There’s a certain window on the bike—between the 12 and 5 o’clock positions of your stroke—where your legs are functioning like pistons, bearing down on the pedals to propel you forward. And during that window, your quads and glutes are doing the lion’s share of the work; on the back half of the stroke, your hamstrings and calves tap in to lift your foot back up.

All of these primary muscles are crucial for force generation—and injury prevention (your glutes help stabilize your hips as you ride, while your hamstrings help stabilize your knee). That’s why strength training out of the saddle is a no-brainer strategy for any cyclist.

Building leg strength off the bike is important because it will allow you to put more load through the muscles and recruit more motor units,” says Christopher J. Lee, founder of Kinesis Integrated Performance in Boulder, Colorado, and an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist, NASM-certified corrective exercise specialist, and level-1 functional movement specialist. “This will result in being able to generate more force more easily in the pedal stroke.” And that translates to faster speeds and more power, no matter what terrain you’re tackling.

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One of the best strength-training moves for cyclists is the traditional reverse lunge. Not only do “lunges target the muscles that control the ankle, knee, and hip joints,” but “the angles of the movement are similar to those during the cycling pedal stroke,” says Lee.

Plus, he adds, “lunges are a great way to train the lower body unilaterally,” meaning you use just one limb at a time—same as you do on the bike. And single-leg exercises address any muscular imbalances that could lead to injury, while firing up your core to ensure better stability in the saddle.

Here’s everything you need to know to get the most of the lunge, a strength-training staple.

How to Do a Lunge

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The lunge is one of the most basic compound exercises, meaning it works multiple joints and muscles in one go. For a traditional reverse lunge, Lee lays out the basic steps:

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart, then shift weight so you’re balancing on left foot.
  • Next, simultaneously bend at left ankle, knee, and hip, while stepping right foot back. Gently place right foot down on the ground behind you, bending knee. Lower down, both knees bending about 90 degrees, front thigh about parallel to the floor and back knee just hovering off the floor.
  • Press left front foot into the floor to stand back up.
  • Repeat on the other side.

Common Lunge Mistakes

    Those steps sound easy enough, right? But there are a couple of things to keep in mind as you move through this exercise.

    For starters, you want to keep your core engaged, chest open (think: proud posture), and eyes looking straight ahead. As you lower into the move, “a slight forward lean from the hips will allow you to hinge into the hips and use your glutes more,” he explains. The hinge is the important part—you don’t want to round your back. “Keeping a tall posture is key to activating the posterior chain muscles,” says Lee. Many times people will lean too far back or drop through the chest, two key points you want to avoid.

    When you’re at the bottom of the exercise, “do not push off with the back leg,” says Lee. Your front leg is the working leg. “Many people will push off with the back leg, but you want to have 70 percent of your weight in the front leg,” says Lee. This ensures you’re engaging the correct muscles. As you stand, think about the top of your head going straight up to the ceiling.

    As you lower into the lunge (and drive back up), also make sure your pushing through your entire front foot. Sometimes, especially in walking lunges, people will raise that front heel, putting extra stress on the knee joint.

    Finally, make sure you have the movement pattern down before you add resistance.


    4 Lunge Variations for Cyclists

    The reverse lunge is a staple for all the reasons outlined above. But different variations of lunges can also help develop power production and prevent injury, says Lee.

    Stationary Lunge

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    Why it works: This variation, where your feet are anchored to the ground, is more stable than a reverse lunge. “That allows you to use more load, which leads to more overall strength,” says Lee. It’s also a good option for those new to lunges.

    How to do it: Start standing. Take a big step directly forward with right foot. You’ll hold this split stance the entire time. Bend both knees to 90 degrees, keeping front knee tracking over ankle. Lunge as low as you can without sacrificing form. Then, drive through right foot to stand back up to a straight-legged split-stance position. Repeat.


    Walking Lunge

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    Why it works: “Cycling is a stationary position and does not typically load your tendons,” says Lee. “The weight transfer and deceleration component of walking lunges forces the core to stabilize while shifting weight and will load your tendons, helping to avoid overuse injuries on the bike.”

    How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Step forward with right leg and bend both knees 90 degrees. Without pausing, push through right foot and drive left leg forward into a lunge, repeating the motion on that side. Repeat, alternating legs while walking forward.


    Lateral Lunge

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    Why it works: “Cycling is a linear position,” says Lee. Picture your legs spinning the pedals—at no point are you moving side to side. Lateral lunges develop your adductors and abductors (the muscles that move your legs towards and away, respectively, from your body’s midline). “When you don’t work those stabilizers, it can lead to muscle imbalances and injury,” he explains.

    How to do it: Stand with feet side by side and take a wide step with right foot, keeping it parallel to left. Bend right knee and push butt back and down, hinging at the hips, shifting weight onto right heel. Keep left leg straight, but knee soft. Push off right foot to return to standing in the wide-stance position. Then repeat on left side. Continue alternating.


    Curtsy Lunge

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    Why it works: Just like a lateral lunge helps you move in a new plane of motion, as does the curtsy lunge. It also targets the gluteus medius, a smaller muscle than the glute max, but one that’s super important for pelvis stabilization and power through your pedal stroke.

    How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Step back with right foot on a diagonal, about to the 5 o’clock position. Bend both knees. Keep front knee tracking over ankle and chest tall. Drive through left front foot to stand back up. Repeat with left foot stepping back on a diagonal. Continue alternating.


    How to Incorporate Lunges Into Your Training

    With just one to two strength training sessions per week, cyclists can improve their strength, functional power, and power-to-weight ratio, a study published in the Biology of Sport in 2021 found. A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2019 found that just 13 minutes three times a week can be enough to help you gain strength.

    From there, it’s easy to incorporate lunges into any strength session. Stationary lunges, with their inherent stability, can be done early in the week with a heavy load, says Lee. Aim for 3 sets of 5 to 7 reps at a weight that feels challenging, but doesn’t compromise your form at any point. For walking lunges, do 3 sets of 7 to 10 reps later in the week with a medium load, he says. Finally, lateral lunges can be done twice a week, using a light load for 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps to increase your muscular endurance.

    Try to program your strength training workouts on the same days as your cycling workouts. Your muscles take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to fully repair themselves after a tough workout (cycling or otherwise), so stacking two higher-intensity workouts and following that with a recovery day is the best way to ensure that you won’t end up feeling super sore next time you’re riding hard.

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    Ashley Mateo
    Ashley Mateo is a writer, editor, and UESCA- and RRCA-certified running coach who has contributed to Runner’s World, Bicycling, Women's Health, Health, Shape, Self, and more. She’ll go anywhere in the world once—even if it’s just for a good story. Also into: good pizza, good beer, and good photos.