S&C your way to Faster Cycling - 3 Exercises to do

This blog looks at three simple strength and conditioning exercises and demonstrates how you can use them to become a more efficient cyclist and fundamentally get faster. These are great as strengthening work, or as a bit of fun/challenge to add to your cycling training routine.

Why should you include strength and conditioning in your training?

Firstly, strength and conditioning as a whole can be seen as trying to create the chassis with which you can use your engine to its maximum potential. If you have a small engine then the chassis doesn't need to be that strong but increase the size of the engine without improving the chassis and bingo, injury. The chassis is broken and you aren't going anywhere regardless of the engines power or the power of your will and determination.

Secondly, it is important to note that you may never get injured but you may struggle to put down any power. It is really important to remember with cycling that there are two components to power; rpm (cadence) and force (how hard you push down on the pedals). 

Thirdly, when it comes to cycling it is incredibly important to make sure one critical part of the chassis works with the other components and allows them to function optimally. Luckily this bit is free of charge in terms of physical effort, but not in financial cost. It is important that you don't underestimate the importance of a bike fit and a recent one at that. If you haven't had a bike fit then you are possibly putting your body, from the outset into a compromised position which forces it beyond your stable and controllable range of movement, compromising your posture and therefore compromising your bodies ability to function as you want it to. It is incredibly important to state that you can do as much bodywork as possible and be completely undermined by this one simple omission. 

How you should include strength and conditioning in your training

Strength and conditioning exercises should progress through a range starting with mobility and moving through correct function, stable function, strong function and then powerful function.

Here are three starter exercises including pelvic stability and knee stability. It is also important to work on maintenance or improvement of lower back mobility and hamstring range of movement, but that is some more videos to capture.

Monster Walk

Squat with a theraband

Bulgarian Split Squats