Most gym programmes for cyclists are bodybuilding with a cycling logo slapped on. Twenty exercises. Supersets. Cable flyes. Drop sets. None of it transfers to the bike. All of it creates fatigue that compromises the actual training.
What we prescribe instead is targeted, cycling-specific strength work — single-leg patterns, hip hinges, hip thrusts, presses, and core. Bent Ronnestad's research base shows that loaded resistance training drives the neuromuscular gains that transfer to the bike. The gains come from the loading and the patterns, not from chasing one-rep maxes on a barbell.
Here's the good news: you only need eight exercises. Done with meaningful, controlled load, programmed properly, progressed over time. Everything else is noise.
1. Split squat
The foundation of a cycling strength programme. The split squat trains quads, glutes, and core in a single-leg pattern that mirrors how power is actually delivered on the bike — one leg at a time.
Programming: 3-5 sets of 6-10 reps per leg with 2-3 reps in reserve. Full range. Rest 2-3 minutes. The goal is force production, not exhaustion — if you're gasping between sets, your rest periods are too short.
Goblet squats and front-loaded variations work if you want a bilateral option without the spinal loading risk of a heavy back squat.
2. Single-leg deadlift / kettlebell hip hinge
The single-leg deadlift and kettlebell hip hinge load the posterior chain — glutes, hamstrings, erectors — through a pattern that mirrors the bottom half of your pedal stroke. That's where most cyclists are weakest, and it's why most cyclists leave watts on the table at threshold. Single-leg loading also exposes left-right imbalances and trains stability through the hip and trunk under load — which a barbell hinge doesn't.
Programming: 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps per side with 2-3 reps in reserve. Control the eccentric for 3 seconds. Neutral spine throughout. Lower back rounds, the weight comes off.
Rønnestad and Mujika's review of strength training in endurance athletes shows consistent gains in cycling performance, maximal aerobic power, and earlier peak torque in the pedal stroke. Loaded hip-hinge patterns — bilateral or single-leg — drive that adaptation.
3. Bulgarian split squat
Cycling is a single-leg sport. Each pedal stroke is one leg working independently. Yet most riders only train bilaterally — and then wonder why one leg consistently feels stronger than the other.
Programming: 3 sets of 6-8 per leg. Rear foot on a bench. Front knee tracks over the toes. If one leg is noticeably weaker, start there and match the volume on both sides.
4. Step-up
Another single-leg movement, but this one's mostly concentric — meaning less muscle soreness and faster recovery than the split squat. Useful when you've got a hard ride the next day.
Programming: 3 sets of 8 per leg. Box height that puts the thigh at or just above parallel. Dumbbells at the sides. Don't push off the back foot — drive entirely through the elevated leg.
5. Hip thrust
Your glutes are the most powerful muscle group in cycling, and in most cyclists they're chronically underactive. The hip thrust isolates glute activation in a way squats and hinges don't fully replicate.
Programming: 3 sets of 8-10 reps with 2-3 reps in reserve. Two-second pause at the top, hard squeeze. Once bodyweight is easy, load a barbell across the hips. Contreras and colleagues showed the barbell hip thrust produces markedly higher gluteus maximus EMG activity than the back squat — one reason it's become a staple of posterior-chain work.
6. Dead bug
Your core's job on the bike isn't to flex your trunk — it's to keep your pelvis stable while your legs move independently. The dead bug trains exactly that.
Programming: 3 sets of 10 per side. Press the lower back into the floor and keep that contact for the full set. The moment your back arches up, the exercise has failed. Slow down. Reduce the range. Get it right.
If you've got lower back pain on the bike, dead bugs are your best friend.
7. Pallof press
Anti-rotation is the most underrated core quality for cyclists. Every pedal stroke generates rotational force through the pelvis and trunk. If your core can't resist it, that force leaks out through a wobbly torso instead of going into the pedals.
Programming: 3 sets of 10 per side, cable or band. Press straight out from the chest, hold two seconds. The resistance is pulling you into rotation. Your job: stay square. Increase load when it stops being a challenge.
8. Push-up and single-arm row
Upper body gets one slot because cyclists don't need much. But you need something. Years of cycling without upper body work creates postural disasters — rounded shoulders, weak upper back, the kind of body that struggles with the shopping bags.
Programming: Push-ups: 2-3 sets of 10-15. Single-arm dumbbell rows: 3 sets of 8-10 per arm. Postural health and protection against the neck and shoulder pain that hits on long rides.
How to structure the session
A complete session using these eight exercises takes 45-50 minutes:
- Warm-up: 5 minutes — leg swings, hip circles, bodyweight squats
- Main lift: Split squat or hip hinge (pick one per session) — 15-20 minutes
- Single-leg work: Bulgarian split squat or step-up — 10-12 minutes
- Hip thrust: 8-10 minutes
- Core circuit: Dead bug + pallof press — 8 minutes
- Upper body: Push-ups + rows — 5 minutes
Alternate squat-focused and hinge-focused sessions. Two sessions a week off-season. One a week in-season, reduced volume. Our strength training guide covers the full periodisation.
The whole programme in one paragraph
Eight exercises. Cycling-specific patterns only — split squat, single-leg hinge, single-leg work, hip thrust, plus anti-rotation core and basic upper body. Programme for neuromuscular strength, not hypertrophy: 6-10 reps with 2-3 reps in reserve at a load that challenges the muscle in that range. Single-leg work is non-negotiable — cycling is a single-leg sport, and bilateral squats alone won't fix the imbalances driving most knee issues. Core means anti-rotation and stability, not crunches. Upper body is maintenance: push-ups and rows, that's it. Schedule lifts on easy days. Never before hard rides. Two sessions a week off-season, one in-season at reduced volume. Everything else is noise.
Pair the lifts with a stretching routine for mobility, and if knee pain is limiting you in the gym, start with the knee pain guide before adding load. If you've got a specific question — "what should I swap if I don't have a squat rack?" or "how do I fit two sessions around a Saturday long ride?" — the Roadman AI coach is built for exactly that.
If you'd rather have someone integrate S&C with the riding around your week, NDY coaching at Roadman writes that. The application is where the conversation starts.
