When it comes to training for bikepacking it’s easy to just want to be on the bike enjoying base miles. A lot of very good ultra cyclists and bikepackers do cross-training. Sometimes, being off the bike and working out has huge benefits. I often get asked, “Is a bikepacking strength training plan for me?”

As a cycling personal trainer and coach for many years, I have been lucky enough to take a lot of cyclists to a whole new level, and I often get questioned about the strength and conditioning side of training. 

In this article, I will discuss bikepacking strength training and whether it will benefit you and your goals. We will be discussing:

• What Is Bikepacking Strength Training?
• The Pros And Cons Of Bikepacking Strength Training
• Strength Training Exercises For Bikepacking
• Is It Worth Getting A Bikepacking Strength Training Plan

What Is Bikepacking Strength Training?

Strength training is what you will see many people doing in a gym. It’s targeting muscles and adding resistance to them in order to make them stronger. The science behind it is that the resistance we add rips the muscle and makes it grow back stronger. 

The body is a wonderful thing and can change and adapt so freely. You can even grow different types of muscle fibers, which will be great for either speed or endurance. Strength training can evenly heavily influence recovery and even increase metabolism.

In the past couple of decades, strength training has become really big in professional cycling, and the gains made off the bike are often the difference between being a pack leader or being stuck in the middle. 

Common Strength Training Misconceptions

So many cyclists believe that strength training isn’t for them. Here are some of the common misconceptions I hear about it through cycling clubs. 

Has To Be In A Gym	Absolutely not. It can be done at home with no equipment. The gym Isn’t always the best place for strength training for cyclists.
You Need A Personal Trainer	It’s good to have a trainer but you don’t need one. You can quite happily use an online plan at home with instruction videos.
It Will Make You Heavy	Strength training does, in some cases, grow muscle larger but only if you are working in lower rep ranges. Most people lose weight while on a strength training program.
It Causes Pain After	When you first start it can be uncomfortable if you go in too heavy too quickly. If you do it right, you feel a little ache, but after a few sessions this goes. It’s called DOMS.
It’s Multiple Times Weekly	The best benefits when it comes to strength training for a cyclist, I feel comes once or twice a week. Anything over three would be too much on the same muscles.
It Makes You Inflexible	Absolutely not! Strength training actually increases flexibility! The exercises strongly promote a wide range in joints.
Takes Ages For Results	Again no, results are seen as quickly as a couple of weeks. When you first start the gains are huge!

 The Pros And Cons Of Bikepacking Strength Training

Before we dive deeper into the subject of strength training, a good place to start is by telling you the advantages and disadvantages of bikepacking strength training.

Pros

Let’s start with the good stuff! Here are the main benefits of bikepacking strength training! 

You Can Become So Much Stronger!

With a strength training program, you become stronger. This means riding a heavy bike with bikepacking bags around is easier. You have the ability to generate more power for a lower heart rate and get less fatigue.

Increased Ability

Strength training is excellent for increasing not just performance but ability. With the right exercises, you don’t just get stronger legs but your body overall. The core strength benefits alone go a huge way to making daily mileage so much easier and also, hike a bike sections.

Can Fix Imbalances

Many people used to come to me as a trainer thinking they were well balanced when, yes, they had a great ability to move around on one foot but were increasingly unbalanced from one side of the body to another. Strength training can help fix a muscle imbalance.

Injury Prevention

Injuries are the last thing you want when it comes to being on a bikepacking adventure. Bikepacking strength training is amazing at reducing injuries. By overloading the muscles and tendons regularly, they become stronger, and you have a much less chance of cutting a ride short. 

Flexibility

Many people forget the importance of flexibility when it comes to bikepacking. Being able to stay in a leant over position for a long amount of time and also get in tight aero positions is vital. Strength training can increase this hugely. 

Calorie Burning

Strength training burns a lot of calories. Not just while you’re working out, but you also burn a lot of calories when you recover. The body in recovery craves extra, and although you don’t instantly burn them, it comes later.

Increased Metabolism 

Strength training is well proven to increase metabolism. This means your body naturally burns more calories throughout the day than normal. If you are looking to stay in shape or lose weight, it helps.

Cons

Now for the bit that puts some cyclists and bikepackers off from strength training. Here’s what you need to know.

Time Commitment

Strength training, for the best benefit, I believe you need to allow between 45 minutes to 1.5 hours each week. For some people, it can be hard to fit in.

Building In Can Be Challenging

If you start strength training without the correct advice, it can lead to lots of muscle aches and discomfort. Building the training load properly and effectively takes a couple of weeks. Use a plan from a professional.

Risk Of Injury

Some cyclists tend not to want to do strength training because of a small risk of injury. If done correctly, this will not be a problem, but people who go in without correct guidance and want it to work too quickly often get injured. 

Strength Training Exercises For Bikepacking

Now you know a little about strength training and its benefits. What does it actually look like? Well, here are some exercises which I use for clients. A big problem in the strength training industry for cyclists is that trainers make it too complex. 

These exercises keep it simple and are well used in plans I have made. Obviously, there are thousands of exercises. These are just a few of my favorites. Feel free to check out the videos I use for instructing clients. Most are for home workouts.

Lunges

Great for fixing imbalances and working each leg individually. The lunge comes in many forms, such as standard, step, reverse, and even lateral lunges. In my opinion, it is the best exercise for cyclists! 

Squats

Arguably one of the best strength training exercises. The squat is great for flexibility, core strength, and legs, and, of course, great balance and stability.

Bicycle Kicks

Core strength and back protection. The bicycle kick is a great way for cyclists to build the core and create that rotational movement throughout the body. Get ready for some core burn!

Back Row

A great exercise for so many reasons. Not only does it really help grow and strengthen the back muscles, but it is great for core strength and balance. 

Good Morning

Good mornings are a great way to strengthen those hamstrings, improve core strength, and fix the stability problems many cyclists get from being on the bike too much. Highly recommended to cyclists, though most chose the deadlift, which is riskier for injury, in my opinion.

Russian Twist

An incredible core exercise that builds the core and hugely helps the rotational ability. The Russian Twist is such a valuable exercise when it comes to pulling the body left to right on the bike carrying heavy loads while bikepacking. 

Is It Worth Getting A Bikepacking Strength Training Plan

The benefits of strength training to help your bikepacking and ultra cycling are huge. Not only is it going to help you with your adventures but even with day-to-day life. I highly recommend it, and the people who allow an hour a week to get the mat out at home and do a workout are one step ahead. 

I have trained a lot of cyclists, and the part of the training that benefits even some of the most experienced bikepackers and ultra cyclists is the strength training. It really unlocks so much power and efficiency they never had before.

If you are serious about making your adventures a reality and want to get the most out of them, a strength training plan that you can do at home or in the gym if you have a membership offers so much.

In My Experience

I was cycling for around 5 years before becoming a level 3 personal trainer. The motivation for becoming a trainer was the difference it made in my ability to bikepack and ultra cycle. 

After making my own plan, I couldn’t believe how much my performance went up, my injuries reduced, and how much more comfortable I was on the bike. I even heavily used strength training in recovery after races.

That was the difference between me finishing races in the top ten and breaking records compared to struggling mid-pack. A lot of this was down to strength training and the benefits from it.

After years of training, taking my knowledge to others who wanted to achieve big goals on the bike showed that I wasn’t just a one-off case. They were getting great benefits, and I feel the value it offered them is huge. 

A Final Note: Strength Training For Bikepacking

I feel that as little as one hour per week of strength training greatly impacts bikepacking and ultra-cycling ability. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their experience and take their skills to the next level. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this article! I will be putting together some free plans in my strength training section soon for anyone to enjoy soon.

If you enjoyed this article, you might like Long Distance Turbo Training, The Ultimate Bikepacking Kit List, and Improving Bikepackiing Mental Toughness!