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Strong legs are just one necessity for strong riding. Other keys to becoming a better cyclist: a stable core to hold your foundation steady as you push power through the pedals; healthy mobility through your joints for a smooth spin; and strong shoulders, a tuned up posterior chain (back, glutes, and hamstrings), and stabilizing muscles to support you in the cycling position for hours on the road, trail, or wherever you ride.
Suspension training—in which you use a system of straps equipped with handles and foot cradles to perform a wide variety of bodyweight strength exercises—is a great way to train all of your key cycling muscles with just one workout, giving you more bang for your buck when it comes to strength training.
The Benefits of TRX Workouts for Cyclists
“We’d all rather be on our bikes than in the gym, so [the TRX system] is a really time-efficient way to work your muscles and develop strength, stability, and mobility off the bike that translates really well on the bike,” says former TRX master trainer and director at GoodLife Fitness, Dan McDonogh, who has worked with former professional cyclists Fabian Cancellara, Jens Voigt, and others on the Trek Factory Racing team, and incorporated TRX training into the programming.
More From Bicycling
“For cyclists, I like to use suspension training to increase mobility in the ankles and hips, which improves pedaling mechanics and power, as well as mobility in the thoracic spine [the part of the spine between your neck and low back], which can get stiff in cyclists, especially as we get older,” McDonogh says. “I also like to use it to activate the posterior chain muscles like the glutes and hamstrings, which are often weak in cyclists.”
TRX workouts also offer the benefit of letting you scale back or turn up the difficulty on common bodyweight moves as needed, McDonogh says. “When you do a push-up with your feet suspended, you’re not only using your pushing muscles, but also building stability, so it makes the move even more effective,” he says. “Many people can’t perform single leg ‘pistol’ squats on their own, but they can use the straps for assistance and build up to them.”
The following exercises, demonstrated by Susane Pata, TRX senior master instructor, will build the strength, stability, and mobility cyclists need. You can do the warmup moves anytime you want to wake up your muscles before a ride, and the stretches to loosen up when you’re done.
How to use this list: On strength training days, perform the warmup exercises and then the main workout exercises in a circuit style workout with 30 seconds of rest between each move. Repeat the main workout for 1 to 3 sets, as desired. After the main workout, cool down by performing the stretching exercises. You can do this workout one to three times per week.
The Warmup:
Squat Row Combo
Stand facing the anchor point, straps at mid length. Hold both handles and extend arms straight out. Lean back until you feel some tension between shoulder blades. Keeping chest tall and back straight, send hips back and down toward heels into a squat. Push through feet to stand back up and then use handles to pull chest toward the anchor point while squeezing shoulder blades back and down to perform a row. Repeat. Do 10 to 12 reps.
Forward Lunge With Hip Flexor Stretch
Stand facing away from the anchor point, straps at mid length. Hold the handles with arms extended at chest height. Take a giant step forward with right foot while simultaneously extending arms straight overhead above shoulders and dropping left knee toward the ground. Drive hands down into handles and open right arm out to side while rotating torso to the right. You should feel the stretch in left hip flexor. Push through front foot to stand back up. Repeat on other leg. Continue to alternate legs for 10 to 12 reps each side.
Squat to Y Fly
Stand facing the anchor point, straps at mid length. Grasp both handles and extend arms straight out. Lean back until you feel some tension between shoulder blades. Keeping chest tall and back straight, send hips back and down toward heels into a squat. Push through feet to stand back up and then, keeping arms straight, pull chest toward the anchor point by opening arms up into a Y formation while squeezing shoulder blades back and down. Repeat. Do 8 to 10 reps.
The Workout:
TRX Overhead Squat
Stand facing the anchor point, feet shoulder-width apart, straps at mid length. Extend arms overhead with the backs of hands pressed into the foot cradles. While maintaining tension on the straps with arms extended overhead, send hips back and down until thighs are parallel with the ground. Push through heels to stand back up. Repeat. Do 10 to 12 reps.
Single-Leg Squat
Stand facing the anchor point, straps at mid length. Grab both handles, palms facing each other, elbows under shoulders. Shift weight to left leg and extend right leg out in front of body. Keeping chest lifted, lower down into a pistol squat on left leg while extending arms in front of body. Keep back straight. Push through left foot to stand back up. Repeat. Do 10 to 12 reps on left leg, then repeat on right leg.
Low Row
Shorten the TRX straps so that handles line up with hips. Stand facing the anchor point, grab handles with palms facing each other, and lean backward with arms straight until you feel tension on the straps. To make it easier, walk further away from the anchor point. To make it harder, walk closer to the anchor point. Engage shoulders and back to pull chest up to the handles, pause, engaging back. Then slowly straighten arms. Repeat. Do 12 to 15 reps.
Knee Drive
Stand facing away from the anchor point, straps at full length. Grab the handles, place both straps underneath arms, and walk forward so that body forms diagonal line (about 45 degrees from floor) with elbows bent and hands near chest. Keeping hands beside chest with body weight in the handles, step back with right foot until left knee bent about 90 degrees. Drive through the ball of left foot while simultaneously driving right knee up toward the chest. Then step it back. Repeat. Do 10 to 12 reps, then repeat on left leg.
TRX Push-Up
Kneeling on the ground facing away from the anchor point, straps adjusted to mid calf, place both feet into the foot cradles. With arms extended straight, hands slightly wider than shoulders, lift knees off the ground into a high plank position. Keeping core tight, bend elbows to lower chest toward the ground. Press back up to plank. Repeat until fatigue.
Hamstring Curl
Sit facing the anchor point, straps at mid calf, and place both heels into the foot cradles. Lie down with legs extended straight, feet below anchor point, and arms at sides. Keeping core tight, lift hips off the floor, then pull heels in toward glutes in a smooth and controlled motion. Keep hips lifted as you straighten legs back out. Repeat until fatigue.
Side Plank
With straps at mid calf, lie on left side and place both feet in the cradles with right leg forward and feet parallel. Stack left elbow under shoulder and lift body up into a side plank while extending right arm toward the sky. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds, then lower to ground. Repeat on right side.
Suspended Pike
Kneeling on the ground, facing away from the anchor point, straps at mid-calf, place both feet into the foot cradles. With arms extended straight and hands under shoulders, lift knees off the ground into a high plank position. Keeping core tight, keep legs straight as you lift hips up towards the sky. Slowly lower back to plank position. Repeat until fatigue.
The Cooldown:
Hold each stretch for about 30 seconds or 5 full breaths. All exercises are done straps at mid length.
TRX Lower Back Stretch
Stand facing anchor point and grasp the handles with arms extended out in front of body at chest level, palms facing down. Drop hips back so body forms a 90-degree angle at hips, allow knees to soften as arms extend overhead. You should feel a stretch along the entire back of your body.
TRX Lower Back Stretch With Rotation
Stand facing the anchor point and grasp the handles with arms extended out in front of body at chest level, palms facing down. Drop hips back so body forms a 90-degree angle at hips and arms extend overhead. Rotate torso to the left while bending right knee, then reverse to rotate to the right and bend left knee. Continue alternating.
TRX Long Torso Stretch
Stand facing away from the anchor point and grasp the handles palms facing out. Extend arms out to the sides at shoulder height and walk forward until the straps are taut and arms reach back behind body. Step right foot in front of left while rotating torso to the right and left arm reaches overhead. Then return to center and step right foot back. Next, step left foot in front of right and turn torso to left as right arm reaches overhead. Continue alternating.
Chest Stretch
Stand facing away from the anchor point and grasp the handles palms facing out. Extend arms out to the sides at shoulder height and walk forward until the straps are taut and arms reach back behind body. Keeping shoulders down, take a small step backward and lean forward to deepen the stretch.
Location: Nimble Fitness in New York City
Images: Julia Hembree Smith
