Weight lifting and riding ...

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FallGirl1430

Guest
Hi All,
I have a question, I've been working out on my bowflex for the last few weeks. My excercises are directed mostly to my legs, leg extensions and leg curls. I have been doing my excercises 2-3 days per week. My question is this ... should I ride my bike on the days that I do the weight training? Does the weight training contradict my riding or visa vera? Are 2 days per week good or do I workout 3 days? Grrrrrrrrrrr :confused:

Thanks,
Fallgirl ... :hmmm:
 
You need to give your legs some time to recover...Exercise is a two-part process...The first part is the exercise itself, which breaks down your muscle...The second part is when your muscle rebuilds itself...If you do back-to-back days working your legs, they'll never rebuild themselves and you'll never actually get any stronger...I usually do legs on the bike and use weights and whatnot for core and upper body strength...If you do want to use weights for your legs, I'd suggest spinning a lower gear when your on your bike to let yourself heal...And keep hard efforts toward the beginning of the week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays so you're ready to crush your friends on the weekends:getsome:
 
sound advice jim.

the only thing i'd add is this: the one thing that NOBODY ever mentions when there is a discussion about weight training is the real recovery period, which takes place when you sleep. IMHO, it's perfectly fine to lift & ride on consecutive days provided that you're not over-doing it.
 
Oh it'll help... also add squats, lunges, The Stairmaster, and rope jumping.

You'll see a big improvement in your climbing ability, and power situations real quick.
 
bonefishjake said:
There is a discussion about weight training is the real recovery period, which takes place when you sleep.
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Sleep, water, and protein. Take any one of these away from your program and you'll be spinning your wheels(no pun intended). I've read that the best time to eat is immediatly after working out. I think because the body will break down the muscle if there is no protein to aid in the repair of recenty worked muscle groups. I'm no expert, but these point come up in the gym alot.
 
That eating afterwards thing seems to be somewhere within 45 minutes to an hour following exercise...Usually a water bottle of recovery drink and some kind of protein bar will do the trick...I personally have had good results with the Dedicated Athlete recovery drink and Met-RX Big100 bar within 45 minutes after a ride...
 
Stop the leg curls and leg extensions and ditch the bowflex. Leg curls/extensions are more or less bodybuilder exercises that have little functional utility.

Barbell squats and deadlifts are much more applicable to mountain biking. Don't forget to mix in some upper body work, which will help you with the technical stuff.
 
tlnj said:
Stop the leg curls and leg extensions and ditch the bowflex. Leg curls/extensions are more or less bodybuilder exercises that have little functional utility.

Barbell squats and deadlifts are much more applicable to mountain biking. Don't forget to mix in some upper body work, which will help you with the technical stuff.
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i didn't want to get into that. anything is good, some things, however, are just better.
 
Thank you

Thanks guys for the information, it was very helpful.
Christina ...
 
hey guys and gals ... don't write off trail maintenance and naps. Great work out from TM and well worth any efforts. Be a part of the winning team in NJ. ... Naps always good too, as Jake says. Lots going on while you sleep.
 
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