3 Weightlifting Strength Training Exercises For Cyclists

Cycling prowess isn’t just about getting regular and consistent road time. You’ll want to get off your bike and do some more targeted training if you want to up your game and improve week by week.

Weight training is an oft-neglected aspect of exercise regimes for cyclists, but this is a big mistake and could be what’s holding you back. Lifting will improve your cycling form and your general mechanics, make your riding style more efficient, improve your power and speed, and reduce the risks of injury and pain.

With this in mind, here are three weightlifting moves to incorporate into your training schedule if you want to hit your biking goals this year.

Squats

The squat is absolutely ideal for targeting your glutes, quads and hamstrings, all of which are important muscles for power transfer. 

Make sure that you maintain a flat back and core tension as you work, with your midfoot driving you upwards with your heels on the ground. Keep your thighs parallel to the floor. As time goes on, make it harder by doing weighted squats to prioritise strength building.

Squats will strengthen your gluteal muscles and stabilise you when you’re on your bike, supporting knee alignment and improving your handling skills.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are typically included in cycling strength training programmes because they target one of the most common movement patterns – the hinge. Deadlifts fire up the glutes and hamstrings, as well as getting the core engaged, with the posture similar to that which you’d assume on your bike.

Romanian deadlifts (straight-leg deadlifts) require a slight bend in the knees, which gets the hamstrings and glutes involved, with more of a hip hinge than you’ll get with a regular deadlift, so this is a good variation to include. For quad engagement, focus on the regular deadlift, which features a deeper bend in the knee.

Bent over rows

Bent over rows are a pulling exercise, targeting your back, arm and shoulder muscles, which will help strengthen and stabilise your upper body and core, giving you greater stability as you pedal and supporting you as you generate power.

Maintaining form is essential with this training exercise. Make sure you have fully supported spinal flexion so that your spine and shoulders don’t round as you lift the weights.

Over time, you’ll notice how this exercise helps you on your bike, tackling common issues that cyclists experience because of the forward-leaning position they adopt as they ride.