Strength Training for Cyclists Over 40: Power, Bones and Back

Cyclists over 40 should strength train twice a week in the off-season and once a week during the riding season, focusing on heavy leg lifts, hip and trunk strength, and upper-body pulling. Heavy strength training improves cycling economy and performance in endurance-trained cyclists, and it gives your bones the loading that road cycling doesn’t. It also protects the muscle and strength that steady riding alone won’t hold onto as you age.

Why cyclists over 40 need the gym

Three reasons, in order of importance for most riders:

1. Bone health. A systematic review of 31 studies found that adult road cyclists in regular training often had low bone mineral density in key areas such as the lumbar spine, and concluded that road cycling doesn’t appear to give a significant bone-building benefit (Olmedillas et al., 2012). The likely reason is long hours in a weight-supported position. Mountain biking or adding other sports appeared to help.
2. Performance. A review of combined endurance and strength training concluded that heavy strength training is recommended for improving cycling economy and that the evidence for an additive effect on cycling performance is most compelling with heavy loads (Rønnestad & Mujika, 2014).
3. Muscle and strength with age. Strength declines faster than muscle size as men age (Mitchell et al., 2012). Riding trains endurance, not maximal strength.

There’s a fourth for many riders: hours folded over the bars leave the hips tight and the upper back weak. Lifting balances that.

The cyclist’s two-day strength plan

Do these in the off-season, 45 minutes each, with at least two days between them.

For heavy lifting technique and joint-friendly choices, see should men over 40 lift heavy.

Add some impact for bones

Strength training loads bone; impact helps too. If your joints allow, add two or three of these per week:

• 3 × 5 low box jumps or jump squats (land softly)
• 10 to 20 minutes of running or brisk hill walking
• Skipping rope, 3 × 30 seconds

Your riding probably already covers Canada’s guideline of at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week; the guideline also asks for muscle-strengthening work at least twice a week, which is the part most cyclists skip.

Ontario’s year: off-season and in-season

Rules for combining with riding:

1. Never do heavy legs the day before a hard ride or group ride.
2. Lift and do hard intervals on the same day if needed, lifting second or with several hours between, so your easy days stay easy.
3. Expect heavy legs for the first two to three weeks of a new block; it fades.

Handling the riding position

Hours in a forward-flexed position can leave tight hip flexors, a stiff upper back and a sore neck. Two minutes after each ride:

• Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, 30 seconds per side
• Thoracic rotation on hands and knees, 8 per side
• Chin tucks against a wall, 10

Commuting and fitness riding in Toronto

If you ride to work along the Martin Goodman Trail or the bike lanes, you’re already building aerobic fitness most days. Count those rides as easy aerobic volume and keep the gym work as planned. The Toronto cycling for fitness guide covers routes and building commute rides into training.

The bottom line

Riding builds your engine; the gym builds the chassis. Two heavy sessions a week in the off-season and one through the summer improves cycling performance, gives your bones the load they don’t get on the bike, and keeps your strength from sliding as you age. If you’d like your riding, lifting, nutrition and recovery planned together and adjusted month by month, that’s what monthly 1:1 coaching does. If you’re building toward a run as well, see the first half marathon plan.