Weight Lifting for Cycling

12 snips

Sep 11, 2025

Discover how weight lifting can elevate your cycling performance and potentially add 15 to 50 watts of power. Dive into a structured 10-week plan that emphasizes heavy lifting for strength and explosive movements for speed. Learn which exercises are cycling-specific and how to integrate them with your on-bike workouts. Explore personalized coaching options and even an AI app to track your progress. This isn't just theory—it's a tried-and-true method to help cyclists reach new heights!

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ANECDOTE

Coach's Personal Progression Story

Frank Overton recounts his rise from beginner mountain biker to pro-level racer using this lifting approach.
He credits lifting for upgrading his racing class year after year.

INSIGHT

Heavy Lifts Translate To More Watts

Not all forms of lifting transfer to cycling: heavy strength lifts recruit more fibers and build maximal strength.
Kettlebell swings help explosiveness and endurance but don't significantly boost maximal strength needed for more watts.

INSIGHT

Combine Gym Work With Cycling Specific Drills

Pair gym strength with on-bike neuromuscular work and muscle-tension intervals to translate gym gains into watts.
This combination teaches new muscle to fire at cycling-specific speeds and lock in climbing strength.

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Weight lifting for cycling can help you gain 15 to 50 watts by next spring — but only if you do it the right way. 🚴‍♂️💪

Watch this podcast on our youTube channel for a better visual learning experience: https://youtu.be/J5nTl0sXrFQ

In this video, the BigCat (Frank Overton) show you exactly how to lift weights for cycling to increase your power output, improve your FTP, and have your best season ever. This isn’t just theory, we've used this exact 10-week, 4-phase weight lifting plan over the past 20+ years, to coach hundreds/thousands of cyclists to higher FTP's, podiums and group ride hero status 🏋️‍♂️💪

What You’ll Learn in This Video:

✅ Why weight lifting works for cyclists and what makes this plan cycling-specific

✅ When to lift heavy — and when to switch to explosive, high-velocity movements

✅ How many days per week to lift

✅ How many sets and reps to do each day

✅ How much weight to lift for each set

✅ How to combine lifting with on-the-bike workouts to turn gym gains into real watts

By the end of this video, you’ll understand the entire 10-week plan, including sets, reps, percentages, and timing so you can start lifting right.

Why This Weight Lifting Plan Works: Not all gym workouts are created equal. A lot of cyclists waste time swinging kettlebells or following generic strength programs that don’t translate into more power on the bike.

Here’s why our plan works:

1️⃣ Lift Heavy → Build strength to generate more force per pedal stroke

2️⃣ Lift Explosively → High-speed lifts simulate pedaling velocity

3️⃣ Neuromuscular Sprint Work → On-bike sprints teach your new muscle to fire faster

4️⃣ Muscle Tension Intervals → Lock in your strength on the bike and crush climbs

Get the Full 10 Week Weight Plan Plan in the CoachCat App

You could write everything down and try to follow the plan manually… but why guess?

Download the CoachCat app for free and get: Your 10-week weight lifting plan

Daily workouts with the right weight, sets, and reps Integrated on-bike workouts

A downloadable PDF plan

Unlimited plan adjustments and training guidance

📲 Start your free trial → https://fascatcoaching.com/app