Cross-Training
Cross-training: words that strikes fear and boredom into my heart. My cycling library is contaminated with training books I’ve collected over the years. Each one is purchased knowing, yes, this is the one. Each one has a chapter on off-the-bike training. I recently bought Tom Danielson’s cross-training book, read some of it, have not done any of it. I’ve looked on Craig’s List for weights to set up a squatting station, none have met my strict requirements for some reason. I don’t run, period. I mostly hate walking and hiking. That’s why I ride a bike, FFS. Zumba, line-dancing, tai-chi…shoot me in the face, I’d rather develop a proper drug habit.
When I lived in a university town, despite their half-assed football program, they had a big stadium. Running those stadium steps was as close to enjoying cross-training as I will ever get. A full on boogie up to the top of the stadium, lope back down to the bottom, repeat until nauseous, repeat more. The top third of the steps were steeper, just to make it fun. It mimicked the mindless suffering and exhaustion us cyclists savor. It was intense enough that each session was over in under an hour. One would leave the stadium totally blown out and relaxed, again, like one would feel after a proper ride.
I used to go in the gym during the cold, unridable winter and do some horrid step treadmill and lift weights. Oh right, that was called youth and an over abundance of hormones. Now, that is just not going to happen. Shouldn’t living in Hawaii mean you never have to enter a gym again? Yes it does. I like to think my ineptitude in water-sports and the resultant near-drownings should provide some cross-training: elevated heart rate, thrashing of arms, seeing the all-embracing light at the end of the tunnel.
I could actually join CrossFit™. No, that would be unwise. Running seems to be an integral part of the regime, tattoos might be required and all that tractor tire wrestling would either ruin my back or bulk me up.
Aren’t we slighty proud of our chicken-chested scrawny upper bodies? Too much CrossFit could ruin a lifetime of chicken-chest development. And if we get good at running and swimming we might get crazy ideas.
Obviously, these are the complaints of a lazy cyclist who likes to ride his bike, end of discussion. There are no Rules to be quoted for off season cross-training except Rule #5. It is a universal Rule. There is no off season for Rule #5, but now it’s March, Milano-Sanremo looms. The off-season is off. I can safely put away my Tommy D book for another year.
I did do 30 push-ups last Thursday.
Nice one, Gianni! Looks like our pal is digging in the precursor to the modern-day cycling base layer. I bet he didn’t pay $65 USD for his mesh top like us dummies.
I too pretend I’m going to start jogging or stretching religiously. I can’t do it. I play soccer twice a week, I’m on a bike seven days a week, I work in the yard and split wood a few days a month. I’ll call it quits at that.
My off season cross training was largely based around the right handed 16 ounce arm curl.
I recently returned to weight lifting to strengthen mostly my back and core to prevent injury from all of the Anti-V activites required of me (yardwork, sitting at a desk etc). I have yet to put on excessive (if any) amount of weight and interestingly I think that even if I wanted to I don’t see me being able to put on 5+lbs of muscle even if I really tried….. I have started working out even a bit harder and still no significant weight gain even with most of the key exercises going up 30% in weight resitance….
This:
“Zumba, line-dancing, tai-chi…shoot me in the face, I’d rather develop a proper drug habit.”
Brilliant.
Oh yeah, and today’s cyclocommute was all about cross-training. Around 3″ of snow and ice on the bike trail, including around 15 downed trees that I have to climb over, under and around. I also had to run some sections.
The city has told me the bike trail is very low on the priorities list, which is always nice.
@Ron
Bang on @Ron. The Rapha mesh base layer, tested in the toughest conditions £50 or “the wife beater” string vest, 3 for a tenner, no discernable difference
@GogglesPizano
I hurt my back pretty badly a few years back. The “chop” exercise put it all back in order. PT was taking too long and going to slowly. I just tried it and it worked wonders. As I save my money for Bike Budgetatus, I didn’t want to invest in a proper Kettel Ball. I bought a bowling ball at the Salvation Army, drilled some holes, put in some eyelet bolts, a piece of chain and some rubber hosing from the hardware store, there ya go!
I just hold it in my hands for the Chop, essentially a move like you’re chopping wood, swing the ball or any weight from behind your head, then down through your legs, keeping your back flat. If you are inexperienced at Olympic-style lifts, work on form with just a tennis ball.
Anyway, I do a few sets of 12 every few days, keeps my back feeling great. Then again, mine was low back injury/pain, yours might be higher up. Just an idea.
Ahhh . . the benefits of living in a ride-all-year-round climate. Not here in frigging WI. I join the Y from the hour going back to the hour going forward. We’ve just had the 6th coldest Feb on record. I rode on Sunday – I think the wind chill temp was 14 degrees. Damn it was cold, but I was outside. Supposed to be 38 this Sunday! I mean, that’s almost 40 frigging degrees! Damn, that’s warm and it means the season has officially started for me..
My gym routine, inspired by Tom Danielson’s book on the core, has been an invaluable motivator this winter. I’m lucky, I pass two YMCA’s on my way home so I have no excuses and my trainer is in the garage.40 minutes of core and balance work, together with 20 to 25 mins on the cross trainer, is my usual 2-3 times a week inside effort. I also got some of those slidey plate things for doing core work. They’re great.
Has it been worth it as we approach the hour going forward and after-work rides become possible? Yes, I’m feeling much more solid in the core and pelvic area. Roll on the 2015 season!
V minute plank, that is all.
I cross train when the grade gets too steep :-(
Using my well developed powers of self excusing, I consider these incidents as proof that I am riding properly hard gearsets and/or properly hard hills. Thus, I say, I am a properly hard man, in my imagination if not in my legs.
Since the 1st of January I do a 2 minutes plank on my elbows, that’s my best cross training ever…
Isn’t this cross training?
@GogglesPizano
5 lbs of muscle… be careful what you wish for. During the winter I cross train two to three days per week and ride at least 5 days. My week looks like this: Mon. off the bike core and full body weight training circuit. Tues. ride. Wed. 30 min core in the late morning followed by a afternoon ride. Thurs. ride. Fri. 45 min. run then core and full body weight training. Sat and Sun ride. I schedule a run during the week for the weight bearing benefits (bone density). During the competitive season my weight is 64Kg (141-142lbs). Cross training has pushed me up to 67Kg or 149lbs. That extra weight does include a little fat, but I build upper body mass very easily. Too easily actually. If I don’t keep my reps high while lifting, I put on too much upper body muscle. It will come off slowly as the longer spring rides enter the picture, but my forte (climbing) will suffer for at least two weeks. This is me at 67Kg. My power on the bike has increased, but that extra muscle does suck up a lot of oxygen and I can feel it during harder efforts. Too heavy for the KOM title? My coach says I’ll be fine once my Spring training begins in two weeks.
Abs selfie
” And if we get good at running and swimming we might get crazy ideas ”
Yep, local tri down here this weekend, may have to slip down and watch those silly people park perfectly good bikes on steel racks and run away from them only to do a big loop and come back to where the bike was left. Makes no sense to me.
I try to get a core/plank routine going. It never seems to stick, despite the obvious benefits of it.
Last week my 7 year old skied me into the ground on the slopes. Little nipper is unstoppable until the lifts stop. I have now met the man with the hammer on account of descending.
@brett
This is all classic. I love it. Cheers Gianni. >>> I’ve got yer feckin’ cross training…<<< Classic. Thank goodness the clocks are changing and there’s daylight in the evenings soon. Yep, put the books away.
@Ron @gilly… the wife beater string vest 3 for a tenner no discernible difference… what a hoot.
@Barracuda… park perfectly good bikes on steel rack and run away from them… another hoot.
@unversio
I did a push-up 30 years ago. Still recovering.
@Tobin
That’s my boy. The Freddy Maertens school of off-season training. I just made that up but since he was big on the champagne during the season I figure he was no monk during the bleak Belgian winter.
Make sure to use the left too, don’t want to get an imbalance in the biceps.
@John Liu
Self excusing is a very important skill to hone in the off season, any season actually. And you better be very good at it to be walking you bike up hills. That is almost as bad as using emoticons here on the site. I’m not sure which is worse.
@Sparty
For fucks sake man, don’t ever post another photo like that. Or I’ll delete it. Put a photo of your bike up here, or your awesome road rash, but not that. That is worse than walking your bike up hills or using emoticons.
@Gianni
And you didn’t even mention the phone with the flip-case. Its a phone, not a book, FFS.
@Tobin
16 oz? Lightweight, you want to start drinking proper man-sized pints, then move on to 1 litre stieners. You’ll never get to optimal winter fitness with little-bittty glasses like that.
Why are you using a picture of my mum to illustrate the article?
@Tobin
Yeah I’ve been doing that too this winter, work and hotels. I want a refund as it does not work. I got absolutely trashed by 2 mates last weekend and normally I can ride away from them on the hills. Just can’t have that, so hotels now have to have a gym.
You are all pathetic, wallowing in your self-deprecating silliness. Why the fuck do you all want to boast about being narrow minded wankers who ride a bike of bludge on the couch ?
I lift, bro, for good reason. Cycling causes osteopososis. Calcium loss through sweating destroys bones, and unless you want to use roids, the only way to repair them is to lift, and lift a bit heavy. Have a look at how bad the effects of the TDF is on bones and you will wonder why the UCI does not mandate the use of anabolics to keep the pros healthy.
Cyclists are also notorious for having weak backs, and doing kettlebell squats is really important to fix that. I’m currently in a build phase with weights, benched about 75kg the other day, squat 80kg, keep my dead-lifts to 100kg though, no need to go crazy there. Not huge numbers, but enough to keep me a bit buff and capable of doing any activity I choose, pretty much. I can knock out a set of 20 push-ups any time without blowing a gasket.
I love to paddle an ocean ski too, great on the really hot days, and awesome upper body work. It’s a beautiful zen thing, and a lot harder than good paddlers make it look. Surfing is nice too, but a lot less zen these days, with crowds being a fact of life. Longboard skating though, is not a crowd issue and really cool fun.
The thing I resent most about middle-age is being invisible to pretty young things. Even if they don’t want me, I want them to see me.
@the Engine
Oh my, you must be my long-lost 1/2 brother!
@Sparty
thanks for the lowdown on your weekly routine but really the selfie is OTT!
I am doing a 30 minute routine from Carmichael’s ‘Time Crunched Cyclist’ book which is good. It’s half core muscle work and half upper/lower body stuff.
Only thing I had to buy was a $12 resistance band. It has defo made a difference. Will keep doing the core exercises in the season.
Accidentally spent this winter playing water polo – good workout but the regular drowning, tooth loss and concussion are downsides.
Rule #9’d the CX bike when I could and raced (or “took part” as the VMH would have it) the CX season here. Surprisingly I wasn’t last – apart from the time my tyre came off.
Wait, there’s an off season for 16 Oz curls? Maybe that’s why I’m perpetually too fat to climb.
Also, don’t be a cross fitter. Because then you’d never be able to shut up about it.
@Ken Ho
How are you doing with the self-awareness, there, Kenny. Lovely how you start off by calling us pathetic (good job catching on to the piss-take) and tie off indicating you are hoping to be noticed by younger women.
You are a fucking creep.
In the immortal words of @G’rilla:
I don’t cross train. I train for ‘cross.
@Ken Ho
The email below from Bella was in my V-InBox this morning.
If you’re feeling lonely and un-noticed I could send you her gmail address.
@markb
I prefer lighter weight for more reps…
@Chris
But, but, but…I thought me and Bella had something special going on! She’s been two timing me with Chris!
@Gianni my apologies in advance. No road rash but I think there may be a pic of a bike on the wall next to the Hatebreed poster? Thanks for the inspiration @Ken Ho.
@Sparty
Nice, I tend to be closer to Tommeke, Spartacus in stature so a couple of kgs either way isnt going to change my world. I do know that when I set my PR on one of the bigger climbs round here it was early in a season after a fair bit of strength training with a couple pounds extra, when I put in a big dig late in the climb the extra power was noticeable and made a difference. I also play ice hockey 1-2 times a week year round so that is a good core workout, when the snow is good (which it is not this year) I also get out for a fair bit of XC skiing (skate and classic). I was still able to drag my sorry ass up Haleakala last year in a respectable time and did not see a single butterfly pass through my spokes on the way… I definitely keep the workouts fairly dynamic with some box jumps plyo type exercises
@Barracuda
Any of those silly ideas will soon pass after spending a few minutes with some triathletes
@frank
To compound his douchbaggedness, @Ken Ho is wrong on the science. Yes cycling lowers bone density, but weight lifters do not have increased bone density when compared to sedentary people. Unless of course they life really heavy weights or perform some sort of jumping in their weight lifting routine. It is the abrupt bowing of bones (through jumping, running, etc) that stimulates osteoblast activity and thus bone growth. This evidently does not happen through routine weight lifting.
That said cyclists, despite our penchant to demineralize ourselves (as endurance athletes), live longer than everyone else. In order of survival it goes: endurance athletes > “mixed” sports athletes (soccer, basketball) > weight lifters > sedentary people > body builders > American Football players.
So just jump around (those so called plyometrics) after your ride and all’s good. (Don’t know the “dose” yet, but nothing happens bone density-wise after 100 times).
So to recap: Douchebag, jump a bit, keep riding, live longer.
@RobSandy
Wait… you guys got that email too?
*sigh*… I thought I’d finally been noticed by a younger woman…
@Ccos
How high?
(Someone had to ask…)
You could try rowing. It’s hard, it looks good if you’re good at it, it hurts and you need to put in the grind to get something out of it. Also, rowers appreciate history.
Needless to say, this has lead to a lot off cross pollination http://cyclingtips.com.au/2011/11/why-rowers-are-exceptional-cyclists/
Also, rowers regard paddling the same way cyclists regard running. With utter disdain and thinly veiled contempt.
@Ccos
This is classic – compared to what? Bad science is full of such statements that are not connected to a control population. Compared to astronauts cycling wins, compared to sitting in an armchair cycling wins. I’d have thought strenuous cycling would put some skeletal strain that would be at least good as walking (I’d actually hedge on betting better). However any picture should not be limited to such a sweeping single statement. For instance you have the impact wear and tear of say running on the joints that you don’t have in cycling and as for the effect of heavy weights on joints and cartilage.
@Teocalli
Cyclists have lower bone density than sedentary people. It’s well established and the only mark against our beloved sport. The order of bone density goes: jumping sports (running, etc) > weight lifters sedentary >= sedentary people > master level cyclists. So no, sitting in a chair is better than cycling in reference to bone density.
@RVester
Well a representative sample of 1 – Rebecca Romero made a pretty good transition.
Hey @frank
Just for your info, all the comments directed at @Ken Ho have all come to me (@ken with no connection to @Ken Ho) as notifications in my email inbox. A little disconcerting to pick up emails notifying me of being mentioned in unfavourable terms on your fine site …. until I realised it was someone else you were referring to, so “no wukkas” of course.
But, I thought I’d let you know (in case it can be fixed) that the software that sends the email notification is being confused by the space between Ken and Ho and just sending it to ken. Because, if you are going to call someone a “fucking creep” I’d rather it was him rather than me ;-)
@Ccos
Well in light of recent events I did have cause to question my bone density, given that hip fractures generally only happen to elderly people with osteoporosis.
Secretly I was hoping my orthopaedic consultant might agree it was in my long term interests to promote more bone density and the internet had told me that testosterone was a good way to do that. So win-win as far as I was concerned – legal doping and less chance of fucking up my hip in future.
Sadly he dismissed it out of hand and said, I quote, that I had “lovely bones”. I guess he sees quite a few in various states so he’s probably a decent judge.
So if an orthopaedic consultant isn’t the slightest bit concerned about the bone density of a 48 year old cyclist who’s just fractured his hip and fully intends to carry on cycling, I really don’t think there is a lot for any of us to worry about.
@Ccos
Well put it that way I would still say that “master level cyclists” is a far leap to saying cycling is bad for your bone density. There are lies, damn lies and statistics. So lets offset slightly lowered bone density (assuming we are anywhere near a master level cyclist – which I am certainly not) vs all the other health benefits of cycling. It’s almost like saying that eating causes obesity so eating is bad for you so you should stop or more people die in bed than anywhere else so beds are dangerous.