How Heavy Should Runners and Cyclists Lift?
For a while the belief was that since running and cycling are endurance sports, strength training should mimic that with light weight, high rep sets to improve their endurance. More recently, the pendulum seems to have swung the other way, and people are lifting heavy and trying to max out on squats and deadlifts. In reality, I think that strength training for most runners and cyclists should fall somewhere in the middle.
Here are some of my thoughts and general guidelines regarding how heavy and how much to lift:
Do sets of 3-10 reps for most exercises, most of the year. The lower end of the rep range is good for building strength and power, while the higher end gets into the hypertrophy side of things. You could probably have 80% of your training occur in this range, with the other 20% falling into higher rep ranges (12+).
I wouldn’t get too carried away with the light, high rep stuff to “build endurance.” You don’t need to turn your strength training into an endurance activity. The running and cycling itself will provide you with plenty of sport specific endurance. Use the weight room instead to train those qualities that running and cycling neglect.
Spend most of your time lifting between 70 and 90% of a true or estimated 1RM (1 repetition maximum, or the most you could lift for 1 rep). In my opinion there is no reason for a runner or cyclist to ever do a true 1RM in the gym. The risk to reward ratio isn’t high enough for me to feel comfortable recommending it to most runners and cyclists. Save that stuff for the powerlifters.
The same can be said about lifting to failure, especially technical failure (the point when your form breaks down) on compound lifts like presses, squats, and deadlifts. You will get all the benefits of strength training leaving a rep or two in the tank, and save your body from excessive muscle soreness and lower your risk of injury.
Once you have built a good base and want to lift heavier, a good rule of thumb is to leave 1-3 reps in reserve on most lifts. That means that by the end of a set you should feel like you could still do 1-3 more reps with good form, but probably not much more than that. So if the program calls for 3x10, you’d pick a weight that you could probably do for around 12 or 13 reps, but that’s it. If it’s 4x3, you’d probably want to pick a weight you could safely do at least 4 or 5 reps with.
So how much weight should a runner or cyclist lift? As often, the answer is “it depends.” I still think that most people should progress to lifting “heavy,” but it’s important to remember that heavy is relative. There are some nice standards to work towards, but it is all dependent on your age (and training age), goals, comfort level, and injury history. When in doubt, focus on moving moderate to heavy (for you) weights with good form and control, for sets of 5-10 reps, and leave at least a rep or two in the tank.