We are nearly back to the off season again, and for me, that means trying to build leg strength – lack of ability to apply force is definitely a huge limiter for me.

Last year I mostly used the indoor trainer for big gear intervals (GCN 40min youtube vid – a high effort 60rpm pyramid set).

Has anyone got any recommended on the bike strength building sessions to try?

Also, any recommendations on how to maintain strength through the season? Typically any gains I make in this department seem to slowly errode once I change my focus to muscular endurance work (2×20’s etc).

Not too interested in gym work – have done squats pretty regularly in the past, but find legs get wrecked and the quality of all my riding suffers as a result.

lack of ability to apply force is definitely a huge limiter for me.

In what riding scenario do you find that a limiting factor? Be good to understand the specific situations you are trying to address.

What sort of events are you looking to improve in?

Is your bike position set up to allow you to work at your most efficient?

Muscular endurance, strength:weight ratio and strength endurance are more important that absolute strength for most cycling activities.

Your body will adapt to the demands put upon it.

I can lift and carry a reasonable amount off the bike, but people who are not as “strong” can be (and are) quicker on the bike.

I know of small and large people who are fast on bikes, over different distances and/or climbs. I don’t see many World’s Strongest Man contenders winning many races locally, though.

Did the big gear intervals help much?

If it is quads/leg (and glutes/back) strength that you want to build, then squats, deadlifts and heavy carries would be the way to go -Most desk-based people would also benefit from some more general all-body strength and conditioning training.

As with any training, proper nutrition and rest & recovery are very important.

Just ride a singlespeed all winter? SImple but very effective in generating strength.

Not too interested in gym work – have done squats pretty regularly in the past, but find legs get wrecked and the quality of all my riding suffers as a result.

personally i find squats a great short cut to greater legforce/ speed on the bike.

If your trashing your legs too much then you need to look at training blocks, more gym/ less bike, more bike less gym.

Has anyone got any recommended on the bike strength building sessions to try?

from a team sky interview a while back. 2 x 20 at FTP. first at 110 cadence second at 50. they were doing them uphill in majorca. not so sunny on the turbo, in my garage in hampshire!

Deadlifts may more closely mimic the cycling motion

Not too interested in gym work – have done squats pretty regularly in the past, but find legs get wrecked and the quality of all my riding suffers as a result.

Yeah, that’s the idea. The squats damage the muscle tissue and it has to repair to get stronger. If you ride the day or 2 after leg day then yes, you’re going to struggle.

May I suggest a well known phrase, “power to weight”. If you’re struggling to get the power up, you could always get the weight down… In fact, unless you’re planning on being a track sprinter, this is likely a better way to help your cycling.

Depending on what you are doing and the surface you are riding on there’s a limit to the amount of force that you can apply on a bike. Once past that limit you’ll skid or spin the rear wheel. Technique (or lack of) will also affect how much power you can apply.

I agree with Aristotle in that muscular and strength endurance are more relevant than absolute strength, i.e. being able to put a reasonable amount of power down for an extended period of time.

One problem with cycling in terms of musculature is that all the effort is in one plane and exercises the primary muscles like the quads and hamstrings. What don’t get exercised are the secondary, stabilising, muscles like the inner thigh. Something like off-road running can help here if you don’t want to do gym work though there are theraband exercises that help.

One problem with cycling in terms of musculature is that all the effort is in one plane and exercises the primary muscles like the quads and hamstrings. What don’t get exercised are the secondary, stabilising, muscles like the inner thigh.

If they don’t get used, why do we need to exercise them?

On a similar note, I’ve spent this year riding and racing enduro rather than XC and my upper body is still now down to skin and bone. How come all that manhandling the bike round corners and over roots hasn’t turned me into a bronzed adonis?

What don’t get exercised are the secondary, stabilising, muscles like the inner thigh. Something like off-road running can help here if you don’t want to do gym work though there are theraband exercises that help.

For all-round strength conditioning, simple, old-fashioned bodyweight circuit training is the way forward.

Improving the trunk strength and stability can make a big difference to the application of strength to the pedals, the maintaining of position and manoeuvring the bike around off-road for longer periods.

@chrispo – they are used and are important in keeping the joints stable but they need to be in balance with the primary movement muscles. You shouldn’t be strengthening one without doing the other.

chrispo – Member
On a similar note, I’ve spent this year riding and racing enduro rather than XC and my upper body is still now down to skin and bone. How come all that manhandling the bike round corners and over roots hasn’t turned me into a bronzed adonis?

…because the Enduro entry doesn’t include a spray tan?

Throwing a bike around isn’t *that* hard on the muscles, compared with doing pullups, pressups or wrestling, but weak muscles will be taxed and tired by throwing a bike around a technical trail.

Improved “core”/whole body strength is likely to improve the endurance of your riding, heaving on the bars, pumping the bike and you will also be able to do hike-a-bike and bike carries better too.

Obviously, having fashionably pumped-up biceps, but no chest/core/back/leg strength/conditioning wouldn’t be much use to a bike racer.

If you want to build your quads you need resistance / weight. IMO trying to do that via high gear / single speed is not efficient. Squats etc as above or bite the bullet and do some weights

In what riding scenario do you find that a limiting factor? Be good to understand the specific situations you are trying to address.

On a MTB, short punchy uphill features, and rougher pedally terrain. On a road bike, trying to go with brief surges/attacks etc. Often feels like i just don’t have the leg power rather than cardio being maxed out. I don’t have a power meter, but if I did, I’m willing to bet I have an extremely flat CP curve.
I feel that there’s probably not much room to push the tail of the curve up much further without just being able to push harder on the pedals. Lifting the top of the curve = cruising at a lower % of max.

What sort of events are you looking to improve in?

Mostly long events, 6-24hrs. Dragon Ride, La Marmotte, Relentless24, etc

Did the big gear intervals help much?

Yes, for sure, I put in some great laps (~1hr) at 10 under this year, and feel that whilst i’ve lost some strength since then it has helped my sustained power during longer rides.

Just ride a singlespeed all winter? SImple but very effective in generating strength.

Purchases made – thanks for validating them 🙂

If you’re struggling to get the power up, you could always get the weight down… In fact, unless you’re planning on being a track sprinter, this is likely a better way to help your cycling.

At 58Kg and single digit body fat can’t really go further with the weight side of the equation. In fact for UK riding where climbs are shorter i’d bargain that an increase in weight(as long as its power producing) may be beneficial

from a team sky interview a while back. 2 x 20 at FTP. first at 110 cadence second at 50. they were doing them uphill in majorca.

Had not heard that one, sounds right up my street.

Good weights to use:

Army surplus kit bag (£10)
+
bags of sand (£3 for 20-25Kg from B&Q)
+
plastic rubble sacks to put the sand in inside the kit bag

Do bearhug, Zercher and shoulder squats, shoulder pickups and then carry it up and down the road in a bearhug to finish you off.

You will sweat a lot and will get stronger.

fifeandy – Member
Often feels like i just don’t have the leg power rather than cardio being maxed out.

Lower gears, pedal faster?

-Like a 600cc sports bike rather than a diesel bus.

whitestone – Member

@chrispo – they are used and are important in keeping the joints stable but they need to be in balance with the primary movement muscles. You shouldn’t be strengthening one without doing the other.

If they’re used while cycling, how come cycling alone doesn’t exercise them adequately?

Why isn’t cycling the perfect training for cycling?

If doing enduro doesn’t build up your upper body, why do you need to build up your upper body to do enduro?

(I’m not disagreeing with anyone, I just don’t understand…)

PS Best all-round strength training for cycling I’ve ever done was a winter of nothing but singlespeeding in Wales. I got a core of steel. Was still skinny as, though.

Because it (your body) is a system, it all needs to work together. There’s no point in having a muscle that can exert a huge force if the structure, connecting tissue and supporting muscles can’t cope. It will just lead to injury.

If you have a weak upper body then strong leg muscles are pulling between something really strong (the bike/ground) and your weak upper body so excess energy is wasted working to constrain that power so it does what you want. To make the best use out of strong primary muscles you also have to have adequately strong secondary systems.

Spin faster. Power is force x velocity. If you can’t apply the force, move the pedals faster. Works for me (average race cadence is 105 rpm).

I also ride a singlespeed (2:1 ratio) and fixed road bike (3:1 ratio).. I can’t honestly say it has helped with leg strength.

No expert here but for

Mostly long events, 6-24hrs. Dragon Ride, La Marmotte, Relentless24, etc

I’ve found

2 x 20 at FTP

to be good, as painful as they are effective. ‘Very’. Those long intervals do seem to develop good power output over the length of most climbs. No idea what my leg strength was like and I don’t use a power meter but my SS MTBing and loaded touring/bikepacking, and loaded SS bikepacking, ability went up nicely. Long intervals seem to help you stay at max output longer and also keep up a higher base pace during long rides. I say ‘seem to’ as my training isn’t scientific at all but the 2x20s and 5 on / 5 off x 5 between low level 4 and 4-5 border or threshold worked better for me more than shorter sprinty intervals did. Probably because I don’t ride short sprinty stuff and my sprint is rubbish anyway.

It may be that you need good ‘base’ fitness to build this onto but most of us doing regular rides will have that.

Doing plenty of 2×20’s for the last 5yrs or so, as i’d identified them as a key session for long mountain climbs in europe. As you point out, they help you maintain a high effort for a long time. And they’ve worked great, but focussing exclusively on longer efforts has i think made my improvements a bit lopsided.

Maintaining a high effort for a long time is enough to put your performances well above average, but its not good enough to produce really top results.

To put it into context i was lapping in top 15% of male pairs at 10 under – however the solo winner was lapping slightly faster than me. Its safe to say the ability to go fast is a prerequisite then build endurance on top.

If they’re used while cycling, how come cycling alone doesn’t exercise them adequately?

Why isn’t cycling the perfect training for cycling?

If doing enduro doesn’t build up your upper body, why do you need to build up your upper body to do enduro?

The same reason that just playing cricket isn’t great training for being a fast bowler. Or driving an F1 car. Or <insert almost any sport here…>

The other thing to consider as well as training your weaknesses, is to ride to your strengths. Similar to you I have low power legs, but I found I got faster by not going into the red on climbs where I can’t compete but as TiRed says instead I twiddle up at high cadence to save my muscles, then turn a big gear on the flats and speed past people (some of their time anyway!). I’d saved the energy and mental capacity to maximise my physiological benefit, rather then try uselessly to defend its weakness. You do need to find and accept your riding profile – some are climbers, some arent…

As well as the 2×20 you could try a low force interval. My trainer road plan this week has me doing 3×4 x 3 min ramps between 50-70pm. Or go old school, find the nearest hill and interval that.

You do need to find and accept your riding profile – some are climbers, some arent

100% agree with that.
The one thing I’m good at on a bike is 45-90min climbs between 6-10%.
Unfortunately those are somewhat lacking in the UK 🙁

The same reason that just playing cricket isn’t great training for being a fast bowler. Or driving an F1 car. Or <insert almost any sport here…>

Which is???

Resistance training allows some/all/groups of the muscles (weakest link or otherwise) to be trained to a level higher than that currently demanded by the sport/activity. This can aid an improvement in the movement in original sport/activity.

Plus, if you can push/pull/carry X kg then X/2 kg during the activity will feel much easier to you in future and you may be able to endure more

Despite the fact i performed badly today on a repitive hilly course…..

Improving the trunk strength and stability can make a big difference to the application of strength to the pedals, the maintaining of position and manoeuvring the bike around off-road for longer periods.

…i rembered this and sat bolt upright up some of the climbs today deliberately, i could actually feel the difference as my glutes engaged into the pedal stroke and the strain on my lower back reduced. I know i ride crouched down. I also treated the biggest one like a 20 min interval, a couple,of times using cadence to inject speed into the bike for overtakes. I too need stronger legs though…