These are GENERAL GUIDELINES on how to start thinking about planning your bodybuilding week. Refer to the “Managing Your Training Year” segment above to help you put these together appropriately for the time of year you are/will be in.
Best practices for your training week:
- Never start your bodybuilding week with a development day, this will burn you out and put your week on a negative path.
- Listen to your body, if you finish the breathing + dynamic warm-up and you are not sure if you “have it” today, dial back your RPE by one or two levels.
- Know the “Rule of 10” as shared by Tony Gentilcore on the Strong Savvy Cyclist & Triathlete podcast: out of 10 days of strength training, 8 will make you feel “Meh,” 1 will make you feel horrible, and 1 will make you feel like “Meh.” Thor God of Thunder’
- When in doubt, go lighter. It never hurts to leave a little on the table, but you wanna pay to go there sooner or later
- If your energy is low, always do at least one strength training session. Do this starting with breathing and dynamic warm-up.
If your energy decreases during these exercises, go home. If your energy is about the same as when you started or higher, continue, but reduce your effort level (per rule #2).
If your energy increases during or after the breathing + dynamic warm-up, continue your workout as written! - Less is more. Unlike cycling training where often to see progress you have to get to the point of feeling tired/exhausted/sore, with strength training this is not the case at all!
For strength training, all you need to do is: concentrate fully on how you perform the movementand to show up regularly.
Train regularly at RPEs of 5, 6, and 7, and you’ll see progress in your strength training and cycling performance.
MONDAY-
Most cyclists take Mondays off because they ride a lot of time or intensity (or both) on the weekend. However, Monday is often the best day to do a recovery session as part of your bodybuilding.
These sessions allow you to breathe, do dynamic movements, work on movements and postures that can help you improve your recovery and your adaptations to weekend outings, and help you “unblock” or “relax” your points. tight or weak (neck, shoulders, hip flexors, etc.).
If you’re going on Sunday, or if Mondays are your first training rides of the week, include a short recovery session after your ride. Just 10 to 15 minutes of breathing and dynamic movement can significantly improve your driving adaptations and driving performance.
If you use an HRV device, you will often find that properly executed recovery sessions have a significant positive effect on your recovery score. Cheers to technology for helping us understand that strength training can have a powerful recovery and adaptation effect for your riding!
TUESDAYS
No strength Monday?
Today is either a recovery session or a stimulation day. We want to get the body moving again, but not pin it to the wall.
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If Tuesday is usually an interval day for you, and a harder day at that, you have two options:
- Do a stimulation strength workout on the same day
- Take a day off from bodybuilding.
Whether you should strength train before or after your ride will depend on two main decisions:
Does my schedule give me the flexibility to choose which to do first?
What is my main goal: gain strength or ride faster?
For many of us “normal cyclists,” we have day jobs, families, and other commitments that make it difficult to fit a ride and workout into our morning schedules. So we have to choose one.
If you decide to do strength on the same day as this harder run, make sure you follow the RPE rule and forget about the weight you did last week. Due to the physiological fatigue caused by the ride, your “strength” may vary a bit depending on the actual weight or resistance used. But by following RPE, you’ll be able to challenge your body week after week, keeping you on track.
And remember, when in doubt, go for a lighter weight or resistance. It’s better to leave a little in the tank than to overdo it.
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WEDNESDAYS
If you or your trainer are following a training program with consecutive running days, I recommend taking today off from the strength program, so you can give your body the energy availability it needs to recover from your race and first strength. session of the week.
No strength on Tuesday?
-Today is your strength building day! Follow the RPE guide, but your job is to do this work, especially if you’re taking a ride today.
THURSDAYS
No strength on Wednesday?
-Today is your strength building day! Follow the RPE guide, but your job is to do this work!
If Thursday is your rest day and you didn’t lift weights yesterday, then today is your strength building day.
FRIDAYS
This is often a rest day for cyclists, however, if you haven’t started your second strength training session for whatever reason, it’s best to do it today rather than skipping it.
If you are in season and concerned about being sore or tired during your weekend outings or events, reduce the volume (minus the total number of repetitions), either by eliminating one (1) working set or by decreasing repetitions of 20 to 25%. (so if you have 2 sets of 5, do a set of 5 and a set of 3, at the prescribed RPE, without increasing weight for the second set.
SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS
Usually, riding takes up all of our time, but if you can fit in a post-ride cool down session one of these days, it can be very helpful in the adaptation process. For most, this recovery session would be considered an EXTRA session and as such should be short. 15 to 20 minutes is enough.
No, foam rolling does not count, but foam rolling can be included in this session if done right before the breathing exercise.
If you want to do this, then foam roll/trigger point only for 20-30 seconds in each location, with a maximum of 3-5 minutes TOTAL for this.