How to get stronger legs for cycling

Whether you want to hang with the group on a group ride, or power up a hill, it’s no secret that you need strong legs for cycling.

But how should you build even more leg muscle for cycling? What should you do and when?

We’ll talk more about how to get stronger legs for cycling, and that includes how to combine strength training into your weekly cycling routine and the exercises that will help you increase your leg power for cycling.

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Now, if you’re worried about how to add another workout into your weekly routine, the good news is your strength routine doesn’t have to start with 30-minutes, 45-minutes, or bust.

You could start with 5-minutes of strength work, or maybe one strength move. Start with what you can do right now—try a set of lunges before you ride.

Once you’ve gotten into the groove of finishing one or two moves before or after your bike ride, add another exercise to keep your momentum going.

Let’s talk more about how strength training and cycling can look in a week for you. If you ride your bike 3 to 4 times a week, add your strength sessions on the days you’re not riding your bike.

Adding a strength training workout on a non-cycling day is a guideline. I don’t know how intense your bike ride will be or how long you plan to strength train, so I want you to check that your hard workout days are followed by an easy day to avoid an injury.

If you ride 5 to 6 times a week, your strength training workouts will probably fall on your cycling days.

Because of this, the fatigue from your strength session (if you did a long one) will carry over into your bike ride and vice versa.

Each workout you do will affect the other—do strength training first, and you might have fatigue on your bike ride; do your bike ride first, and you might have tired legs when you begin your strength work.

It is up to you to decide what you should do first—strength training or cycling. If you think you will skip strength work after a bike ride, do strength work first.

Since your strength sessions and ride will be on the same day, it is vital to schedule an easy day (maybe a cycling recovery ride) after a hard one. Don’t push yourself hard every day of the week because that can lead to an injury.

And finally, remember that you need a rest day every week to give yourself a break from physical activity and to prevent overtraining and injury.

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The exercises to help you build leg muscle and power for cycling

Forward leg lunge, to work your quads

Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Then, take a step forward with your right leg and lower your leg until your knee forms a 90-degree angle.

Push your weight into your right heel to drive yourself back into your starting position.

Repeat with your left leg.

Lateral lunge to strengthen your glutes.

With your right leg, take a step to the side, aiming to get your right thigh parallel to the floor.

To return to your starting position, press into your right foot and drive your body up toward your left leg and back to your starting position.

Repeat with your left leg.

Chair squat to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and core

Start with your feet hip-width apart and slowly lower yourself onto the seat of a chair.

To return to standing, engage your glutes and core while keeping your upper body straight, return to standing

Core exercise

But, your core is vital to gaining power transfer. Your abs and hip muscles combine to make up your core. And when you ride, your ab and hip muscles work together to control the rotational movement of the trunk on the pelvis.

The less twisting you do on your bike (thanks to a strong core) will give you a stable place to transfer power.

You can do core exercises such as crunches and planks to strengthen your core. But to develop your functional strength—how your core functions when you ride your bike—try this anti-rotation move. (You’ll find more detail and information about anti-rotation exercises in this book, Finish Strong: Resistance Training for Endurance Athletes.)

Shoulder taps, to strengthen your shoulders, core, and glutes.

You’ll have to recruit your core muscles to resist twisting to one side and hold a stable core position, and that’s what makes this strengthening move so effective.

Your starting position will look as if you’ll be doing a pushup—hands on the mat and your feet behind you, shoulder-width apart.

Then, slowly lift your right hand off the mat and touch your left shoulder, resisting the urge to move sideways.

Repeat with your left hand. Your goal with this movement is only to move your hand while keeping the rest of your body still. How to do it:

A few strength training moves can build your leg muscles for cycling—and that can make a difference between hanging with the group on a group ride (or getting dropped), finishing a bike race, or climbing a hill on your bike.

But remember, with all these workouts scheduled into your week, you need a rest day every week to give yourself a break. Not sure whether you should strength train or ride your bike today? The questions in this free guide can help.