5 Must Do Strengthening Exercises For Cyclists

If you’re like me, few things in life bring as much joy as riding your bike. If your schedule allowed, you’d probably spend several hours each day on the saddle. But, for most of us, that’s just not possible. Knowing your time is already limited, it’s easy to see where additional training in the gym or at home with weights is unlikely to be at the forefront of your mind. After all, you have professional commitments, family responsibilities, and countless other demands on your time.  

Given these challenges, you might wonder if dedicating time to strength training is worth it. The short answer is absolutely. Strength training isn’t just about getting stronger; it’s about increasing your power output, boosting bone density, and ensuring your body can handle the demands of the sport for years to come. In the remainder of this article, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about strength training and then cover the 5 must-do strengthening exercises for cyclists to maximize performance, limit the risk of injury, and keep you riding for years to come (4).

Introduction to Strength Training

Strength training is not always intuitive for cyclists. For a long time within the sport, the focus was simply on training as much as possible on the bike. There was a lot of skepticism about how one could improve speed or athletic performance on the bike through training off the bike. With this being the case, there is a large portion of cyclists who have a limited background in strength training. In a positive shift for the sport, strength training is now being seen as a crucial component for cyclists to improve their overall performance and health both on and off the bike.

Before we dive into the exercises, it’s important to have a broad level of understanding of how to train specifically for strength. You might be wondering, “isn’t all weight training the same as strength training?” Not quite. While all weight training involves resistance, how you train — such as the amount of weight, number of repetitions, number of sets, and rest times – determines the specific outcome.

Those outcomes, or adaptations, include strength, power, hypertrophy, and endurance, each with its own specific focus and outcome. I’ll highlight some of the key differences here:

• Strength: your muscle’s ability to generate force (ie. lifting 200 lbs off the ground)
• Power: your muscle’s ability to generate force within a certain time frame (ie. producing a quick burst of speed on the bike during a sprint)
  

  READ: STRENGTH VS POWER

• Hypertrophy: your muscle’s size
• Endurance: your muscle’s ability to perform an activity for an extended period (ie. long distance runners, cyclists, or someone doing a repetitive activity for hours)(2). 

Another common misconception among cyclists is that they should focus solely on endurance training. However, integrating strength training into your routine can lead to significant gains in power, efficiency, and overall cycling performance. The chart below will help to guide you on how to make sure you are targeting the intended adaptation:

Essentials of Strength and Conditioning, 4th Ed

Depending on where you are at in your strength training journey, here are a few additional resources for you to utilize:

• If you haven’t been exposed to strength training in the past, check out our podcast on how to begin strength training here!
• If you have spent time in the past strength training and want to track your progress, check out these cycling strength benchmarks for various lifts, as well as this strength training calculator to see how you stack up with your current training!
  

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What Muscles Should Cyclists Be Strength Training?

Let’s consider what muscles cyclists utilize the most. The first muscles that often come to mind are the quadriceps and hamstrings.

• The quadriceps, often affectionately referred to as the quads, are a group of four muscles (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius) are responsible for bending the knee and flexing the hips.
• The hamstrings, on the other hand, are a group of three muscles (biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus) responsible for flexing the knee and extending the hips.

With a large majority of the pedal stroke motion on the bike coming from the hips and knees, it’s no wonder there is so much emphasis placed on these large muscles.

Although these muscles indeed play a vital role on the bike, we can’t overlook the other muscles that are needed to maximize our comfort and performance while riding. These other supporting, or ‘accessory muscles’ include our glutes, calves, adductors, and core. This chart shows muscle activation across the pedal stroke for cyclists to get a better idea of what muscles are being used and when, helping to highlight the importance of training all these muscles, not just the big names. Of particular note, the muscles controlling your ankle position play a fairly significant role, especially on the upstroke (3).

Electromyographic analysis of pedaling (3)

“Must-Do” Strengthening Exercises For Cyclists

Each of the following exercises are broken down by the primary muscles that the exercise focuses on, why it is effective, as well as how it can benefit you specifically as a cyclist. 

#1 Side Plank with hip abduction: This exercise targets the gluteus medius and core muscles. A 2009 study by Distefano et al looked at electrical muscle signals during several different glute strengthening exercises to determine which exercises were the most effective. They found the side plank with hip abduction to be more effective than several clamshell variations, as well as more than lunges. Additionally, this exercise will engage the core to focus on stability, which is crucial when it comes to handling on the bike (1).

Check out some more great exercises that focus on the glutes HERE!

#2 Single Leg RDLs: This exercise primarily targets the hamstrings. Depending on your pedaling style, you may have certain muscles that are more dominant than others. A very common presentation for cyclists is quad dominance. These individuals are described or classified as “pushers,” who don’t fully utilize the hamstring during the pedal stroke. This imbalance can be corrected through focused on-bike training and specific hamstring strengthening exercises like the single leg RDL. The single leg RDL isolates the hamstring, while also challenging single leg stability and lateral strength of each leg. Whenever possible, incorporating single leg focus is beneficial for cyclists as cycling is a repetitive single leg sport.

#3 Goblet Squats: This exercise primarily targets the quads, arguably the most active muscle for cyclists on the saddle. It also engages the glutes, hamstrings, and core, making it an excellent all-around lower-body exercise. All cyclists should be performing some variation of the squat. When it comes to the goblet squat, some specific benefits include increased depth and control throughout the motion. When performed at full depth, this exercise can also be a great way to improve hip and ankle mobility. Greater mobility at these joints can lead to more efficient pedaling mechanics and as a result, reduce injury risk. Additionally, goblet squats are a great starting point for those new to strength training, as they build the foundational strength needed for more advanced exercises like barbell squats.

#4 Step up to reverse lunge: This exercise is a powerful compound movement that targets the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. Combining these two movements can help to drastically improve unilateral strength, which is crucial for cyclists. The step up portion focuses more on the quads, glutes, and calves, whereas the reverse lunge portion engages the glutes and hamstrings. Multi-step exercises such as this can improve your coordination, as well as overall stability and balance on the bike, making it easier to navigate technical terrain or maintain control during high-intensity efforts

#5 Renegade Row: This exercise focuses on bicep strength and core stability. Cycling demands a lot more from the upper extremity than we might initially think. Whether its long rides, or intense climbs, being able to maintain solid posture and control handling while riding often comes down to upper body strength. A strong upper body helps you stay balanced and reduces fatigue, allowing you to ride more efficiently and comfortably for longer periods. By incorporating the renegade row into your routine, you not only build the necessary upper body strength for better bike handling but also enhance overall stability, which is crucial for peak performance on the bike.

Conclusion

Strength training for cyclists doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming, but it is essential for enhancing performance and reducing the risk of injury. Incorporating just 2-3 sets of roughly 6 reps per exercise can effectively build strength, as long as you use a challenging weight that allows you to maintain good form. While focusing on key muscle groups like the quads and glutes is a great starting point, to truly optimize your strength training, it’s important to include exercises that target accessory muscles such as the calves, adductors, hip flexors, and core. Strengthening these supporting muscles enhances your overall stability, power, and endurance, making you better equipped to handle the demands of cycling, whether it’s maintaining posture during long rides, powering through intense climbs, or improving your bike handling skills. In the long run, this well-rounded approach to strength training will pay off by making you a stronger, more efficient, and more resilient cyclist. (5).

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Resources:

1. Distefano LJ, Blackburn JT, Marshall SW, Padua DA. Gluteal muscle activation during common therapeutic exercises. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009 Jul;39(7):532-40. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2009.2796. PMID: 19574661.
2. Baechle, Thomas. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 4th ed., Human Kinetics, 1989
3. Hug F, Dorel S. Electromyographic analysis of pedaling: a review. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2009 Apr;19(2):182-98. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2007.10.010. Epub 2008 Feb 21. PMID: 18093842.
4. Rønnestad BR, Hansen J, Hollan I, Ellefsen S. Strength training improves performance and pedaling characteristics in elite cyclists. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2015 Feb;25(1):e89-98. doi: 10.1111/sms.12257. Epub 2014 May 27. PMID: 24862305.
5. Vikmoen O, Rønnestad BR. A Comparison of the Effect of Strength Training on Cycling Performance between Men and Women. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2021 Mar 17;6(1):29. doi: 10.3390/jfmk6010029. PMID: 33803041; PMCID: PMC800622
6. https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/coach-chads-strength-training-recommendations-for-cyclists/
7. https://www.trainerroad.com/strength-training-calculator

About the Author

John Schaefer

PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS