From Aaron re the Deadlift - The deadlift was not in my top three because the quad activity is too low due to the high forward trunk lean (Ohkoshi et al., 1991), with the trunk lean required being more moderate in the squat and lunge (allowing for more quad activity). Also, the research from Ronnestad only supported the leg press and squat (admittedly, they didn't investigate the deadlift). Lastly, cyclists in general favour early posterior tilt of the pelvis ("butt tuck" or "butt wink") during the eccentric phase of hinge patterns due to the cycling position encouraging this pattern. So, the bottom position of their deadlift (I.e. start of the movement) usually looks incorrect and takes time to fix to ensure the lift is safe. Hence why I don't see the deadlift used in cycling research very often. If I had a top four, the deadlift would be in it, but definitely not the top three.
Trap bar deadlift lets you use use your legs more as you haven't got to worry about the knees getting in the way of the bar - has quickly become my favourite strength exercise.
I put out 1000 watts avg over 30 seconds Most of my gym work was box squats , leg press , and lunges with additional core work. It really Doesn’t matter specifically because you need to convert this back to power on the road , And that means training specific intervals on the road. But in general this works.
The literature on heavy programmed squatting for cyclists is pretty nice. Increasing motor unit recruitment is like a cheat code, as well as eventually building simply new mitochondria.
@RealSweetKid not so sure about that. l think there may be some reasons for halfsquats (like basketball) or if you have badly impinged hips or lack mobility. if you are very mobile you can squat too deep as well ...
as a self proclaimed professional, I can for sure tell you why SINGLE LEG is better. one word... stabilization work. multidirectional support muscle loading vs dual leg eliminates all this.
1:10 i went from a 1200/1300W peak power to 1500/1650W peak power on my sprints by doing this type of exercices (one time a week on quads, hamstrings and calfs).
That’s great! And inspiring for my situation given my peak is around 1300-1400. What else did you do? And how long did you keep that new peak power after you stopped lifting?
Have you read or are you aware of any research for what's good for hypermobile cyclists? I do basically similar exercises in gym although my leg press is double legged
A hard sprint without clipons ( MTB or BMX ) need exactly the same muscles as a deadlift or onelegged deadlift.. Also usually people can get a tiny bit more weight on deadlifts than squats which forces stronger hips... But adds unnecessary back muscles and weight. Strong deadlifts bends bicycle frames though and snaps gears when the chain isn't completely straight..
Did he say half squats? It wasn't clear to me if he said they are better. I'd need to see the theory and evidence behind this. Half squats are more dangerous when heavy (because you can go much heavier much more quickly) and don't replicate the range of motion. Exercises that include the core (like barbell squat and deadlift) will, to my mind, make a big difference for being able to hold aero positions, which will likely do as much for your average speed.
Single leg press is great for glutes. Put your other leg across your knee to get a deep stretch too. *This is for the upright seated leg press machine. Don't try this on those traditional leg press machines unless you want to blow out your knee.
Thanks for the video, strength training for cycling is something I am pretty interested in (also because of my background in olympic weightlifting)! One question to the top three: -> Why using only half rep squats? I would guess full range of motion is always preferable. Additional question out of top three: -> Would it make sense to add explosive excercises such as cleans or jumping squats? Thanks for you content, I am learning a lot of you guys!
I used to be a track sprinter and I had Squats combined with bulgarian split squats and boxjumps. All focussing on explosiveness and speed. For overloading I did box squats, I never did half squats or smith machine. I also incorporated 1 deadlift day a week, 2*week when in build also focussing on speed and explosiveness. Deadlifts are excellent for starting power.
I think the rationale for half squat is specificity. You get good at what you train and the half squat is more specific to the power phase of the pedal stroke.
I'll see if I can get Aaron onto this. I do know that he incorporates all those exercises you mention with his athletes, but these were the top three for speed.
So I think the point with all these suggestions is, you can't really start recommending ass to the grass squats and cleans etc for a couple of reasons. A large chunk of people watching this video may never have set foot in a gym before, so they are nowhere near being able to do exercises like these. Aaron is talking about 3 exercises here, plyometrics etc are never really going to be in scope with this kind of volume. It just wouldn't be safe for the vast majority of people. Same with half depth squats, if you can get 95% of the benefit for only 30% of the risk, you're going to be onto a winner for most people.
@@KristopherSherrin I presume half squats are better for explosive power though. It's always interesting to me there don't seem to be many studies in regards to this in relation to cycling. As a sport we seem to be behind in this area. I know that in athletics apparently half squats are prescribed to sprinters in the weights rooms plus I know pro-basketball players are also presicribed half-squats as apparently they're better at improving your verticle leap (which of course is a great indicator of explosive power across various sports), so it would make sense there's some logic that transfers over. I guess in recent years the internet's become a little obsessed with ass to grass despite not really be aware of it's validity in certain fields outside of the general TH-cam 'bro science'.
S&C isn't my area of expertise but I assume he left the deadlift out because while it's a good movement for developing strength (maximal force production) it's not that good a movement for developing speed ( the ability to produce force rapidly.) You can think of it like this, with speed the objective is to move the weights as quickly as possible to reach your maximal velocity. With a deadlift you actually have to slow the bar down as you reach the top of the movement or you would fall backwards. With a squat or a lunge you could actually get so much velocity that you jump off the ground (advanced progression) I imagine they have to be really careful giving S&C advice over the internet to complete beginners. The risk of injury has to be really high. This seems to be a video directed at beginners with good advice that aims to keep them safe.
Talking only about speed I would also not see deadlifts in there. But for general strength and health I would say it is an absolute must. Lower back, leg strength and core make profits out of it.
What's a good work to be working up to as a % of BW? I know this probably varies by riding style but I'm currently at 150% of BW for 8 reps (4 sets) and fear I may have gone too heavy!
From Aaron re the Deadlift - The deadlift was not in my top three because the quad activity is too low due to the high forward trunk lean (Ohkoshi et al., 1991), with the trunk lean required being more moderate in the squat and lunge (allowing for more quad activity). Also, the research from Ronnestad only supported the leg press and squat (admittedly, they didn't investigate the deadlift). Lastly, cyclists in general favour early posterior tilt of the pelvis ("butt tuck" or "butt wink") during the eccentric phase of hinge patterns due to the cycling position encouraging this pattern. So, the bottom position of their deadlift (I.e. start of the movement) usually looks incorrect and takes time to fix to ensure the lift is safe. Hence why I don't see the deadlift used in cycling research very often. If I had a top four, the deadlift would be in it, but definitely not the top three.
Sumo deadlift -- less trunk lean?
Trap bar deadlift lets you use use your legs more as you haven't got to worry about the knees getting in the way of the bar - has quickly become my favourite strength exercise.
@@samuelandrew4500 Depending on how you preform it, the trap bar deadlift could be more of a squat than a deadlift.
How can you get one of the pads that was used for the lunge? I have a habit of hitting my knee on the floor or not going deep enough.
I put out 1000 watts avg over 30 seconds
Most of my gym work was box squats , leg press , and lunges with additional core work.
It really
Doesn’t matter specifically because you need to convert this back to power on the road ,
And that means training specific intervals on the road. But in general this works.
@JohnBrowning
Can I switch my squad into the leg press? Will I still gets the benefits?
The literature on heavy programmed squatting for cyclists is pretty nice. Increasing motor unit recruitment is like a cheat code, as well as eventually building simply new mitochondria.
Aaron, I only have access to dumbbells at home along with a TRX strap system. Can I get the workouts I need with this equipment?
Thanks for this. How many times per week, squat and leg press on same day?
l do squats to full depth since l have a sprinting style like caleb ewan and l feel like, why not get the extra rom in there ....
Interesting to hear. Thanks for sharing Leon
@RealSweetKid not so sure about that. l think there may be some reasons for halfsquats (like basketball) or if you have badly impinged hips or lack mobility. if you are very mobile you can squat too deep as well ...
as a self proclaimed professional, I can for sure tell you why SINGLE LEG is better. one word... stabilization work. multidirectional support muscle loading vs dual leg eliminates all this.
1:10 i went from a 1200/1300W peak power to 1500/1650W peak power on my sprints by doing this type of exercices (one time a week on quads, hamstrings and calfs).
That’s great! And inspiring for my situation given my peak is around 1300-1400. What else did you do? And how long did you keep that new peak power after you stopped lifting?
@@jeffp1377 I do this ones a week and all year long mate !
I also like to finish most of my rides with a big all out sprint.
@@habana6595 👍👍 I’ll see if I can replicate your success
I'm surprised front squats are not in the list given how much they tax the quads. Also for squats is the recommendation for high bar or low bar?
Squat and leg press are duplicative. I’d substitute deadlifts for leg press.
Have you read or are you aware of any research for what's good for hypermobile cyclists?
I do basically similar exercises in gym although my leg press is double legged
A hard sprint without clipons ( MTB or BMX ) need exactly the same muscles as a deadlift or onelegged deadlift..
Also usually people can get a tiny bit more weight on deadlifts than squats which forces stronger hips... But adds unnecessary back muscles and weight.
Strong deadlifts bends bicycle frames though and snaps gears when the chain isn't completely straight..
Did he say half squats? It wasn't clear to me if he said they are better. I'd need to see the theory and evidence behind this. Half squats are more dangerous when heavy (because you can go much heavier much more quickly) and don't replicate the range of motion.
Exercises that include the core (like barbell squat and deadlift) will, to my mind, make a big difference for being able to hold aero positions, which will likely do as much for your average speed.
How is there no Deadlift mentioned?
Single leg press is great for glutes. Put your other leg across your knee to get a deep stretch too.
*This is for the upright seated leg press machine. Don't try this on those traditional leg press machines unless you want to blow out your knee.
Thanks for the video, strength training for cycling is something I am pretty interested in (also because of my background in olympic weightlifting)!
One question to the top three:
-> Why using only half rep squats? I would guess full range of motion is always preferable.
Additional question out of top three:
-> Would it make sense to add explosive excercises such as cleans or jumping squats?
Thanks for you content, I am learning a lot of you guys!
I used to be a track sprinter and I had Squats combined with bulgarian split squats and boxjumps. All focussing on explosiveness and speed. For overloading I did box squats, I never did half squats or smith machine. I also incorporated 1 deadlift day a week, 2*week when in build also focussing on speed and explosiveness. Deadlifts are excellent for starting power.
I think the rationale for half squat is specificity. You get good at what you train and the half squat is more specific to the power phase of the pedal stroke.
I'll see if I can get Aaron onto this. I do know that he incorporates all those exercises you mention with his athletes, but these were the top three for speed.
So I think the point with all these suggestions is, you can't really start recommending ass to the grass squats and cleans etc for a couple of reasons. A large chunk of people watching this video may never have set foot in a gym before, so they are nowhere near being able to do exercises like these. Aaron is talking about 3 exercises here, plyometrics etc are never really going to be in scope with this kind of volume. It just wouldn't be safe for the vast majority of people. Same with half depth squats, if you can get 95% of the benefit for only 30% of the risk, you're going to be onto a winner for most people.
@@KristopherSherrin I presume half squats are better for explosive power though. It's always interesting to me there don't seem to be many studies in regards to this in relation to cycling. As a sport we seem to be behind in this area.
I know that in athletics apparently half squats are prescribed to sprinters in the weights rooms plus I know pro-basketball players are also presicribed half-squats as apparently they're better at improving your verticle leap (which of course is a great indicator of explosive power across various sports), so it would make sense there's some logic that transfers over.
I guess in recent years the internet's become a little obsessed with ass to grass despite not really be aware of it's validity in certain fields outside of the general TH-cam 'bro science'.
so bulgarian split squat is the harder (advanced) version of lunges?
Correct, according to Aaron's sentiment here. Cam
No deadlifts?
Not in the top three for speed. We have one coming for hill climbing. I am pretty sure it makes the list for that. Cam
S&C isn't my area of expertise but I assume he left the deadlift out because while it's a good movement for developing strength (maximal force production) it's not that good a movement for developing speed ( the ability to produce force rapidly.)
You can think of it like this, with speed the objective is to move the weights as quickly as possible to reach your maximal velocity. With a deadlift you actually have to slow the bar down as you reach the top of the movement or you would fall backwards.
With a squat or a lunge you could actually get so much velocity that you jump off the ground (advanced progression)
I imagine they have to be really careful giving S&C advice over the internet to complete beginners. The risk of injury has to be really high.
This seems to be a video directed at beginners with good advice that aims to keep them safe.
Talking only about speed I would also not see deadlifts in there. But for general strength and health I would say it is an absolute must. Lower back, leg strength and core make profits out of it.
What's a good work to be working up to as a % of BW? I know this probably varies by riding style but I'm currently at 150% of BW for 8 reps (4 sets) and fear I may have gone too heavy!
Bonzer !!!
Do these exercises help improve the back side of your legs ??
Cycling speed is about aero
🔥🙏
Dudes feet are massive
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