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As a personal trainer and passionate cyclist, I’ve experienced first hand how strength training can transform your cycling performance. For the past 15 years, I’ve been on a journey that has not only improved my cycling but also taught me the critical importance of taking care of my body. If you’re a female cyclist looking to enhance your performance, prevent injuries and truly enjoy your rides, let’s explore how strength training can help you unlock your potential.
The Benefits of Strength Training for Cyclists
1. Injury Prevention Cycling can put a lot of strain on your body, particularly on your knees, hips, and lower back. By incorporating strength training, you can strengthen the muscles around these joints, reducing the risk of common injuries. Targeting key muscle groups helps build resilience, allowing you to ride longer and stronger.
2. Increased Power and Endurance To begin with, maintaining our strength is vital. Women usually have a lower percentage of type II muscle fibers, which contribute to rapid power production, compared to men. Conversely, we tend to have a higher proportion of type I endurance fibers. Therefore, participating in weight training to develop and maintain strength, power, and force is essential, especially as we age. Strength training enhances your muscular power, allowing you to produce more force with each pedal stroke. This increase in power translates to improved acceleration and speed, helping you keep up with the peloton. It also builds endurance, so you can tackle those longer rides without fatigue holding you back.
3. Enhance Lean Muscle Mass and improved health Muscle loss often starts around the age of 40, or even earlier. This decline, particularly in powerful type II fibers, becomes more pronounced during the menopause transition due to hormonal shifts that accelerate the loss of lean muscle mass, irrespective of aging. If proactive steps are not taken, you could lose up to 50 percent of your lean skeletal muscle mass by the age of 80. While this may seem distant, these changes are gradual. The more muscle you build and preserve now, the stronger, more resilient, and better you will perform later in life. Additionally, your overall health will improve. Research suggests that resistance training is at least as beneficial, if not more so, than aerobic exercise in decreasing the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and general disabilities. A study with over 12,500 participants, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that individuals who engaged in any form of strength training weekly had a 40 to 70 percent lower risk of heart attacks, strokes, or heart disease-related deaths compared to those who did not participate in strength training, regardless of their aerobic exercise routines.
4. Enhanced Stability and Bike Handling Skills Strengthening your core and stabilising muscles leads to better bike handling. A strong core helps you maintain proper form, especially during climbs and descents, enhancing your overall stability on the bike.
My Personal Journey
When I first started cycling 15 years ago, I didn’t prioritise strength training or self-care. I found myself struggling to keep up with my cycling group and often felt frustrated with my progress. Despite my love for cycling, I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I could have.
It wasn’t until I began focusing on strength training that I saw a significant change. I started incorporating targeted exercises that complemented my cycling routine, focusing on my core, legs, and upper body. The strength training helped me to build strength in my body but also in my mind as i became more resilient and focused. Additionally, I learned to properly nourish my body for rides, as a car can't function on empty, and neither can a cyclist. Gradually, I noticed improvements in my endurance and power, and I was able to keep up with the peloton effortlessly.
Not only did my cycling performance improve, but I also started to enjoy my rides much more. The combination of strength training and proper self-care transformed my relationship with cycling. I became more confident in my abilities and found so much joy in my rides.
Getting Started with Strength Training
If you’re new to strength training, here are a few tips to help you integrate it into your cycling routine:
· Focus on Compound Movements: Exercises like squats, deadlifts and lunges engage multiple muscle groups, building overall strength.
· Incorporate Core Work: Planks, bridges, and rotational exercises enhance your core stability, which is essential for cycling.
· Start Slow: If you’re unfamiliar with strength training, consider working with a personal trainer to develop a program tailored to your needs.
· Be Consistent: Aim for at least two strength training sessions per week to see the best results.
Join Our Holistic Online Coaching Program fro female cyclists
If you’re looking for a structured approach to elevate your cycling, consider joining our 6-week holistic online coaching program for cyclists. This program includes:
· A progressive, specific training plan tailored to your cycling goals.
· Nutritional advice to fuel your body effectively and optimise performance.
· Mindset work to help you develop the mental resilience needed for cycling success.
Final Thoughts
Strength training is an essential component of a successful cycling routine, especially for female cyclists. By prioritising your strength, you’ll not only enhance your performance but also reduce the risk of injuries, improve your bike handling skills and boost your overall enjoyment of cycling.
Remember, women respond exceptionally well to strength training and may experience even greater relative improvements than men. Engaging in heavy strength training can elevate our growth hormone levels and anabolic signalling, helping to maintain muscle contraction strength even as we age.
Embrace the journey, invest in your strength and watch as your cycling transforms. Every pedal stroke is an opportunity to become a stronger, more confident rider!
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