Cycling (Bike) and 5/3/1

Training 5/3/1
1

Hello:

I am a cyclist (bicycle) and started 5/3/1 this winter and I am on my 4th cycle. I have been making great progress, consistently breaking PR’s and feel motivated as hell. Thank you Jim, this shit is awesome.

Now that the weather is warming up, I’ve been wanting to get back on my bike… but I have been reading alot on the internetz about how endurance exercise kills gains, downregulates mTor, blah blah blah.

I usually commute to work 20 miles/3 days per week (1.5 hours cycling time) and do a long ride 50-60 miles on the weekend (3-4 hours cycling time).

I am pretty paranoid about protecting the gains I’ve made on 531 and progressing further. Can I combine these activities successfully? What strategies can I use to optimize everything (ie fasted cardio/just eat a fuckton/etc)?

Thanks again!

2

Have you considered using one of the 2 day a week templates? That way you could have plenty of recovery time between your cycling and lifting. I used the 2 day Template from Beyond and made some pretty solid gains over the Summer.

3

This is easy:

Maximize time in weight room.
Do the max/minimum you have to do on each lift.
Understand your recovery and adjust accordingly.

The last is one of the keys as it covers days per week, sets, reps, movements, as well as diet and rest, etc. You will have to do quite a bit of experimenting and you may lose strength at first. But once you get your schedule down, you will be fine.