How to build cycling strength with a big-gear workout
How to build cycling-specific strength on the bike, without having to head to the gym
Big-gear work should be an off-season staple for all triathletes, especially if you come from a running or swimming background and find that your strength on the bike is a limiter. Specificity – meaning that if you want to improve a particular activity you need to spend more training time doing it – is one of the golden rules of conditioning.
Although there’s no doubt that there are proven performance, injury prevention and health benefits to strength work in the gym, for cycling-specific strengthening, a dose of big gear/low cadence grinding is hard to beat. It forces you to engage all of your key cycling muscle groups to keep your pedals turning, it necessitates a balanced, all-round pedal stroke and it demands a strong, stable platform from your core to deal with the high torque.
You’ll also find that during the intervals you’ll be working around and above threshold level, which gives bonus FTP-boosting benefits. Come race day, you’ll be able to convert this new power into speed.
Functional threshold power: what it is and how to boost it
Top tips
Stable in the saddle
Really focus on bracing your trunk, keeping your back flat and your head up. Think strong, and avoid excessive hip rocking. Your upper body should be still
and relaxed.
How to… keep your torso steady when working hard on the bike
Strong out the saddle
Don’t allow your stable platform to collapse when you stand up. Transition smoothly from sitting to standing, avoid stalling your pedal stroke, and don’t wrestle your bike.
Cycling up hills: when you should sit and when you should stand
Improve your cycling technique for standing uphill climbs
100% on the sprints
Don’t sandbag the finishing sprints. Brace, drive hard out of the saddle, and imagine you’re deadlifting. Watch a top track cyclist doing a gate start and copy the technique.
THE SESSION
Warm-up
Keep gearing low and focus on the cadence targets
3mins easy @90rpm
•
1min moderate@95rpm
•
1min moderate@100rpm
•
1min moderate@105rpm
•
1min vigorous@110rpm
•
30secs vigorous@120-130rpm
•
2:30mins easy @80-90rpm
Main set
3-5 x
1min vigorous @60rpm seated
•
1min vigorous @55rpm stand
•
1min vigorous @60rpm seated
•
1min vigorous @55rpm stand
•
50secs vigorous @60rpm seated
•
10secs max effort @max rpm stand
•
5mins easy spinning recovery
Cool-down
2mins easy @100+rpm
•
10mins easy @80rpm
Adapt for beginners
Dial down the length of the efforts to three minutes. Stay seated for the first minute, stand for the second and then
go seated into the final sprint for the
third minute.
Adapt for Ironman
Five reps with sprints is about as advanced as this session needs to be. Increase the difficulty by dialling up
the resistance.
