Strength training for cyclists: How Canyon athletes train off the bike

As cyclists we know that gym and strength work are vital for boosting our performance on the bike. But how many of us are doing enough off-the-bike work? Research shows that strength training helps you ride faster, recover better, and stay injury-free, but there’s no one-size-fits-all way to do it. 

For freeride legend Fabio Wibmer, it’s about being ready for anything: ‘’It’s super important to keep the whole body strong. Having that base strength keeps you ready for whatever goes down.’’

Time-trial powerhouse Marlen Reusser takes a different approach: “After I got sick last year, I started practicing yoga instead, and that’s been a big part of my routine ever since. You need tension in your body, you engage your core and pelvic floor, and you build stability and body awareness.’’ 

Downhill shredder Henri Kiefer views gym workouts as his extra layer of protection: “Your own muscles are your best protection, so maintaining strength helps prevent injuries throughout the season.’’ 

Each Canyon athlete we’ve talked to has their own ways to build strength. From mindful yoga to explosive gym work, there is no single way to tackle off-bike training. In this guide, we’ll explore why strength training matters, how Canyon pros approach it, and how you can apply their lessons to your own riding with practical, research-backed exercises.

On the surface, cycling might seem like a leg-dominant sport, but generating real power through the pedals starts with a stable core. Regular strength training builds the stability and balance that allows you to transfer every watt into forward motion, and make you a stronger, more efficient rider.

Beyond raw muscle, strength training improves your cycling efficiency, and how much energy you use for each effort. Research in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that adding two weekly resistance sessions to endurance training improved time trial performance by around 4 to 5% with no increase in body mass (Vikmoen et al., 2016).

Adding some strength training workouts to your weekly cycling plan can translate into a smoother pedal stroke, greater fatigue resistance, and fewer injuries. In other words, a strong body is not just faster- it is more durable, even on your biggest rides. So, you’ll be less sore at the end of each ride and able to put out more valuable watts.

Combining resistance and strength work with cycling helps to train the nervous system as much as the muscles. Strength sessions teach your body to recruit more muscle fibres with each pedal stroke, improving balance and efficiency.

A study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology showed that heavy resistance work increased force production and pedal-stroke efficiency without adding bulk (Aagaard et al., 2011). This means you can produce more power with less effort, therefore saving valuable energy over the course of a long ride and ensuring you’re not carrying too much extra weight up the climbs.

Strength training also activates fast-twitch fibres responsible for fast accelerations and sprints. Combined with improved neuromuscular control, it helps you stay sharp as you begin to get tired (Sunde et al., 2010). This is particularly useful for race situations such as finish line sprints and hill attacks or just racing to beat your friends on the weekly group ride.

Think of your performance like a pyramid: the wider your strength base, the higher you can build. Mobility, balance, and core control form the bottom layer, and the foundation for every climb, sprint, or descent.

Even short, consistent gym sessions make a noticeable difference in posture and pedal stroke. Once you’ve built a solid base, you can safely add higher layers of endurance, power, and all-round performance.

As mentioned, there is no single formula for building strength. Each Canyon athlete adapts their off-bike work to their body, discipline, and cycling goals, proving that training methods are as individual as riding style.

or Marlen, a superstar rider for Movistar Team and the current time trial world champion, strength is not just about heavy lifting. After recovering from illness, she began her yoga journey, hoping to restore balance and gain more awareness of her body and how it works. 

Yoga helps keep Marlen injury-free, improving her stability and mental calmness – all things that help support her recovery between races. Classic yoga asanas (poses) such as downward dog, bridge, and pigeon open the hips, engage the core, and improve breathing control – all invaluable for Marlen’s long time trial efforts on her Speedmax CFR TT.

Young Brazilian Movistar Team rider Tota Magalhães, who rides a Canyon Aeroad CFR, follows a structured program built around back squats, hip thrusts, and deadlifts. During the off-season, she focuses on progressive overload to build muscle and resilience. During the season, she maintains strength with shorter, lighter sessions. 

She always starts with activation work using resistance bands and mobility drills before moving to main lifts. Core training ties everything together, ensuring stability and efficient power transfer. 

Tota’s essentials:

• Back squats and hip thrusts for glutes and quads
• Deadlifts for posterior-chain strength
• Core circuits for posture and control

Her advice for new riders is to start with proper form first. ‘’If you perform an exercise incorrectly you can easily injure yourself. Having someone teach you proper form is key. Build a good foundation first, focus on form, and only then increase the load.’’ 

For Wibmer, strength training is about self-protection. Flying down staircases, doing huge backflips and jumping over street obstacles on his Canyon Stitch CFR Trial involves heavy landings, quick reactions, and aerial control. All of this requires a strong back and core. He trains two to three times per week, mixing backbends, deadlifts, and hyperextensions with body-weight circuits. Balance and coordination are his main focus, the qualities that keep him smooth and composed on technical lines. 

Fabio’s go-to moves:

• Deadlifts and back extensions for spinal strength 
• Core and plank variations for stability 
• Plyometric jumps for power and pop 

Fabio’s mantra is simple: train for feel, not for numbers. “When you’re riding and notice weak spots, focus on strengthening those areas. It’s all about listening to your body and building what you need.’' 

As a downhill World Cup racer, racing on his Canyon Sender CFR, Henri Kiefer relies on full-body conditioning to absorb hits and stay sharp. During the off-season Henri builds through structured phases of strength, aerobic base, VO2 max, and plyometrics. During the season he shifts his focus to maintenance: mobility, activation, and short endurance rides. 

Henri’s top exercises:

• Squats for leg power 
• Push-ups for upper-body control 
• Plank variations for core endurance

Resistance bands, kettlebells, and a simple barbell setup form his home-gym setup. “Don’t spend all your time lifting heavy weights. As athletes, we need to be efficient — just being big and strong isn’t enough.” 

Despite their different approaches, the Canyon pros share three principles: 

• Core first: stability drives power.
• Functional movement: train patterns, not just muscles.
• Consistency: small, regular sessions beat occasional heavy ones.

These ideas translate directly into practical exercises you can build into your own plan.

Research in Sports Medicine shows that strength and endurance training complement each other when programmed wisely (Beattie et al., 2017).

Training frequency and timing:

• Off-season: two to three strength sessions per week to build a base 
• In-season: one to two shorter sessions to maintain strength 
• If combining workouts, lift before endurance rides when possible 

Load and intensity principles:

• Use progressive overload and increase resistance gradually 
• Prioritise compound lifts such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts 
• Maintain perfect form; quality matters more than weight 

Seasonal adjustments, known as periodisation, let cyclists build strength without compromising endurance. Low-volume, high-intensity sessions are enough to maintain strength during racing season (Rønnestad and Hansen, 2010). 

You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to see results. A few key exercises, done consistently and correctly, can make a big difference to your performance on the bike. Here are five groups of strength exercises that target the main muscle groups cyclists rely on to improve balance and control – both essential for powerful, efficient, injury-free riding.

Planks are perhaps the easiest exercise to start with as they just use your own body weight. Planking is a great exercise for lower back pain but it's incredibly effective at increasing your core and shoulder strength.

Variations will further test and improve your strength. Try lifting one leg up or extending one arm forward.

Begin with holding a plank for 30-60 seconds aiming to increase this time up to 90 seconds during the off-season.

Cyclists' hip flexors are notoriously troublesome (tight) unless you target them with specific exercises. Use your workout to incorporate leg lifts which target the hips and torso.

Lie flat on a mat with your hands either side of your body. Lift your legs in the air and gradually lower them to the ground again. If you're feeling good, try doing leg lifts with your hands above your head for an extra challenge.

Do around 20 reps per set and aim for between 3 and 5 sets. Important here is control through the movement.

Burpees come with a bad reputation, but there's a place for them in your strength training plan. The burpee is an amazing full body workout that uses your arms, legs and torso to achieve more power when you're cycling.

Burpees will get your heart rate racing, so make sure you've got a bottle of water nearby for afterwards.

Aim for 10-20 reps with up to 5 sets.

A lot of the exercises mentioned in this article feature in many yoga and pilates classes. Classes are a good way to ensure you dedicate the time to your practice. In many cases, the classes will focus on a particular area such as hips, lower back or core. One-to-one sessions can benefit you as you get started and can help you identify any niggles before they worsen.

Your own body weight is a great starting point for strength training. After a while, you may want to increase the weight during your workout.

Dumbbells and kettlebells are useful aids for increasing your strength. Always remember to start weight lighter weights and progress to heavier ones over time. Focus on your technique (strong core, straight back, use your hips) rather than repetitions and weights.

Include some of these weighted exercises into your workout:

Finding the right balance between gym work and cycling is the key to getting stronger without overtraining or getting injured. The aim isn’t to replace cycling sessions but to time the type of riding you do with the strength workouts in your weekly plan. By scheduling smartly, you can stay fit, strong, and fresh throughout the year. 

Periodisation throughout the year:

• Off-season: Build your foundation here. Focus on heavier loads and lower reps to develop maximum strength and stability. Two to three sessions per week work well during this period. Pre-season: Transition from pure strength to power. Use explosive, moderate-load exercises to convert strength into speed and acceleration. Aim for around two focused sessions per week. 
• Race season: The goal is to maintain, not gain. Keep sessions short and efficient with low-volume, high-speed movements. One gym session per week is usually enough to stay strong without adding fatigue.
• Transition phase: Use this time for recovery and mobility. Focus on yoga, stretching, and light core work to restore balance before the next training cycle. One or two relaxed sessions per week is fine. 

Weekly scheduling strategies: 

• Alternate hard rides and strength days to avoid fatigue overlap.
• Avoid heavy leg work before hard interval sessions.

Example: Monday rest or yoga, Tuesday strength and easy spin, Wednesday endurance, Friday core or mobility, Sunday long ride.

Just like your cycling training plan, strength work should change through the season. You should adjust your reps, load, and focus to help you build power in the off-season and stay strong during periods where you ride or race regularly without adding fatigue.

• Strength building phases – Three to five sets of four to six reps at heavy load (80–90% 1RM) with long rest periods.
• Power development phases – Three to four sets of six to ten reps with moderate load and high movement speed.
• Maintenance and endurance phases – Two to three sets of twelve to twenty reps with lighter load and controlled tempo.

These cycles mirror findings from endurance-athlete research: shorter, intense sessions maintain gains while freeing time for riding (Beattie et al., 2017). 

Strength training is one of the most misunderstood aspects of cycling performance. Many riders avoid it due to misconceptions that can hold them back from reaching their full potential. Let’s debunk some of the most common myths: 

• It makes you bulky – Strength work builds neuromuscular efficiency, not size.
• It’s only for winter – Even one weekly session maintains strength year-round. 
• It slows you down – Actually, stronger muscles reduce fatigue and improve pedaling efficiency. 
• Core work alone is enough - True power requires a whole-body approach.

Strength training is the best way for a cyclist to prevent injury. Balanced muscles protect joints, absorb impacts, and improve bike handling.

A review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that structured resistance work cut overuse injuries by nearly 50% (Lauersen et al., 2014).

Quick checklist:

• 5–10-minute dynamic warm-up before lifting 
• Focus on correct form and posture  
• Increase load slowly 
• Stretch or use foam rollers after training 
• Prioritise recovery, nutrition and sleep 

Every Canyon athlete trains differently, from Marlen’s mindful yoga to Fabio’s impact-proof gym work, but they share the same goal: to ride stronger, longer, and injury-free.

Start small, stay consistent, and build a foundation that supports every pedal stroke. Strength work helps provide control, balance, durability, and the pure enjoyment of riding your bike.

If you’re ready to put this into practice, explore our guides on training with power and protein for cyclists, or explore Canyon’s bike buying guides to match your fitness goals.

Ready to turn that strength into speed on the bike? We’ve got you covered. Check out our bike buying guide to find the perfect match for your goals, and use our bike finder and bike comparison tool to discover the Canyon model that best fits your style of riding.

Your next ride starts here – see you out on the road or the trails.

• Aagaard, P., Andersen, J.L., Bennekou, M., Larsson, B., Olesen, J.L., Crameri, R. and Magnusson, S.P. (2011) Effects of resistance training on endurance performance and muscle characteristics in young endurance athletes. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 111(12), pp. 3339–3349. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-010-1639-2
• Beattie, K., Kenny, I.C., Lyons, M. and Carson, B.P. (2017) The benefits of strength training for endurance athletes. Sports Medicine, 47(5), pp. 921–943. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-016-0627-6
• Lauersen, J.B., Bertelsen, D.M. and Andersen, L.B. (2014) The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(11), pp. 871–877. Available at: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/11/871
• Rønnestad, B.R. and Hansen, E.A. (2010) Strength training improves 5-min all-out performance following 185 min of cycling. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(8), pp. 2192–2198. Available at: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2010/04000/Strength_Training_Improves_5_Min_All_Out.33.aspx
• Sunde, A., Støren, Ø., Bjerkaas, M., Larsen, M.H., Hoff, J. and Helgerud, J. (2010) Maximal strength training improves cycling economy in competitive cyclists. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 20(1), pp. 54–61. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00933.x
• Vikmoen, O., Ellefsen, S., Trøen, Ø., Hollan, I., Hanestadhaugen, M., Raastad, T. and Rønnestad, B.R. (2016) Effects of resistance training on cycling performance in female cyclists. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(8), pp. 2314–2320. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00933.x