Strength Training for Cycling Speed

The recipe for creating pure speed? Want to feel fast, be
fast and dominate the track / roads?

Natural and pure speed

Natural speed can come from two distinct areas:
• Genetics
• Training history

Pure speed is the amalgamation of several key factors,
the majority of which are trainable:
• Power
• Natural speed (predetermined genetics)
• % motor recruitment
• Cadence (RPM)
• Training variable manipulation
• Sprinting at speed
• Endurance

It takes a long time to build efficient, consistent sprinters.
Increasing the cross-sectional area of the musculature
(serial sarcomere number) and recruiting close to
100% of the motor units within the specific movement
(increased neural drive) is a lengthy process. Time is an
appropriate increment to measure periodised success;
remember strength increases week by week, speed
increases month by month and conditioning/volume
increases year by year.

1 Manipulating training variables
and in turn building a strong foundation based on
strength is where good sprinting is born.
In the early phases (base and transitional), track times
and speeds are not the focus. Hypertrophy and strength
should be given priority with power slotted in.
2 Going into the pre-comp and competition phases, the emphasis
changes to speed and power, so sessions need to be
lighter, and twice a week rather than three times per
week.

Resistance training specifics

To ensure that the transfer from gym to bike is a positive
one, common sense (and science) dictates that the
training performed within the gym environment should
mimic the specific skill and demands when cycling. the
same movement patterns are being produced, any new
neural pathways laid down will mimic the correct joint
sequences.

Most athletes, when wanting to gain power, are
encouraged to complete an intense programme of squats,
dead lifts, power cleans, leg presses – the list goes on.
But these movements are all bilateral. Both sides of the
body are working simultaneously. Cycling as a sport is
unilateral.
We all know about training specificity. It is one of the key
principles of training. If you train bilaterally it doesn’t take
a leap of faith to believe it will make you strong bilaterally;
your unilateral strength will lag behind.
2 Nerves that fire together wire together
3 so incorporating more sport-specific unilateral exercises into your training will
allow your neuromuscular system to recognise specific
unilateral movement patterns, directly transferable to
cycling.

Putting It Into Practice

Gym sessions should consist of between 5-7 exercises
of 3-4 sets, rep range from 3 to 10, depending on what
phase you are in.

1. Single Leg Squat (front & back)
2. Single leg press (ballistic)
3. Overhead squat
4. Front & back squat
5. Single-leg Olympic dead lift
6. High pullsng will allow
7. Single-leg high pulls
8. Single-arm rows (multiplane)
9. Single-leg stiff-leg deadlift (multi plane)
10. Pull pattern multiplane



Additional factors

Training for speed isn’t necessarily always about extrinsic
factors such as exercise selection. Before embarking on
these predictable pathways for developing speed, it may
be necessary to look intrinsically at the “smoothness” of
joint function and the ability to load the muscles in the
first place.

4 Muscle imbalance is a factor that may need
to be addressed as this can have a negative impact upon
speed and power output. For example, because cyclists
spend a large amount of time in relative hip flexion, the
hip flexors will always be in a shortened position. In turn,
this is likely to inhibit the gluteus maximus, the source of
a large proportion of lower-body power. It may, therefore,
be beneficial for cyclists to devote appropriate time to
mobility regimes for the hip flexors.