WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The cyclist staring down a dark, wet winter
The racing is done, the hours are dropping, and you want the off-season to count for something instead of drifting.
The masters rider trying to hold power into next season
You know muscle slips away with age and want a structured winter block that puts real strength in the bank.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
There's an episode Anthony made about the five things pros secretly do in winter, and the through-line is that the off-season isn't time off — it's when the foundations get laid. The riders who show up flying in spring didn't get there by doing nothing in December. They used the months when racing stopped to build the things you can't build when you're racing. Heavy strength sits right at the top of that list.
This is the only time of year the gym gets to be the priority. In season, strength is squeezed into one maintenance session because the riding comes first. In the off-season, that flips — bike volume drops, the pressure's off, and you can actually load the gym hard enough to change your baseline. Squander it on more junk miles in the cold and you arrive at spring no stronger than you left.
The plan itself isn't complicated. Four weeks easing in — learning the patterns, building tissue resilience at higher reps — then eight weeks of genuinely heavy work where the load is high and the reps are low. Two to three sessions a week. Keep some easy aerobic riding ticking over so you don't lose the engine, but let the gym lead. By the time you're building toward events, you'll have strength in the bank that protects your power for the rest of the year.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Derek TeelStrength coach for cyclists (Dialed Health)
The off-season is where the heavy work belongs, because bike volume is low enough to let the gym be the priority for a few weeks. This is when you build maximum strength at low reps and high load — the adaptation that then needs only one maintenance session to hold through the racing season.
Hear it: Strength Training For Cycling Simplified | Derek Teel - Andy GalpinProfessor of Kinesiology, Cal State Fullerton; muscle physiologist
Heavy, lower-rep loading is the specific stimulus that recruits and preserves fast-twitch fibre, which begins declining around age 35. A dedicated winter block of this work, when riding volume eases, is the most effective way for ageing cyclists to put strength in the bank and slow that decline.
Hear it: The Science Of Getting Faster After 40 | Dr Andy Galpin
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Weeks 1–4: anatomical adaptation
Twice a week, 2–3 sets of 12–15 reps on the core patterns — goblet or split squat, Romanian deadlift, row, press, dead bug. Moderate load, clean technique. You're preparing tissue and movement quality for the heavy block to come.
Weeks 5–12: maximum strength
2–3 sessions a week, 3–4 sets of 4–6 reps where the last 2 reps demand real focus. Build the load steadily — add 2.5–5kg to lower-body lifts every 1–2 weeks. This is the block that actually changes your baseline strength.
Keep easy riding ticking over
Don't abandon the bike. Two or three easy aerobic rides a week maintain your engine and aid recovery between gym sessions. The off-season builds strength; it shouldn't cost you all your aerobic base.
Log every session and progress the load
Write down your working weights. The whole point of the heavy block is progressive overload — if the load isn't climbing across the 8 weeks, you're maintaining, not building. The log is how you hold yourself to it.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKETreating the off-season as pure rest and doing nothing in the gym.
FIXThe off-season is your one window to build heavy strength while bike volume is low. Waste it and you arrive at spring no stronger than you finished the last season.
MISTAKEReplacing all riding with the gym for three months.
FIXKeep 2–3 easy aerobic rides a week. Losing your entire aerobic base over winter means a slow, painful rebuild in spring — build strength alongside the engine, not instead of it.
MISTAKEStaying at high reps the whole block and never going heavy.
FIXHigh-rep work is the 4-week on-ramp, not the destination. The strength that matters comes from the heavy 4–6 rep block — that's the adaptation riding can't give you.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long should an off-season strength block last?
How many strength sessions a week in the off-season?
Should I stop riding completely to focus on strength?
When should the off-season strength block start?
What should I do after the 12-week block ends?
Is the off-season plan different for beginners?
RELATED EPISODES
HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS
RELATED TOPICS