Is it really possible that the most effective strength exercises for improving cycling sprint performance are not actually specific to cycling at all, but rather general exercises that can be applied to a wide range of sports and activities, and that the cycling communitys emphasis on exercises like squats and deadlifts is just a waste of time and a result of our tendency to overcomplicate things.
Can someone who has actually done the research and has real-world experience with sprint training explain to me why exercises like box jumps, resisted sprints, and traditional weightlifting exercises like the clean and jerk are never mentioned in the same breath as the usual suspects like squats and deadlifts, despite the fact that they are universally recognized as effective for improving explosive power and speed in other sports.
Is it not true that the only thing that really matters for sprint performance is being able to generate a lot of force quickly, and that the specific exercises you use to develop this ability are largely irrelevant.
If this is the case, then why are we still wasting our time with elaborate periodized training plans and fancy exercises that are supposedly specific to cycling, when we could just be doing a few simple exercises that actually work.