Reading Research: Strength training improves cycling 5-min all-out performance

Last week, I reviewed a study that concluded that maximal strength training improved cycling economy.  The study authors showed that adding in small amounts of squats into an endurance cycling programme resulted in improved power output for the same level of oxygen uptake.  In other words, the cyclists got faster without improving their VO2-max.  In technical terminology, they improved their cycling economy.  They became more efficient athletes.

This week, I want to stay on that topic by looking at a very recent study called Strength training improves 5-min all-out performance following 185 min of cycling, by Rønnestad, Hansen, and Raastad, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 21, 2011.

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Why look at this study as well?

This study set out to investigate the effects of heavy strength training on mean power output in a 5-min all-out concentration following 185 min of submaximal cycling at 44% of maximal aerobic power output in well-trained cyclists.

Why is that relevant?

Well, most cycling road races include large sections at low intensity.  The authors note that in both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana, around 70% of race duration is spent at exercise intensities below the ventilatory threshold.

This study is therefore intended to match the conditions of a road race and to assess the effects of strength training on cycling economy under those exact circumstances.

The authors hypothesised that if strength training can improve cycling economy and thereby reduce metabolic load, slower emptying of glycogen stores and a potentially increased capacity for high-intensity performance following prolonged cycling may be expected.

Time trial cycling = painful, photo by Tejvan

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So how did they go about it?

Well, twenty well-trained cyclists were assigned to either usual endurance training combined with heavy strength training or to usual endurance training only. The strength training performed consisted of four maximal lower body exercises comprising 3 sets x 4-10 reps twice per week.

Like in the previous study, these cyclists were not used to weight training.

The cyclists were then subjected to a race scenario, in which they had to cycle at a set low speed for 185 mins (just over 3 hours) before doing a 5 mins maximal effort.

And what happened?

The strength-trained cyclists showed markedly better improvements in their performances than the non-strength-trained cyclists.  The authors also noted that the reduced physiological and psychophysiological responses among the strength-trained cyclists generally occurred during the last hour of the prolonged cycling.

Why did that happen?

The authors note that there are several models that attempt to explain fatigue and consequently performance during prolonged cycling. One model suggests that fatigue is governed by economy and that an improvement in economy will lead to reduction in oxygen required, reduced depletion of energy stores, delayed accumulation of metabolites, and attenuated rise in core body temperature.

Interesting.  And what is the bottom line?

The bottom line is that the authors conclude that the addition of heavy strength training twice a week to high-volume endurance training increased leg strength in well-trained cyclists, as expected, and increased their performance in a 5-minute time trial at the end of a 3-hour long ride.

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My thoughts

I debated reviewing this study, as there is little more here than in the previous week.  However, I am a big fan of authors making their studies as sports-specific as possible and this one does just that.

Basically, it seems that if you want a big sprint at the end of your race, you need to start squatting.