THE SHORT ANSWER
Teel's pitch to time-crunched masters riders kills the main excuse for skipping the gym. You don't need a separate training block — he points out that even cutting 60 minutes of riding a week and putting it into two 30-minute strength sessions is enough to start defending the power that fades with age. Two sessions, he says, is the sweet spot: it gives the body a better chance to catch the recovery curve than trying to cram more in. His other masters-specific point is the hardest one for driven riders to swallow — you have to get comfortable prioritising maintenance over chasing new numbers in the gym. The goal off the bike isn't to get bigger or stronger for its own sake; it's to hold onto the fast-twitch strength and joint integrity that endurance riding quietly lets slide. Keep it simple, keep it twice a week, and protect what you've got.
WHO IS DEREK TEEL?
Derek Teel is the strength coach who built Dialed Health into one of the most accessible cycling-specific S&C programmes online. He works with amateurs from base level to category racing, and his frameworks for off-bike strength — single-leg work, hip hinges, posterior chain, mobility — have shaped how a generation of time-crunched riders think about supplementing their training. For Roadman listeners chasing power, durability, and longevity, his work is a primary practical reference for what strength training for cycling actually looks like.
TEEL ON STRENGTH AFTER 40
Teel’s key positions on strength training after 40.
- Cycling-specific strength is single-leg, hip-dominant, and built around movement quality, not max effort.
- Two 30-minute sessions a week is enough to change body composition and protect against injury for most amateurs.
- Mobility work pre-ride is not warm-up — it is a separate adaptation that protects the bike position long-term.
- Strength training fits inside a cycling week if you give up one easy spin and protect the hard sessions on the bike.
- Off-season is the highest-leverage window for building strength capacity that lasts through the racing year.
IN TEEL’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Derek Teel’s appearances on the podcast.
“even if you were to cut 60 minutes out total of your riding per week and you dedicated that to two 30 minute strength training sessions spread throughout the week I would be shocked if you did not feel significantly better opposed to just doing a little bit more of the same”
“if you have quads that are compensating for your hamstrings because your hamstrings are just completely dormant they're not firing they're not doing any supporting work now it's obvious that quads are the primary knee extender so they're going to be doing the majority of the work in the pedal stroke but if you don't have your hamstrings supporting them a little bit and working a little bit you're not going to be getting as much out of your legs as you should be”
“you have to be comfortable prioritizing maintenance which I find that a lot of people have a hard time doing it's like they want that sexy big boost in whatever they're going for and then they just totally fall off the wayside for a few months and they don't know how to just dial it back a little bit and stay consistent”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Derek Teel covers strength training after 40 and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Derek Teel say about strength training after 40?
Teel's pitch to time-crunched masters riders kills the main excuse for skipping the gym. You don't need a separate training block — he points out that even cutting 60 minutes of riding a week and putting it into two 30-minute strength sessions is enough to start defending the power that fades with age. Two sessions, he says, is the sweet spot: it gives the body a better chance to catch the recovery curve than trying to cram more in. His other masters-specific point is the hardest one for driven riders to swallow — you have to get comfortable prioritising maintenance over chasing new numbers in the gym. The goal off the bike isn't to get bigger or stronger for its own sake; it's to hold onto the fast-twitch strength and joint integrity that endurance riding quietly lets slide. Keep it simple, keep it twice a week, and protect what you've got.
What is Teel's main point on strength after 40?
Cycling-specific strength is single-leg, hip-dominant, and built around movement quality, not max effort.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Derek Teel on strength after 40?
Teel discusses strength training after 40 in this episode: "Strength Training For Cycling Simplified | Derek Teel".
MORE FROM TEEL
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Strength & Conditioning— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON STRENGTH AFTER 40