Which are better, squats or leg presses?

Q:  I’m putting together a home gym and thinking about adding a leg press. Is this piece of equipment better for building leg strength than doing free-weight squats on a rack?—James C. 

COACH FRED:  The whole field of weight training for cyclists is undergoing a rethinking.

Researchers are realizing that the ability to do squats or leg presses doesn’t transfer well to cycling. The slow movement isn’t specific to pedaling. Also, cycling uses one leg at a time while leg presses and squats employ both legs simultaneously.

Here’s the current theorizing: Combine one-leg-at-a-time exercises like lunges or step-ups with one-leg pedaling or sprints on an indoor trainer. This helps convert the strength from the resistance exercises to cycling-specific power.

If you still want that hip sled or leg press, it might be best to do sets with one leg, then the other, instead of both legs together.

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How much intensity is enough?

Q:  I’m 43, in decent shape, and would like to improve. I ride about 100 miles a week, an hour at a time, and my heart rate averages about 145 beats per minute. I tend to really push hills, up to 175 bpm. Should I decrease intensity or increase it?—David A.

COACH FRED:  There’s no question that intensity is the most potent producer of fitness. A few hard rides each week are far better than more miles at a slow pace.

If you have only an hour a day to ride, you’ll improve if you push hard on the hills (like you’re doing now) three times a week. The other rides should be done at a lower intensity for recovery. A heart rate of 65 to 80 percent of max works fine for recovery rides.

To improve the most, however, vary your training by adding one longer ride each week. Do this one at the moderate 65 to 80 percent level. I know that it’s often hard to find time to ride longer. Maybe you can give up one or two short weekday rides in exchange for more time on the weekend.

Let’s suppose you can do only four rides each week. Tuesday and Thursday you could push hard for an hour on your hilly loop. Wednesday would be a moderately paced recovery ride for an hour. Then one day on the weekend you could do 3 hours at 65 to 80 percent max. I think you’d find your fitness increasing noticeably compared to five or six identical one-hour rides.

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What gears do pros use?

Q:  Lance Armstrong and other pros go so fast! What gears are they pushing?—Jack G.

COACH FRED:  Pros typically use a 55x11-tooth high gear for time trials. On flat or rolling stages they have 53/39T chainrings with an 11-21T cassette. In moderate mountains they switch to a large cog of 23T and usually put on a 25T for very steep, long climbs.

Remember, it’s deceptive to compare these gears to your own. Top pros are strong enough to use a high cadence in whatever gear they choose.

When you can generate over 400 watts of power for an hour or more, like Lance can, you can maintain a high cadence in a lot bigger gear than the average recreational bike racer who puts out a little over 200 watts.

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What should I eat for recovery?

Q:  For a recovery drink right after a ride, I tried five teaspoons of sugar in a large glass of low-fat milk. Is this good? What should I eat next, and when?—Jay P.

COACH FRED:  The amount of food you need to speed recovery depends on your size and on how long and hard you rode. For example, I weigh 160 pounds. After a hard 3- to 4-hour ride I like to drink a recovery beverage as soon as I get home, then have some solid food.

Your homemade mixture should work and, of course, there are recovery drinks specially designed for post-ride replenishment. The idea is to get some carbohydrate into your system as soon as possible after the ride, then follow it up with solid food.

I shower and clean up my bike, then eat something substantial like a bowl of cereal with skim milk and a banana. A sandwich would work fine, too. You’ll have to experiment with how much of the drink and how much food you need to restore your glycogen levels quickly.

One other point: On an ambitious multiday tour like a cross-state ride, it’s virtually impossible to eat enough. Several years ago I rode 3,400 miles in 24 days on Lon Haldeman’s PAC Tour  from Everett, WA, to Yorktown, VA. We averaged 140 miles a day and were like a column of army ants, eating everything on the route. I suspect that some towns haven’t replenished their larders yet.

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Why do my triceps get so sore?

Q:  How come the backs of my upper arms are sore for several days after a long ride?—Timothy W.

COACH FRED:  Your triceps muscles get sore because they are not used to supporting your body weight on the handlebar for long periods. 

To eliminate this nuisance, first check your riding position. An overly long reach to the handlebar tends to stress and fatigue the triceps. (A reach that’s too short, on the other hand, would cause soreness in the trapezius muscle between your shoulder and neck.)

Then add some specific triceps conditioning to your resistance training routine. A good exercise that requires no equipment is pushups done with your hands the same distance apart as when you hold the handlebar.

Triceps extensions are great for isolating these muscles. Extensions can be done on the lat machine at a health club, or at home with a barbell or dumbbell. Here’s how: Using a barbell, hold a light weight overhead with your upper arms against your ears, bend your elbows to lower the weight behind your head, then straighten your arms. (If using a dumbbell, do the same thing with one arm at a time.) Do 15 to 25 repetitions.

During rides, change hand position frequently to distribute the strain. Switch from the tops to the brake levers to the hooks and drops—and back again.

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