Matt Brindle’s Functional Strength Training for Cyclists
Do you want to climb faster, sprint faster, time trial faster, for longer and with more comfort? Whether it’s time trailing, sprinting or hill climbing, your ability to do these things is directly related to how well you are trained to put down the maximum amount of power to the pedals in the most efficient way. This is why producing power on the bike is so important to cyclists. Cycling is about dynamic functional movement, as with all sports. By recruiting the maximum amount of muscles to …
Excellent introductory advice on weight training for cyclists
This video looks pretty good, my myotherpist has recommended these techniques for improving core strength, etc.
I have worked with some of the best functional training experts in the world and I don’t believe there are many people that trully understand functional training as demonstrated by the majority of people that post on youtube. However, Matt talks about function like a true applied functional scientist. I used to race for Great Britain and never came accross a cycling coach that talked about conditioning in the way that Matt does. Very good video! Well done Matt
can anyone recommend other quality videos
thanks
I agree and disagree with what was said on the video.
Functional training for athletes is valid and important in increasing their performance, but in a periodised program it should be limited to the final marcocycle.
When functional training limits muscular gains (in a strength training sense) – traditional training is far better… have a look at the AIS cycling training programs… those guys hit the gym hard for a traditional strength training program – and it works.
You are correct that the AIS cycling training programs hit the gyms hard when it comes to their sprinters. I know Shane Perkins; former AIS cyclists and Junior World Sprint Champion personally. He does a huge amount of strength training in the gym. Nearly all of it is done using free weights… NOT machines. Hence it’s very functional in nature. So it’s important to make the distinction and not the assumption that it’s all using machines because that’s what you think they would be doing.
For the rest of us cyclists (not on an AIS program) developing proper functional strength is certainly a big area that we can all work on. Especially now that a large number of us are desk bound. It wasn’t an issue 30 years ago when most cyclists were tradespeople and spent their whole working day performing functional exercises. This DVD helps the average cyclists, whether recreational or racing.
The important thing we communicate in this DVD is for cyclists to stay away from traditional muscle isolation exercises using machines. They are great for body builders to build good looking muscles. Traditional muscle isolation exercises is very detrimental to the sports person. This is because all effective sports movements require the development of functional strength through the recruitment of a many muscles in more than one plane of movement to produce power.
I agree about the need to take this DVD a step further. That is why in the future I’ll be bringing out a DVD that follows on from this one. And it will cover more power based training with really heavy weight. Again, it will all be using free weights and will look very similar to what Shane Perkins would do in a gym.
If i buy the dvd will it give me a bad body like yours?