Why weight (lift)?

I’ve been getting lots of questions about weight training, especially for downhill and 4X. This is a really complex topic, and everyone has a different idea. But here’s my approach:

“Anything a weak muscle can do, a strong muscle can do better.”

  — my high school strength coach

During the winter Steve Peat does a general circuit training workout. Nothing super intense, he says, he just hits every body part to build overall strength.

All bike riders can benefit from an all-around strength program. It seems the stronger you are at pedaling, the weaker you are at everything else. Imagine the legs on a Tyrannosaur, then picture his puny arms.

Brad Andress, the strength coach for the Colorado Rockies baseball team, spoke at a recent EAS seminar. He said there are three reasons to work out in a gym:

1. Injury recovery or prevention. That’s me. My shoulders need constant maintenance.

2. Performance enhancement. See No. 3.

3. Self-image problems. I swing between feeling puny/weak and fat/slow. I focus on the pain, the only thing that’s real.

Aggressive riding demands total-body strength. You can get strong during the riding season, but it’s best to start the season with a strong base. Well-balanced musculature prevents injuries. Stronger muscles go longer faster. And if you can bench 300, chicks will dig you.

Years ago Brian Lopes lifted heavy and got huge, but now he does a lots of reps and “low” weight. Low for him — maybe not for you.

There are a ton of approaches out there, but here are some core truths:

– Train you entire body. Hands to feet. The more joints the motion uses, the better.

– Don’t train body parts. Train movements.

– Train the major movers. Stability training is all the rage these days, but if you push your major muscles hard (e.g. squats), your stabilizers do what they’re made to do — stabilize.

– You don’t need specific equipment of protocols. As Andress said, any exercise counts as long as you can 1. Control the workload, 2. Steadily increase the workload, and 3. Measure your progress.

– Be consistent! It’ll get you farther than Herculean but sporadic lift-a-thons.

– Your sport is the main thing. Don’t weight-train so much you jack up your riding. It makes sense to lift most in the off season.

I’m always changing things up, but here’s my basic approach. It’s kept my shoulders safe, and it’s given me decent overall strength. You can do these motions with your bodyweight, barbells, dumbbells, rubber bands, sand bags, or whatever. Your muscles don’t know the difference. The key is to work all of the major movement planes. I try for twice a week if I’m not too thrashed from riding.

Not super impressive, but it gets the job done.

Upper body push
Up – military press
Forward – bench press
Down – dips

Upper body pull
Down – pulldowns or pullups
Toward you – bent or seated rows
Up – upright row, power clean

Lower body push
Squats, deadlifts
Lunges forward, backward and sideways

Lower body pull
Straight-legged dead lifts (hamstrings)

Core
Forward planks and crunches
Backward planks and crunches
Sideways planks and crunches
Twists
Downward dog/upward dog yoga sequence

The whole shebang
Power clean
Sun salutations (a simple yoga sequence)

I do between 10 and 25 reps, with light weight. I love lifting heavier, but my body can’t take it. Ideally, you’ll do this through the off season to build mass and strength. A month before the racing starts, bump up the resistance and do sets of 5-6. Move the weight as fast as you can. This builds power.

Ride your bike!