| An Australian research team has shown why training | | | | strength training did not improve the men's aerobic |
| for strength is important for cyclists. Untrained men | | | | capacity: the ability to use oxygen or circulate blood. |
| who were not cyclists used a hack-squat apparatus | | | | So strength training did not improve heart or lung |
| (a weight-lifting machine used to strengthen the legs | | | | function, but it did give the participants extra power to |
| and buttocks) to lift 85 percent of the heaviest weight | | | | push the pedals harder, which helped them ride faster. |
| that they could lift once, five times in a row. Then they | | | | Top-level competitive cyclists train for endurance by |
| rested and repeated the sets of five. They did this | | | | riding for three to eight hours a day. They usually |
| four times, in three sessions per week. They did no | | | | cannot push heavy weights with their legs because |
| cycling during the strength-training period of the study. | | | | their cycling schedule does not give them time to |
| They were given cycling endurance tests before and | | | | recover from strenuous weightlifting workouts. Since |
| after. | | | | this study used untrained cyclists, it does not suggest |
| The study concluded that the strength training made | | | | that professional cyclists should change their training |
| men far more efficient in cycling ( Medicine and | | | | methods. Competitive cyclists gain tremendous leg |
| Science in Sports and Exercise , July 2005.) Efficiency | | | | muscle strength just by climbing steep hills very fast, |
| is the amount of energy a person uses to perform a | | | | which exerts as much force on their leg muscles as |
| certain amount of work at high intensity. However, | | | | weightlifting and makes them very strong. |