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5 Gym Exercises Proven To Make You A Faster Cyclist

Global Cycling Network

371,490 views

Should you go to the gym to get a benefit on your bike? And if so, how do you make the most of your time there? In this video, we break down the ultimate list of gym exercises proven to boost your performance & make you a faster cyclist. Plus, we speak to Bent Rønnestad, physiologist and professor to discuss the structure of your training. 💪

But there's also a reason why strength training might not be for you... Check out the video to find out which camp you fall into!

⏱️ Timestamps: ⏱️
00:00 How To Become A Better Cyclist With Strength Training
00:22 Benefits Of Strength Training For Cyclists
01:24 The 4 Key Exercises
02:08 The Warm Up
03:29 Squat
05:14 Single Leg Press
06:31 Calf Raise
07:30 Hip flexor strengthening exercise
08:19 Bulgarian Split Squat
09:37 How To Structure Your Sessions & Training
11:49 How Can You Optimise Your Training For The Bike? And Who Should Avoid It?
13:39 Recap

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Will you incorporate some strength training into your routine? 💪 And what did you think of Si & Dan's technique? 🤭

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📹 Did 90 Days Of Weight Training Make Me A Better Cyclist? 👉 Did 90 Days Of Weight Training Make Me A B...
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20 Comments

@gcn Creator 1 year ago Pinned

Will you incorporate some strength training into your routine? 💪 And what did you think of Si & Dan's technique? 🤭

@DucaRedM 1 year ago (edited)

Nice video. Only comment I'd make is that for many leg exercises, you'd be better using shoes with flat/firm soles, rather than big bouncy running/fitness shoes. Important for stability and safety.

@cophi501 1 year ago (edited)

did not expect Dan to be doing 100kg single leg press, attaboy mate!

@josephlaviolette146 1 year ago

Cycling performance aside, everyone should do this for impact resistance and injury prevention. Also it's very beneficial for overall health and longevity. More so than cardio. Don't skip the gym. You'll be a more rounded human

@blackcyclist 1 year ago

I'm a cyclist without the typical "cyclist's body". Yes add strength training to your cycling training. Doesn't have to be weights, you can also use resistance bands. Have a decent balance between strength & cardio & remember that rest is a vital part of recovery & growth. Works for me, but what do I know. Have fun with whatever it is you decide to do & stay consistent. 🥰✊🏾

@crobbw 1 year ago

Speed on the bike isn’t important to me, stamina and endurance are. At 66 I am strength training to maintain and build as much muscle as I can while I can as the science shows that the metabolic health benefits helps stave off dementia as we age. If it improves my cycling well that’s great but I am willing to prioritize muscle mass over cycling performance.

@frazergoodwin4945 1 year ago (edited)

Just before lockdown I took note of Dylan Johnson's proselytizing the benefits of lifting and bought a squat rack. Great timing as it turned out! Cheap weights and a simple rack and bench alongside repurposed soft nursery floor tiles the kids had grown out of gave me a colourful lifting area of my own. I do try and use it regularly - at the moment I'm entering a build phase so will do two sessions a week but otherwise I do try and do one session a week. As an older rider (61yr) its even more vital not just for my performance on the bike but also to maintain both muscle mass and bone density with my cardio work being on the bike....

@katieoflaherty4860 1 year ago (edited)

Hey! As a competitive powerlifter who has done some strength training coaching and loves cycling, thankyou so much for making this video! Overall, a really well explained approach to lifting, and super super useful for beginners to get into it.
If I may, just to add a couple of points:
1) You mention plyometrics at the start-because of the high injury risk putting several times your body weight through your joints, it pays to not do plyometrics as a beginner, or until you can squat at least your own body weight well!
2) It’s a good idea to squat in flat shoes (think converse) or just in socks-squishy soled shoes can create high shear forces through your joints as soon as your foot becomes slightly off balance (as the foam gives way even more!) creating a higher injury risk and unstable platform to push off of.
3) For strength training, the golden rule is progressive overload. I’m slightly confused about the continuously decreasing reps recommended (unless the weights are correspondingly increasing); overall to get stronger, over time you either way to increase your reps, increase the working weight, or improve your technique.
Thanks again for such a great video, I’ve been really enjoying all the content recently!

@mommamooney 1 year ago

I’m surprised deadlifts weren’t included. My PT highly recommends them for tight hips

@thechadfords 1 year ago

How about an episode on back health for cyclists? From form on the bike through to strengthening exercises (core).

@HeibesHealth 1 year ago

To turn up the intensity of a step-up, make sure the foot that’s on the floor only has the heel touching the floor. This will prevent you from using that foot to push yourself up on the step and loads that single leg that’s stepping up without using your other foot for assistance.

@TheCyclingCardio 1 year ago

Single leg press and Bulgarian split squat is the one that I kept throughout the build period and race season

@stevenm8503 1 year ago

Nice touch adding the warning about fatigue and grumpiness.

@sherriiwaschuk3826 1 year ago

This is a good start. I’m a 61 year old woman who committed to 2-3 sessions of resistance training each week for 6 months now. In order to accommodate the time I ride less. According to Strava I’ve just recorded my highest 5 min power output since 2017 when I was 53 years old! I do 2 things differently than you suggested: each session is a full body session (important if you want to control your front end on the narly trails of BC, Canada) and I definitely include a healthy dose of deadlifts. These 2 things help create full body tension which is important when you want to put the hammer down (or lift your front wheel up and over a log).

@josephpessano 10 months ago

I love the movements you have shown, however, the biggest thing missing is upper body strength. You can do upper body work without gaining size, and the benefits are far reaching, like; helping with posture, riding in challenging positions longer, and greater power transfer into the legs. For the Bulgarian split squat you demonstrate, the body position you demonstrate will target more quad. Keeping the hands in the starting and finishing position at the same height as the knee will target more glute. Riders need more glute work. For the single leg press, the higher the foot is on the platform, the more glute you will get, lower on the platform - more quad. When performing the warm up as well as the working set, focus as a beginner on, fast eccentric/slow concentric. As you become a more advanced lifter, playing with tempo is a great way to change routine without needing to increase weight or sets or reps. Keep up the great work

@theresas8997 1 year ago

I loved this video, strength is so important as we age. My only advice is don't do squats inside the rack like that because as you can't expel the bar off your shoulders if you fail the lift.

@chrisridesbicycles 1 year ago

Strength training gave me a good step forward, especially in combination with low cadence work, seated sprints from low cadence to be precise. The second does not train strength as such but improves coordination and the use of it.

@Atamanxxxvii 1 year ago

Banging exercise selection. Though I'd still put a hip hinge movement in there. Strengthening those spinal erectors and posterior chain is great for reducing back pain on the bike and allowing you to be lighter on the handlebars too.

@txs919 1 year ago

Something key missed is to track your sessions and ensure you're increasing the weight week on week in your working sets, any exercise, let alone the best won't be effective without it!