Strength Training for Cyclists: A Comprehensive Guide to Boosting Performance
Newsletter (#086)
Improving cycling performance often involves more than just spending endless hours on the bike. One highly effective way to gain an edge in your cycling is through structured strength training.
In today’s post, I'll walk you through my strength training session, which I do once or twice a week throughout the year to help me ride stronger, climb better, prevent injuries, and overall boost my cycling performance.
By following this regime, you'll be able to seamlessly integrate strength training with your cycling routine, without compromising your ride quality or increasing muscle fatigue. Let’s get started!
Core Stability Workouts
Core stability is essential in preventing lower back injuries, maintaining good posture on the bike, and engaging your core during climbs. Starting every workout with a core stability session helps activate your core muscles and engage your pelvic floor. Here's a step-by-step guide to your core routine:
1. Plank Exercise
- Shoulders in line with your hips and ankles
- Relax your neck
- Hold for one minute
- If one minute is too difficult, drop to your knees or hold for shorter periods and build up to a full minute.
2. Marching Exercise
- Pull your belly button into your spine
- Drive your back into the mat
- Lower your legs in a controlled manner
- Perform for one minute or three sets of 15 reps
3. Floor Bridge
- Feet close to your bum, toes off the floor if necessary to ensure glute engagement
- Touch your hamstrings to check for tightness; tightness indicates glutes are not sufficiently engaged.
4. Plank Variations
- Marching planks for obliques
- Walking planks
- Each variation for one minute
5. Crunches and Leg Raises
- Ensure your core is engaged
- Lift using your core to engage the lower abdominal muscles
Mobility Warm-up
After core stability, move into a mobility workout to prime your body for structured lifting. This warm-up increases muscle readiness and minimizes injury risk.
1. Squats
- Feet shoulder-width apart, chest up
- Squat to chair height
2. Forward and Backward Lunges
- Ensure stability and a 90-degree knee angle
- Switch between forward and backward lunges
3. Abductor Stretch
- Chest up, bum back
- Switch sides and twist to open up the muscles dynamically
Repeat the entire routine twice, slow and controlled.
The Main Workout
This session utilizes compound movements to engage multiple muscle groups:
1. Squats
- Start with a 20kg bar
- Perform 15 reps as a warm-up
- Move into 3 sets of 12 reps with a 1-2 minute rest in between
2. Walking Lunges or Weighted Lunges
- Isolate single-leg movements
- Perform 12 reps with a 2-minute rest in between
3. Bent Over Row and Chest Press
- Focus on upper body compound movements
- Perform 12 reps with a 2-minute rest in between
This workout should be done once or twice a week, depending on your cycling load. During the winter months, aim for two sessions a week to build a strong foundation. As cycling picks up in the summer, reduce to one session to maintain muscle mass.
Conclusion
Incorporating weight training into your cycling routine can lead to significant performance benefits. Aim for at least one strength session per week, increasing to two during less active cycling periods. This balanced approach will help you build strength and endurance, improving your overall cycling performance.
Let me know your thoughts on this workout and feel free to ask any questions in the comments below. Thank you for reading!
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