Leg press

[Sprocket01]

What are your views on using a leg press? Do you think this sort of strength training would increase someone's power? Do the pros do it?

 

[grumpyphil]

What are your views on using a leg press? Do you think this sort of strength training would increase someone's power? Do the pros do it?

Yes........

 

[David Suro]

Yes.

It is important not to let your knees go to an angle more acute than 90 degrees. Loading with weight at an acute knee angle places tremendous stress on the ACL. There is no benefit to that and plenty of risk.

 

[Sprocket01]

Thanks I'll have to try that then.

I thought someone might say that it would make no difference to anything.

 

[Tapeworm]

Ok, I'll bite.

It won't change anything powe-wise except perhaps your 5 second max power.

Plenty of other reasons to do weights though such as bone density, muscle imbalances etc.

As for going past 90 degrees, well Mark Rippetoe has a few things to say about that:-
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Mark_Rippetoe

just curious, is there any hard evidence that going past the 90 degree mark IS actually bad for the knees. Cuz I being doing it for years and my knees haven't blown out yet... So there's n=1 so far.

 

[brianf7]

Why pay big $$$$ to go to a gym stick a football behind your back and squat keeping the back straight.

Again dont go down too far because not only will you wreck the knees you wont be able to get up.

 

[brianf7]

After you have eaten Christmas Pud and heaps of mince pies you wont need weights . your body weight will suffice.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Ok, I'll bite.

It won't change anything powe-wise except perhaps your 5 second max power.

Plenty of other reasons to do weights though such as bone density, muscle imbalances etc.

As for going past 90 degrees, well Mark Rippetoe has a few things to say about that:-
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Mark_Rippetoe

just curious, is there any hard evidence that going past the 90 degree mark IS actually bad for the knees. Cuz I being doing it for years and my knees haven't blown out yet... So there's n=1 so far.

Weightlifting for strength will likely be detrimental to endurance cycling performance in trained cyclists.

It can be beneficial for sprint cycling performance, depending on how it's done.

Weightlifting won't have much impact on bone mineral density. You'd need some level of impact activity such as running for that.

In any case, nothing improves power better than riding your bike at the right intensities for the appropriate durations/volume.

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=strengthstern

 

[Tapeworm]

Agree with you on all points Alex, except this one:-

...Weightlifting won't have much impact on bone mineral density. You'd need some level of impact activity such as running for that....

Heaps of studies showing that weight training increases bone density. There have also been some that have shown no difference. Not to say impact sports wouldn't be better, but by and large the majority seem to conclude that it will have positive effects, especially in older age.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Agree with you on all points Alex, except this one:-



Heaps of studies showing that weight training increases bone density. There have also been some that have shown no difference. Not to say impact sports wouldn't be better, but by and large the majority seem to conclude that it will have positive effects, especially in older age.

Well this is a cycling training forum but even then the evidence for weights and BMD in older people is equivocal. Here are some samples to illustrate:

Active athletic women:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15746998?dopt=AbstractPlus

Non athletic women:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8873964

General:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8873964

Elderly women:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1724140/

General suggesting it does help (for older people):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19453205

Young women:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19453205

Help post menopausal women with osteo problems:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18171491

So out of that lot, I'd say let's look at the results of the "younger" and athletic side of it, since that is more closely related to what this forum is about. Hence I still see no compelling evidence that weights has much impact on BMD.

 

[Tapeworm]

My parry and riposte:-

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...med_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=5

Resistance training improves BMD, but not as much as running once lean body mass is taken into account.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

My parry and riposte:-

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...med_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=5

Resistance training improves BMD, but not as much as running once lean body mass is taken into account.

Nice, didn't see that one.

Still, if BMD is an issue, I think there are better ways of addressing it than weight bearing exercise.

 

[iliveonnitro]

Nice, didn't see that one.

Still, if BMD is an issue, I think there are better ways of addressing it than weight bearing exercise.

Weight bearing exercise or weight lifting (a subset of weight bearing exercise)?

If it's the former, please explain.

 

[sightpress]

yes it is.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Weight bearing exercise or weight lifting (a subset of weight bearing exercise)?

If it's the former, please explain.

Nice pick up, I meant weightlifting, not weight bearing.