Legs of Steel

AMC Outdoors, May 2006

Power up for the cycling season

Cycling season is in full swing, but are you? After a long winter you may need to build back up to biking shape. If you want to climb hills like Lance—or at least keep up with friends on your Saturday morning ride—powerful legs are key to success in the saddle. Here are three exercises designed to target the major muscle groups you’ll use during a ride: the gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. Focus on these muscle groups and you should finish your ride feeling strong.

PREPARATION  Warm up your muscles with about 5 to 10 minutes stationary cycling or walking. You should aim for two days of strength training per week, performing 12 to 15 repetitions and two to three sets of each exercise. Ideally, you should strength train on days when you aren’t out riding your bike.

EXERCISES
Dumbbell single calf raise. Use a block, telephone book, or a raised door threshold. Hold a dumbbell in one hand to the side. Position the ball of your right foot on the calf block with your heels off the floor. Hold your left leg off the ground behind you. Place your hand on the wall or a chair for balance. Raise your right heel by extending your ankle as high as possible. Hold for a moment then lower your heel until your calves are stretched. Continue with left leg.

Dumbbell walking lunge. Stand holding five-to-ten pound weights at your sides. Step forward with your right leg. Lunge until your left knee nearly touches the floor, and then step forward with your left leg, repeating the lunge until you have crossed the room or reached eight to 10 lunges. Turn around and repeat the exercise. Keep your shoulders back and torso upright throughout the lunge.

One-legged wall squat. For this exercise you can use an inflatable stability ball or a soccer or basketball. Stand about eight to 12 inches from the wall, placing the ball between your lower back and the wall. Lift your left foot off the floor and then bend your right knee and squat down while rolling the ball down the wall behind you. Bend until your hip and knee joints form right angles as if you were sitting in a chair, and then stand back up. Alternate between your left and right legs.

- Jen Kula