I'm 33 so I figured I'd go ahead and introduce myself on this forum. I've been lifting for 17 years and though I've had success I know I have overtrained a lot in the past.
I have recently taken interest in increasing my squat and vertical jump to see if I can get to where I can dunk a basketball proficiently. I only need to add a couple of inches because I can now dunk sort of; ie. exceptionally good day, rim a couple inches low etc. Conversly I also LOVE mountainbiking. I am pulling my legs (pardon the pun) in opposite directions int terms of performance. I obsess over things like things and am constantly reading the plethora of training information on the net to the point that I am getting burned out.
Mountainbike rides will last anywhere from 1.5-2+ hours and I usually ride with a group. This is a social event for me as well since I'm single and and don't do much else as far as hobbies. I know to maximize my vert jump/squat training I should cut back on the longer duration cardio (mountainbiking) but when my friends call to go for a ride on a nice Saturday there is no way in hell I'm saying no. And the terrain here is hilly so there are only moderate and hard rides. No such thing as easy rides in West Virginia. The is also no such thing as a sub 1 hour mtn bike ride. Not gonna happen....ever. As I get older I have to take recovery more into consideration.
So what are some of your other activities besides weight training and how do you balance the two?
Most of the folks on the board doing weightlifting and some other activity are using weightlifting to support the other activity.
My opinion is that you’ve already set your priorities as mountain biking and the ability to dunk is a ‘nice-to-have,’ but not critical to your happiness.
Hel320 and Carl Darby are throwers. Both use weight training to help them throw farther and Carl is going to do an Olympic Lifting competition soon, I think.
Soldog and streamline might have some advice on how to use weight lifting to enhance your mountain biking. Soldog has competed in it and streamline is an endurance in-line skater. Streamline works both endurance and explosive power so his advice may be most apropos to your goals.
[quote]wvjon75 wrote:
…when my friends call to go for a ride on a nice Saturday there is no way in hell I’m saying no. And the terrain here is hilly so there are only moderate and hard rides. No such thing as easy rides in West Virginia. The is also no such thing as a sub 1 hour mtn bike ride. Not gonna happen…ever. As I get older I have to take recovery more into consideration.
So what are some of your other activities besides weight training and how do you balance the two?[/quote]
I understand the terrain situation. I have that issue as well; there is no such thing as an easy ride! What I decided to do was pick a season to bike and have the bike rides be my leg (and sometimes cardio) workout. So I might train legs once a week in the gym, but the rest of the time my rides are my leg/glute workout. That worked well for me since I live in an area where you can only ride (comfortably) about 1/2 of the year.
My biggest issue now is juggling lifting, BJJ and Muay Thai. Since I’ve been lifting a long time I keep my lifting in maintenance mode while I’m trying to make progress with the MA training. Hey, I’m not a professional athlete. I want to be in this for the long haul … so I don’t treat my body like this stuff is my job. I vary the intensity of lifting and cardio to balance anything else I’m doing.
Cappy
I think the mountain biking will stay with you longer than the vertical jump, though alternating training like Capacity suggests sounds even better, as I don’t see you mountain biking through the sludge and slush.
I think the rotation might end up making a lot of things work much better for you.
I use that theory about the ill effects of long duration cardio on explosive strength to avoid something I don’t like anyway. Is it valid? Probably only to a minor degree. The main effect if I were to start doing long duration cardio would be it eating up my recovery ability. Unless you want the absolute highest possible level of leg strength and jumping ability, I don’t see your two goals as mutually exclusive.
As skidmark said, I throw and do olympic weightlifting. These complement each other nicely. I just have to be careful not to overdo the training.
I think mtn biking is actually good training for your vert jump. I’m 5’10" and from a standstill can jump and grab the rim easy with two hands(i’m also black but who says that as anything to do with it…). back in high school at 5’9 all I did for legs was mtn biking and while my brother was taller than me he could barely touch rim, he also didnt bike. I’m from CT and we have a decent amount of hilly/steep terrain which allow for some hard sprints goin up.
Also while mtn biking is an endurance sport, compare the legs of an avid mountain biker versus those of a road biker and you’ll see that the mtn bikers legs are much more muscular and shorter. I guess in the end it depends on your riding style and the terrain.