Derek Tal breaks down exactly how to strength train as a cyclist—whether you should lift heavy or light, how many times per week to hit the gym, and how to slot it into your cycling schedule without tanking your on-bike performance. If you've been wondering whether strength training will make you heavier or slower, this conversation clears it all up.
Key Takeaways
- Start with 2 sessions per week minimum for strength training; more than that risks interfering with your cycling training, especially if you're riding 5-6 days weekly
- Always schedule strength sessions on your harder, shorter cycling days—never on easy/recovery rides, as this creates a 'grey zone' that kills both adaptations
- Use 'reps in reserve' as your guide: choose a weight where you have 2-3 reps left in the tank, rather than testing your one-rep max, which is risky and less practical
- Follow a periodized approach: start with muscular endurance (16-20 reps), progress to hypertrophy (6-12 reps), then strength (1-6 reps), then power—just like periodizing your cycling training
- The weight gain from strength training is worth it; you'll gain some muscle, water retention, and bone density, but the efficiency and durability gains outweigh a kilo or two
- Consistency and keeping your 'floor' high matters more than chasing peaks; avoid the trap of doing too much volume and living in constant soreness
Expert Quotes
"If you only train it once a week you are in the cycle of forever soreness because you can never really build based off of that previous adaptation—Derek Tal"
"Our goal as cyclists is to hit our numbers on the bike and the gym is a supporting factor of that—so if you have a really good interval session and it interferes with your deadlift numbers for that day, honestly who really cares—Derek Tal"
"Strength training has been shown to improve everything except your VO2 max—and with adequate recovery it's not going to negatively affect your endurance in the long term—Derek Tal"