell to your chest, between your shoulders and nipple line. Your elbows should be pointing out, and the rest of your body should stay in proper form. Don't arch your back or bounce the bar off your chest.

Barbell Curl (Arms)

Stand and grab the barbell so your palms are facing out and are about shoulder-width apart. In the starting position, your arms should be extended so that the barbell will be at about thigh level.
With your back straight and your elbows close to your sides, lift the barbell, curling it up toward your collarbone. Lower the barbell back to the starting position-that's one rep. Keep your wrists straight and do the curl slowly; if you move too fast, your body will start rocking, and momentum will be doing all the work.

Triceps Kickback (Arms)

To work your triceps, hold a dumbbell in your right hand, palm facing your body. Rest your left knee and hand on a weight bench, then raise the dumbbell toward your chest. Your elbow should be pointing toward the ceiling; your back should be straight.
Straighten your arm out behind you, extending the weight away from your body. Keep extending until you feel the triceps fully contract, then bend your arm and return the weight to your side.

Bent-Over Row (Back)

To work your upper back, bend over from your waist with your back straight and your hands gripping a barbell palms-down in a wide grip. Your feet are shoulder-width apart. Keep your legs slightly bent and your knees unlocked.

Keeping your back straight, pull the barbell in toward your body so that the bar is touching your lower chest. Your elbows should point up toward the ceiling.

Back Extension (Back)

Here's a great all-back exercise, especially for your erector muscles. Position yourself in a back-extension machine with your ankles locked behind the padded bars and your groin area and upper thighs resting on the padded platform. Your hips should be over the edge of the platform, and your body held straight so that it's at a 20-degree angle to the floor. Fold your arms across your chest.
Bend over at your waist, with your upper torso lowered to a point a few inches above perpendicular to the floor. Your arms should still be crossed over your chest and the rest of your body should stay in the starting position. Raise yourself to the starting position, then repeat. Do as many as you comfortably can, working up to no more than three sets of 20 reps.

Crunch (Abs)

Start by lying flat on your back with your hands behind your head or crossed over your chest-never pull up on your neck during a crunch, because you could end upinjuring your neck or upper back. Keep your feet flat on the floor and about 6 inches apart. Bend your knees at about a 45-degree angle.
Curl your upper torso up and in toward your knees until your shoulder blades are as high off the ground as you can get them. Only your shoulders should lift-not your lower back. Feel your abs contract, and hold the raise for a second. Lower to the starting position, then continue with your next rep without relaxing in between. As your abs get stronger, you can hold a light weight plate across your chest while you do your crunches.

Hamstring Curl (Legs)

This simple exercise works the muscle at the back of the upper leg. Using a leg-curl machine, lie with your stomach on the bench and your legs extended out. Hook your ankles behind the lifting pads; your knees should be just over the bench's edge. Hold on to the front of the bench for support. Your toes should be pointed down and there should be some flex in your knees.

Keeping your pelvis pressed against the bench, slowly and evenly pull both heels toward your butt until your legs are bent at a 90-degree angle, then slowly lower them to the neutral starting position. Don't let your hips rise up and avoid jerking your legs up and down. If you perform these exercises too fast, you will just be using momentum, not your muscles, to swing through the exercises. Do two sets of 15 raises, resting for 10 seconds in between.

Leg Press (Legs)

To do this exercise, you'll need a leg-press machine-sit in it with your feet on the foot plate; in front of you (make sure the seat is adjusted so that your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle or slightly less). Grasp the handlebars at your sides and hold your upper body upright but relaxed.
Push forward on the foot plates and straighten your legs until they're almost fully extended in front of you. Keep your knees slightly flexed-not locked. Your upper body should remain upright and relaxed, and your hands should hold the handlebars for support.

Leg Extension (Legs)

Sit in an extension machine with your legs behind the padded lifting bars and your hands grasping the bench or the machine's handles (if available) at the sides of your body. Your knees should be bent at 90 degrees or slightly more, with your toes pointing in front of you.

Straighten your legs by lifting with your ankles and contracting your quads. Don't lock your knees at full extension. Your toes should be pointing up and slightly out. To work the muscles even more, do the lift using only one leg at a time.

Heel Raise (Legs)

To exercise your calf muscles, stand on a box or step 2 to 3 inches off the ground with your feet hip-width apart. Your toes should be resting on the edge and your heels should be hanging over the edge. Hold a wall or a bar for support, or hold your arms loosely at your sides. (If you have hand weights or dumbbells, hold one in each hand, palms facing in.) Lean forward slightly.

Rise all the way up on your toes. Feel the contraction in your calves and pause briefly at the top. Your arms should remain in position even though your body will probably be more upright. Lower and repeat.

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