Why Cyclists Should Include Weight Training in Their Weekly Routine
Cyclists have much to gain from incorporating weight training into their weekly routine. By building strength, improving power, reducing injury risk, and enhancing bone health, resistance training complements the endurance benefits of cycling, enabling athletes to ride stronger, longer, and more safely. For those looking to maintain peak performance and health into their later years, adding weight training is not just beneficial—it’s essential.
As cyclists age, many focus solely on riding, believing that time in the saddle is all they need to maintain fitness and performance. While cycling is excellent for cardiovascular health and endurance, it lacks the critical component of strength training, which becomes increasingly important as we grow older. Incorporating weight training into a weekly routine can offer profound benefits for health, performance, and overall well-being.
1. Combating Age-Related Muscle Loss
From the mid-30s onward, adults lose approximately 3–8% of muscle mass per decade, a process known as sarcopenia. By middle age, this can lead to significant declines in strength, power, and functionality, directly impacting cycling performance. Pedaling power, especially during climbs and sprints, is rooted in muscular strength. Weight training halts and even reverses muscle loss by stimulating hypertrophy (muscle growth), keeping cyclists strong and competitive on the bike.
2. Enhancing Power and Performance
Cycling is a repetitive, endurance-focused activity that primarily engages slow-twitch muscle fibers. While these are crucial for sustained effort, fast-twitch fibers, which generate explosive power, are often underutilized. Weight training targets these fast-twitch fibers, enabling cyclists to improve power output, accelerate more effectively, and tackle steep climbs with greater ease. Exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts mimic the muscle activation patterns used in cycling, translating directly into better performance.
3. Reducing Risk of Injury
Cycling is low-impact but places repetitive stress on certain muscle groups and joints, which can lead to overuse injuries. Weight training helps balance muscular development, particularly by strengthening areas underused in cycling, such as the upper body and posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and lower back). Stronger supporting muscles enhance stability, posture, and bike handling, reducing the risk of injury both on and off the bike.
4. Supporting Bone Health
Cycling is a non-weight-bearing activity, meaning it doesn’t provide the mechanical stress necessary to stimulate bone density. This is particularly concerning for middle-aged athletes, as bone density naturally declines with age, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Weight-bearing exercises, such as squats and deadlifts, promote bone health by encouraging the remodeling and strengthening of skeletal tissue. This ensures cyclists remain resilient to falls and accidents.
5. Boosting Metabolism and Fat Loss
Middle age often brings changes in metabolism, making weight management more challenging. Weight training increases lean muscle mass, which elevates resting metabolic rate. This means the body burns more calories at rest, supporting fat loss or maintenance. Combined with the calorie-burning benefits of cycling, this dual approach creates a highly effective strategy for staying lean and fit.
6. Enhancing Longevity and Quality of Life
Weight training improves more than just performance—it also contributes to longevity and quality of life. Strong muscles support functional movement, reducing the risk of falls and maintaining independence as we age. Furthermore, resistance training improves markers of cardiovascular health, blood sugar regulation, and mental well-being, providing a holistic boost to health.
7. Practical Tips for Incorporating Weight Training
For middle-aged cyclists, weight training doesn’t mean hours in the gym or lifting heavy weights. A well-rounded program focusing on compound movements, core stability, and injury prevention is sufficient. Aim for two sessions per week, with exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, push-ups, and planks. Begin with light to moderate weights and gradually increase intensity as strength improves.