Cycling and strength training may be an odd mix. Many “slow twitch pundits” claim that endurance sports gain little from resistance training. There are also “plate-head” (an Ed Burke-ism) experts who suggest that every rider should engage in a comprehensive, periodized training program perhaps better suited for athletes from pure strength/power sports.
Harvey Newton began racing in the mid-1970s and competed for 20+ years at track and road events in
Florida
and
Colorado.
He remains an avid cyclist and trains regularly, either in
Florida
on
Maui.
Newton
is a USA Cycling Level 2 Coach and regularly addresses coach and rider issues at events such as
USA
Cycling’s
Summit
or online. During the “Eddie B” era (1981-1992),
Newton
was the USA Cycling strength and conditioning advisor, training some track athletes throughout their season and advising all national teams on their off-season weightroom workouts.
Coach Newton serves as the strength and conditioning advisor for Cadence Cycling, the world's premier and authoritative center for cycling and multisport performance (Philadelphia and New York City). Vice-president and Olympic medalist Brian Walton says, “While sitting in on one of Harvey’s workshops I realized this is the expert to help Cadence merge top-of-the-line endurance training with modern strength training methods.”
“Cycling covers so many different physical demands,” says Coach Newton, “that it’s challenging to properly address every rider’s strength training needs. Road, track, mountain, and BMX are all further sub-divided into various events and distances. Woman and masters seem to benefit the most from solid strength training,” Coach Newton points out. “One thing is certain: not all riders should weight train the same.”
“Most cyclists don’t weight train effectively throughout the year. They are only off-season guests at the weightroom and abandon their efforts once the race season starts. Also, many riders either choose ineffective exercises or exhibit poor exercise technique.”
Newton’s highly popular DVD, Strength Training for Cyclists stresses safe exercise technique, along with effective program planning. Many cyclists find useful gems in Coach Newton’s Explosive Lifting for Sports book and DVD. He references his experiences working with some of the finest cyclists at the Colorado Springs OTC. A good number of riders, especially those in track’s power events (sprints, kilometer time trial, keirin, etc.) have benefitted greatly from learning how to effectively and safely perform explosive lifts like the Power Snatch and Power Clean.
Olympic Coach Harvey Newton remains a cyclist’s best source of solid, “No B.S.” strength training information. Now you can sign up to train under the person who “wrote the book” on cycling resistance training.
