Integrating Strength & Conditioning: Nov ‘23

Hey, it’s Tom and Emma from High North Performance with the latest edition of our In-Form Newsletter 👋

This month, we wanted to share 4 simple tips for those looking to integrate strength and conditioning (S&C) into their cycling training programs. With time and energy at a premium for most of us, the idea of adding another training modality into the mix can seem questionable, but there are ways to successfully pull it off and in turn you can reap the benefits that strength training can offer.

So, the first piece of advice would be on frequency of S&C. If you are adding strength training into your program, you want to be sure that you’ll see meaningful improvements and adaptations from your investment! Well, as a general guide, try to aim for two (sometimes three) strength sessions per week for development of strength. When you’re looking to maintain previous gains (and perhaps focus more on your cycling-specific training), try to get in one-two sessions, where the second one can be of a lighter intensity if you’re trying to rest or save energy for other forms of training.

Secondly, try not to overcomplicate your S&C work, and keep things very simple, at least initially. It’s easy to get lost in the forest of strength training advice out there, and there are almost endless exercises (and variations on these exercises) you could do! As a cyclist using S&C to make you a more well-rounded athlete and to help improve performance on the bike, you don’t really need the level of nuance that a pure body builder or weight lifter is concerned with. When starting out, stick to simple exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges etc (and some upper body presses and pulls too) when it comes to your heavy lifts.

Our third tip would be to use a core strength routine as your warm up for your heavier load S&C and combine them into the same session. Developing good core stability should be a priority for cyclists both for direct performance improvements via better power delivery, but also indirect benefits via the reduction of injuries and soreness when riding (e.g. lower back pain). Trying to fit in distinct core and heavier-load strength sessions can get really tricky for the busy cyclist, so combining them into one session and using core work to prime your muscles for heavier lifts can work really well and make your strength training very time efficient.

The final point we’ll raise here surrounds when to schedule your S&C sessions in a typical week/microcycle. It’s important to recognise that S&C work can be quite fatiguing and certainly early on, often results in some significant DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). One less-than-ideal way in which cyclists try to integrate S&C into their programs is by scheduling sessions on their rest days. This at first can seem like a good way to avoid any clashes with the primary cycling activity, but what will in fact happen is that those important days marked for recovery and adaptation no longer off the body the rest it needs. Instead, more fatigue is piled on and a week can become devoid of any proper recovery time at all! We’ve found a better way is to schedule your S&C sessions on “training” or “stress-inducing” days, which could include a ride (or other cross-training activity) too, or just the S&C depending on how much time and energy you have to devote to training that day. The key here is ensure there’s a clear distinction between days where you’re putting stress on the body and days where you are letting yourself absorb and adapt to the previously-imposed stress. 

If you are looking to start S&C work (or restart after a long break), it’s highly recommended to see a good personal trainer who can demonstrate proper form and technique. This will help you avoid injuries and aid in you getting the most benefit from the reps and sets you do. 

Should you be interested, we have some simple home-based and gym-based strength training plans available through TrainingPeaks, which are designed to slot into existing cycling programs you might be following. 

News

We’re excited to have published a new article all about the Norwegian Method of training, geared specifically towards how this in-vogue approach could apply to and help cyclists improve their fitness and performance. The article includes an overview of what the Norwegian Method is, what example workouts and a typical training week might look like for cyclists, as well as a dive into the nuances to be aware of and pay attention to. We’d love for you to give it a read here.

As always, we have a range of other resources available on the site, including our popular Cycling Physiology and Training Science Guide, The Complete Workout Library and a variety of ready-to-use training plans. 

Thanks a bunch for your time reading through our emails and we hope you got a few good takeaways from this one. We’ll see you on the next instalment.

All the best!
Tom & Emma