Cycle Commute

[mmcgregor]

Hi,

I usually bicycle to work 5 days a week March - October and I have a really hard time advancing my lifts during that period. It's 18 miles round trip so it understandably has a big impact. I've made great progress in the last 4 months on a upper/lower 4 day split, but as I'm gearing up to start cycling again what is the best approach to continue with a lifting program?

Thanks,

[Michael Wolf]

Why don't you just not cycle for your commute? It seems like you know what the issue is, but want to have the best of both worlds, have your cake and eat it too. If the training is more important, drive or get a ride or whatever you need to do. At least a few days a week. I assume that's what you do the other part of the year. If not, then you'll spend half the year training in less than ideal circumstances where you're cycling, I'm guessing, 8-12 hours a week.

"There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs." - Thomas Sowell

[57bergstrm]

Get an electrical bike then you save energy for recovery[emoji106]

[porcopedico]

Electrify your bicycle. I did that for my commute bike and depening on leg day or not I regulate assistance accordingly to just be warmed up and not worn out.

[mmcgregor]

The short answer is I enjoy life better when i get to bike to work and I'm willing to sacrifice some lifting progress during the summer months for the other benefits i get from cycling.

Ideally I'd like to make hay in the winter when I'm not cycling so my question is should i keep grinding with a regular program with less than ideal circumstances during the summer or can I take a different approach during that period?

Electric bike is a great option.

[Michael Wolf]

Oh you absolutely should take a different approach if you're cycling ~2 hours a day, 5 days a week in addition to your lifting. I think I may have misunderstood the intent of your original question. I'd probably do a 4 day split with a heavy/light approach on your SQ and DL, the heavy day being Sunday, which (I assume) is the day when you'll be best recovered from everything else to push heavy. So something like Tues/Thurs/Sat/Sun with Tues and Sat being upper body days and Thurs and Sun being lower for squat and deadlift, Sunday heavier and Thursday lighter. But understand that 10 hours of cycling a week is likely to make even the heavy days be only relatively heavy, but possibly not actual PRs, depending on a number of circumstances about you that I don't know.