Does anyone know of a good workout routine for increasing raw strength for Downhillers while maintaining their endurance at the same time? Thanks.
Weight Training for Downhillers
- Thread starter sheamus
- Start date
Not sure on your program, but you may get better results by putting that time to use by riding your road bike. Don't laugh, i'm serious
Some guys use free weights and those balls to build core and stuff. I personally get results by doing bench, biceps and tris (dumbells) two days. Lat pull downs (front and back), shoulder shrugs and sit-ups the other two. I usually did 3 sets (15, 12,10) counting down and increasing in weight.
YOu could also try to just do whatever weight exercises you like to do b/c you will look forward to a workout and not skip it.
Some guys use free weights and those balls to build core and stuff. I personally get results by doing bench, biceps and tris (dumbells) two days. Lat pull downs (front and back), shoulder shrugs and sit-ups the other two. I usually did 3 sets (15, 12,10) counting down and increasing in weight.
YOu could also try to just do whatever weight exercises you like to do b/c you will look forward to a workout and not skip it.
Road bike and Core. Heavy weight training will only lend it self to very specific aspects of riding/racing such as gate starts for slalom and 4x.
When are you riding your bike only using one leg or arm at a time? Never!
I've been using a program called Crossfit for a little over a year and it is working really well for me. I go to a gym and work with a trainer in a small class a few times a week but they post up a free workout for you to follow every day on their webiste. The average workout will take about 20 minutes at a very high intensity (and it's very engaging which keeps me motivated) so I think for Downhill racing this a great program. For XC racing there is no subsitute for seat time but with that said, there is a special Crossfit endurance program for endurance athletes such as bike racers.
Regular crossfit
Endurance Crossfit
Regular crossfit
Endurance Crossfit
Santa Cruz, Crossfit HQ, where it all started. Well sort of...That location closed a few months ago and the SC CF is in a new location.
interval training, just riding a road bike won't really do much to help you out. learn to love deadlifts, squats, and power cleans.
I'm with these guys, Crossfit is awesome, literally helps with all aspects of fitness.
If I had to choose exercises to focus on for DH I would say
-Deadlifts (get someone to show you how) - don't use straps, it will build your grip strength.
-Squats - with the bar infront or behind you. Just need to get the legs going.
-Lunges
Best of all would be to find a personal trainer that has experience with cycling athletes and have them build you a program if you are really serious.
Thanks guys I really appreciate all of the information and I will be looking into it.
http://www.mtbstrengthcoach.com/
James has some decent exercises on his site. I watched all his videos and then created a routine that I could do with my pre-existing injuries with just body weight, 2 dumbbells and a medicine ball. I use a jump rope too. About $100 worth of equip.
I don't have the time to go to a gym and I don't live close to any. Finding stuff I could do in under 1 hr in my spare bedroom was key.
Oh yeah, intervals on the trainer with a HR monitor. Intervals that are so hard that you couldn't do them on a real bike because you would fall over. They'll make you puke, but you'll also feel like you might rip your bars off of your DH bike.
James has some decent exercises on his site. I watched all his videos and then created a routine that I could do with my pre-existing injuries with just body weight, 2 dumbbells and a medicine ball. I use a jump rope too. About $100 worth of equip.
I don't have the time to go to a gym and I don't live close to any. Finding stuff I could do in under 1 hr in my spare bedroom was key.
Oh yeah, intervals on the trainer with a HR monitor. Intervals that are so hard that you couldn't do them on a real bike because you would fall over. They'll make you puke, but you'll also feel like you might rip your bars off of your DH bike.
Word. Starting working out at the Seattle local. It's awesome and wonderfully hard.
That's actually wasting time for DH training. Isolation workouts is one of the worst things to do for DH training. You need to be conditioning your body as a whole.
I second that on bikejames he definitely knows what he is talking about when it comes to training for DH and 4x.
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i just recently started incorporating farmer's walks into my lifting program. i highly recommend them as a finisher to your workout.
just grab some heavy dumbells and walk with them, while keeping your back straight and head up. they do a great job of building up endurance in your forearms so you won't get so pumped after a day of downhilling. i'm mainly doing them as training for rock climbing.
just grab some heavy dumbells and walk with them, while keeping your back straight and head up. they do a great job of building up endurance in your forearms so you won't get so pumped after a day of downhilling. i'm mainly doing them as training for rock climbing.
Try that but do walking lunges instead, better leg workout.
Or even single overhead dumb bell lunges. Be sure to switch hands half way through.
I am a fan of Clean & presses then squat with the weight overhead. Its a great body workout and keeps me from fatiguing. Stability ball workouts as well. And riding trails a lot.
the farmer's walk isn't really meant to be a leg workout, it's for grip strength/endurance. with walking lunges you won't be able to use a high enough weight to really work your forearms, or at the very least i know i can't.
unilateral work and isolation work are two completely different things, he was refering to single legged presses, which is a multi joint excercise
leg extensions however are both useless as regards functional training, and a recipie for bad knees
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Listening to your body is the best training feedback available and puking is your bodys way of telling you that you have pushed it too far. Progress can be sustained over a much longer time if you stop short of actually being sick, of course dont be lazy when it comes to intervals, try to progress from the last session in small but consistent increments, but at the same time dont overdo it as overtraining has a detrimental effect on the body.
The same applies to weight training, avoid going to failure. If you wouldnt bet your house that you will get the next rep then dont do it. avoid 1 rep maxes like the plague!!
Your central nervous system tends to be the weak link in the chain when training, it will give in before your muscles do so its important to look after it and not tax your nerves unnessisarily. Stimulate, not annihalate.
I was only referring to isolation in my quote that's why I never said anything about unilateral... But actually Unilateral workouts are all about isolating one side of the body at a time and working specific muscle groups. Which in Downhill training is a waste of time. When do you just use 1-2 muscles on one side of your body in a race? Never. The whole point of training is to make yourself stronger at racing, you need to mimic movements you would actually do. That is why you do not want to isolate anything in a workout. Do exercises that work as many groups as you can. IE doing squats with while holding a shoulder press bar above you to work your shoulder out too (also helps balance).
Here are a number of exercises that are well suited to unilateral training that can help you build muscle mass -
Smith Marchine Squats
Leg Press
Leg Curls
Leg Extension
Calf Raises
Cable Crossovers
Pec Deck
Pullups or Pulldowns
Seated Cable Rows
All types of lateral raises for the shoulders
Dumbbell Press
Seated overhead dumbbell extensions
Tricep Pressdown
Dumbbell Preacher Curl
Cable Curl
Pretty much all are exercises you shouldn't be doing for Downhill training, there are much better ones out there for our sport.
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you dont press down on the pedals with both feet at once, hence lunges, step ups ect do mimic pedaling, arguably more so than squats. The real benefit to unilateral work however is addressing muscle imbalances which everyone has to some degree, and since we push one leg at a time we want ideally to have both legs as strong as the other. Whenever you squat there is always a dominant leg doing more of the work than the other.
not that i am against barbell work, in fact i see barbell lifts such as the squat, deadlift, benchpress, row ect as well as dips as the cornerstone of a succesful training regieme, but unilateral work compliments the above and should not be dismissed as a waste of time.
i completely agree with your list of useless excercises! most of that stuff is garbage bodybuilding mags churn out.
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Yeah...you don't pedal with both simultaneously. But when your in the "prone" position on your bike which is usually about half a race most your weight is on your rear (dominate leg). Also a much better excerise is one legged box squats rather than wasting time on a leg press. I never said lunges or step ups were bad, they are both in my workout actually.
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thats a good point about the prone position, when i first started i got 'leg pump' my quads would ache and cramp up halfway down a run.
i do lunges myself, due to the lack of a stable box to do step ups on and i loathe them!!! i think step ups would be more productive due to the zero assistance from the other leg. The amount u can lunge/single leg squat is generally more impressive than the amount you can squat.. eg 80kg of rider + 2x 30kg weights = 140kg weight being pressed through one leg..
your missin the point. if you do one legged it builds core stregth at the same time since its all balance. you can do curls with dumbbells with one foot in the air too. i remember i was doin this at the gym and people would look at me like i was crazy untill i told them it was working my core at the same time.
Definitely right on that exercise, those are good. But what you quoted and what he was talking about was isolation workouts and doing curls on one leg is not in that category.
You can also look up Turbulence Training online on youtube.com and that guy has tons of excellent exercies in a structure that allows you to progress through full body workouts that stabilize your core and most use only your own bodyweight as resistance.
The intent of most all of the exercises is to call stability into play in your core and elevate your heartrate to carzy high levels by basicly doing one massive superset for your whole body. They range from 15-45 minute circuits and I can't believe how big my tongue will get when I get halfway through.
Lunges, 1 legged steps, stability ball leg curls, stability ball crunches to a bench, spiderman push ups, spiderman climbers, recline pull ups, chin ups, 1 legged RDL's, bulgarian split squats, clapping push-ups, burpees, stability ball push ups, 1 arm overhead presses, leapfrogs, prisoner squats, inverted push ups, around the clocks...fun stuff that you can mix up.
The intent of most all of the exercises is to call stability into play in your core and elevate your heartrate to carzy high levels by basicly doing one massive superset for your whole body. They range from 15-45 minute circuits and I can't believe how big my tongue will get when I get halfway through.
Lunges, 1 legged steps, stability ball leg curls, stability ball crunches to a bench, spiderman push ups, spiderman climbers, recline pull ups, chin ups, 1 legged RDL's, bulgarian split squats, clapping push-ups, burpees, stability ball push ups, 1 arm overhead presses, leapfrogs, prisoner squats, inverted push ups, around the clocks...fun stuff that you can mix up.
Note that whatever training program you start with, you have to complete 12 weeks in order to make a final decision as to whether or not it worked.
My training philosophy...
1) Lift heavy weights. It shouldn't be easy
2) Stability/bosu balls are lame. Use them if you plan to join cirque de soleil
3) Olympics lifts (cleans, etc) build power
4) A well-written program with include a balanced combination of unilateral and bilateral exercises
5) Compound exercises help build functional strength. Leave curls and shrugs for body builders
6) Designated "core" exercises are lame unless you have a specific weakness that isn't corrected elsewhere. Squats, lunges, etc will work for everyone else.
7) Foam rollers feel good. Use one.
Bizutch has a great list of exercises, many of which are in my program. Not too dissimilar from what he posted, but look into "tabatas" to help build muscular strength and endurance.
My training philosophy...
1) Lift heavy weights. It shouldn't be easy
2) Stability/bosu balls are lame. Use them if you plan to join cirque de soleil
3) Olympics lifts (cleans, etc) build power
4) A well-written program with include a balanced combination of unilateral and bilateral exercises
5) Compound exercises help build functional strength. Leave curls and shrugs for body builders
6) Designated "core" exercises are lame unless you have a specific weakness that isn't corrected elsewhere. Squats, lunges, etc will work for everyone else.
7) Foam rollers feel good. Use one.
Bizutch has a great list of exercises, many of which are in my program. Not too dissimilar from what he posted, but look into "tabatas" to help build muscular strength and endurance.
You should encorporate 8-10 different exercise for the whole body. The list above is ok. Only pick one exercise for each body part. Do that routine for 3-4 weeks and change the exercises. This breaks up bordom and the different exercise attach the muscles in a different manner. For example, do squats ( 2 legged exercise) for 3 weeks then change the routine to do walking lunges (1 legged exercise).
Do 2-3 set. The research shows that there are no more gains if you perform more than 3 sets of any exercise.
As far as the repetitions are concern: < 6 reps for muscle strength and increasing muscle mass
8-12 reps for muscle strenght and endurance\
>15 reps your wasting your time.
As far as "core exercise" most everyone doesn't understand what they are. Your core is not just your abs, they are exercises that incorporate your largest and strongest muscles. They are your abs, hips, glutes, thighs and chest muscles. For example all of the olympic lifts, clean and jerk.
Weight lifting is only a conditioning tool. It you want to be a better DH you have to DH. It's like saying to a basketball player, you'll improve your shooting by doing overhead presses untill you drop.
Do 2-3 set. The research shows that there are no more gains if you perform more than 3 sets of any exercise.
As far as the repetitions are concern: < 6 reps for muscle strength and increasing muscle mass
8-12 reps for muscle strenght and endurance\
>15 reps your wasting your time.
As far as "core exercise" most everyone doesn't understand what they are. Your core is not just your abs, they are exercises that incorporate your largest and strongest muscles. They are your abs, hips, glutes, thighs and chest muscles. For example all of the olympic lifts, clean and jerk.
Weight lifting is only a conditioning tool. It you want to be a better DH you have to DH. It's like saying to a basketball player, you'll improve your shooting by doing overhead presses untill you drop.
One thing I did not see mentioned were pistol squats. Awesome exercise that will build leg strength very well, core strength, and balance/stability. I also do them holding a dumbbell straight out which helps with shoulder/front deltoid stability/strength. If you do them don't half ass them, go all the way down, butt a couple inches from the ground. It is not harmful to your knees. Search on Youtube for pistol squats and I'm sure there are videos.
^ Pistols
I would highly suggest a progression to single leg squats rather than jumping right into them. As you mentioned, they require a good deal of leg and trunk strength, along with adequate hamstring and glute flexibility. If you're lacking any of those areas, it is extremely easy to hurt yourself. As for depth, keep in mind good squat form: chest up and back straight (NO FLEXION!).
For other unilateral leg exercises, might I suggest step-ups and bulgarian squats.
I would highly suggest a progression to single leg squats rather than jumping right into them. As you mentioned, they require a good deal of leg and trunk strength, along with adequate hamstring and glute flexibility. If you're lacking any of those areas, it is extremely easy to hurt yourself. As for depth, keep in mind good squat form: chest up and back straight (NO FLEXION!).
For other unilateral leg exercises, might I suggest step-ups and bulgarian squats.
http://navyseals.com/crossfit-workout-day
in addition/alternative to crossfit.com.
I love crossfit. I was doing the men's health year long fitness planner, as I've wanted to gain size forever, and cut fat. I did it for about 4-5 months up until the endurance "month" (it's actually two...so it's more than a year...odd) and switched to crossfit since I figured crossfit is partially about endurance and lighter weights vs. pure heavy lifting. HOLY CRAP. I've seen more results in the past 2 then I have in the first 5. Crossfit really works, and it's helped me blast through my training plateaus. It works because it takes you out of your comfort zone, away from your bicep curls and lat pulldowns and pushes you into extremely high-rep, high intensity workouts. I honestly can't think of better training for DH racing, where you generally work at an extremely high rate for an extremely short period of time (near max heart rate for 4 minutes). You don't gain size as much as tone/endurance.
Now, I suppose if somebody tailored a xfit to DH/cycling it would be the best, but regular xfit is a decent substitute.
in addition/alternative to crossfit.com.
I love crossfit. I was doing the men's health year long fitness planner, as I've wanted to gain size forever, and cut fat. I did it for about 4-5 months up until the endurance "month" (it's actually two...so it's more than a year...odd) and switched to crossfit since I figured crossfit is partially about endurance and lighter weights vs. pure heavy lifting. HOLY CRAP. I've seen more results in the past 2 then I have in the first 5. Crossfit really works, and it's helped me blast through my training plateaus. It works because it takes you out of your comfort zone, away from your bicep curls and lat pulldowns and pushes you into extremely high-rep, high intensity workouts. I honestly can't think of better training for DH racing, where you generally work at an extremely high rate for an extremely short period of time (near max heart rate for 4 minutes). You don't gain size as much as tone/endurance.
Now, I suppose if somebody tailored a xfit to DH/cycling it would be the best, but regular xfit is a decent substitute.
Boy do I wish I had found CrossFit when I was racing. I just started it in January. I was an outta shape racer....one of the reasons I found it so hard. Much better now ('cept I don't race and just got back to DHing!)
I suffer notably less hand, forearm, thigh, and calf fatigue. Most notable is my hands, which don't get tired during long runs with inferior brakes. I can almost clamp my friend's useless cable brakes as well as he does.
Deadlifts are one of the best exercises you can do, works almost your whole body, saves alot of time also. Throw planks in as well for core. If you have a training buddy this is a good one (sounds silly but we use it in rugby) use one of the large balance balls, and try to wrestle it from each other while standing up. Your balance and strength are well worked.
Dead lifts can be dangerous if not done properly. If you work your way up with proper form they are beneficial though.
Anyone try out those bike simulators yet? they have those old school platforms where your toes slip in. You can shift gears and everything, and when you go up a hill on the screen resistance increases. You can race side by side with others too. Also has a heart monitor and shows your power level. I found it pretty fun compared toi the traditional old exercise bike.
Anyone try out those bike simulators yet? they have those old school platforms where your toes slip in. You can shift gears and everything, and when you go up a hill on the screen resistance increases. You can race side by side with others too. Also has a heart monitor and shows your power level. I found it pretty fun compared toi the traditional old exercise bike.
take a look at this site http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa21.htm
Those are all true, unless you're someone who actually likes to ride the bike instead of having the bike ride you. Not a chance in hell you can throw the bike around where YOU want it to go without having excellent core, back and trap strength. If anything, I would almost say those are the top 3 weight exercises from a DH standpoint. You can build up your pedaling with cardio, but to make yourself stronger with an objective of being faster, you have to be able to move the bike around with more control and for longer.
Wide/narrow grip rows in all 3 directions (down, back, and up), shrugs, dumbell presses/shoulder presses, back extentions/good morning exercises (deadlifts if you have perfect form), sidebends/twisting situps (straight situps don't work your hip flexors - what you need to yank up on the pedals hard and place the rear wheel where you want), and straightleg leglifts (again, twisting at the top of each rep). I do these all 12-20 reps, going 1-rep short of failure stepping down each set with the same weight (ex. 15-14-12) and 3 sets each motion. Works wonders.
I should work on legs in the gym more, but I find it a lot more effective to just do some of the dry-land exercises they had us doing for off-ice training when I used to play hockey. Staircases, uphills, etc. Try finding a steep dirt hill, and jump up it and back down it (backwards) and you'll feel parts of your quads and calves burning you didn't know you had, and you'll recover with a strange explosive strength in a few days. Static exercises aren't supposed to be great for you, BUT if you have consistent and proper form on a DH bike you won't be moving from a squatted position much, so another one I like to do near the end of each leg workout is just to hold a squatted position with my knees at a 90 degree angle (duckfooted) and sometimes with a 25lb barbell in my hands. Go until failure a few times. For some reason this helps keep the lactic acid out of your thighs on 20+ minute descents.
I will agree with leaving the curls off the menu though...
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