Alternate Dimensions

The light’s going early now. By the time most of us are off work, the roads are cold, wet, and dark, and the trainer is starting to look like home. This is the time of year I nudge every athlete toward the gym.

Most riders hear “strength training” and think watts. Squat more, push harder, go faster. That can happen; the research on cyclists who lift heavy is encouraging. But if watts were the whole story, I wouldn’t push it this hard.

Cycling is a one-dimensional sport for the body. An hour at 90 rpm is about 5,400 pedal strokes, each one the same arc, in the same plane, from the same seated position. We get very good at one movement and slowly forget the rest.

The gym gives some of that back:

Movement patterns. Most strength programs are built on seven foundational patterns: squat, hip hinge, upper-body push, upper-body pull, rotational stability, loaded carry, and gait. The bike only brushes against a couple of them. Practicing all seven, well and under load, keeps the rest of your body from forgetting how to move.

Body awareness. You learn what a stable hip or a neutral spine actually feels like, so you notice when it’s missing at hour three.

Durability. Muscle, tendon, and connective tissue that can handle more than one repetitive motion. One large review found strength training cut sports injuries to less than a third, and nearly halved overuse injuries.

Two short sessions a week is plenty. Move well, lift with intent, and leave before you’re wrecked.

The bike asks your body for one thing, five thousand times an hour. The gym asks for a few different ones.

See you next week,

Steve