Strength training for cyclists: what the research shows

The short answer

In trials of trained cyclists, heavy leg lifting 2 to 3 times a week raised power late in long rides and in 40 to 45 minute efforts, and body weight held steady in most trials. The lifting was heavy, with sets of 4 to 10 reps close to the most the rider could do. The 2 trials that found no gain added lifting on top of a full riding week, so where the lifting sits in your week matters too.

What the trials measured

Most of this research comes from small groups of trained and elite riders, measured before and after 8 to 25 weeks of heavy leg work added to their riding.

• Late in a long ride. Riders who added 2 heavy leg sessions a week for 12 weeks finished a 185 minute ride with a 5 minute all-out effort. Their power in that effort rose from 371 to 400 W (Rønnestad 2011).
• 40 to 45 minute efforts. Female cyclists raised 40 minute all-out power after 11 weeks (Vikmoen 2016). Young elite riders raised 45 minute endurance capacity 8% after 16 weeks (Aagaard 2011). Elite riders raised 40 minute power and peak aerobic power after 25 weeks (Rønnestad 2015).
• Economy. 8 weeks of heavy half squats raised cycling economy 4.8% and time to exhaustion 17% (Sunde 2010). Economy is the oxygen it costs to hold a given power, so better economy means the same watts for less.

After 12 weeks of lifting, riders' 5 minute all-out power at the end of a 185 minute ride rose from 371 W to 400 W.

VO2max held steady in the trials above. Strength rose, and in several trials so did the power riders could hold late in the effort.

Where the trials disagree

Not every trial found a gain, and the difference between them tells you something useful.

A 2010 review found 5 controlled trials in highly trained road riders. The 3 that replaced some riding with lifting improved performance. The 2 that added lifting on top of the riders' full training found no improvement (Yamamoto 2010). 2 of the 3 positive trials also included explosive work.

Results on cycling economy are mixed as well. Sunde and Vikmoen saw it rise. Rønnestad 2015 saw power rise while economy held steady. A small 20 week trial of maximal and explosive work raised strength and power at VO2max, with economy unchanged (Beattie 2017).

In practice, lifting helped when it replaced some riding rather than being added on top of a full week. Coaches apply this by putting lifting on an interval day or an easy day, rather than as an extra session stacked on a full week. That part is coaching practice; the trials did not test it directly.

Heavy, and fast on the way up

For cycling, heavy strength training is the mode with the evidence. Explosive work alone did not improve cycling economy in the trials reviewed by Rønnestad and Mujika (2014). Runners are different, since they gain from both heavy and explosive work.

The same review gives 2 cues that matter as much as the weight:

• Train the muscles and movements of the sport. For a rider, that means the legs that push the pedals.
• Move the weight up as fast as you can, even when it moves slowly. The intent to lift fast drives rate of force development: how quickly you can push.

The dose

Rønnestad and Mujika (2014) suggest:

• 2 sessions a week
• 2 to 3 sets of 4 to 10 rep max, with 2 to 3 minutes of rest
• about 12 weeks to build
• lighter loads first while you learn the lifts

Legs often feel heavy and sore in the first weeks. That fades with exposure, and it is the reason the review suggests starting low, ideally just after the race season.

Race season

Strength built in the off-season can be held with very little. In 1 trial, riders who kept 1 heavy, short leg session a week through a 13 week race season held the strength built over the 12 weeks before, and their 40 minute power improved more than in riders who only rode (Rønnestad 2010). The groups were small, 6 riders each, so treat this as a good sign rather than a settled answer.

Body weight

The common worry is weight on the climbs. Across 8 to 16 weeks of added strength work, total body mass held steady in the cyclists and runners studied, while the trained muscles grew about 3 to 6% (Rønnestad and Mujika 2014). That holds for most trials: 1 small trial reported a change in body mass without stating the direction in its abstract (Beattie 2017). Sunde 2010 reported body weight unchanged after 8 weeks of heavy squats.

Riders over 40, and bones

Masters endurance athletes gained more strength than young ones from 3 weeks of knee extensor training, and their cycling efficiency rose (Louis 2012). It was a small, short study, so read it as an early signal.

Bone health is the other reason to lift. Road cyclists have low bone density in key regions such as the lower spine (Olmedillas 2012). In active men with low bone mass (average age 44), 12 months of jumping or lifting raised spine density, and only lifting raised hip density (Hinton 2015). That trial was in non-cyclists, the closest tested group so far. A bone density scan is worth asking your doctor about if you have ridden for years.

How Peak Hybrid uses this

Strength for Cyclists runs 2 days a week, about 45 to 50 minutes each: a squat day and a trap bar day, with single-leg work, calves, a few jumps, and a short upper-body pair. You lift heavy for a few reps and stand up fast. Leg days fit around your key rides, and in race season Maintain mode keeps legs once a week. The research behind the plan is on the plans page.