Strength & ConditioningAnswer

HOW LONG SHOULD A CYCLIST'S GYM SESSION BE?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The time-pressed cyclist who doesn't want to over-invest in the gym

You want to know the minimum effective session length so it fits around your riding.

The rider who turns up without a plan and stays too long

You end up doing 90 minutes of loosely connected exercises and wonder why your legs feel heavy the next day.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

The gym session length question reveals a lot about how cyclists think about strength work. Most approach it the way they approach a ride: longer means more benefit. That is not how it works with resistance training. The adaptation from a set of split squats is not proportional to the time you spend doing it — a second hour in the gym adds fatigue without adding meaningful stimulus.

Anthony's experience from the Roadman strength programme is that 35 minutes is the sweet spot. Four exercises, three sets each, 90-second rests. You can get through that in 35–40 minutes if you have a plan before you walk in. The athletes who spend 90 minutes in the gym are typically spending 40 of those minutes on their phones.

The practical constraint matters too. If you've already done a hard ride and you're doing strength as a same-day two-a-day, 45 minutes is close to the ceiling of what's productive under partial fatigue. Beyond that you're grinding through sets with declining motor recruitment, and you're generating residual fatigue that will be in your legs on Thursday's intervals.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Derek TeelStrength coach for cyclists (Dialed Health)
A focused, well-planned 35–40 minute session produces the same adaptation signal for a cyclist as a longer one. The most important variable is not session length — it's exercise selection, load, and consistency across weeks. More time in the gym does not mean more transfer to the bike.
Hear it: Strength Training For Cycling Simplified | Derek Teel
Joe FrielAuthor of The Cyclist's Training Bible; co-founder of TrainingPeaks
For endurance athletes, strength sessions should be designed to stimulate adaptation with the minimum necessary fatigue cost. Friel's strength protocols are explicitly short — the goal is to deliver the training signal without generating the kind of residual fatigue that blunts the riding that follows.
Hear it: Joe Friel's Cycling Training Plan Structure | Roadman Cycling

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Plan your 5 exercises before you arrive
Write down: one primary lower body single-leg exercise, one hip hinge, one upper body pull, one core exercise, and one optional accessory. That's your session. Walking in with a plan cuts wasted time by 40% and ensures you do the right exercises.
Use 90–120 second rest periods
For compound exercises at 6–10 reps, 90–120 seconds between sets is enough to partially recover without allowing the nervous system to fully cool down. Shorter rests become cardiovascular conditioning; longer rests turn a 35-minute session into 60.
Finish on core
Do your core exercises at the end of the session when your compound lifting is done. Dead bugs, Copenhagen planks, or Pallof presses for 10–15 minutes rounds the session off without adding leg fatigue to the main work.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKESpending 20 minutes warming up and only 25 minutes lifting.
FIXA dynamic warm-up of 5 minutes is sufficient: leg swings, hip circles, bodyweight squats, a band activation exercise. Warm-up is preparation, not the session.
MISTAKEAdding more exercises when you have time to spare.
FIXStick to the plan. Unplanned exercise sets add fatigue without adding direction. If you finish early, you planned well — leave.
MISTAKELifting for 90 minutes once a week instead of 40 minutes twice.
FIXFrequency drives adaptation more than session length. Two 40-minute sessions beat one 80-minute session for both strength development and cycling performance.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I get a full strength workout in 30 minutes?

Yes. Four exercises, 3 sets each, 90-second rests — that's 27–30 minutes of work. Keep transition and warm-up tight and a complete cycling-specific session fits in 30–35 minutes.

Is it better to do more exercises or more sets?

For cyclists, fewer exercises done with better form and progressive load beats more exercises done haphazardly. 5 well-chosen exercises at 3 sets is more effective than 10 exercises at 2 sets.

Should my gym session be different in the off-season vs in-season?

In the off-season, you can extend to 45–60 minutes if riding volume is low and you're in a strength-building phase. In season, tighten to 30–35 minutes with reduced volume. The session length mirrors the prioritisation.

How long should I rest between sets?

90–120 seconds for compound movements like split squats and deadlifts. 60–90 seconds for core and accessory work. This is long enough for strength recovery, short enough to keep the session under 45 minutes.

What if I only have 20 minutes?

Two exercises, 3 sets each, 60-second rests. Split squat and single-leg RDL covers the most important cycling-specific patterns in 20 minutes. Half a session is far better than no session.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

Strength Training For Cycling Simplified | Derek Teel

The Best Exercises For Cyclists (Strength Training)

Joe Friel's Cycling Training Plan Structure | Roadman Cycling