Question: I’m a long-time cyclist, and I’ve heard that we riders ought to also be strength training. I’m now in my late 70s, but I still ride every day that weather permits. I dislike working out other than cycling itself, and frankly, I no longer have enough energy to both ride and do other exercises on the same day. As long as I keep riding, is strength training really still important at my age? —Harv R.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: The fact that you are riding regularly does put you ahead of seniors who spend their days on the sofa. But cycling, while keeping you moving, does little for your upper body. And as we age, without some strength training, we can lose four to six pounds of muscle per decade, especially evident in the parts of our body that we don’t exercise as much. This doesn’t mean that we necessarily lose weight, however, since we may be replacing that lost muscle with fat.
My doctor says that many people who end up in nursing homes are there because they can no longer get out of a chair on their own, and that, of course, means they need help to prepare meals, dress themselves and get to the bathroom. That loss of strength also increases the likelihood of falling, which can result in new problems, especially if they break a hip. In short, they have lost the ability to function independently.
Chris Carmichael, who was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Cycling Team and went on to be a professional bicycle racer, became a nationally known coach after retiring from racing. He recently wrote, “Coaches have been debating the effectiveness and necessity of strength training for endurance athletes for many years, and even my own view has evolved considerably. Ten years ago, I would have told you that if you’re a cyclist, strength training is a waste of time and effort. Not anymore” (italics added).
Carmichael goes on to talk about a phenomenon he calls “the cyclist’s paradox.” He explains, “Cyclists have extremely well-developed aerobic engines, yet very underdeveloped musculoskeletal systems for any sport other than cycling. You have the aerobic engine to run pretty fast for a prolonged period of time, but because cycling is weight-supported, many cyclists can ‘outrun’ their skeletal system’s ability to handle the stress of either the speed or duration their aerobic engines can support. Similarly, lifelong cyclists frequently have severely underdeveloped upper body strength. This limits the exercise and activity options cyclists feel prepared to participate in.”
Fortunately, studies indicate that we can slow and even reverse these muscle losses with strength training. I personally go to our local fitness center and workout on their resistance machines, largely because I find it too easy to skip exercising when I plan to do it all at home. But there are a variety of excise programs that can help you achieve strength-training goals without specialized equipment. Here is one from Road Bike Rider and another from Bicycling Magazine.
As a senior rider myself, I can identify with your comment that you no longer have enough energy to both ride and do other exercises on the same day. But I believe the payback from strength training is important enough to cut back on how many days you ride so that you can engage in an exercise program a couple of times a week, which most coaches say is enough to benefit from the effort.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
I turn 84 in a month. My exercise program is 6 days a week: 3 of cycling and 3 of resistance training.. I don’t go to the gym because I find it too easy to skip. I use resistance bands from Bodylastics and have 3 different workouts that I rotate through each week. Cycling does not stress the bones and many cyclists develop bone density issues resulting in broken bones from cycling accidents. In my 60s I had my bone density checked and it was equal to a 25 year old. I was also running a lot in my earlier years.. Last summer at the beach my daughters commented on the muscles in my back as we erected a canopy on the beach.
You could rename the bathroom from “The John” to “The Jim”. That way you can tell friends the first thing you do every morning is go to the Jim, they will be impressed.
You don’t need to rename your “John,” since your 6-day exercise program at age 84, already impresses me! Thanks for your note.
Think about it. What good is that aerobic engine, other than allowing you to ride a bicycle? Musculoskeletal strength is required for everything we do. I personally have backed off from all that pedaling to dedicate time to strength training to allow for a more functional life as I age. If you recruit a cycling buddy as a training partner and use a structured training program it may seem less onerous.
Strength training ESSENTIAL as we age! Fights inflammation, osteoporosis, dementia, and is perhaps more important than any other form of fitness. Balance too, but you can incorporate that with your strength training. Another plus: strong glutes hamstrings and quads will flatten those hills. It is a win-win -win for all of us.
73 yo woman, cycle 3000 miles, strength training, hiking and water strength.
I am a 73 year old life long cyclist riding about 100 miles a week. I used to be able to lift weights regularly but have found that if I lift for my legs ( squats, Belgium splits, lunges etc.) – my legs are trashed for days keeping me off the bike. I’ve tried light weight leg routines but same thing happens. I do still lift a bit for my upper body and core, nothing too heavy. I am wondering how professional coaches would view this? Are my “only upper body lifting” still giving me the same benefit required to avoid muscle and mass loss? Thanks
for years i did the same as you. For me the answer was to start out light on the strength training and not ride so hard on the bike. now I find I can ride and train on alternate days with no problem.
I’m not a professional coach so I can’t speak from that viewpoint, but I have noticed that some chatter about leg exercises for cyclists is about maintaining leg strength during times when riding is not taking place, such as during the deep cold of winter. But you’ve said you’re riding about 100 miles a week, so it’s likely you’re getting sufficient leg work from cycling to maintain muscle tone, especially if that riding includes some intervals and hill work. What’s more, it’s a low-impact workout, which strengthens the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves.
Where road cyclists often fall short on strength training is in their upper body, which doesn’t get much exercise on the bike. But it sounds like you’re already working on that with the upper body lifting you are doing.
To join the chorus, I have a set of barbells at home and 30 minutes three times a week using them on squats, curls., dead lifts, overhead presses, chops, twists, crunches means I can run a chain saw, maul and wedges for 6 hours a day at 80. Just cycling will not do that.
2 shoulder orthopedic doctors have told me to avoid overhead presses because when your arms are overhead, your shoulders are not supported and can lead to problems.
If for no other reason, do strength training for our bone health. Cycling does nothing for bones and may even be detrimental. Do lower body as well as upper body; just because we are cyclists doesn’t mean we create enough tension on our legs to help with our lower body musculature and bone health. I do strength training on my days off from cycling. And I treat my leg strength day the same as a riding day even though I don’t ride those days, because leg works needs at least as much recovery as riding.
And I do it year round – more in the winter but maintenance during the summer riding season.
Ex-wrester, ex-rower, riding and x-country skiing have been my main fitness activites for 20+ years. Got re-motivated for upper-body fitness this fall when I wrenched a pec muscle doing some basic straining woodwork. After 6 weeks of targeted light weightlifing and resistance work, with some added yoga, I had a great result redcently. Started a winter ride (34 degrees), clear roads and trails, but when I turned into a bike underpass/tunnel I did not notice 3 inches of slushy ice, careened into side wall with my shoulder, bounced off sideways onto the ice, rolled up to sitting, and I was laughing! Mostly at my foolishness, but also that I was only mildly bruised, the result of the increased strength and flexibility. I agreeing with my older compatriate above who chain saws 6 hours a day – that’s my wish for my long-term future! And, Gene, look into the book ‘Shoulder ?’ for some great advice on long-term shoulder health.
It’s hard for me to imagine where I might be without strength training. I am now 74. I was diagnosed with stage 4 arthritis in one knee 13 years ago. strength training plus some yoga/dance flexibility work and an occasional PT visit have kept me able to do everything I did when I was younger. In a few cases, I can do more. I work with my trainer of 25 years, and having that appointment definitely helps keep me honest, but it makes so much difference that I do keep up pretty well even when on extended travels. The bike (2-4000 miles/year) is the activity I do mostly for fun, but the others (yoga, a bit of running, strength training) make me feel better. Oh, and I find that if I am working different parts on different days, I don’t feel that fatigue.
I turned 72 last month. During summer when I am out on a bike often, I still go to the gym two or three times a week for strength training. During winter, I also do my cycling at the gym on an exercise bike, typically three times a week.
I have too many friends that cracked a pelvis, broke a hip, broke an arm or some other nasty injury from a fall. None of them did any strength training.
I do not pretend on the strength training, I am pushing as hard as I can on a leg press and on several different arm and shoulder machines. My goal is not to build muscle, but to put some stress on my bones to maintain bone strength. I can push more weights than I could a decade ago. I asked my Doctor if there is anything else I should be doing to maintain bone strength, he said keep doing exactly what you are doing.
I used to tell my sister that she really needed to do some strength training. She would say, I do, I do gardening. I would say, that is what I mean, you need to do strength training, and she would respond that she does by doing gardening. After she slipped on the floor and cracked her pelvis, she no longer even does gardening. You do not want to get into that situation.