how to gain leg strength

[KirkKaas]

I am looking for a resource or a workout program designed to increase leg strength. I have been riding for 8 years have manged to lose some weight and along the way to become a much better rider. I am 5'10 170 lbs. However, my power just does not seem to increase. I ride between 30 to 100 miles 4 times per week. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Thanks

Kirk

[champlemon]

Squats... I gain 1-2 miles an hour just from doing squats. Another classic is doing intervals.

[keno]

do one leg intervals in 53/12, trying to keep cadence about 50. If 53/12 is too strong, increase the 12 to the point where it is work, but doable, for 60 seconds, and build the time and drop the cog as you get stronger, doing multiple sets. Click out shoe on resting leg and rest on chair, trainer, whatever gets it out of the way. Push down hard and pull up hard and keep the cadence near 50.

keno

[saab2000]

It sounds absurd and I myself struggle with my weight. But you may have an easier time losing 10 lbs than gaining power. Ideally, you can do both. But you will increase your strength/weight ratio just by losing weight.

I know that sounds like, "duh", but it is amazing how much difference just losing a few Lbs of fat will make.

Now if I would only listen to my own advice!!!

[Climb01742]

intervals have worked well for me. perhaps two days a week try either high cadence or middle cadence intervals. 2x15min or 2x20min. high cadence is 95-100 rpms. middle cadence is 65-70 rpms.

[Dekonick]

It sounds absurd and I myself struggle with my weight. But you may have an easier time losing 10 lbs than gaining power. Ideally, you can do both. But you will increase your strength/weight ratio just by losing weight.

I know that sounds like, "duh", but it is amazing how much difference just losing a few Lbs of fat will make.

Now if I would only listen to my own advice!!!


Sounds like my problem. Sure wish I had done push-away's this last year while my wife was pregnant...I am paying the piper now...25 lbs OUCH!

If you really hate intervals oerhaps you can substitute hills? I've heard that works.

[bcm119]

Do a search for "strength power" on this forum. This has been discussed at length before here. If you don't have Friel's "Training Bible", its a good starting point.

[93legendti]

Seated, big gear (53 x 12) intervals work for me. Actually, I just start with 5 minutes at the start of the season and work my way up to 30 minutes, 2 times a week. So it is not really intervals, just a big gear workout. I sometimes do it pulling my daugter in the Burley.

[Marron]

I came across this book yesterday while browsing at B & N. It offers some interesting and counter intuitive (at least to me) ideas about how to improve cycling performance. It takes the issue of strength and power down to the cellular level and advocates specific regimens of training and nutrition to manipulate the capacity of various muscle tissue. Most interesting to me was the advice to train way less than the conventional wisdom would suggest and devote at least a third of ones training time to pure recovery. So there's your answer, do less.

Oh and lose weight. You can do that while sitting at your desk without breaking a sweat.

[weisan]

Most interesting to me was the advice to train way less than the conventional wisdom would suggest and devote at least a third of ones training time to pure recovery. So there's your answer, do less.

That was my first reaction yesterday when I come across this thread but I hesitate for a moment to say it out loud. It was a revelation for me this year with training time seriously cut down by family commitments but I am stronger on the bike than I have ever been - two simple rules guide me through the season.

1) Hard means HARD - no middle-in-the-road riding, push really hard during intervals and max effort AT work. If cannot summon the level of effort required, do fewer repeats or just call it a day, try another time.

2) Rest means REST - Guilt-inducing easy pedaling recovery ride. no cheating. No rushing up to chicks or seeing red when passed by another rider. Stay the course. If you cannot discipline yourself to do that, just stay off the bike entirely.

[Ken Lehner]

I am looking for a resource or a workout program designed to increase leg strength. I have been riding for 8 years have manged to lose some weight and along the way to become a much better rider. I am 5'10 170 lbs. However, my power just does not seem to increase. I ride between 30 to 100 miles 4 times per week. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Thanks

Kirk

If you are healthy, you are already "strong" enough. You need to increase the time for which you can hold the power you output. That requires increased aerobic fitness. As someone said, intervals: do 30-60 minutes of intervals at ~95% of the power you can hold for an hour, in 15-30 minute intervals with a minute or three recovery between. Do it twice per week for 8 weeks, increasing about 5W every other week.

[Fixed]

Here is what I do and it's kinda fun motor pace I do it in the city I like city buses If like you can do it behind a friend on a motorcycle.Tme goes fast when you make it fun.Cheers
:bike: :beer:weisan is a smart cat.

[Climb01742]

Here is what I do and it's kinda fun motor pace I do it in the city I like city buses

bike messengers in nyc hang onto the buses, which is more fun, but less of a workout. :rolleyes:

[Fixed]

bike messengers in nyc hang onto the buses, which is more fun, but less of a workout. :rolleyes:
Bro try hangin on to a bus on a fixed gear goin 30 mph and a bag full of stuff that can be a killer workout.Cheers :cool:

[andy mac]

i know a number of people who have been happy with this program available on dvd.


http://cyclo-core.com/


bombs away,

andy.

[53-11]

EDIT: post deleted.

[Climb01742]

Bro try hangin on to a bus on a fixed gear goin 30 mph and a bag full of stuff that can be a killer workout.Cheers :cool:

fixed, i meant no disrespect to the feat of hanging on and turning a 30mph cadence! i certainly couldn't do it. it always looked like a kick-*ss fun to me. :beer:

[Fixed]

None taken Bro. Cheers

[froze]

If you can afford it join a gym and do leg presses and other leg exercises. Just be careful you don't overdo it and blow a knee then you won't be able to ride for while. Leg squats are a cheap alternative to the gym and you could supplement by adding dumbbells to increase the amount of weight your squatting. BUT again even squatting could blow a knee if your not careful. If you had knee problems in the past take this kind of workout slow or not at all and just live with the lessor power; but Ken Lehner's recommendation for interval training is sound advice for building more power, especially if you have had bad knees in the past.

[Fixed]

Buy a book Davis Phinney's it's as good as it gets. plus he is one cool dude.Cheers

[Tmogul]

I think you need to be more specific about what your limiting factors are. When you say leg strength are you talking about strength for a TT, sprint, power climb, mtn top finish....etc. There is a lot of debate out there in the literature about whether strength training helps at all with an endurance sport like cycling. It definitely helps with sprinting as you can see with match sprinters on the track.

Are you having a hard time closing down a gap? Are you getting dropped on short steep climbs? Do you have good average power for 5min but can't get it much higher for a 1min all out effort? Does a surge in the peleton leave you breathless and cause you to blow up or are you hanging on easily and then get blown away in the final sprint? Are you good for one sprint but can't repeat the same speed again after a short break?

The accuracy with which you deduce your weaknesses will allow you to be more precise with your plan to overcome those problem areas. In the mean time....keep riding. :)