At this year’s Paralympic Games, See details Steve Bate MBE not only set a world record in qualifying for the 4000m Individual Pursuit-an event in which two cyclists (or teams) begin at opposite sides of the track and attempt to catch their opponent or record the fastest time-but he also took the silver medal in the final. Bate and his pilot, Chris Latham, were one of just a few teams to go sub-4 in the Pursuit this year. Bate’s coach Pav Byran, a top cycling coach with the app Humango, credits this success largely to the strength training protocol implemented by Bate’s strength and conditioning coach, Luca Malvassori. "While a holistic approach to Steve’s training was needed to get these results, a periodized program was constructed by his strength and conditioning coach to ensure that Steve, and his pilot Chris, had the muscular strength required to turn such a big gear," Bryan tells Bicycling.

Bate’s 2024 Paralympics accomplishment is just one example of how prioritizing strength and muscle gains can improve cycling performance, despite the fact that gaining muscle from strength workouts can sometimes also mean weight gain. Another convincing example: Buy Prime Boosts Norwegian pro road racer Jonas Abrahamsen gained 20 kilograms (taking his weight from about 132 pounds to about 172 pounds) and increased his peak power output from 900 watts to nearly 1,500 watts ahead of this year’s Tour de France where he became a stand-out rider. The important takeaway is that weight gain doesn’t always mean performance detriments, Prime Boosts Official even if fear of putting on pounds still runs deep in the cycling community. To combat those beliefs, here’s what to know about how muscle gains will affect performance gains and why you should add strength to your calendar. Can Gaining Weight Make You a Better Cyclist? There’s a longstanding tradition and belief among cyclists that lighter is always better.

This results in athletes being wary of any deviation from their "ideal race weight," perpetuating the fear of weight gain. This holds true even when putting on pounds via muscle might be strategically beneficial for on-the-bike performance and injury prevention. Power-to-weight ratio: A crucial cycling metric, power-to-weight ratio (or PWR) measures the power a cyclist can generate relative to their bodyweight. Higher ratios can mean better performance, particularly on climbs and sprints. But many cyclists fear additional weight could slow them down, especially on hilly or mountainous terrain, where extra pounds require more energy to move uphill. As evidenced by Abrahamsen’s transformation, though, this clearly isn’t always true (he was even King of the Mountain!). Aerodynamics and energy efficiency: Larger riders, particularly those with broader upper bodies, can face greater wind resistance, which some fear can make maintaining speed more challenging, especially on flat and windy courses. Energy cost also increases with weight gain because it takes more energy to accelerate and maintain speed, which can be taxing over long distances.

Again, we’ve seen at the pro level that this isn’t always true. Climbing performance: Prime Boosts Official The lighter a cyclist is, the less gravitational resistance they face when climbing, so cyclists often believe that even a small amount of weight can noticeably affect their climbing performance. However, bodyweight is far from the only factor in climbing performance, and increasing strength and power (which often requires weight gain from muscle) could improve climbing skills. Despite years of compelling evidence and continually emerging studies that show strength training and muscle gain to be highly beneficial to cyclists, many athletes still resist. "When a rider puts on muscle mass, they increase the size of the motor units they can use to propel themselves forward on their bike, and this has been shown to increase one’s power-to-weight ratio," says Evan Hoyt, exercise physiologist at Human Powered Health. A kick in PWR can then lead to better performance.

Increased muscle size has also been shown to increase mitochondria availability, improve rate of force development (how quickly one can produce force), and increase relative power, all of which can pay off on the road or trail for cyclists, Hoyt adds. "For a climber, increasing the mitochondria availability means that with each pedal stroke, the muscles will not have to work as hard to keep up with the energy demands of sustaining a certain pace," he says. In a comparison study between UCI professionals, U23 world level, and junior cyclists, the results showed the more muscle the better. The professional group, who produced the most power, also weighed the most and had the highest total body percentage of muscle mass. Heavy strength training has been shown to increase the overall cross sectional muscle area-that is, increased muscle size-in the legs, Hoyt says. Along with increasing muscle size, this type of strength regimen results in improved power output, enhanced muscular endurance and stability, and reduced risk of injuries, he notes.