Strength Training Without Additional Body Mass – 2

I often hear that cyclists skip strength training to gain additional body weight. In this series, I will explain how cyclists can strength train without gaining extra body weight. You can read the rest of this series here:
1. Why additional bodyweight should be avoided
2. Nutritional tips to avoid hypertrophy
3. Training tips to avoid hypertrophy
4. Tips about strength training

2. Nutritional tips to avoid hypertrophy

It takes time to build big muscles. Before a muscle starts to grow, it needs regular training sessions and plenty of the right calories served at the right time. The keyword is consistency.

You will need more calories than usual because building muscles is not essential for your body to survive. Thus, if you don’t get enough calories, your muscles will not begin to grow.

When a muscle increases its square diameter, we call it hypertrophy. Nutrition plays a significant role in hypertrophy, and therefore I have included a nutritional article in the series about avoiding additional body mass. Elite cyclists and other serious riders should generally avoid hypertrophy since it slows them down on the hills.

So what should you change when you start strength training?
Nothing! The biggest mistake is making significant changes when you start to strength train. (I suppose you already eat a healthy diet with the proper amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fat, whole grains, vitamins, etc. If not, change your diet immediately! )

Avoid hidden calories
Avoid those hidden calories in juice and soft drinks. These calories accumulate and don’t provide value to your diet, but they provide simple fuel, making it easier for your muscles to grow. Also, it would be best to avoid cake, candy, ice cream, etc. Ok, you are a serious athlete, I know, so sorry for reminding you about such obvious things.

Focus on quality food
Thus, if you stick to your current diet, you will have enough fuel to train hard and recover from the training. You don’t need extra proteins, protein bars, amino acid supplements, or anything like this. So save your money – instead, spend them on quality food.

Remember that your strength training focuses on a small volume. Thus, there will only be a slight degree of extra protein degradation. Enough proteins will be ready for your recovery if you eat a healthy diet. I will discuss protein degradation in the next part of this series.