THE SHORT ANSWER
Teel built Dialed Health around one idea most cyclists resist: the gym makes you a better rider, not a bulkier one. His programming is cycling-specific — movements that protect the hips, knees and back that take a beating in the saddle, loaded enough to actually drive adaptation. He's practical about fitting it around riding rather than treating it as a competing sport, because the riders who quit strength work are usually the ones who made it too complicated. Build durable, capable strength off the bike and you hold your position longer, resist injury and put more of your training into the pedals.
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 TRAINING
Teel’s key positions on strength training for cyclists.
- Cycling-specific strength is single-leg, hip-dominant, and built around movement quality, not max effort.
- 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.
“16 to 20 reps is probably going to be your muscular endurance where you're really building a base of strength and almost like you would an aerobic base”
“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”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Derek Teel covers strength training for cyclists and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Derek Teel say about strength training for cyclists?
Teel built Dialed Health around one idea most cyclists resist: the gym makes you a better rider, not a bulkier one. His programming is cycling-specific — movements that protect the hips, knees and back that take a beating in the saddle, loaded enough to actually drive adaptation. He's practical about fitting it around riding rather than treating it as a competing sport, because the riders who quit strength work are usually the ones who made it too complicated. Build durable, capable strength off the bike and you hold your position longer, resist injury and put more of your training into the pedals.
What is Teel's main point on strength training?
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 training?
Teel discusses strength training for cyclists in these episodes: "The Best Exercises For Cyclists (Strength Training)", "Strength Training For Cycling Simplified | Derek Teel".
MORE FROM TEEL
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Strength & Conditioning— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON STRENGTH TRAINING