I recently attended a conference hosted by USA Triathlon, where TrainingPeaks (TP) announced upcoming support for strength training workouts on their platform.
TP’s expansion beyond traditional endurance workouts smartly mirrors the evolving training habits of its customer base: in short, most TP customers are now doing some form of “strength” training alongside their typical endurance workouts.
Anything You Want It to Be
During one presentation at the conference, “strength training” was used as an umbrella term for exercises ranging from “mobility” training to “functional” movement to traditional free-weight exercises. The implication shared from the stage and in the broader health & fitness space was that “strength training” can be anything you want.
While it’s true that nearly any resistance training can improve strength for the untrained or returning from injury, it’s a mistake to conflate all forms of resistance training with strength training. Here’s why.
Be Specific
“Strength” is defined as the ability to generate maximal external force” [1]. Therefore, strength “training” should be narrowly focused on improving an athlete’s force-generating capacity.
Of course, strength training improves many health and fitness variables, but the inverse can’t be said for other forms of resistance training and their ability to improve strength.
Athletes who lose contact with the definition of strength often fall for amorphous “mobility” workouts masquerading as “strength” training.
In reality, these “mobility,” “activation,” or “functional” exercises are better suited for a person coming off the couch, not a trained athlete looking to maximize performance [3].
So, what should an ideal strength training workout look like?
**Side note: you can head directly to our Strength Training for Cycling Guide at this link**
Thankfully, a broad consensus in exercise science provides insight into the specific exercises, set/rep schemes, rest durations, and loading intensities most likely to improve strength [3]. We’ll start with exercise guidelines, then flush out specific recommendations for exactly how to program an optimal strength training plan.
Strength Exercises
Here are attributes shared by the best strength training exercises (as defined as an ability to improve maximal force).
- Performed on stable surfaces
- Incorporate multi-joint/compound movements
- Utilize bilateral (both feet) movements
- Favor an element of real-world instability (free weights) over the less sport-specific movement of a machine
- Are scalable to meet relative intensity targets from the untrained to highly trained
Sets and Repetitions
For a broader context, I’ll include a framework for multiple resistance training goals. These goals include power, hypertrophy, and muscular endurance, with strength highlighted in green.
| Training Goal | Sets | Repetitions |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 2-6 | ≤ 6 |
| Power (Single Effort) | 3-5 | 1-2 |
| Power (Multiple Effort) | 3-5 | 3-5 |
| Hypertrophy | 3-6 | 6-12 |
| Muscular Endurance | 2-3 | ≥ 12 |
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Rest Durations
| Training Goal | Rest Period Duration |
|---|---|
| Strength | 2-5 minutes |
| Power (Single Effort) | 2-5 minutes |
| Power (Multiple Effort) | 2-5 minutes |
| Hypertrophy | 30 s to 1.5 minutes |
| Muscular Endurance | ≤ 30 s |
Loading Intensity
The optimal intensity range for improving strength is around 85% of a one-repetition maximal effort. Using the language of RPE this translates to a roughly 7-9 RPE. We’ll highlight the broader context again for other resistance training objectives.
| Training Goal | Target Load Intensity (% 1RM) |
|---|---|
| Strength | ≥ 85 |
| Power (Single Effort) | 80-90 |
| Power (Multiple-Effort) | 75-85 |
| Hypertrophy | 67-85 |
| Muscular Endurance | ≤ 67 |
Combining all best practice guidelines for strength training, we end up with this rubric,
| Exercise Atributes | Sets | Repetitions | Rest | Loading Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stable, multijoint, bilateral, scaleable | 2-6 | ≤ 6 | 2-5 minutes | ≥ 85% 1RM |
Pass/Fail
Let’s examine a few popular strength exercises marketed to cyclists and see if they can be programmed to fit the above criteria. If they meet our guidelines, I’ll code them green. If they fail the above criteria, I’ll code them red.
| Exercise | Sets | Repetitions | Rest Duration | Loading Intensity | Pass/Fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish Get-Up | Unstable & insufficient intensity | ||||
| Back Squat | 3 | 4 | 4 | ≈ 85% 1RM | Pass |
| Bear Crawl | Insufficient loading intensity | ||||
| Deadlift | 3 | 5 | 5 | ≈ 85% 1RM | Pass |
| Split Squat | Unilateral, insufficient intensity | ||||
| Overhead Press | 3 | 6 | 3 | ≈ 85% 1RM | Pass |
Resistance Training Exercises
The exercises in green should form the foundation of a good strength training plan, but what about the exercises in red that failed?
While the failed exercises are unlikely to improve your strength, training using kettlebells, body weight, or other forms of resistance can still be useful to an athlete. Here’s how:
- Building athletic movement patterns after returning from injury
- Because they’re enjoyable
- Because they make you feel better on the bike
- As an accessible introduction to resistance training for someone untrained
- As low-fatigue movement outside the sagittal (think arms/legs moving forwards/backward in running or cycling) movement of endurance sport
- As movement practice for the primary compound strength exercises (squat, deadlift) in the event you don’t have access to proper equipment
Summary
- If you’re currently resistance training, familiarize yourself with the definition of strength, then ensure that your plan meets the consensus guidelines for how to build strength best.
- If your current plan doesn’t meet the guidelines above, modify your plan to include the exercises and set/repetition/rest/intensities listed above.
- If you enjoy your current plan and are unconcerned about improving your strength, then carry on and enjoy the process!
- If you want to improve your strength but don’t have access to equipment, plan to access a gym or build out your setup at home while practicing the primary compound movements with whatever equipment you have.
References
- Zatsiorsky, V.M., W.J. Kraemer, and A.C. Fry, Science and practice of strength training. 2021.
- Mujika, I., B.R. Ronnestad, and D.T. Martin, Effects of Increased Muscle Strength and Muscle Mass on Endurance-Cycling Performance. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 2016. 11: p. 283-289.
- Haff, G. and N.T. Triplett, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Fourth edition ed. 2021, Champaign, US: Human Kinetics Champaign, US.