Strength Training for Cyclists – Yes or No??

Should you as a cyclist spend time in the weight room engaging in strength training? 

There’s an ongoing debate regarding this issue.  I’ll provide my input here.

I advocate strength training in these circumstances:

1. Master’s athletes (older than 40) should lift year round to maintain muscle mass.  Our bodies naturally lose muscle mass as we age, so consistent strength training allows us to slow down this process. 

2.  Off-season training, especially early off-season.  Cycling does not provide the opportunity for balanced muscular effort.  Lifting in the off-season allows us to balance muscular strength and focus on the areas neglected by cycling, especially athletes who are primarily road cyclists.

3.  Athletes with nagging injuries.  Injuries are often the result of muscle imbalances, so like point #2 above, strength training helps balance.

4.  Athletes who are very tall and/or very lean, and those with very little muscle mass. 

5.  Those athletes who love to lift, and those who cycle as a hobby, and who don’t care about the increased bodyweight.

6.  MTB riders require more upper body and core strength, so I recommend these riders strength train, at least until they get close to a key competition.

A body of scientific research shows limited benefit to lifting, and how it might benefit cycling-specific strength.  Increase squatting strength, for example, proves that the athlete can squat more weight.  However, very little of this translates to increase power on the bicycle.  So if I have an athlete lift in the gym, I will typically have the athlete lift and perform on-bike strength work on the same day. 

And I am a strong believer in multi-joint and total body exercise every session.  Likewise, I do NOT recommend any sinlge-joint exercises, such as curls, leg extensions, etc.  Unless of course these exercises have been recommended by a health care provider to correct an imbalance, etc.

I DO NOT recommend weight room strength work for cyclists in these circumstances:

1.   An athlete who already possesses a heavily muscled body type.

2.  A cyclist who is very limited on training time.

3.  A rider who is getting close to the competitive season.

4.  A rider who is concerned about adding weight to their body, especially their upper body.  This weight will negatively affect their power-to-weight ratio, which is so critical, especially to road riders who ride hill climbs.

I do, however, recommend that all cyclists train their core year round. 

There you go, my thoughts on strength training.  Add your comments below.