For those of us who watch the Tour de France or Giro d’Italia from home, cycling may seem like an unbelievable display of cardiorespiratory fitness—21 days each of grueling, high-speed cycling. But if you pause to consider the strength and power needed for long sprints and repeated hill climbs, especially in the mountains of France and Italy, it’s easy to see that competitive cycling is far from simply a cardiorespiratory challenge.

Of course, your clients may not be competing at that level, but a thoughtful approach to strength training is required if they want to be at their best and avoid injury as they ride through whatever terrain their local area provides or participate in indoor cycling classes.

The Focus of the Program

The two goals of a strength training program for cyclists are improving efficiency and preventing overuse injuries. To accomplish those objectives, clients can work on unilateral strength, core stability and posterior chain development as part of their overall program.

Let’s look at each of those elements:

• Unilateral strength: Improving unilateral strength can help fix muscle imbalances, improve pedaling efficiency and increase core and hip stability. It can also help improve power transfer and performance during sprints and hill climbs.
• Core stability: Strengthening the core can reduce upper-body fatigue and prevent lower-back pain, while also improving power transfer. It can also improve posture while cycling.
• Posterior chain development: The posterior chain includes the calves, hamstrings, gluteal muscles and erector spinae. A strong posterior chain is vital for cycling, as it allows for a better pedal stroke, more climbing strength and a smooth energy transfer, while also protecting the knees and reducing the risk of low-back pain.

Additional Considerations

Another concern for serious cyclists involves adding bulk, which can reduce efficiency and slow them down, which is what can make things more complicated when working these clients. They will want to add strength and power without gaining muscle mass.

Periodization is probably not necessary for clients taking part in indoor cycling classes, but if you work with competitive cyclists, or athletes building up to participation in an event, periodization is vital. The resistance-training program should change throughout the year to support the client’s goals and annual training plan. Consider the following strategies.

In the off-season, clients can perform higher volume strength training three times per week and gradually adjust training loads based on program objectives. Because training on the bike is reduced during this time, more soreness is tolerable. Moving into the preseason , reduce to two sessions per week of higher-intensity but lower-volume work. More explosive movements can be introduced during the preseason.

During the season, cyclists should train with the minimal effective dose, which might be one or two sessions per week using moderate loads. The goal in-season is to maintain strength without creating fatigue. Adjust the timeline as needed to account for your client’s goals and the timing of any events.

One final tip: Never schedule loaded resistance-training the day before a hard bike session.

Sample Workouts

The full-body workouts below can be completed twice per week on non-consecutive days. Clients can do the same workout twice per week or complete two different workouts if they want more variety. Share the following instructions with your clients:

• For each workout, move from left to right in the table below.
• Recover for =30 seconds between exercises.
• To complete a workout, complete 1 to 3 rounds, depending on our availability and training goals. Recover for 2 to 3 minutes between rounds.
• Intensity:
  • Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 5 to 6 on the 0 to 10 scale
  • 4 to 5 repetitions in reserve
  • 80 to 84% of one-repetition maximum (1-RM)
• Perform 6 to 10 repetitions of each exercise, or 6 to 10 on each side as appropriate, except where indicated.

*Complete as much of the alphabet as possible

If you’re interested in taking your indoor cycling instruction to the next level, be sure to check out CoreFit Instructor Cycle Training, powered by Schwinn (worth 0.7 ACE CECs). Built around the CoreFit Coach’s Pyramid™ and Schwinn’s proven Ride Right principles, this comprehensive course gives exercise professionals the tools to deliver purposeful, performance-driven rides that keep members engaged and coming back.