Whether you're a competitive cyclist or you simply are a fitness buff who wants to use cycling for getting into better shape, weight training can be important to your workout.
Regardless of your age or level of physical fitness (with common-sense considerations, of course), weight training of some type is highly recommended by fitness experts and many doctors. Weight work can build muscle (even after the exercise is done; even during sleep time), and it helps burn fat. Doing exercise with weights can even aid in strengthening your bones and adding to bone density.
Before you add weights to your workout, consult a qualified trainer and/or physician. And be sure to include a warm up and careful stretching component. (You'll also want to include a sensible cool down period after the exercise.) Careful stretching helps limit or even eliminate a lot of soreness as you being adding weight training and changing your exercise routine. The warm up and cool down help your blood do its job of supplying oxygen to muscles and "flushing out" toxic by-products of vigorous exercise.
Consistent work with weight machines and free weights can be specifically targeted to the calves, quads, and hamstrings -- strengthening most the muscles you use for cycling. Upper body weight training adds to your over-all fitness, strength, and, hence, endurance. All of that helps you be more fit and makes your body function better for your cycling.
Some specific exercises to include in your weight training routine as a cyclist would be:
1. Squats. These are the fundamental exercise for the lower body, especially the abdomen, butt, lower back, and all the muscle groups of the legs: quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles. Use free weights or a barbell across your shoulders. Focus on your lower body as you slowly push down and back up to the starting position. Try to center your weight over the heels, rather than balancing just on your toes.
2. Calf raises. Us an aerobic step, or even something as low as a sturdy book or board when you're starting out. Keep your heels off the step and rise up on your toes onto the step as high as you can. Hold that for a few seconds, then return to the start position. Use moderate weights, dumb bells or a barbell, and gradually increase the weight over several weeks time.
3. Leg lifts. These work especially the quadriceps muscles, i.e., the large muscle group in each leg in your thighs that attach to your knees. A leg extension machine set up with low weight and a high number of repetitions probably works best for this. The quads are the major muscle groups in your legs and will really "feel the burn" when you're cycling uphill. Give them a lot of attention. Strong quads need to be balanced with work on your hamstrings, too.
4. Hanging leg lifts. These actually target your upper and lower abs, the muscles which work to raise your legs with power when you pedal a bicycle. Focus on your midsection to do the work of lifting your legs as you hang from a frame at a gym, or even the "monkey bars" at a local school or neighborhood park. You may find lifting your legs straight out is too hard when you first start this exercise. If that's the case, settle for lifting your knees up to your chest while consciously squeezing your abdominal muscles.
All those exercises and others, done with added weights as you can and with regular repetition, will give you a smoother ride and healthier cycling lifestyle!