Original title: Resistance Training for Cyclists: Scientific Evidence and Practical Recommendations
This review looks at evidence on strength training for cyclists, including effects on performance, body composition, and bone health. It recommends one or two weekly sessions using fairly heavy weights, several sets, and lower-body exercises that use multiple joints. The training should stop short of causing too much fatigue, and its timing should be planned around cycling sessions. The review also says hard pedaling against resistance may be an option when lifting is not practical.
Imagine packing for a long bike ride while trying not to carry more than you need. It is hard to choose what helps without adding weight or leaving something important behind. In this paper, carefully chosen strength sessions are the useful items, while excess fatigue and unwanted muscle growth are the costs cyclists want to avoid.
Cyclists may avoid lifting because they worry about fatigue or gaining muscle that could hinder performance. This review says carefully planned resistance training can improve cycling performance and may help address low bone density, while emphasizing that how and when it is done matters.
This is a narrative review, and the abstract does not establish the best training parameters for every cyclist. It says more research is needed to identify the optimal settings and to clarify the potential bone-health benefits. The reported benefits depend on careful programming, including intensity, fatigue, and timing relative to endurance training.
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Resistance Training for Cyclists: Scientific Evidence and Practical Recommendations — Raúl de Pablos, Iván R. Sánchez-Redondo, Lidia B. Alejo et al. — Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports — doi:10.1111/sms.70377
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.