What kind of madness would it be to suggest that those of us ticking the ’39 and over’ age box should add, rather than subtract, bulk? For decades, the prevailing wisdom and aerodynamic gospel have been all about lightening the load: trimming every spare gram of body mass to evade gravity, climb faster and slice through the air like an arrow. But what if, at a certain age, the smartest move isn’t to get lighter but to get stronger? Far from being madness, it’s becoming scientific orthodoxy that older cyclists should gear our training towards strength.
Maintaining muscle will not only improve our cycling, shows the science, but also stave off injury, illness and fatigue. “As we get older, we naturally lose muscle mass and strength,” explains strength coach Dean Sutton (puresportsmed.com). A former Ironman competitor with over 30 years’ coaching experience, Sutton acknowledges that there are pros and cons to muscle-building for cyclists but insists that the overall benefits far outweigh the negatives.
Unless you take action, the natural decline in muscle mass (sarcopenia) proceeds at about 1% per year after hitting 30, increasing to 2-3% per year beyond 60. For men, it comes on the back of the body’s natural drop in testosterone production and is only worsened by changing lifestyle factors—kids, career, sedentary downtime, etc. But losing muscle mass isn’t just an image problem; it’s linked to frailty, reduced mobility, compromised immunity and greater risk of chronic diseases such as type II diabetes.
To the average Cycling Weekly reader, this may sound a little alarmist—Zimmer frame replacing carbon frame is not on the cards. Nonetheless, we’re all fighting a war of attrition against ageing—a war that must be waged with guns (biceps) blazing. It’s called resistance training for a reason.
“Building muscle helps combat fat accumulation, balancing your metabolism and boosting your cycling performance,” says Sutton. “With muscle-building comes increased power, better neuromuscular efficiency, and better stability, all of which reduce the potential for injury.” Let’s be clear: we’re not suggesting you transform yourself from Eddie Merckx into Eddie Hall.
The aim is targeted muscle-building exercises, with a careful application of volume and load, balanced with recovery, to improve your strength for cycling without bulking up or hampering that sacred power-to-weight ratio.
(Image credit: Future)
Neuromuscular adaptations can significantly increase force output without increasing muscle size: more strength without more bulk. “Consistent strength training in cyclists leads to several key physiological adaptations that enhance performance,” says Sebastian Sitko, a lecturer in sports science at the University of Zaragoza, Spain. “Notably, it increases muscle cross-sectional area and maximal strength, particularly in the quadriceps and thigh muscles, without necessarily increasing overall body mass.”
A February 2025 study from Spanish researchers found that well-trained cyclists who added two weekly resistance training sessions improved cycling power by 4-7% and increased muscle size by 2-2.5%, without gaining weight—presumably because they also lost some fat. According to Sitko, those physiological changes are associated with improved functional threshold power (FTP) and mean power output—as shown in studies by Norwegian sports scientist Bent Rønnestad during both short (five-minute) and longer (40-minute) all-out efforts, as well as improved fatigue resistance.
“Strength training can improve cycling economy and VO2max,”
Sebastian Sitko
“Strength training also enhances rate of force development and bike-specific explosive strength,” adds Sitko, “allowing cyclists to generate peak torque earlier in the pedal stroke and improve sprinting ability.” A study of novice cyclists also found that six weeks of combined resistance and sprint cycling training boosted the riders’ rate of force development—essentially how quickly you can go from zero to max—by as much as 32%. In another study, in the US, carried out on young male athletes over 12 weeks, combining resistance with aerobic training was found to enhance mitochondrial function and, in turn, improve energy efficiency.
(Image credit: Future)
Introducing barbell lifts, kettlebell squats and other targeted resistance exercises triggers a shift in your muscle fibre profile. “Some fast-twitch, fatigue-prone type-two fibres are converted to more fatigue-resistant type-two-A fibres,” explains Sitko, adding that this fibre type, while still producing high force, is better suited to sustained efforts. Strength training promotes hypertrophy whereby muscles tear under tension and repair during recovery, increasing in size and strength potential.
This supports greater force production—you can push harder on the pedals—and improves muscular endurance, meaning your legs stay stronger for longer, even deep into a ride or race. Far from being dead weight for a cyclist, muscle is your friend. And there are yet more benefits to come. “Strength training can improve cycling economy and the fractional utilisation of VO2max,” says Sitko.
In simpler terms, this means cyclists can sustain a higher percentage of their aerobic capacity for longer. Research from Telemark University College in Bø, Norway, found that maximal strength training improved cycling economy in competitive cyclists who added heavy half-squats to their routine—just four reps per set, three sets per session, three times a week. After a few weeks, they were producing power more quickly, pedalling more efficiently, and riding longer before fatigue set in.
Their strength increased by about 14%, and they lasted 17% longer in all-out efforts. All this came with no gain in weight or change in their VO2max—added power with no cost to endurance. “These benefits have been observed in both male and female cyclists,” says Sitko, “with some evidence suggesting women experience even greater improvements in their cycling economy.”
Two trials carried out among female duathletes found that combining strength sessions with endurance training led to improvements in cycling performance and faster TT times, with no significant body mass increase. Away from the laboratory, the benefits to cycling performance are harder to measure. “It’s difficult to isolate the effects of strength training,” explains Sitko.
“Participants typically continue performing cycling sessions alongside controlled strength work, and the monitoring usually lasts only four to 12 weeks.” In his own experience in the field, Sitko found that incorporating strength training into the regimen of already well-trained cyclists resulted in an average improvement of approximately 4% in power output across the power-duration curve. “This response varies considerably between individuals,” he cautions.
Olympic and world champion Emma Finucane in the gym
(Image credit: Sophie Capewell)
One individual keen to sing the praises of the weights room is visually impaired para-cyclist Steve Bate. Having narrowly missed out on the pursuit final at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow, Bate and his pilot Chis Latham set their sights on the following year’s Paris Paralympics. And they were determined to develop the muscle to get onto the podium this time.
“We underperformed at the Glasgow Worlds and knew we needed to change something,” Bate tells CW. “We weren’t keeping up with our Dutch rivals. One thing that stood out was gear size—they were riding massive gears, which raised the question of how they were building that strength.” As part of a series of changes, Bate and his team explored a “big gear project,” testing up to and beyond 137-inch gearing.
“At first the times were slow, but our heart rates dropped. Less cadence meant less fatigue, but we needed serious torque to get those gears moving.” That’s where muscle-building specialist Luca Malvaso came in. “To push a 137- or even 145-inch gear off the line and be competitive, we had to generate big torque without blowing up,” says Bate.
The Paralympian describes the “smart” programme that homed in on “isolating weak links, fixing imbalances with single-leg presses, and full posterior chain recruitment—not just hammering the quads.” His upper body got a revamp too. “Chin-ups, press-ups, core exercises became key, it was real all-round conditioning stuff,” Bate recalls the daily grind.
“Three weeks out from Paris, I did full-body competition testing, and the numbers beat both previous Games,” he says. “That was hugely reassuring. Everything we’d done had built a stronger, more efficient engine without bulking up or burning out. It paid off in Paris as Bate and Latham took silver in the individual pursuit.
In defence of bulking up (a bit)
(Image credit: Future)
Through my 20s and early 30s, I was a borderline obsessive runner and my weight hovered around the 65kg mark—which, at just under 6ft, meant I was, to quote my nan, “all skin and bone”. As injuries multiplied in my late-30s, I decided to shelve my running ambitions and broaden my training, throwing in a weekly weights session alongside rides, hikes and runs. I enjoyed the variety so much that the balance gradually evened out.
Now, I spend as much time lifting weights as I do on cardiovascular training. I have gained 7kg in weight; this sounds disastrous for a cyclist but it hasn’t bothered me at all. The benefits have far outweighed the slight disadvantage on climbs. I feel not only stronger but healthier too. As a puny runner, I was prone to frequent colds; now I can’t recall the last time I was unwell. High-volume cardio often left me tired and sore, whereas I leave the gym with a well-earned glow.
Let’s be honest, the pigeon chest won’t be missed, and it’s quite nice having toned, rather than T-Rex, arms. For serious racers focused on climbs, minimising upper-body bulk will always be vital. But for me, as a purely recreational rider, the gains in strength, resilience and general wellbeing have been well worth the added weight.
Crucially, these adaptations happen without necessarily increasing body mass, especially when training focuses on low-rep, high-load lifts. It really is possible to gain power and fatigue resistance without piling on kilos in muscle mass: a win-win for cyclists. But avoiding excess bulk requires a selective, thoughtful approach.
“Start with two strength training sessions per week, about an hour each, focusing on multi-joint movements that target the key muscle groups used in pedalling,” Sitko says. “That means squats, leg presses, step-ups, lunges, Bulgarian split squats, and ankle dorsiflexion [upward bending of the foot] work.”
These compound movements build functional strength in the quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves—all essential for cycling power and durability. The best way to avoid packing on muscle is to work in the correct rep range: one to six reps for three to five sets, working at 85% of your one-rep max (depending on experience). By contrast, body builders typically work in the eight-to-12 reps range to induce the biggest possible gains in muscle mass.
“Two sessions per week is the ideal volume for developing strength,” confirms Sitko. “But when the season ramps up, one session is enough to maintain those gains—reducing strength work is especially important when cycling volume and intensity are high.” He advises making strength a specific focus during the preparatory or base period, before tapering during race season to avoid excessive fatigue. “Strength training can be beneficial year-round,” Sitko notes, “but it has to be integrated carefully.
Sometimes, an extra cycling session may offer more value, depending on your race calendar, fitness and fatigue.” What about those of us really pressed for time? “One session per week is the minimum to see benefits,” insists Sitko. “Aim to do four to six key exercises, three sets each, at an intensity of three to six rep max. That’s enough to stimulate neuromuscular gains and preserve strength.”
(Image credit: Sophie Capewell)
Increasing strength has benefits beyond cycling performance. “The knock-on effect is that you will feel stronger in your day-to-day activities,” says Sutton. Strength training stimulates osteoblasts, the cells responsible for building bone tissue and increasing bone mineral density.
This not only reduces injury risk but also supports long-term mobility and overall health. The plus-points just keep coming: studies have shown muscle building may reduce injury risk by improving tendon resilience and joint stability, as well as boosting mitochondria count, immune function and increasing the antioxidant enzymes in immune cells. For too long, too many cyclists—especially those over 40—have treated the gym as optional and muscle mass as the enemy.
But you don’t need to sacrifice your power-to-weight ratio, and you certainly don’t need to look like a powerlifter. What you do need is a commitment to preserving the chassis that will carry you through the next decades on the bike. A session or two in the gym each week is a wise investment of your time, for both your cycling and your health.
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