Strength Training for Cyclists: Why Heavy Lifting Makes You Faster 🏋️‍♂️🚴‍♂️

Bekim Christensen
Mar 29
4 min read

Heavy strength training with low repetitions (2–5 reps) can improve cycling performance by 5–7% in just 11–12 weeks.

And yet, most cyclists are still doing it wrong.

If you want to get faster on the bike, you don’t need more reps - you need more load.

The Biggest Mistake Cyclists Make

In cycling, there are a thousand opinions on what’s right and wrong, what’s optimal, and what the science actually says - and it never ends…

For decades, cyclists have approached strength training the same way:

3–4 months during the off-season
2–3 sessions per week
3 sets of 10–20 reps
Training to full exhaustion

You know the feeling - the burn, the lactate, the legs completely destroyed. It feels productive because it mimics hard cycling sessions.

Most cyclists have a love–hate relationship with that feeling. If you can barely walk after a workout, it must have been effective… right?

Not necessarily.

What the Science Actually Shows

Research is very clear:

Heavy strength training improves power output, endurance, and efficiency
It enhances both sprint performance and threshold power
It improves time to exhaustion
And importantly, it can do so without significant weight gain

A Norwegian study on female duathletes showed that adding heavy strength training twice per week improved performance.

A Norwegian study by Øyvind Støren et al. demonstrated:

+33% increase in maximal strength
~5% improvement in running economy
+20% improvement in time to exhaustion

A study conducted on the Danish national cycling team has also shown improvements in both performance and muscle fiber composition.

👉 If you want to get faster on the bike, you don’t need more reps - you need more load.

My Wake-Up Call

An accident often serves as a wake-up call.

That was the case for me when my partner, Fie Østerby, crashed and fractured her femur. During her rehabilitation, heavy strength training (2–5 reps) was introduced early on.

For two reasons:

To improve bone density
To become a stronger cyclist

This completely changed my understanding of strength training.

Why Heavy Strength Training Works

In the gym, we focus on what we cannot train on the bike.

Maximal Force Production

Even at low cadence (e.g., 50 RPM), you are nowhere near the force required to perform 2–5 reps with very heavy weight.

Low-cadence training is useful - but not comparable.

Heavy strength training:

Recruits maximum muscle fibers
Trains the nervous system
Builds real strength

Common Misconception: “I Strength Train on the Bike”

“Yeah, but I do low cadence training, so I don’t need the gym.”

This is a major misconception.

Even at 50 RPM, you cannot replicate:

The load
The neuromuscular demand
The fiber recruitment

👉 The best results come from combining both.

How to Structure Your Strength Training

Phase 1 – Adaptation (3- 6 weeks)

10–15 reps
~5 RIR
Focus on technique
Start light

Phase 2 – Strength Development (2 - 4 weeks)

8–10 reps
4–5 RIR
2–3 sessions per week

Phase 3 – Maximal Strength

2–5 reps
2–5 RIR
2–3 sessions per week

👉 Maintain 1 session per week in-season to keep strength.

Machines vs Free Weights

There will always be debate.

Machines are often better for cyclists because:

You can lift heavier safely
You can target muscles precisely

Stability work can be trained separately.

Avoid This Critical Mistake

Strength training is not like FTP.

👉 More weight does NOT automatically mean better performance.

Train smart - not ego-driven.

Don’t Train to Failure

Avoid going to failure.

Instead:

Use Reps in Reserve (RIR)
4–5 RIR on easy days
1–2 RIR on hard days

👉 Never full exhaustion.

Rest Is Where the Magic Happens

Muscles recover in 60–90 sec
Nervous system needs 3–4 minutes

👉 Take long rest periods.(minimum 3-4minutes)

Will You Gain Weight?

Yes - slightly.

But:

Strength increases significantly
Weight gain is minimal
Sometimes none

Don’t Turn Rest Days Into Stress Days

Many cyclists:

Train hard on rest days
Stay fatigued
Risk overtraining

👉 Look at total stress, not just training stress (TSS).

Not All Strength Training Is the Same

This is where most cyclists get it wrong.

With traditional high-rep strength training (10–20 reps):

You create massive muscular fatigue
You get sore legs for days
It negatively impacts your cycling sessions

👉 That type of training is simply too demanding to combine with quality riding.

Heavy Strength Training Is Different

With low reps and heavy loads (2–5 reps):

You create less metabolic fatigue
You avoid excessive soreness
You recover faster

This means you can:

Strength train on rest days without ruining recovery
Even strength train on a training day
Still perform high-quality interval sessions

The Key Difference

High-rep training = fatigue-based
Low-rep training = nervous system + strength

👉 That’s why heavy strength training actually fits into a cycling program—while traditional “endurance strength” often destroys it.

Best Time of Day to Train

Morning is optimal:

Higher testosterone
Higher growth hormone

Best setup:

Strength in the morning
Cycling later(if you do low rep strength training you can even do intervals the same day)

👉 Keep it simple.

Maximize Your Results

Avoid shortly after training:

Stretching
Massage
Recovery boots
Electro-stimulation

These may reduce adaptations.

Key Terms Explained

1RM (One Rep Max)

Maximum weight you can lift once.

Failure

Maximum reps possible with a given weight.

H3: RIR (Reps in Reserve)

How many reps you could have done.

Reps

Number of repetitions.

Set

Number of rounds.

Super sets

Supersets are when you use the rest period between sets to train another muscle group.

For example, you might alternate between squats and chest exercises.

Final Takeaway

Cyclists have trained the same way for decades.

But the science is clear:

👉 Heavy strength training with low reps is the most effective way to improve cycling performance.

Not more reps.Not more fatigue.

Just smarter training. 🚀