Strength training for cyclists: what heavy lifting did in the trials, the four lifts they used, and a week

Strength training for cyclists means heavy lifting, mostly for the legs, added to the riding. A 2026 meta-analysis pooled 17 studies in 262 cyclists aged 18 or older, 60 of them women, with programs of 5 to 25 weeks and one to three sessions a week. Against riders who only rode, heavy strength training at 80% of a one-rep max or more improved cycling performance in time trials and time-to-exhaustion tests, cycling efficiency and anaerobic power. It didn't change maximal oxygen uptake. The authors rated the certainty of the evidence as low.¹

A 2014 review of strength training for runners and cyclists reached the same place by a different road: heavy strength training is the kind recommended for cycling economy, and the most compelling evidence for an added effect on cycling performance comes from heavy lifting.² It's a page about what trained riders added in the trials, not a promise about your next ride.

What the trials in cyclists did

• Twelve weeks, twice a week. In 20 well-trained cyclists, one group added four lower-body exercises, 3 sets of 4 to 10 reps at a weight they could lift no more than that many times, twice a week for 12 weeks. Against the group that only rode, it gained more maximal force and more peak power in a 30-second sprint test, and its average power in a 40-minute all-out trial improved; the riding-only group's 40-minute result only tended to improve.³
• The same result in women. In 19 well-trained female cyclists, 11 weeks of heavy strength training added to normal endurance training improved average power in a 40-minute all-out trial and cycling economy; the riding-only group didn't change.⁴
• One lift, eight weeks. In competitive road cyclists, the group that added half squats, 4 sets of 4 at the heaviest weight they could lift 4 times, three times a week for 8 weeks, raised its one-rep max 14.2%, improved cycling economy 4.8% and lasted 17.2% longer at its starting maximal aerobic power. Thirteen riders finished, eight of them in the squat group.⁵

The lifts for cyclists

Five trials in the meta-analysis, including the 12-week, women's and in-season trials on this page, used the same four lifts: the half squat, the one-leg leg press, one-leg hip flexion and ankle plantar flexion, which is a calf raise.¹ Here they are with the pages that teach them; the substitutes are practical.

A Romanian deadlift and a little core work are practical extras, not trial lifts. How much weight to lift covers picking a load for sets of 4 to 10.

Off-season and in-season weeks

Lift twice a week off-season, then once a week in season, as one small trial did. In six well-trained cyclists who lifted twice a week for 12 weeks and then once a week for the first 13 weeks of the race season, the once-a-week sessions kept the strength they had gained, and from the start of the 12 weeks to 13 weeks into the season their maximal aerobic power and 40-minute average power improved more than in riders who only rode.⁶ The days below are a practical layout.

Keep the heavy legs away from the day before intervals or a race. Cardio and lifting covers order and timing, and the stationary bike workout has indoor sessions.

Common questions

Can cyclists do strength training at home?

Some of it. The trials used heavy loads,¹ which body weight alone doesn't give two legs. Practically, one leg at a time gets closer: Bulgarian split squats, step-ups and single-leg calf raises, with a loaded backpack or dumbbells once body weight is easy. The home gym workout plan shows what a little equipment adds.

Is strength training for cyclists over 50 different?

The meta-analysis tested age along with the riders' other characteristics and found no moderating effect, but its study groups averaged about 20 to 51 years,¹ so it doesn't answer the question for riders over 50 directly. Starting to lift later is covered on strength training over 40.

Should cyclists lift heavy or light?

Heavy, in the trials: 80% of a one-rep max or more in the meta-analysis,¹ and the 2014 review recommends heavy strength training for cycling economy.² A 2018 meta-analysis across running, cycling, cross-country skiing and swimming found training for maximal force did more than other intensities.⁷

Will lifting make me worse on the bike?

Not in the trials on this page: the riders who lifted improved their 40-minute power, while the riders who only rode didn't change or only tended to improve,^3,4 and the meta-analysis found no significant effect on maximal oxygen uptake.¹

If you'd rather have the week planned

Two lifting days fit around riding only when they land on the right days, and that's a scheduling problem as much as a training one. Coaching here is general strength and fitness coaching, not cycling coaching: your workouts are built around the days you actually have, and a weekly call looks at the week you just had and rebuilds the next one around what's coming. How coaching works explains it, and apply is the first step. Otherwise: do the four lifts twice this week, after your two easiest rides.