I’m an amateur racing cyclist and occasional rock climber. I usually strength train for a few months during the off season but this year want to keep it up throughout the year.
I can fit in two strength sessions each week.
Aims are to maintain muscle mass as I age (currently 38) and to improve neuromuscular co-ordination which improves efficiency and sprinting on the bike) (also a desire to achieve a 2xBW deadlift and a BW press)
I’d like feedback on the following program. I constructed it myself based on what I enjoy and trying to ensure all the basic movements are covered.
Session 1
3 sets of
A1 Press (2-5 reps, increase weight when hitting 5 reps for each set)
A2 Chins/Pull Ups
A3 Front Squat (AMRAP same weight as Press)
5 sets of
B1 Single Leg DB Deadlift (10 reps)
B2 Push Ups (10+)
B3 DB or Bodyweight Rows (10 reps)
Session 2
A Deadlift (ramping sets of 3 reps)
3 sets of
B1 DB Press (6-10 reps, increase weight when hitting 10 reps)
B2 Chin Ups/Pull Ups
B3 Pistol Squats
What discipline are you racing? Road? Criteriums? Mountain biking?
Regardless, I’d follow a tried and proven program rather than writing your own, Westside for Skinny Bastards has a useful 3 day template if you are competent with a barbell. Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 offers lots of flexibility and is something I wish I had discovered in my racing days… You’re on the right lines for including single leg work, but I’d switch pistol squat for a lunge, Bulgarian split squat or even a step up.
Typically, there is an old school mentality of spending a winter in the gym just to lose it all over the warmer months when the intensity of the racing season picks up. A 5/3/1 approach could at least offer some form of maintenance or even a long steady patient progress.
A bodyweight press is impressive, how much bodyweight are you willing to gain to assist in achieving this? It won’t make you a faster cyclist, depends what you really want to prioritise. Track cyclists routinely deadlift double bodyweight, this could be considered more achievable than the press goal. What are your current lifts?
Thanks, I will seriously consider replacing the pistol squat with a lunge or split squat, but I do enjoy pistols. I can do sets of two or three on each leg currently so perhaps once I get up to 10 or so I’ll sub in something that can be more easily loaded.
The races I do are on the road, kind of a cross between a crit and a road race, 80-100km, 5-10km laps round a city centre, longest climbs about 5 minutes. I don’t want to gain weight, but I have some room for recomposition. Currently 70kg at 15% body fat (electrical impedance method).
Deadlift 3 rep PB is 95kg (1.3xBW)
Press 2 rep PB is 45kg (0.6xBW)
Both PBs from December 2022, since then I’ve had COVID and then the gyms have all been shut for Chinese New Year, I’ll be starting again next week.
The problem for me with established programs is that they are mostly at least 3 days a week, I know they can be run over a longer time, but I prefer to return to the same exercises more frequently. I also prefer to front squat rather than back squat and am not interested in bench pressing.
How tall are you? At 6"2 I was a very lean 70kg and would blow over in a crosswind, but was ideal for the terrain you’re racing on. Equally, I didn’t have any lifting aspirations. I’d say yours are at this stage are quite ambitious but don’t let that deter you.
No reason why you can’t run a 3 day lifting template over ten days rather than seven, in fact I’d encourage it. Your muscles don’t know that it’s Monday so must be time to bench press…
Front squat over back squat absolutely fine, as is not caring for bench press, but if that’s the case I would look at a different form of compound press exercise to switch up with overhead pressing. Could be incline press or even dips, just getting strong in general will support your lifting. For every press, row or pull something, cyclists have the most awful posture and weak backs (I am stereotyping here).
I’ve heard good things about Tactical Barbell templates, that could be a solid fit for you, just make the conditioning specific to you ie on a bike.