PREHAB
Twenty minutes, twice a week, off the bike. It is the cheapest injury insurance in cycling.
Cycling loads one narrow movement pattern and skips almost everything else: no impact, no lateral work, no hip extension under load, no upper body. Prehab fills the gaps so your position is supportable and your joints are not the weakest link.
THE WEEKLY SHAPE
| Session | When | Length | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength A | After an easy ride or a rest day | 25 min | Hip hinge, squat pattern, single leg |
| Strength B | 3-4 days later | 25 min | Glutes, lateral hip, upper back |
| Core circuit | 2-3 x per week, can follow a ride | 8 min | Anti-extension and anti-rotation |
| Mobility | Daily, or after every ride | 5 min | Hip flexors, hamstrings, thoracic spine |
| Yoga | Optional, 1 x per week | 20-40 min | Breathing, whole-body range, calm |
Do strength work after hard riding or on easy days, never the day before a key session. Cyclists who try to fit lifting in before intervals end up doing both badly.
STRENGTH: THE SIX LIFTS THAT MATTER
Lower body
- Romanian deadlift or kettlebell hinge — 3 x 8. Loads the hamstrings and glutes through range, which cycling never does.
- Split squat or step-up — 3 x 8 per leg. Single-leg control, directly relevant to pedalling.
- Goblet or back squat — 3 x 6-8. General leg strength and hip/knee coordination.
- Calf raise — 2 x 15. The ankle stabilises every pedal stroke and gets ignored.
Hips and back
- Glute bridge, progressing to single leg — 3 x 10. The glutes finish hip extension you never complete on a bike.
- Banded lateral walk or side-lying leg raise — 3 x 12 per side. Lateral hip strength stops the knee falling inwards.
- Row variation — 3 x 10. Keeps the upper back able to hold your riding position.
Start with bodyweight or a light kettlebell. Progress load slowly, about 5% a week, and keep two reps in reserve on every set. You are not training to lift; you are training to ride.
CORE: THE EIGHT-MINUTE CIRCUIT
Two rounds, 40 seconds work and 20 seconds rest, in this order.
- Dead bug — anti-extension, which is exactly what your lower back needs on the bike.
- Side plank, each side — lateral trunk endurance, the muscle group that stops hip rocking.
- Bird dog — anti-rotation and coordination between hip and shoulder.
- Glute bridge hold — hip extension endurance.
- Front plank with slow shoulder taps — anti-rotation under a little instability.
Every one of these is about holding a position under load, because that is all a cyclist's trunk ever has to do. Sit-ups and crunches train something you never need on a bike.
STRETCHES WORTH THE TIME
| Stretch | How | Why cyclists need it |
|---|---|---|
| Half-kneeling hip flexor | Pelvis tucked under, 45s each side | Hours in hip flexion shorten the front of the hip |
| Hamstring, foot on a low step | Hinge from the hip, 45s each side | Short hamstrings make a normal saddle height feel too high |
| Thoracic rotation, open book | 10 slow reps each side | Restores the upper back rotation a fixed riding position removes |
| Calf stretch against a wall | 45s each side | Ankle stiffness changes your pedal stroke |
| Glute figure-four | 45s each side | Relieves the deep hip tightness after long seated efforts |
Hold static stretches after riding, not before. Before a ride, move — leg swings, easy spinning, hip circles.
WHERE YOGA FITS
Yoga is not magic for cyclists, but a weekly session does three genuinely useful things: it takes your hips, spine and shoulders through ranges cycling never visits, it trains breathing control, and it makes you spend 30 minutes noticing which side of your body is tighter. Pick a slower class with holds rather than a fast flow, and avoid deep loaded backbends if your lower back is already sore from riding.
THE MINIMUM EFFECTIVE DOSE
If 25 minutes twice a week is too much, do this instead and still get most of the benefit:
- 10 x single-leg glute bridge each side.
- 8 x split squat each side.
- 45s side plank each side.
- 45s half-kneeling hip flexor stretch each side.
- Twice a week. Eight minutes. Better than the perfect programme you never start.
FAQ
Will strength training make me slower or heavier?
When in the week should I lift?
Should I stretch before riding?
Do I need a gym?
How long before prehab fixes my back or knee pain?
KEEP READING
EARN YOUR STRENGTH DAY
Slot prehab around your riding: use a short LuftQuest recovery session on lifting days and keep the hard efforts for fresh legs.