In this episode, our Sports Science Head Neal Henderson and Director of Applied Research Jinger Gottschall get you pumped up and discuss how to properly add strength training to your endurance training plan. You’ll learn how strength work can not only help you become more powerful but also reduce the risk of injury and add flexibility. Integrating strength is a delicate process, though, so Neal and Jinger explain how to properly incorporate strength workouts into your routine without overdoing it or compromising your other training…and without ending up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger (which wouldn’t be great for your climbing ). And all in just 16 minutes!
Great episode - I listened to both the strength training episodes and learned a lot. I’ve been a runner/cyclist for the past 10+ years and only just began last year doing strength training (KBs, sandbags, DBs, bodyweight) and thanks to SYSTM I’m learning how a little can go a long way when being a stronger cyclist & runner are my priorities.
It would be interesting to hear how to mix strength and yoga together.
In some ways they are complementary, but in other ways they are not. For example, yoga sometimes stresses the same body parts that strength training does which does not give those parts the recovery they need.
For older riders, there’s another benefit of strength training that makes it important on and off the bike. After age 30, we begin to lose 3-5% of muscle mass per decade. We need that mass, not just for vanity, but for so many other reasons. Every older athlete, cyclist or not, should consider strength training a vital part of a given fitness regime.
Important point! Yoga is a generic terms and multiple forms of yoga are absolutely strength training sessions- bottom line- it is critical to understand the goal of each session in order to classify it accordingly in your training program. We will definitely add this as a future topic!
Great point Alex! One of the primary missions of our national fitness councils is increasing strength training participation between 2020-2030… you have your finger on the pulse!
Loved the part where you mention the three common ‘excuses’ not to do strength training, then debunk them. Great format to reset any preconceived notions that listeners might have.
Sorry for the delay @andrewmei! I love your sequence of cadence builds/drills/recovery spin before the strength session. These options are not too taxing and ensure that you are warmed up- ready to maximize range of motion for your strength exercises.
I’d be interested to learn more about how people integrate SUF style strength with more traditional barbell work.
Like for example, I’ve found that core strength and things like push-ups improve my mountain biking, and from past experience, that benching helps me do more push-ups (plus it’s fun to mix things up).
So what I’m doing right now is one day a week full-body split in the gym (deadlift or squat, bench press, front squat or Romanian deadlift, a back pull variation, dumbbell shoulder press), one day a week of the SYSTM full body (11 or 12 but working up, and one or two days core focus. I started around 10 to 12 rep range in the gym but am moving to 5 to 6. When we get closer to season, SUF day will switch to dynamic focus.
I find that in my plan, most of the time the strenght sessions are placed before the cadence sessions. Thats why I always take them in that order. Sometimes I even see notes “after strenght” on the cycling workouts. This in combination with your comment and the podcast confuse me a bit.
Also I’d like some pointers on what kind of warmup I should do before the strenght workouts in the description. Just switching the order around, would probably be better for me
@devolikewhoa I did DL and FS last year during the offseason along with some upper body. I found it a bit too challenging and have decided to just do body weight and KB squats and then mix in the upper body lifts like BP, seated military press (low ceilings in the basement) and some cleans during the days when I have strength scheduled.
Before the pandemic I was doing CrossFit and OLY and it definitely helped but I feel the targeted bike work is better overall for MTB. I should probably keep experimenting and I also need to slowly work back to where I was pre-pandemic.
I’m listening to this podcast again, and I love the advice and discussion between @coach.jinger.g and @Coach.Neal.H but I’m also a bit confused as to the order/timing of some of the sessions in a plan. The podcast says to ideally separate strength from endurance work by 4+ hours. I presume this is Endurance in an endurance sport sense, rather than specifically zone 2 work? And when strength is on the plan with cadence builds is this is use cadence builds as a warm up so before strength work, or straight afterward to go along with the neuromuscular work being done, or to separate out by 4+ hours? Or is this all overthinking it and for this combination it doesn’t matter so much?
@TTDragon My understanding was not to do HIIT work and strength in the same day. Otherwise the 4+ hour gap applies except for strength type bike workouts like power station which can be done at the same time as strength.
). And all in just 16 minutes!
