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Weight Training
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by Paragon on November 17, 2003
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How much will weight training improve my run and bike? I made big leap in speed 2 years ago from 19 mph to 22 mph this year. But my change from last year to this year was only 2/10 mph. A trainer friend said I need to lift weights and get stronger legs to make bigger increases this year. But I heard that lifting hurts your running? Anyone know?
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RE: Weight Training
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Anonymous post on November 17, 2003
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jamie, i think veryone has a natural plateau based on their bio-physical make-up. in order to get over that plateau you need to shock the muscles that run and ride. you are not able to get over your plateau because of muscle fatigue. weight training will train your legs to be able to push bigger gear longer and faster. as far as running, do you run hills? to get stronger in the flats you run hills, right? weight lifting is the same thing. weight training makes your legs stronger which can only help your run and bike.
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RE: Weight Training
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by rascal on November 17, 2003
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Every year I say I'm going to get into a weight lifting schedule and I never do. Maybe that's why my bike speed doesn't get any better. If you lift light weights/high reps it should'nt effect your running. just remember weight training cannot replace time on the roads. Have a safe Winter.
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RE: Weight Training
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by bizarro on November 17, 2003
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You get faster on the bike by riding the bike. My 20+ years in the gym only means I can outlift virtually everyone I race, and yet they're faster than me. While I was lifting, they were riding/running. There are myriad strength/technique drills to be done on a bike. Get a trainer and read a few books. Hill riding is one of the easiest ways to get stronger. Big hills. If you insist on lifting, please be very careful. Technique in the gym is very important, especially anything to do with the knees: legs ext, leg curls, squats, leg presses (the best way to ruin a good knee in no time at all), etc....
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Anonymous post on November 17, 2003
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Most amateurs should spend the time cycling or running. If you have lots of time weight lift. In fact you can do pretty well if you just improve your running.
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Anonymous post on November 17, 2003
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I think everyone is right. A combo of strength training and increased time in the bike will make you a better cyclist. Strengthening the legs through weight training translates into increased power and improves muscle endurance which translates into improved bike time. You talk to any of the best cyclists and you'll find out they spend a great deal of time in the weight room. They also spend a great deal of time in the saddle, too.
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RE: Weight Training
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Anonymous post on November 17, 2003
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Weight training is a useful part of a balanced training
routine. Many endurance athletes are skeptical about its value and there have been some contradictory statements made about it.
The best way to increase running/cycling strength is to run/cycle against resistance. The easiest ways to do this are to run sprint repeats and hill repeats. Plyometrics, circuit training, flexibility exerices (yoga, stablizer muscle drills) and running drills can be very useful. Plyometrics are mostly used by sprinters while running drills can help all of us.
Weight training will increase your muscular endurance, especially in your upper body. Weight training will strengthen your non-running muscles and reduce the likelihood of injury. Weight training can aid
cardiovascular fitness. Weight training will increase muscle mass and bonedensity, both of which are important for people who are getting into shape,
especially women and 40+ runners. Lean muscle mass is denser and burns more calories than fat tissue, which also helps people who are running to increase their overall fitness.
If you lock yourself in the gym all winter and lift without running or cycling, in the spring you will be stronger but you will not be faster. For a runner and cyclist, lifting has the most benefit as part of an overall program of speed work, distance work, and stretching.
The worse your current fitness level, the more benefit you will get from weights. Upper body training can increase endurance and finishing speed, especially for ectomorphs, the naturally skinny people who generally do well at running. If you feel tired in your arms and shoulders, or if your shoulders come up and tighten in the later stages of a long race or a long
run, then you would benefit from lifting. People with knee trouble, especially overpronators and people who are prone to runners knee, those who are susceptible to shin splints, get great benefit from strengthening the muscles. The best way to strengthen the muscles that you actually use in running is to run hills and sprints, but lifting weights is a wonderful way to build up the supporting, balancing, and tracking muscles especially the vastus medialis, the muscle on the lower inside of your thigh that makes sure that your kneecap tracks properly. Lifting also helps the calf and lower leg muscles that protect against shin splints.
Short course athletes and most duathlete use more upper body strength than endurance runners and are more likely to benefit from gym workouts.
Squats are the best whole-body exercise for a competitive runner and cyclist because they both work the whole body and help keep the leg muscles
balanced. As an added bonus, some people find that a few sets of easy squats can relieve leg soreness much like the light jog after a long run.
The most common complaints that runners have are shin splints and sore knees. Shin splints: Many shin splints can be helped or prevented with stronger lower legs. Calf raises are good for this. Sore knees: Most endurance runners have hamstrings that are much
stronger than their quadriceps. You want your quadriceps to be stronger than your hamstrings in about a 3:2 ratio. In addition running does not
exercise the vastus medialus, the muscle that stabilizes the kneecap. Remember that
flexibility also prevents knee trouble, so be careful to stretch your legs
before, after, and during your workouts.
When in doubt about what weight exercises to do always do the large multi-joint movements. They build
muscle mass, work your stabilizer muscles, and give your entire body something to do. The classic five exercises are: squat, deadlift, bench press, pull ups, and dips. Most of us can not do pull ups and dips when we first start lifting. There are assisted pull-up and dip machines available that work the major muscles (but not the stabilizers) that can be useful.
Also lat pulldowns are a good way to build up to doing pullups. Although anyone can do a pullup with enough training, most people are just as happy working with the lat pulldown instead.
Shoulders are very important for a runner. I like doing shrugs and dumbbell shoulder press. Some people like shoulder raises or the various cable exercises. Try several, do two of them regularly. Variations on
biceps curls are also enormously popular, the best ones to work with are seated dumbbell curls and preacher curls using a special bench.
You should also be working your abdominals. Abs will both support you through your other lifts, reduce the likelihood of getting cramps and side stitches while running, and firm up your belly for the beach. Powerlifters work their abs in short heavy sets like any other muscle. Runners usually benefit from moderately long sets. If crunches are getting boring then hold a dumb bell on your chest or try some other crunch variations.
Plyometrics are a good thing for building strength and running form. They come in the form of box drills and running drills. Duathletes and short course triathletes get the most benefit from these exercises, but endurance runners can improve their form and strength with a proper program.
While many people believe that simply walking into a weight room will automatically make them look like Arnold Schwarzenegger this is not the case. The weight room monsters you see in there have worked very hard for a very long time to get that way. They build muscles by alternating between eating massively and then dieting off the fat, by lifting heavy weights for short sets, and by staying clear of running and of extensive cardiovascular exercise. If you lift lighter weights for longer sets and keep on running at least 3 times/week for at least 30 minutes then you will get stronger but you will not get much bigger. Distance running actually eats your muscle mass, and there are many stories of heavily muscled very
fit people training to run a marathon and seeing their weight drop by 10 percent even though they ate massively throughout their training.
Stretch. Stretch some more. Remember to do moving stretches not juststatic ones.
Remember that the most important part of a workout is the recovery. Just as you do not want to run intervals several days in a row you do not want to alternate hard runs and hard lifts without taking the occasional
day completely off. A good hard session of lifting can stress the body more than a tempo run does, especially if you lift heavy with the
whole-body exercises like squat and deadlift.
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Anonymous post on November 29, 2003
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Don't forget your core. A good trainer will have you focus on having a balanced body. That means upper and core and not just legs. Ever see a skinny sprinter? A lot of a sprinter's speed is derived from their core and upper body.
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Anonymous post on November 29, 2003
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My definition of a sprinter is anyone who runs race distance 5K or less. Arguably even an 8K can be considered a sprint. Longer than that is more endurance based than speed.
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