WHICH PREPARATION TO PREFER WHEN NOT ON THE BIKE?

Cycling lovers ask themselves: Which preparation helps most? But above all … the weights are good for the cyclist?

During the transition periods and especially at the beginning of the preparation season the cyclist is dedicated to alternative activities, and this happens for both the professional and the amateur. They works to solve any problems highlighted during the previous season and above all to reinforce all the muscles not involved directly in pedaling.

Depending on the time available we will devote ourselves to 2 workouts a week in the gym, 1-2 weekly workouts on the bike trainer and 2 bike rides in the weekend. As for the pure roadsters in this period it is advisable to make exits both with cyclocross bikes and MTB to improve the driving technique, to change the athletic gesture and above all to work on balance, not only in the gym.

As for the management of gym work we will perform exercises aimed at strengthening the core, the arms and extending them, especially to improve muscle elasticity. In addition to the muscles not directly involved in pedaling we will work on the legs with free-body exercises combined with the TRX (training system that uses gravity and body weight to perform hundreds of exercises) and the wobble boards (it is a tool that helps to educate or re-educate the mechanical receptors of the foot) that will allow us to carry out exercises without overload.

If we work with TRX we can strengthen the body with free-bodexercises, taking care of the movement and making the “core” act in a targeted way. As far as balance is concerned, an assessment of our starting level is usually carried out and a progressive work program is created. For example you will start with simple exercises on beam balance, then you will go to the wobble boards and as a last step you will go on the fitball. Balance in sport is essential because it allows us to maintain control of our body during the activity.

During the gym period it is very important to ride on bikes or on trainers to transform the load of strength produced with weights, for example during this period we try to carry out work at high cadence but still sub-maximal to transform the whole volume of strength produced by dry weights and exercises in strength and resistive strength useful in the gesture of pedaling. In addition to giving agility to the movement avoiding long stops, transforming the load of strength allows you not to load too much the pedaling gesture making it more powerful but also less profitable.