Originally Posted by
wktmeow
I've always felt that my legs run out of steam well before I feel like my lungs or heart are maxed out. It could be that this is an illusion, but I haven't found much research into the effect on aerobic power of increasing muscle mass, so I'm just going to try it for my self. I can't compete with the good climbers even at my lightest, so I might as well try to get better at the flats. Since most of the racing here consists of criteriums anyway, worst case scenario is my FTP hits the same levels but I have a bigger sprint and anaerobic capacity, so my performance should still be better overall. If all goes well and adding 10-15 lbs of muscle can bring my FTP from the ~280-290 @ 145 lbs up to 300-310 @ 160 lbs, and get my sprint from ~1200 to 1400+, then I think it'll be worth the additional weight.
That's pretty much what I set out to do by joining the gym. I made sure to get month to month and told them I was gonna cancel in 3 months. Turned out I got addicted and focused solely on lifting for 18 months. Then the gyms closed, and I can't keep my motivation without heavy barbells. So far my FTP is about 90 watts lower than best ever, and weight 20 lbs higher than the racing years. Ideally I try and alternate focus like your plan, but I'm so freaking obsessive. Be warned though, adding mass really slows you down on the flats also. Broad arms and shoulders are like a parachute.