A reader wrote to us who wants more power: "Fixing this problem starts with a winter weight program. Then in the spring, you convert the new strength into cycling-specific power with short, hard intervals on hills. Begin these by using a big gear at a low cadence, then progress to smaller gears and a cadence over 100 rpm." Why does this work?

I'm a former wrestler, 5-foot-8, 165 pounds with 8% body fat and very large arms and chest. Despite my small stature, I need to buy XL jerseys and cut the cuffs to get them over my arms. Does this muscle hurt my climbing?

I have a big upper body from genetics and years of weight raining. I've lost 40 pounds since I began riding, and I've quit the weight room for good -- I want to climb better! But local coaches tell me that I should still do upper-body resistance work to help my cycling. Why? I don't pedal with my arms

Is it smart to skip hilly road rides in order to keep a regular routine of squats in the weight room?

Last winter I did a leg workout that was so hard I could handle it only once per week: one set of squats or leg presses, one set of leg extensions, one set of calf raises. Each exercise was for 20-60 reps until failure -- I couldn't possibly do another rep. I improved a lot with this workout. For example, my squat went from 10 reps with 225 pounds to 12 reps with 405. Should I also see an improvement in my cycling ability this summer? 

I recently purchased a set of free weights in hopes of improving cycling power and speed. But muscle soreness from squats prevented me from riding more than 12 mph for about 4 days -- exactly the opposite of my goal. What did I do wrong? 

I've been doing twice-weekly leg exercises in the gym since last season and have made significant progress. At the beginning of March, I cut back to one session per week. Experienced racers say that a weight program should be discontinued during the season, but some coaches claim that if you stop lifting, all the gains will be lost. What should I do?