Stronger glutes, better Cycling?
September 2026
If you want to beat that autumn Hill Climb PB, power into that Cyclo Cross season or generally improve your cycling endurance, spending more time on the bike isn’t the only answer. Regular strength training, particularly for the muscles responsible for producing force at the hip, can be a valuable addition to your training.
The gluteus maximus is one of the major muscles involved in cycling and contributes to hip extension and the production of power during the pedal stroke. But cycling is predominantly a seated, repetitive activity, so it doesn’t necessarily provide the same stimulus for developing maximal strength as progressive resistance training.
There is now good evidence that adding heavy strength training to cycling can improve cycling performance. Recent 2025 research published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that heavy resistance training improved measures including cycling performance, cycling efficiency and anaerobic power in endurance cyclists.
So what should cyclists actually do?
Rather than looking for one magical “glute exercise”, a combination of exercises is likely to be most useful. My three favourites would be:
1. Romanian deadlift (RDL): A great posterior-chain exercise, targeting the glutes and hamstrings while developing strength through hip extension. Start light and concentrate on controlling the movement and maintaining a neutral spine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j-2w4-P14I
2. Bulgarian split squat: Cycling is a unilateral activity, so single-leg strength is worth developing. The split squat trains the glutes and quadriceps while also challenging balance and pelvic control.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tKKxQy_D98
3. Hip thrust: An excellent way of progressively loading the gluteus maximus. Research comparing hip thrusts and squats found that both produced similar increases in glute muscle size after nine weeks of training.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29OfN4ztW_g
You don’t necessarily need to spend hours in the gym. For most cyclists, two short strength sessions per week, particularly during the winter or lower-volume cycling periods, can be a very effective addition. During periods of heavy riding or racing, one session per week may be enough to maintain strength.
A simple starting programme could be a mini circuit of the following:
RDL: 3 × 6–10
Bulgarian split squat: 3 × 6–10 each leg
Hip thrust: 3 × 8–12
The key is progressive overload — gradually increasing the resistance as you become stronger.
So, rather than thinking of strength training as something that takes you away from time in the saddle, think of it as part of building a bigger engine to improve your next training ride or race.
References
Llanos-Lagos C, Ramirez-Campillo R, Sáez de Villarreal E. Heavy strength training effects on physiological determinants of endurance cyclist performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis.European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2026;126:193–222.
Plotkin DL, et al. Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift.Frontiers in Physiology. 2023;14:1279170.