Why Cyclists Should Do Strength Training (#174)

Strength training for cyclists influences everything from direct performance to various performance markers, such as peak power, muscle recruitment, and the somewhat challenging aspect of injury prevention. Despite its benefits, strength training still faces some skepticism in different training forums with arguments like "it works for me." Perhaps this is because it's a broad area that's easily overgeneralized. What do we really mean by strength training? This article won't delve into exact exercises you should perform. If you're interested in specific exercises and tips, check out our previous articles: Strength Training for Runners and Strength Training for Endurance Athletes.

Just like interval training is more than just doing 4×4 minutes as hard as you can, strength training should also be tailored individually and evaluated for the best effect. In our article on strength training for runners, we demonstrate that the effects of strength training vary depending on the type of athlete you are. A long-distance runner won't gain much from increased explosiveness during a 24-hour race, while a 1500-meter runner might benefit significantly from a powerful sprint.

That being said, strength training works—it's about how it's implemented in your training and whether it is relevant to your specific goals. Your level also matters; elite athletes often experience less relative effect from strength training because they have already reached high capacity and skill. However, they still have impact.

We often emphasize that as an endurance athlete, you should prioritize volume in your training. Volume is one of the most crucial indicators of performance. Therefore, we must be cautious with absolute statements. But if, for example, you cycle 10 hours a week—which is high volume for many—it’s generally less effective to increase to 11 hours than to substitute one of the sessions with a strength session, especially during base training.

In short: you don't need to make strength training a full-time commitment to see benefits. A smart, disciplined session gives you great returns for the time invested.

In short, endurance performance can often be categorized by the ability to sustain high power output (such as threshold, VO2) over time and maintaining a low energy cost for work (work economy). Additionally, a high anaerobic capacity is essential for breakaways and sprints—you want to be ready when it happens.

Strength training, however, hasn't shown a consistent impact on VO2max. Some studies suggest benefits to the threshold, but this likely requires more comprehensive strength training. Studies that haven't shown effects have often been limited to a single exercise, while those that found increased power at the threshold involved multiple exercises.

Unlike running, the energy expenditure for a given amount of mechanical work during cycling is relatively consistent among cyclists. Cycling involves a straightforward motion, meaning the efficiency largely depends on the muscle's effectiveness. In the literature, the efficiency rates for cyclists typically range between 20–25%.

For example, cycling at 200 watts for an hour translates to roughly 170 kcal of mechanical work done. With 20 percent efficiency, around 850 kcal of metabolism is needed to produce those 170 kcal (200 watts). If you achieve 25 percent efficiency (a level often approached by elite cyclists), the same workload costs closer to 680 kcal.

In a study on well-trained cyclists, the oxygen cost for submaximal work (60 percent of VO2max) decreased by approximately 10 percent after eight weeks of intense strength training — without impacting maximal VO2max.

An explanation being discussed is that the recruitment of type II fibers is delayed and occurs later. The quote below explains the reasoning:

“This indicates that improvement in muscle efficiency may be an important mechanism behind improved work economy and improved endurance performance. Postponed activation of the presumably less efficient type II muscle fibers, due to increased strength in the more efficient type I muscle fibers, may also contribute to explaining both the improved cycling economy after 2 hours of submaximal cycling and improved time‑trial” (source).

In short: stronger, more enduring muscle fibers can make you use energy more wisely.

Among elite cyclists, you don't see the same large improvement in muscle efficiency as you do with recreational athletes during submaximal tests — they are already very efficient. However, studies on elites show another interesting effect: an increased ability to generate power early in the pedal stroke, leading to a more efficient pedal cycle.

In a study where elite cyclists completed two strength sessions a week for 10 weeks, followed by maintenance strength training for 15 weeks, they improved in maximal peak power, watts at threshold (4 mmol), and average watts in a 40-minute all-out time trial. The improvements were attributed to generating the desired power earlier in the pedal stroke — beneficial as blood flow in the muscle is significantly restricted during strong contraction. Generating power faster allows more time for blood circulation between contractions.

“In conclusion, 25 weeks of concurrent endurance and strength training resulted in larger improvements in cycling performance and performance-related factors, including earlier peak torque during the pedal stroke in elite [cyclists].”
(source: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/cb2d/ba2dce205fe6e3b57e905fb33d54cf16a00c.pdf)

Detta är sannolikt det område som flest cyklister oroar sig för: att bygga muskler som tynger ner dem. Vikt är definitivt en viktig faktor för cyklister. Men hur lätt är det egentligen att lägga på sig muskler?

Förr trodde man att signalerna från konditionsträning (AMPK) stod i direkt konflikt med signalsystemen för muskeltillväxt (mTOR), och rekommendationen var ofta att inte kombinera kondition och styrka om man ville maximera styrkeadaptationerna. Idag är bilden mer nyanserad. Effekten av hämning verkar till stor del bero mindre på signalvägarna och mer på att konditionsträning ökar markörer för muskelnedbrytning, vilket kan minska nettotillväxten tillväxt.

I en studie på vältränade cyklister i Norge kombinerades två tunga styrkepass per vecka med mer än 10 timmar cykling per vecka. En kontrollgrupp, utan samtidig uthållighetsträning, körde samma styrkeprogram. Ingen i studien hade tidigare erfarenhet av styrketräning.

Resultatet: båda grupperna ökade styrka och visade viss hypertrofi. Cyklisterna hade dock cirka halverad muskeltillväxt (runt 4 procent) jämfört med gruppen utan konditionsträning. Cyklisterna ökade inte sin totala kroppsvikt, utan minskade samtidigt i fettmassa. Gruppen som endast gjorde styrketräning gick däremot upp i vikt i enlighet med större absolut muskeltillväxt.

Det finns idag både forskning och empiri som visar att det är svårt att samtidigt bygga mycket muskler och bedriva hög volym konditionsträning. Om du primärt tränar kondition och lägger in ett styrkepass i veckan behöver du inte vara orolig — den muskeltillväxt du får är sannolikt positiv. Kör du däremot två styrkepass och samtidigt hög volym cykling och känner dig "för tung", då handlar det om prioriteringar. Jämför inte äpplen med päron — anpassa styrketräningen efter dina mål.

Om du har ett pressat schema kommer här ett praktiskt tips: gör styrketräningen i anslutning till din övriga cykling. Cykla antingen till gymmet eller använd gymmet där du avslutar eller startar med ett styrkepass. För bäst effekt bör styrketräningen ha sin egen dedikerade plats i schemat, men låt inte det bli ett absolut krav. Ta hävstång på styrkan och pussla in den i ditt schema — det kommer ge resultat!

Vill du ha ett enkelt upplägg att börja med? Börja med ett strukturerat tungt pass per vecka under basperioden, och skala upp till två pass om volymen tillåter och om du har konkreta mål som kräver det. Under tävlingssäsongen kan ett underhållspass räcka för att behålla fördelarna.

Lyssna på kroppen, prioritera återhämtning och var konsekvent — styrka är långsiktigt bankande på prestationskontot.