Cycling Benefits

Performing lower-body weight training two to three times per week over eight to 20 weeks improves leg strength and both time-trial and sprint performance. While it is easy to solely attribute these cycling performance improvements to increases in leg strength, the associated improvements in cycling economy (the oxygen cost of cycling) and efficiency (the energy cost of cycling) that result from Strength & Conditioning training, are among the underlying factors. Therefore, by increasing lower-body strength and reducing the oxygen and energy cost of cycling, Strength & Conditioning training increases both aerobic (endurance) and anaerobic (explosive) cycling performance.

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Bone health

The density of your bones changes over time, with peak bone density occurring between 20 and 30 years of age, followed by a perpetual steady decline as part of the aging process. As individuals with relatively low bone density have an increased risk of bone fractures, exercise and sport participation is recommended for improving bone density.

While cycling is a healthy exercise mode, several research studies have reported that cyclists have either lower or the same bone density as sedentary individuals, which may or may not be due to the low impact nature of cycling. Regardless of the cause, low bone density in cyclists is concerning because crashing is an unfortunate part of cycling, as is the occasional fall in day-to-day life. Therefore, it is recommended that cyclists engage in weight training to improve their bone density, ultimately helping reduce their risk of bone fractures.

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Maintaining function

The decline of muscle mass and strength typically commences in adulthood and continues throughout your lifespan as part of the aging process. This steady decline leads to reduced physical function, decreasing an individual’s ability to tolerate life stressors and increasing susceptibility to catastrophic life events. Therefore, Strength & Conditioning training should be considered a valuable tool for combating the adverse effects of aging due to its ability to help maintain physical function and increase physiological resilience.

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Pain and injury prevention

As prolonged cycling is inherently fatiguing, with elements such as sprinting and climbing increasing the demand and subsequent fatigue of core musculature, the risk of knee pain or injury likely increases while fatigued. Therefore, engaging in Strength & Conditioning training designed to improve core strength, and reduce core fatigability, is warranted for reducing knee pain and injury risk in cyclists. Lastly, given the above benefits of Strength & Conditioning training and their positive effect on cycling economy and efficiency (which moderates fatigue), it is unsurprising that world-leading research, has highlighted the importance of lower-body strength for improving a Cyclists ability to tolerate relatively high training loads and reduce injury.

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Conclusion

Some Strength & Conditioning training can improve cycling performance, reduce injury risk, and help maintain physical function throughout the aging process. These effects are primarily due to improvements in lower-body strength, bone density, and cycling economy and efficiency. Performing two to four lower-body weight training exercises, combined with core exercises targeting the trunk and hip musculature, is enough to elicit a cycling performance response over eight to 20 weeks. However, while much of these improvements are due to high intensity (relatively high weight) sessions, we will ensure your Strength & Conditioning training intensity is appropriate to your physical function and training proficiency .

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