WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The cyclist who built winter strength and doesn't want to lose it
You've put the work in over winter and want to know the minimum required to hold it through summer.
The racer with a packed spring and summer calendar
You're racing frequently and need to know how to fit strength work around a full riding schedule.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
Every autumn, cyclists do 3–4 months of solid strength work and genuinely change their bodies. Then spring arrives and they stop lifting entirely to 'focus on the bike'. By June, most of those gains are gone. Anthony has seen this pattern dozens of times, and it's the single most frustrating waste in the amateur strength conversation.
The fix is not complicated. One session a week — 30 minutes, the same exercises you built, just fewer sets — maintains what you built. It doesn't take much to hold strength; it takes much more to rebuild it. The rule is: build in the off-season, maintain in season, never stop entirely.
In practice, the in-season session needs to be lower intensity than your off-season work. You're not trying to set new personal bests in April. Two sets of 5–6 reps on your main lifts, a couple of core exercises, done in 35 minutes — that's enough. Time it after a hard ride day and it doesn't interfere with anything.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Derek TeelStrength coach for cyclists (Dialed Health)
The maintenance dose is much lower than people think. One focused session a week with the primary compound movements keeps strength built over a 12-week block. The error is treating strength training as something that stops in spring, then wondering why you're starting over every autumn.
Hear it: Strength Training For Cycling Simplified | Derek Teel - Joe FrielAuthor of The Cyclist's Training Bible; co-founder of TrainingPeaks
Friel's periodisation model includes a 'strength maintenance' phase that runs through the competitive season. The logic is clear: strength built over winter is an asset — dropping it mid-season because you got busy is an avoidable loss that compounds over multiple seasons.
Hear it: Joe Friel's Cycling Training Plan Structure | Roadman Cycling
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Cut your off-season session in half for the in-season version
If you were doing 4 exercises, 3 sets of 8, keep the same exercises but drop to 2 sets of 5–6. Reduce the load slightly. This halves the fatigue impact while maintaining the neural and structural adaptations.
Schedule the session for the same day as a moderate ride
Do your maintenance lift after a 60–90 minute aerobic ride on a day that's neither your hardest ride day nor the day before one. This clusters the training stress and leaves your hard and easy days clean.
Keep a log to check strength isn't slipping
Record your working weights every session. If your split squat weight has dropped significantly over 8 weeks, the maintenance dose is not enough — add a second session or increase load.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKEStopping strength training entirely when racing starts.
FIXOne maintenance session a week is the minimum to hold winter gains. Stopping entirely means starting the following autumn from a lower base.
MISTAKEKeeping full off-season strength load alongside a heavy race schedule.
FIXThree strength sessions a week plus frequent racing is too much total load. Reduce to one maintenance session when race density is high.
MISTAKEScheduling strength the day before important races or key sessions.
FIXKeep 48 hours between a strength session and your next peak effort. Leg fatigue from lifting the day before a race is a recoverable but avoidable error.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How quickly do you lose strength when you stop lifting?
What exercises should I keep in-season?
Can I do strength the day before a race?
Should I change exercises in-season?
Is it worth doing strength in the final week before a big event?
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