Resistance training is a valuable tool that can contribute to the development of endurance athletes of all levels and abilities. Traditionally, athletes and coaches were somewhat reluctant to include strength training as part of the endurance athlete's overall training program in fear of developing "extra bulk" that would reduce cardiovascular performance. In recent years, current research has shown that strength training has no adverse effect on aerobic capacity and can enhance muscular strength and power. In addition, other benefits to the endurance athlete include: maintaining proper muscular strength ratios, increasing bone mineral density, enhancing connective tissue, preventing of overuse injuries, improving lactate threshold and improving exercise economy.

Cycling, swimming, running, or any other endurance activity subjects athletes to continuous, repetitive movements that can sometimes last for many hours. This can result in a strength deficit in selected muscle groups that may compromise optimal performance and efficiency, and may also lead to injuries. With cyclists the pedaling motion can overdevelop the powerful hip and knee extensors resulting in an imbalance between the muscles of the hip and thigh. Resistance training can address this by including specific exercises for the hamstring muscle group to maintain proper strength ratios and promote optimal joint stability.

In addition to muscular adaptations, strength training also promotes development of bone and connective tissue. Bone is a very dynamic tissue that provides a rigid lever to support movement. Bone is very sensitive to changes in forces it experiences and has the capacity for growth and regeneration if damaged. Activities must be weight bearing to provide the most effective stimulus for bone formation. Cyclists and swimmers are particularly vulnerable since their activities are non-weight bearing in nature. They should incorporate strength training to promote bone health.

Strength training can also enhance the connective tissue network resulting in an increased ability to withstand greater tensional forces and improved overall joint integrity.

Overuse injuries can be frustrating to the endurance athlete and can potentially result in lost training time and severe setbacks. Fortunately, many of these injuries are predictable and can be prevented with proper training progressions and a "prehabilitation" strength-training program. Prehabilitation refers to the realizating that a potential for injury exists, and implementing specific strategies to prevent such occurrences. Each sport has common overuse injuries that affect many athletes. In cyclists, inflammation of the patellar tendon (patellar tendonitis) can result from repeated knee flexion and extension during pedaling. During a four-hour training session, the knee joint can undergo over 25,000 flexion/extension cycles subjecting the tendon to high stress. Supplementing the cyclist's training program with strength exercises can help maintain proper muscular balance and enhance the connective tissue network to reduce the possibility of patellar tendonitis.

Lactate threshold, an important element of endurance performance, can be enhanced with strength training. One study in 1991 found that strength training improves cycling endurance performance independently of changes in VO2 max. After twelve weeks of strength training performed three times per week, cycling endurance time performed at 75% VO2 max improved by an average of nearly nine minutes. The improved endurance comes from changes in muscle fiber-type recruitment. A greater percentage of slow-twitch and reduced rates of fast-twitch recruitment during co exercise results in increased power.

Critical to the endurance athlete is developing high levels of exercise economy. Exercise economy refers to the energy cost to maintain a given level of output. Economical athletes can perform at a higher level while experiencing less fatigue. A 1997 study by the University of New Hampshire of 12 distance runners revealed that strength training significantly improved running economy, and strength in the upper and lower body.

To achieve full potential as an endurance athlete and remain competitive in challenging events, an individually designed resistance training program should be implemented. Each athlete, regardless of sport, brings to the training table a set of unique talents and abilities that can be molded and shaped into a more complete athlete with the addition of a regular resistance training program.

Resistance training is any activity that overloads muscles more than on the road bike, thus resulting in strength gains. Resistance training does not necessarily require special equipment, or long hours in the gym. The exercises below can all be done at home with minimal equipment!

Resistance training can have five benefits for the endurance cyclist:

1. Increasing core strength and creating a stable platform for pedaling power.
2. Developing leg muscle strength, which can be turned into increased power on the bike.
3. Improving the balance among muscle groups, resulting in increased pedaling economy and efficiency.
4. Strengthening connective tissues, to reduce the risk of injury .
5. Improving upper body endurance and comfort on the bike.

In part one of this article, we suggest basic exercises in each of the categories. In part two, we'll describe more advanced exercises. First, some general principles of resistance training:

• Activities that are weight-bearing and/or use free weights (e.g., hiking, lunges) require more balance and motor control and thus stress connective tissues more than strength training with machines.
• Exercises that work multiple muscle groups and joints (e.g., lunges, wall squats) are more efficient at developing strength than activities which work a single muscle group (e.g., hamstring curls) .
• Resistance activities which move in the same forward-backward plane as cycling, and have a similar motion to road cycling (e.g., snow shoeing, mountain biking) will translate more directly to improved cycling than activities which are more general (e.g., squats) .
• Since most of us have a dominant side, exercises which work each leg separately (e.g., one-legged pedaling, lunges) are better than activities which work both legs (e.g., rowing) .
• Exercises which work a single muscle group (e.g., hamstring curls) are useful for addressing specific muscle imbalances.

Resistance Training Exercises
Doing these exercises three or four days a week will improve your performance off the bike and reduce the risk of injuries. These simple activities don't require much special equipment - you can purchase resistance bands, ankle weights, etc. at

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Days, sets and reps

• Since you are trying to build muscular endurance, do resistance training 3 or 4 days a week, with rest days interspersed.
• Warm-up thoroughly. Swim, ride a trainer, walk briskly, jog, use a Nordic track for at least 15 minutes.
• For most exercises, do sets of 12-20 reps. If you are doing two sets of 12-20 reps, start with two sets of 12 reps; the next session, do two sets of 13, etc. Keep increasing the reps until you get to 20 reps. Then increase the resistance and go back to two sets of 12 reps.
• Rest 30 seconds between sets (short rest breaks builds endurance) .
• Rest 1 minute between exercises.
• Use moderate resistance; you should feel like you are working, but not at your maximum and should not be sore the next day.
• Lift weight for two counts and lower for four counts.
• Exhale when lifting, inhale when lowering.

Recommended exercises for

1. Increasing core strength [  Part 1  |  Part 2  ]
2. Developing leg strength [  Part 1 |  Part 2  ]
3. Improving muscle balance [  Part 1  |  Part 2 ]
4. Strengthening connective tissues [  Part 1  |  Part 2 ]
5. Improving upper body endurance [  Part 1 |  Part 2 ]

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