Want to improve your performance on the bike? Cross training might be the missing piece of the puzzle to help you unlock your potential and become a stronger, faster cyclist. It might sound counterproductive – after all, if you want to be a better cyclist spending more time on the bike rather than adding in alternative forms of exercise would surely be the fastest route? But introducing different forms of training can help you to prevent injury, train more consistently and gives your body alternative stimuli which can drive the adaptations you need to improve your cycling.
In this blog, we’ll guide you through what cross training is, the benefits of cross training for cyclists and discuss the best types of cross training for cycling performance.
What is cross training for cyclists?
Cross training for cyclists means incorporating different forms of exercise and training, outside of cycling, into your weekly schedule in order to improve your overall fitness, consistency and reduce injury risk… all of which adds up to improved cycling performance. We’ll dive deeper into the best cross training activities for cyclists later on (so keep reading), but examples can include strength training, running and swimming.
Why should cyclists cross train?
If you do the same training, week in and week out you’ll notice that while initially you make some improvements, eventually you hit a plateau. This is because the body gets stronger and fitter when it finds an exercise stimulus challenging, which prompts adaptations to occur so the next time your body encounters that stimulus it’s better equipped to cope with it. But without variation and progression in your training, the body doesn’t need to keep adapting.
How your body adapts to exercise: a whistle-stop tour
Aerobic exercise prompts the cardiovascular system to become more efficient. The heart gets stronger, the left ventricle slightly enlarges and stroke volume increases. This decreases your resting heart rate, because the heart’s increased cardiac output means it’s able to pump more blood around the body with each heart beat, making the delivery of oxygen to muscles and the clearance of waste products more efficient. Other adaptations include increased blood plasma, which improves the ability to carry oxygen, and the formation of more capillaries (tiny blood vessels) around muscle fibres for fast oxygen delivery. Endurance training and strength-based exercise also drives adaptations in the musculoskeletal system. Endurance activities (such as cycling, running and swimming) increase the number of mitochondria (the ‘powerhouses’ of a cell) in your muscle fibres, which improves energy production and fatigue-resistance. And strength training can increase the power output and size of muscles by stimulating an increase in the number of contractile proteins in muscle fibres which facilitates improved force generation.
Why you hit a plateau in your training
All of that sounds great, right? But the trouble is, if the stimulus – the exercise you’re doing regularly – isn’t varied enough, the body gets used to it. The stimulus is no longer seen as challenging enough, so the body decides it can cope with the resources it’s already built up, and therefore doesn’t need to adapt. The result? You stay right where you are, in a plateau and no longer seeing the gains you had at the start.
This is where cross training can be so beneficial. There’s only so much variation you can create through cycling alone. Of course, you can increase your volume, add in intensity and work within different energy systems – and you should. But relying on that alone not only leaves performance on the table, it also increases your risk of overuse injury… and of getting sick of cycling. Used strategically, cross training through strength work and alternative aerobic activities can help you to stimulate specific adaptations to improve your cycling performance, train with more consistency and recover faster between hard bike workouts.
The benefits of cross training
- Improved strength and fatigue resistance. Time in the gym might not be top of your list (we’d all rather be outdoors adventuring, let’s be real) but it’s a necessary evil for better cycling performance and injury prevention. Strength work will not only make key cycling muscles (such as your quads and hamstrings) stronger, resulting in improved power output and increased fast-twitch fibres. Targeted strength and conditioning work for cyclists can also dial in all the stabiliser muscles, which will help to reduce injury risk, make you a more efficient rider and help you to hold a better body position on the bike. All of that means you’ll be able to ride faster for longer, react faster to surges and improve your sprint finishes.
- Better aerobic capacity. Activities such as running and swimming can help to turbo charge your aerobic fitness. Varying your cardio exercises can help to raise your lactate threshold (learn more about lactate in our guide to training zones). This means the time before lactate (and the acidic hydrogen ions created as a byproduct which make your legs burn) accumulates is extended and the body’s ability to use lactate as a fuel source and clear it is improved. In real terms: your easy endurance pace gets faster for the same perceived effort, and you can sustain the harder efforts for longer.
- Shorter recovery times between hard bike workouts. Low impact cross training activities such as swimming and yoga act as active recovery, gently increasing blood flow and improving range of motion in muscles that are tight and fatigued after hard bike training sessions. Using active recovery strategically can help to speed up your recovery so you can tick off the key cycling training sessions with better consistency. Speaking of which…
- Improved training consistency. We all know that consistency is key for improvements – there’s no one session that’ll make you a better cyclist, it’s the work you stack up consistently over time. By mixing up your training, you can build resilience and load tolerance in your muscles which helps to reduce the likelihood of experiencing overused injuries compared to simply increasing your cycling volume. The great thing about being open to other forms of exercise also means that if you do get injured, or factors outside your control like travel and bad weather make it tricky to get on the bike, you’ve already got options in place to maintain your fitness until you can ride again. That makes what could have been a big setback far less impactful.
Best cross training exercises for cycling
So we’ve covered why you should consider cross training regularly if you want to improve your cycling. Now let’s look at what types of cross training activities are most likely to benefit your performance on the bike.
Strength training for cyclists
Strength training is the most important form of cross training for cyclists. Targeted strength and conditioning work can help to improve your muscular strength, load tolerance and stability, all of which adds up to improved cycling performance. Want to boost your top end speed and power? Want to be able to hold your aero position more efficiently? Strength training can help to get you there!
Why strength training is good for cyclists
- Improved load tolerance. Strength training helps to build resilience in your muscles. This will help your body to better withstand the repetitive motions that cycling demands, reducing the likelihood of injury. It may also help to reduce muscle tightness and soreness, as muscles which are experiencing loads beyond their tolerance level tend to tighten up as a protective measure. If you stretch all the time and you’re still feeling tight, it could be a strength problem rather than/alongside a flexibility issue.
- Better efficiency. Strength training for cyclists isn’t just about working on your leg power. It’s also about training your core and upper body. Doing so will help to make you more efficient in transferring power to the pedals, rather than wasting energy rocking side to side in the saddle. A strong core will also help you to get better at being able to maintain your aero position on the bike, which is vital for time trial cyclists and triathletes, or react quickly on technical courses.
- Bone health. Cycling has so many benefits, but it’s low impact and non-weight bearing which means compared to impact activities (like running) and strength-based exercise, it doesn’t have much of an osteogenic effect (source) – i.e., it doesn’t place much load on the skeleton and therefore doesn’t contribute much towards maintaining or strengthening your bones. As we get older, maintaining bone density becomes increasingly important. Strength training can help to maintain or improve bone density, because when you’re moving your muscles against resistance, they pull on your bones. This mechanical load triggers a process where cells called osteoclasts break down ‘old’ bone tissue and, and osteoblast cells replace it with stronger, denser tissue.
- Improved neuromuscular activation. Strength training also help to condition your body to get better at activating more muscle fibres, faster (helping you to generate more power on the bike and react faster), improves the connection between the brain and the body and improves motor skills such as balance and coordination. Great for improving cycling performance, but also just pretty useful for every day life!
Example strength training exercises to improve cycling performance
The best strength exercises will be specific to your ability level, what equipment you have access to and your goals. There are some great experts out there such as Total Strength Endurance who help cyclists, triathletes and runners to integrate effective, sport-specific strength work into their training schedule. But if you want an idea of where to start, here are some of the key exercises to consider for your strength training to improve cycling performance:
- Squats. Start with bodyweight then gradually increase the load using dumbbells or a kettlebell. This will target your quads, hamstrings and help to improve range of motion through your hips.
- Deadlifts. These will get your hamstrings, glutes and lower back working which will make you a stronger more efficient cyclist. If you’re inexperienced and/or managing lower back issues, consider using the hamstring curl machine as an alternative.
- 1:2 ratio step ups. Holding a set of dumbbells, use a box or a bench which is around mid-shin to knee height. Step up onto the platform focusing on driving through the quads and hip flexors. Lead forwards and lower down slowly (half the speed of the step up) to engage the glutes and hamstrings, and introduce an element of stability work.
- Lateral lunges (side lunges). Cycling is a repetitive movement in the sagittal plane, so it’s useful to incorporate some exercises which have you moving side to side in the front plain. Lateral lunges will help to work the outer hips and quads, and the inner thighs, helping to build strength and resilience through the hip complex.
- Reverse fly / cable row. This exercise will work outer shoulders and the upper back, helping to open up the chest (the pectoral muscles can become over-shortened due to the cycling position) improve posture and give better upper body control on the bike.
- High plank with toe taps. Adopt a plank in a press up position, then keeping your hips and back as steady as possible, extend one leg out to the side to perform a toe tap. Return to the starting position and repeat on alternate legs for 12-16 reps. By adding lower body movement to a classic plank position, you’re not only strengthening the core muscles but training them to maintain stability through the pelvis and torso while the legs are working. This will translate to more efficiency and control on the bike, and it’ll be easier to hold your aero position on a TT bike.
Frequency: Ideally, you want to try and strength train at least 2 x per week to feel the benefits. However, something is always better than nothing so even if you only have time to do a bodyweight strength routine in your living room once a week – that’s still going to be better than neglecting S&C entirely!
Good to know: Time your strength training to coincide with an easier day on the bike, or if you have to strength train on the same day as a hard bike workout – get the bike workout done first so the S&C doesn’t interfere with your session.
Why running is good for cyclists
Running is another brilliant cross training option for cyclists. Unlike cycling, running is high impact. And while it gets a bad rep for being ‘bad for your knees’ this impact, when the load and intensity is introduced and managed appropriately, also has major benefits for your bone health, muscle proprioception and your aerobic endurance.
Why you should take up a running
- Turbo charges your aerobic fitness. As a full body, high impact sport, running can be a more intense stimulus compared to cycling. This means you get excellent ‘bang for your buck’ when it comes to cardiovascular adaptations. The result will be improved endurance on the bike, a higher aerobic ceiling which raises your cycling speed across all energy systems… and you’ll be able to out-sprint your cycling mates when you arrive at the cafe stop and notice there’s only one cinnamon bun left on the counter. Wins all around.
- Improved balance, strength and coordination. Running gets your glutes and hamstrings working, which can help to reduce quad dominance and make you a more efficient rider. It also helps to improve your balance and proprioception which are motor skills we need in all aspects of life.
- Strong bones. Where strength training stimulates bone adaptation by muscles pulling on the bones (mechanical load), running helps to encourage improved bone density by introducing impact load. While you will see claims of running causing bone stress injuries flying around, these are often as a result of too much volume and/or intensity (in combination with factors such as not enough recovery and underfuelling). Running, with appropriate recovery and good fuelling, can actually improve your bone health rather than compromise it.
- The easiest way to maintain your fitness all year round. Staying consistent is a big challenge for all of us, but having running as an option makes it that bit easier to stay consistent. If you’re travelling, it’s way easier to pack your trainers and squeeze a run in versus taking a bike and all your kit. And if you’re tight on time, a short run requires minimal prep and equipment so it’s often more convenient to fit into a busy schedule.
Frequency: Mixing in 1-2 runs per week will help to support your aerobic fitness and strength if your primary goal is still cycling. If you want to work towards a run-specific goal (for example during cycling off season) or you’re a triathlete, consider upping this to 3 runs per week.
Good to know: Running will increase your fatigue levels and overall weekly training load, so it’s not simply a case of adding more workouts in to your week. Swap out a bike ride or two for a run to ensure you’re getting adequate recovery so your body can absorb the training adaptations.
How to start running as a cyclist
Read more about the benefits of running for cyclists in our in-depth blog post, and check out our tips on how to start running if you’re ready to lace up and get moving!
The benefits of swimming for cyclists
If the aerobic benefits of running appeal to you, but for whatever reason (be it preference, or injury history) the high impact nature of running isn’t suitable… it’s time to embrace your amphibious side and consider swimming! Swimming can make a significant difference when it comes to improving your aerobic fitness, alongside strengthening your upper body and core. But by virtue of being in the water, it’s extremely low impact. Here’s why cyclists should consider cross training in the pool:
- Builds your aerobic engine. There’s no fitness quite like swim fitness! Swimming might be low impact, but it works your full body, which means swimming regularly helps to develop excellent cardiovascular fitness. The controlled breathing pattern also helps to improve your lung capacity and respiratory efficiency. All of which translates to higher aerobic capacity and strong endurance on the bike.
- Low impact and ideal for active recovery. Swimming is low impact, because your bodyweight is supported by the water. This makes it a great option for adding in extra aerobic exercise without overloading your joints, getting in some active recovery between key sessions without putting too much additional stress on the body or keeping fit and staying mobile when you’re dealing with an injury.
- Builds strong upper body and core muscles. We tend to focus on the lower body when it comes to the hero muscles for cycling. But having a strong upper body and core can help you to be more efficient and hold a better position on the bike. Swimming is a great way to work these muscles if gym sessions aren’t your bag. And the stretched out position of swimming front crawl is a nice way to counteract all that time spent scrunched up over your handle bars.
Frequency: 1-2 x a week as cross training, 3-4 x a week if swimming in lieu of cycling while injured.
Yoga for cyclists
Let’s face it, yoga is something that all of us could probably benefit from doing more often – cyclist or not! Yoga is a great way to improve your mind-body connection, to tune in to your breathing and to get some much-needed headspace from the busy hustle-bustle that can be our everyday lives. Specifically for improving cycling performance, you can help to:
- Improve balance, core strength and breath control. Better bike handling, more efficient riding position, improved ability to manage your effort.
- Better posture. Yoga can help to counteract the tightness and postural imbalances that can start to develop when you’re spending a lot of time hunched over your handle bars. Over time, this can reduce back and neck discomfort.
- Improved mobility. Yoga will help to improve your flexibility which will give you a much wider range of movement. For triathletes and time trial cyclists, this may allow you to refine your aero cycling position for maximum gains.
Most of us are already pretty time-starved, so if you haven’t got time to head to a class there are plenty of useful yoga tutorials on YouTube which you can do at home. Some of them are only 10-20 minutes long, so it’s easy to tag them onto the end of a bike session without eating too much into the rest of your day. We particularly like this quick and easy ‘yoga for cyclists’ routine from Yoga with Adrienne.
Frequency: Even if you only do 5 minutes of yoga after each bike ride, you’ll notice an improvement if you stay consistent.
What is the best cross training for cyclists?
The best form of cross training will depend on your goal. Improved fitness? Running and swimming will be your thing. Increased power on the bike and injury prevention? Strength training is the not-so-secret sauce. To help you decide, here’s a quick-look at the different types of cross training for cyclists and the benefits of each.
Cross training for cyclists head-to-head
| Type | Benefits | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Strength training | Improved load tolerance, bone health, strength, stability, neuromuscular activation. | Improving strength and power, injury prevention |
| Running | Aerobic fitness gains, proprioception, strength. | Increasing endurance, resilience and aerobic fitness. Staying consistent while travelling or too busy to ride. |
| Swimming | Aerobic fitness, active recovery, stronger upper body and core. | Improving fitness, exercising while injured |
| Yoga | Improved balance, core strength and control. Posture and mobility. | Improving mobility and flexibility. |
How to add cross training into your cycling training plan
Introducing cross training into your cycling training plan isn’t simply about adding more volume to your weekly schedule. That’s a fast-track ticket to burn out and injury. Instead, it’s about switching up your training and adding variety without necessarily having a big jump in overall volume.
- Identify your key bike sessions: these stay put. Think threshold, long ride and high intensity intervals. These all develop different strands of bike specific fitness.
- Swap out additional rides for cross training. Outside your key bike sessions, you can trade bike time for cross training time.
- Avoid stacking too much intensity too close together. Hard bike session on a Tuesday? Wednesday is a prime day for active recovery such as swimming or yoga, rather than something more high-stress such as running.
- Have at least one rest day (or very easy day) per week. Your individual weekly schedule will come down to your time available to train and your daily commitments, but however the chips fall just ensure you have at least one rest day (or a very light, easy recovery day) per week so your body has a chance to reset, recover and absorb the adaptations.
Final thoughts: why cross training is a good idea for cyclists
Cross training can help cyclists to improve their performance by adding in varied training stimuli which build strength, endurance, efficiency and injury-resistance. By switching up your weekly training routine, cross training can also help you to keep motivated and stay consistent. Over time that’ll all add up to you becoming a stronger, faster and more resilient cyclist.
Kit for cross training
We might have started out as a cycling apparel brand, but these days we’ve got you covered for your off-the-bike adventures, too. Running, strength training… even triathlon if swimming ends up being a gateway drug to multisport! Check out our range of cross-training ready kit.
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