Multiple (potentially conflicting) fitness goals

Almost all training is good training as long as you don’t overdo it.

In terms of general fitness, a mixture of activity is best.

In terms of a single goal, a targeted program towards that goal is more likely to give better progress, but paradoxically this may not lead to as good an improvement in overall fitness.

I believe that strength that is one of the best indicators of morbidity (ill health) and mortality (death) as we age.

Lots of your goals are mutually beneficial, apart from perhaps climbing speed on the bike?

PS you can’t lose fat in one place, it’s overall loss. However as we tend to gain it most around the middle (men) or bottom (women) that also tends to be the place we lose it most from.

Lift, ride, win - sounds very doable. Your goals are reinforcing, convergent.

How doable just depends on where you are right now. Do you ride regularly and are looking to sharpen things up, or are we talking about rising from years on the couch? Something like the Alp in an hour is very achievable for anyone used to sustained effort on the bike, but it would be a more distant goal if you're starting from nothing.

I think resistance training is basically mandatory for anyone who cares about fitness into and past middle age, so I wouldn't frame that as a goal as such (personally I have also found this to be massive for back health). Performance can wax and wane but basic lifting should be part of your life.

1.Lose some fat around my middle

2.Strengthen my core to help with lower back pain

3.Increase muscle density and bone density to help prevent issues as I get older

4a.Train for some sort of ride next year (eg L’Etape du Tour or Chase the Sun or something) and also..
4b.beat 60′ up Alpe du Zwift along the way.

I reckon 1,2,3 all go hand in hand.
Also 1,2,4a,4b also go hand in hand.

However, muscle targets 2&3 and bicycle targets 4a&b might be counterproductive as you probably don't want to carry extra (manly muscle) weight up a hill.

In my experience you can get a good gym workout in less than an hour, but a good bike workout, for your specific aims will be more time hungry.

If you do 4a&b without 2 you will pay the price in aches and pains.

I don't often irritate myself but my decision to use numbers in this reply is making it happen. I was going to go the gym this afternoon but now I'm thinking it might be a pub day.

Hope that helps. ?

Cycling is particularly beneficial for health as it combines cardio and resistance training.

Funnily enough, i have similar goals.

Having a session with a PT at the gym on Thursday to try and get some structure to the training.

You can get loads strong in the gym without putting on much extra weight, so don't worry about carrying more muscle up hills cycling. You have to make a real conscious effort to bulk up (that doesn't mean you need to stay off the weights and do body weight stuff either, you genuinely won't put on much extra weight unless you stuff loads of food into you).
General lifting will help with your core strength but there is loads of good core specific things you can do with kettlebells.
Kettlebell plank row is an awesome exercise
Kettlebell suitcase carry
Kettlebell single leg deadlift
This article has some of them
Doing other exercises one-sided also helps work your core too (although it makes things take longer), stuff like bicep curls, lateral raises and tricep pushdowns really activate your core if you do them on one side, and make sure to stabilise your core.

The gym and specifically getting a strong core has helped hugely with reducing my lower back pain to zero, and having a strong core really helps with that feeling when you get tired on a bike and your body goes a bit wet noodly and it feels like you can really wrench your back trying to do stuff.

Run.
Much more time efficient than cycling, impact will help with bone and muscle density and the weight will drop off if you do enough of it. Plus, running fitness transfers really well to cycling, the opposite is not true.
Throw in some core specific home workouts and you’re sorted.

Thanks all.

I'm keen to strengthen through lifting rather than adding bulk so it's good to hear that I can do that.

Thanks for the explanation with numbers James - sorry if I've forced you to spend the day in the pub!

I'm doing some bodyweight stuff in the gym so I'll carry on with that as it seems to help all goals.

I have been cycling for years but not done much for the past year due to studying. I've done the Alpe twice - 70 minutes about 18 months ago and 80 minutes last week so clearly fitness has gone down.

I really hate running so that's awful news that it might help with all my goals! I may try everything else first.

Yeah. If you want to lose weight, run don't ride. I'm not convinced all running fitness transfers back to cycling but man you're faster up those hills once you've shed a few kilos!

I’m keen to strengthen through lifting rather than adding bulk so it’s good to hear that I can do that.

Yep,unless you ‘accidentally’ find yourself self administering the current injectable of the month and eating x,000 calories it’s an unlikely out come 🙂

Don’t forget the golden rule that you can’t outtrain a bad diet so look at what and how much is going in your gob.

Also make sure you enjoy it and don’t forget to ride your bike in the real world 🙂

Sounds like my goals over the last few years.
A typical week for me currently is:

• Monday - 60 minutes gym (whilst my 10 year old is at football training)
• Tuesday - 90 minute local mtb ride (whilst my 10 year old is at cycle training)
• Wednesday - 60 minutes gym (whilst my 10 year old is at football training)
• Thursday - 40 minutes indoor sweetspot cycle training
• Friday - 60 minutes gym
• Saturday - 2 hour + cycle ride
• Sunday - family time but might also fit in another cycle.

I have to fit my training around work, my wife's gym classes, my son's football and cycle training as well as his matches and races, not to mention all the other crap we have to do. I also try to have a walk at lunchtime most days as well as a family walk at the weekend.
As for the gym, I put a basic schedule together from what I found online, it's based around a 10 day period with sessions alternating between two different sessions ('A' & 'B') with different exercises in each. So you end doing 2 'A' and 2 'B' sessions every ten days. Seems to be working for me.
'A' schedule of exercises are:

• Squats. 3 sets of 8-10 reps. 2 minutes rest between sets.
• Bench Press. 3 sets of 8-10 reps. 2 minutes rest between sets.
• Rows. 3 sets of 8-10 reps. 2 minutes rest between sets.
• Triceps Press Downs. 1 set of 10-12 reps. 2 minutes rest between sets.
• Calf Raises. 2 sets of 10-12 reps, 1 minute rest between sets.

'B' schedule of exercises are:

• Deadlifts. 3 sets of 6-8 reps, 2 minutes rest between sets.
• Pull-Ups. (or Lat Pull-Downs) 3 sets of 8-10 reps, 2 minutes rest between sets.
• Overhead Shoulder Press. 3 sets of 8-10 reps, 2 minutes rest between sets.
• Biceps Curls. 1 set of 10-12 reps.
• Abs. 3 sets of 10-12 reps, 1 minute rest between sets.

Edit: I also do a 2km run as a warm up in the gym, I hate running but hope that eventually I'll come to at least hate it a bit less. Currently do it in just over 9 minutes, which I'm quite happy with.

A 2km indoor row is always a good one for a gym warmup.

Thanks @didnthurt.

I'm doing some of those but some are new to me so I'll take a look. Using the "wasted" time when you're waiting for your kids to do stuff is just what I was discussing with my wife today.

Just to add mt 2p:

I've done a few seasons of concerted strength training alongside riding and I'm not sure it adds much more value than a bit of bodyweight stuff at home. Personally, I've found the benefits of 15mins of yoga a day more profound than any gym stuff with the added bonus that it's MUCH easier for me to fit into my life.

I'm definitely not saying lifting isn't something you should do (I really enjoy it but it's logistically difficult for me), just that you can find similar benefits elsewhere if you struggle to fit it in.

Yeah. If you want to lose weight, run don’t ride.

I've lost plenty through diet, gym, cycling (mostly ebike), zero running.

If I go through a sedentary period and eat Greggs (quite often winter), I can get up to 15st and generally decide it's time to sort myself out. Currently sat at 12.5st with a little bit of belly fat still to shed - achieved whilst still drinking.

About to go dry till Christmas, so that will help massively. Although I do tend to eat more when I'm not drinking. Also about to knock the cancer sticks on the head (again) 😬

Yeah. If you want to lose weight, run don’t ride.

I would suggest if losing weight is the goal, then eating less* (especially alcohol) is the answer to that. If you can run, it's all good for overall fitness, but at @scotroutes suggests it doesn't always translate into bike fitness, and is an easy way to injure yourself if you do too much too soon. 

*It doesn't matter how you diet; less sugar, no carbs, keto. Whatever works for you that you can stick to is the best diet. 

I would have a look into Hybrid Training:

Alex Viada is a good place to start.  See also Fergus Crawley.

Personally I do most of my training as soon as I wake up, either in the gym or in my basement.  Strength training is based around Deadlift, Clean and Overhead Press/Jerk, Squat, Pendlay Row, and Farmer's Carry/Suitcase Carry.  I train between 45-60 minutes per day Monday to Friday but if I'm pressed for time I can train in 20-30 minutes.

In addition, I do three 70 minute zone 2 sessions on the rollers a week, normally after I bring the kids back from school and they are watching TV.

That's for three weeks out of every four. On the fourth week I have a deload from strength training so I only do two 60 minute sessions.  Instead of the strength sessions I do additional zone 2 sessions.  So the deload week it works out to two strength sessions and six zone 2 sessions.

This is what I do over the winter.  During the summer I do a lot less structured training and spend more time just getting out on the mountain bike. 

None of those goals are conflicting

You could split your time between CVS work on your watt bike at home and go to the gym for trunk related stuff, everybody loves the machines but I've always found free weights are better for trunk work.

Positives I've found from weight training:

Less bike related cycling related injuries, I don't seem to have as many aches and pains after rides. This was even more evident after my Badger Divide ride this year, I suffered no issues after which wasn't the case when riding similar rides over previous years.

Better posture. I suffered a touch of 'pelvic tilt' which seems to be away. 

Bettter general functional strength. 

Clothes fit better.

Better - measurable - cycling performance.

As for using machines, there are two distinct machine types:

- Fixed type

- Cable type

The fixed type is as per the name, the motion/action is fixed so is better at targeting set muscles but less good for allowing for your core/stability muscles to be used. Another benefit of the fixed type is safety, you can't really drop a set of weights on yourself like you can when using free weights.

Cable type does allow for more free movement compared to the fixed type but still has the safety factor. I prefer this type.

I've always found that old school military style PT sessions is the best way to get a good all round fitness condtioning.

Look for something like BMF  (British Military Fitness) or Bootcamp UK training.

@keva I'm going to a weekly strength and conditioning class which is doing something similar.

I am wary of using the machines as they are designed to focus on just one group of muscles at a time so if I go to the gym I tend to use free weights which are also used in the strength and conditioning class.

Great post @didnthurt!

I've been trying to figure out a routine I can do twice a week en route home from Edinburgh, those routines both look good (might substitute hip thrusts for squats though, squats seem to high risk for my back!).

@13thfloormonk
Routine borrowed from here....
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-beginner-weight-training-workout-routine/

@eckinspain

If you're doing a weekend zone 2 ride, I'd recommend doing it early and fasted. Definitely worked for me. Not a new idea (old roadies have been doing for years apparently) but was new to me last year. I'm not even all that hungry when I get home. 

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/nutrition/article/izn20150818-All-Cycling-Fasted-Morning-Rides-0

Another great way to lose weight is to do a 20-30 minute interval session in the morning before breakfast. You can even add another training session in the evening if you fancy, ideally something less taxing on the legs and cardiovascular system, something like a gym session or zone 2 ride.

When doing both cycling and strength training on the same day, it’s nearly impossible for one not to affect the other. The stress and fatigue incurred in the first workout will reduce the quality of the second one. One solution is to prioritize one or the other. Additionally, you can pair your strength training days with easy to moderate difficulty rides.

Taken from.... https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/strength-training-and-cycling-how-to-time-your-workouts/
GCN have some good short interval ones......

Thanks. I did wonder about the possibility of doing more than one session a day. I managed a 60-minute z2 session this morning (while reading emails, honest) and am now bored this evening. I don't want to overdo it so may just do stretches or try one of the gym's online yoga classes.