In reference to a bicyclist who seemed to be saying that riding was similar to squats since they both made your legs hurt:
Yes they both hurt, but so do burning your hand and burying your bulldog. The differences are actually quite significant.
The trouble with cyclists is that their training establishment keeps reinforcing the silly bullshit that all recreational athletes want to believe: at some point, all serious athletes go outside their sport-specific work to improve, and recreational athletes just want to play their sport and wear the clothes.
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I added O-lifts, squats and deadlifts to my training in September 2008. I have made considerable progress with those lifts since then, and it has made me a faster cyclist than I was at this same time last season, or at any time in the past for that matter. Being stronger and faster than ever before is nice at age 44.
ReplyDeleteOne of the silver medalist cyclists in Beijing worked up to being able to squat 100 kg/220 lbs. for 10 reps during the off-season prior to the Olympics. The goal this winter was to get up to 10 reps at 120 kg/265 lbs. She is kicking ass this season as well, so it seems to be working for her.