Weight training and endurance cycling

While the majority of track cycling events are shorter distance events, requiring explosive power and maintenance of very high-intensity efforts, road racing requires long endurance capability. Traditionally, endurance athletes have found themselves following a strict training regime which lacks any kind of weight training. However, in recent times, there has been a trend in the endurance cycling world to include weights as part of a weekly training programme.

In this article, we hear from Henry Furniss, WyndyMilla cycling team founder, and GSK Human Performance Lab scientist, Phill Bell, about the importance and benefits of weight training for endurance cycling.

Henry has been competing in triathlon since he was 26, and competed in and won his first road race at 29.  
Today he likes to ensure he competes in races at least once a week during the season, which range from high octane criteriums, to 1-5 hour road races, to 3 day stage races. “I’m very time constrained due to WyndyMilla, family and a wife who also trains and races, so training maxes out at five hours, plus racing”, Henry comments when asked about his current training habits. As part of a twelve week training plan aiming to reduce his body fat, Henry’s weekly regime includes weight training once a week, along with body weight exercises, and of course endurance and interval training on the bike. This training is complemented with two three to four day pre-season training blocks with long endurance training sessions and work-free recovery.  

“The time constraints placed on Henry are consistent with the majority of competitive cyclists not competing at a professional level.  As a result, the optimisation of training programmes is a high priority”, comments HPL scientist Phill. “At first glance, Henry’s training appears to include the right components to elucidate training adaptations to benefit endurance cycling performance.

Of particular relevance is his commitment to one weight training session per week. We know from several research studies that strength training can have numerous benefits on endurance performance. Ronnestad et al (2011) reported increases in power output and cycling efficiency with 12 weeks (2x per week) of strength and endurance training versus endurance training alone and suggested improvements in neuromuscular mechanics and lower limb hypertrophy may have contributed to the findings. 

Many cyclists fear increasing body weight through strength training, however results from the aforementioned work suggests performance benefits (power:weight ratio) outweigh any negligible changes in body weight and that the increases in lean mass are offset by decreases in body fat. Clearly there is a consideration with regards to how strength training would fit into a competition phase, however with correct periodisation and off-season training, there is no reason why strength training could not be incorporated both in and out of season in some capacity (strength development vs. strength maintenance).

Henry has included weights in his training on and off since being a student. “I originally decided to start using weights for vanity reasons, but once I started competing in triathlon and consequently cycling, weights became part of the reason I could compete at a high level, despite limited time”, he explains. “It has always been part of what has given me an edge over and above what you would expect from someone who races on such limited training. I must confess I hate it though, so it is tough mentally. It is only the gains that make me do it. It’s the first thing to get dropped from my regime when I’m off the boil”. This attitude towards weight training is not typically shared amongst other endurance cyclists at Henry’s level of competition: “I would say perhaps as low as 25% of my cycling colleagues use weights. Probably as low as 10% of my colleagues actually use them regularly. Going back just ten years, cyclists right up to the very top level were not switched on to weight training, so back then, and even now to a large extent, it is a secret weapon.” Henry reports that he has also noticed a difference in the cycling performance of his weight training friends: “One of my older racing friends now sees a personal trainer twice a week for weight training and he’s a different animal on the bike now. He was an absolute prime contender for needing weights in his life.”

If Henry and his colleague have seen significant performance benefits as a result of including weights in their weekly training, why is it that so few endurance cyclists have opted in to this type of exercise? Henry believes there is simply an attitude problem: “There is a view that [endurance cyclists] will gain the wrong type of muscle that will slow them down. Cyclists are typically the most non athlete-minded athletes out there. For most of them, cycling seems to be about the romance and heritage of the sport and weight training doesn’t fit that mould. Racing cyclists are still pretty old school, it’s a hard sell. They like sedate long rides... with coffee and cake stops.” 

Phill Bell provides his insight into this perception: “The gaining of the ‘wrong type’ of muscle most likely stems from the notion that strength training would develop fast-twitch fibres associated with high-intensity, powerful efforts.  Such fibres are known to fatigue quicker than their counterpart slow-twitch fibres, which fatigue a lot slower but cannot generate force as powerfully and quickly. As a result, there may be a perception that fast-twitch fibres in long events are going to cause increases in fatigue and slow down the rider.

In reality, the strength training we’re observing for endurance athletes is not in replacement of their traditional endurance training, but to complement the hard work they’re already putting in which maintains their slow-twitch muscle fibre capacity. Essentially, increasing the strength of a muscle means any exercise at given intensity is at a lower relative cost (vs. untrained/weaker state) and therefore is a more efficient action." With any exercise, especially high level weight and endurance training, adequate nutrition is key to complement the best physical gains possible. "When I’m ‘in training mode’ I’ll try and make sure I’m fully charged before training with glycogen stores topped up. I will have an energy drink during training so that I can train harder. I typically have caffeine too, as all of my training is very early morning or very late at night.” Physical and nutritional recovery should also be optimised to restore muscle glycogen. “I always have a recovery drink or protein shake after training.”

At the GSK Human Performance Lab, current research aims to determine the effect of both cold water immersion (CWI) and the use of protein after weight training as modes of recovery.

“The work we are doing at the GSK HPL aims to delve into the effects of strength training in endurance athletes further and also incorporates the popular recovery strategies, CWI and protein supplementation” explains Phill. “CWI and/or protein supplementation is used in many sports and in the case of CWI, is thought to reduce post-exercise inflammation, soreness and accelerate performance recovery.  Literature around the effectiveness of CWI strategies suggests there may be a place for it; however criticism has been voiced around the effects of CWI on training adaptations, with proposals that such inflammation and soreness associated with post-training is necessary for the body to gain the physiological benefits.  The GSK HPL is investigating this at the DNA level (where adaptation stems from) to identify whether such concerns are warranted.  Furthermore, the study aims also to elucidate if in taking a post-exercise protein supplement, post-exercise soreness can be reduced.”

Research into cold water immersion and protein recovery after strength training in endurance athletes at the HPL aims to provide output by the end of 2015.