Advice needed

[titec2]

I am looking for some information on the best way to use DVD’s in cycling (road bike 10 speed racing). There are aspects of the sport that require strength and then there are aspects that involve endurance at high wattage for long periods of time. So I guess what I am saying is that the classic uses of DVD’s in a training program involves getting bigger and stronger. In cycling this is not an advantage because all of that additional muscle mass uses up the available glycogen and oxygen more quickly. Do any of you have any useful advice or suggestions on what type to use and how to train while on them?

Thanks

 

[brineal]

you can look into erythropoetin, will help your red blood cells carry more oxygen...

 

[Ehren]

I have some experience with what you are talking about, so I can give my opinion, for what it's worth.

I was involved in Crew racing (Rowing) for some years after being a powerlifter for a long time. I noticed that I had much better power for the sprints (hill running/rowing sprints) than my colleagues/team-mates because of the powerlifting I had done, even after losing 60lbs to row.

You CAN train for power without hypertrophy (not much added mass). There are a lot of small guys that are very strong. Low reps, few sets, short workouts are best either way. 5 sets of 3, heavy on squats and deads (different days) may be good. Limited upper body movements, so that you don't put on unusable mass. IMO, you probably won't put on much size with all the cycling either way, unless you are genetically predisposed or you work on hypertrophy as a focus in the gym.

As far as AAS and others, you've got EPO as said above. Then Anavar, good for strength without size. Then EQ (Boldenone) which increases RBC count and is mildly anabolic for most people and is said to build tendons (though I've seen no data on this).

As an aside, I have known many runners/sprinters who use Winstrol (stanzolol). I don't know how this works however, as it is said to cause brittle tendons. But perhaps for someone not doing anaerobic work, it could be of some benefit.

 

[Quad-smack]

As far as AAS and others, you've got EPO as said above. Then Anavar, good for strength without size. Then EQ (Boldenone) which increases RBC count and is mildly anabolic for most people and is said to build tendons (though I've seen no data on this).

Good info right there...
also - supplementing with Citrulline Malate and/or Beta-Alanine might be beneficial.

 

[brineal]

does cycling require strength or power? the two are not the same, strength would be the ability to lift a maximal load, such as a 1RM, power is the ability to generate maximal strength in a short period of time... my guess is that what you believe to be strength requirements are really needs for power.. in many sports, the foundation of training is olympic lifting, if youre not training with those lifts i would definitely suggest looking into it..

 

[titec2]

I do not know if I follow your explanation of power vs. strength. I can explain to you what is going during the course of a Crit type race. In a Crit the distance is usually fairly short (30 or so miles generally speaking) and the course is set up in a way that requires you to accelerate and decelerate to negotiate sharp corners as you make laps around a circuit. The races are not very long but are long enough that you cannot run the entire race aerobically. The race will have many surges that you have to respond to with short duration maximum intensity efforts to stay with the lead group. There are often times that you will have to “bridge” a gap to close up on the lead group and these require big efforts and the ability to recover once you catch them. The pace is quick and you run at near your peak aerobic/anaerobic threshold the entire race with bridging and covering race surges putting you will into your anaerobic range with. Can you explain from my discription of a typical race where power vs. strength may play their roles during a race?

 

[brineal]

ok, strength would be a powerlifter performing a heavy 1 rm picture the speed and nature of that movement, power would be an olympic lifter pulling a power snatch or clean or jerking - moving the bar from the floor to above the head or from the shoulders to above the head in fractions of seconds. it sounds like cycling requires power and an extensive aerobic component, you need to generate as much force as possible in as short a period of time possible right? most sports which require explosive movements require power training (oly lifts, plyometrics) where you train for motor unit recruitment (cns)