Transitioning to off-season

I started to lift weights a little. My complete off-season starts with a focused periodized strength training program.

I of course am following the strength training plan from Dave Morris. If anyone has the book and wants my spreadsheet for organizing the strength training part let me know. The book is slightly confusing and it is helpful to set it up in a spreadsheet.

However it is extremely important to ease into to the strength training. This is especially crucial for those of us who's bodies are completely out of balance due to 100% sport specificity towards cycling.

My transition to the first real phase of strength training takes 3 weeks of progressive lifting 3x a week.

Let me give you an idea of what my first day was like:
-2x10 squats with NO weight
-10lbs chest press
-stiff-legged dead lift with 10lb dumbells.

And I was incredibly sore the next day. My second lifting session bumped it up a little but still used relatively very very light weights. Such as squating with the bar only 45lbs, and dead lifts with the bar only.

OMG I was really sore. And the next day my body started to pull a bionic woman on me and was rejecting the change in workout. Chills, aches, flu like symptoms I was literally in bed half of the day. But was totally fine the next day and went to my third lifting session.

Things continue like this till I can work up to 3x10 at a weight that will be just under my hypertrophy lifting levels. Then starts the 3-4 week hypetrophy phase.

It's sad the soreness given the utterly low amount of weight. But on the flipside my body begins to adapt quickly. It is very amazing how much weight I'll be lifting in a relatively short amount of time by the end of the strength phase.

Different this year is that I'm going to get out the jump rope and do some jumping at the gym. I love jumping rope but haven't done much of it since college. It's just a fun and very hard workout in a short amount of time...I can only last a few minutes right now.