Cycling Exercise Program

The good news about our cycling exercise programs and weight training ideas are that regardless of your body shape and size, almost anyone can achieve the benefits.

These benefits include improvements in cardiovascular and muscular endurance, whilst providing a low injury risk level, with the exception of off road mountain biking. Competitive cyclists compete in either short sprint races on a track or road, or longer endurance style races such as the tour de France (23 days).

Regardless of your chosen distance, weight training especially in the lower body will improve your performance during both sprint work and hill climbs.

The following weight training circuit should be performed 2-3 times a week in the off season, and 1-2 times a week during your race season. Sprint cyclists should aim for lower reps with a heavier weight, whilst endurance cyclists need to perform a higher amount of reps with a lighter weight.

This session is designed to work all the major muscle groups of the lower body. Aim to do the exercises after a proper warm-up and stretch. Session 2 should be performed on a totally different day, ideally two days after session 1.

The weights that you use should reflect on your current strength levels. For safety reasons, start with a light weight establishing good technique before increasing gradually (you can find out more about various fitness exercises and training programs on Netfit.co.uk).

Click on the photograph for a full animation and explanation of how to do the exercise. The bold text indicates the muscle group section that is being worked, with a link to other exercises for that muscle group. There is no set order for you to perform the exercises in, however I would advise to start with the exercise that you find the hardest, only after a good warm-up and stretch.
 

On the following pages you will find two sessions for you to follow - one is more leg bias, the other middle and upper body, plus a workout sheet for you to print off :