Weight training and cycling: strength in numbers

No matter how complex we make the issue, one thing remains: cycling involves pushing and pulling on cranks. In this sense, it is an eminently muscular sport; the many muscles involved in pedaling must work in perfect synergy.

That's precisely why strength training sessions are so beneficial for cyclists: they improve technical performance. Each pedal stroke becomes a little more efficient, allowing you to gain a few precious watts here and there. You'd be crazy not to take advantage of it!

How does it work?

The muscles involved in pedaling, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings, are composed of a bundle of fibers that activate simultaneously to cause contractions. These contractions are dictated by the brain, which transmits its commands through special nerves called motor neurons.

Weight training essentially improves this mechanism. Muscle fibers hypertrophy, more fibers are recruited, and nerve impulses travel faster. In short, you become stronger.

This explains why, for example, a strong cyclist tires less quickly than a weak cyclist when faced with the same resistance. While the former uses more than 50% of their available muscle fibers, the latter can barely mobilize 30 to 40%. That's a huge difference.

To do at home

When cycling, the muscles around the hip, knee, and ankle contract in a concentric manner—they contract while shortening. The strength training exercises chosen, as well as how they are performed, must therefore respect this contraction pattern. Good news for those who dislike the gym: many of these exercises can be done at home, on a simple floor mat.

The squat is certainly one of the most rewarding exercises for cyclists. A good half squat (100 degrees at the knee maximum) works the quadriceps and glutes, which are heavily involved in the pushing phase of pedaling.

Deadlifts (glutes), front and side lunges (quadriceps), and good old push-ups (upper body) are all exercises that should be part of a cyclist's routine. The video on the left provides some tips on how to perform them correctly.

Also be careful with core, which should not be neglected! Although they are not directly involved in pedaling, the abdominals and lower back muscles are nonetheless important. The stronger they are, the better the support on the saddle, which means more direct energy transfer to the pedals.

Various exercises are very effective in strengthening them, such as the abdominal plank, the bird dog , or certain yoga poses such as navasana (boat pose). The video on the right demonstrates a few of them. 

Indoor sessions

There's no way around it: lifting weights pays off. And here, you have no choice but to go to the gym—unless you have a leg press machine at home.

When starting a weight training program at the gym, the sessions are mainly used to get the body used to this type of training. This involves exercises performed with light or moderate weights, in several sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, with relatively short rest periods ( 30 to 60 seconds).

Then, as you progress (two sessions per week are sufficient), you gradually move towards heavier weights. During these power development sessions, you can do as little as 3 sets of 3 to 5 repetitions with long rest periods (3 to 8 minutes).

Mixed sessions

Several muscle-strengthening exercises can also be performed on the bike, such as pedaling with one leg or performing sprints at high speed (over 120 RPM) and low speed (80 RPM and under).

However, the ideal approach is to supplement traditional weight training sessions with cycling. This combination allows you to directly transfer the gains you are seeking to achieve in the gym to your cycling technique. There is nothing more specific—and more fun, since you are still pedaling, after all!

Curious about what a mixed session entails? Come see us: at Vélo Cartel, we offer classes that combine strength training and cycling. A must for improving your fitness this winter.

Robert Förstemann, track cyclist