"Recently I bought a fitness subscription because I had heard that strength training is good for cyclists. But is it really? And does it also help improve a sprint, breakaway or climbing?"

Road cycling is an endurance sport. Indeed, during training sessions or races, long distances are covered, in which the average power output is relatively low. Here, the aerobic energy system in particular is trained. After a period of training, capillarisation increases (formation and development of small blood vessels) and thus also the exchange of oxygen, from blood vessel to muscle. Because the muscles have more oxygen available to them, they are able to burn more fats and carbohydrates and therefore provide more energy. Strength training increases muscle volume, which interferes with the exchange of oxygen between blood vessel and muscle. So you could argue that intensive strength training comes at the expense of endurance power.

However, today's cycling is much more than an endurance sport. Races are in many cases decided in a sprint or ultimate demarrage/power explosion. Parts in which you can excel if you have a fair amount of strength. So the question of whether strength training contributes meaningfully to a sprint, demarrage or climbing is not very difficult to answer. In fact, it certainly does. But strength can also be a limiting factor while riding a long time trial or climb.

The danger is that strength training can come at the expense of endurance. You can be such a strong sprinter, but you will need to have enough energy when you start the sprint. Finding the right form and tuning of strength training is therefore crucial for a cyclist.

Know your body

So before riders start strength training, they should think carefully about what purpose they want to use this strength training for and how their own body is put together. For example, there are different workouts for each muscle fiber type. For example, type IIB fibers have the characteristics of being able to deliver a lot of force, but cannot sustain it for long. Especially during sprints and short violent demarrages, these muscle fibers are used. Strength training has a great effect on this type of muscle fiber. The muscles can deliver much more power and increase in size (hypertrophy). Unfortunately, the consequence of this is a negative effect on endurance and a substantial weight gain. A sprinter eager to survive a hill should be careful with this form of strength training.

So strength training can certainly make a positive contribution to performance on the bike. However, it is important to choose the right form of strength training, taking into account the characteristics that need to be improved. Strength training should be as specific as possible. The muscle groups being strengthened should be the same and trained as much as possible in the same way as on the bike. Squats and step-up are the best exercises for this. Training with free weights is always preferable to fixed weights, since then multiple muscle groups that also provide coordination and balance must be controlled. After a period of strength training, not only is there an increase in strength, but also the coordination pattern on the bike changes. Therefore, cycling will always need to be done after strength training. In any case, never start strength training too fanatically, but first make sure you fully master the technique behind the exercises. Then carefully build up the weight. Good luck!