Traditional vs Loaded Movement Training

Tommy Yau

It has been a while since my last article, and 2016 in particular has been a great year for me with the opening of my high-performance gym, Muve, in the heart of Singapore. My training facility has a mix of tools to match traditional and progressive training systems, built to the design of unique individuals and specific goals, whether starting out or competitive. Muve is also the official training center for the Singapore Cycling Federation! So, I thought I would take this opportunity to present you with a program that is aimed at enhancing performance for cycling, with the main focus of the training being based specifically around:

  • where traditional training meets Loaded Movement Training
  • focusing on the movement before increasing any acute variables
  • driving all motion through gravity to ground reaction force
  • ensuring muscles are being stretched to shorten
  • driving all motion through the ankle and hip complex
  • having a great, fun workout!

ViPR cycle exercises 1

Cycling requires a great deal of power from the legs and glutes. Mixing traditional squat routines with some progressive ViPR lateral shift motions will help cyclists improve muscle activation from the sagittal plane to the frontal plane. This will be useful for cyclists when they are performing climbs and sprints.

ViPR cycle exercises 2

The main aim here is to take advantage of gravity and ground reaction force. The picture on the left shows a traditional squat, whilst the picture on the right shows an explosive ViPR lift, driving from the feet to the hips, in order to generate explosive power.

More power in strength training = more watts produced on the bike.

ViPR cycle exercises 3

Here, we are mixing a series of box jumps in order to create explosive power. The picture on the left shows a standard plyo box jump, whilst the picture on the right shows a more skilled demand, using ViPR to challenge feet, eye and hand co-ordination. This is useful for cyclists when they are riding in a pack and attempting to do a break-away, utilizing explosive power to the finish line.

Tommy Yau

Director, Muve Fitness

Singapore Cycling Federation Strength and Conditioning Coach
(ViPR, TRX, Hyperwear SandBell®, Watt Bike, Power Plate, Dynamax Ball, BOSU, Trigger Point SMRT CORE and Lebert Training Systems Master Trainer)