---
aliases: ["New Strength Program"]
Is A: Project
Belongs to: "[[25q1]]"
Advances: "[[responsibility-health-fitness]]"
Status: Done
Owner: "[[person-luca-rossi]]"
---
# New Strength Program

## Overview

The [[24q4-cycling-year-review]] identified a clear gap: upper body and core strength were limiters on long climbs, and pure cycling volume was not addressing them. This project introduced a structured 12-week strength training program to complement the cycling training plan, with the primary goal of improving climbing performance and reducing injury risk for the 2025 season — specifically for [[2025-ride-stelvio]].

The program followed a progressive overload model with three sessions per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings), focusing on core stability, hip strength, and upper body endurance. The sessions were designed to be cycling-compatible — meaning they build functional strength without adding excessive muscle mass that would penalize climbing performance. The program ran from January through March 2025.

## Goals

- Complete a 12-week strength program with at least 85% session adherence
- Focus areas: core stability (planks, dead bugs, pallof press), hip strength (single-leg squats, hip thrusts), upper body endurance (rows, push-ups, shoulder press)
- Sessions capped at 45 minutes to fit before the work day
- Improve core endurance test (plank hold) from 2:00 to 3:00+ minutes
- No negative impact on cycling performance metrics (FTP, weekly TSS)

## Key decisions

- **Gym-based, not home-based.** Considered a bodyweight-only home program for convenience, but decided that gym access (barbells, cable machines) allows for more precise progressive overload. Signed up at a gym 10 minutes from home with early morning hours (opens 6:30 AM).
- **Three sessions per week, not two or four.** Two sessions would not provide sufficient stimulus for meaningful adaptation. Four would risk interfering with cycling recovery, especially during build-phase weeks. Three sessions, alternating between upper/lower focus, hit the sweet spot.
- **No heavy squats or deadlifts.** Traditional powerlifting movements build too much leg mass for a cyclist targeting climbing performance. Instead, focused on single-leg movements and moderate-weight, higher-rep schemes that build strength endurance rather than maximal strength.

## Notes

- Session adherence was 89% (32 of 36 planned sessions). The four missed sessions were all during a particularly heavy newsletter week in February. Built in makeup sessions the following week when possible.
- The plank hold test improved from 2:00 to 3:25 — well above the 3:00 target. More importantly, subjective feedback from early-season rides confirmed that upper body fatigue during long climbs was significantly reduced.
- [[person-paco-furiani]] joined for several sessions and followed a modified version of the same program. Training together added accountability and made the early morning sessions more tolerable.
- The biggest adaptation was not physical but scheduling. Finding 45 minutes three mornings per week while also cycling 8-10 hours per week and running a content business required ruthless calendar management. The key was treating strength sessions as non-negotiable appointments.
- No measurable negative impact on cycling FTP (remained at ~275W throughout the program). This confirmed that the moderate-weight, endurance-focused approach was compatible with cycling performance.
- The program transitions into a maintenance phase (2 sessions/week) during the peak cycling season. Detailed in [[topic-cycling-training]] notes.