Boost Your Cycling Speed with These 8 Core-Strengthening Exercises

Being a skilled cyclist is more than having strong legs—it requires a powerful core. Today, we present a series of targeted exercises that will fortify your core muscles, elevate your cycling speed, and significantly reduce strain on your legs!

Speeding up doesn’t always mean overworking your legs. Engaging your abdominal muscles and lower back is crucial, as these areas are fundamental to most body movements during cycling and play a key role in pedal efficiency.

Graeme Street, founder of the Cyclo-CORE training program and a coach in Essex, emphasizes that without a strong core, even the strongest legs cannot perform optimally. Imagine a Ferrari body with Fiat chassis—that’s how ineffective leg power is without core support.

Graeme developed a specialized 10-minute training routine focusing on the abs, lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors. These exercises don’t just build strength; they train your muscles to work harmoniously as a unified system.

For best results, it’s recommended to perform this routine three times a week.

Exercise 1: Boxer Twists

Target muscles: transverse and oblique abdominal muscles, lower back muscles.

Lie on a fitness ball with support on your mid-back, knees bent at 90 degrees, feet firmly on the floor. Clasp your hands behind your head without pulling your neck.

Engage your core and lift your upper back off the ball by raising your shoulder blades. Rotate your torso slightly clockwise, then return to the start. Press your lower back into the ball to maintain balance. Complete 15 twists clockwise, then 15 counterclockwise.

This exercise minimizes lateral body sway during cycling.

Exercise 2: Bridge

Target muscles: hip flexors, lower back, glutes.

Lie on your back with knees bent and heels near your glutes, arms extended at your sides with palms down. Tighten your glutes and smoothly lift your hips, forming a straight line from shoulders to knees, pressing into your heels. Hold for a few seconds, then lower your hips about three-quarters down—your lower back may touch the floor, but not your glutes. Repeat 20 times.

This move stretches tight hip flexors common in cyclists and strengthens the connection between the lower back and glutes.

Exercise 3: Hip Lifts

Target muscles: lower back, glutes, hamstrings.

Lie face down with hips and stomach on a fitness ball. Place your hands on the floor beneath your shoulders. Extend your legs with toes touching the ground. With a straight back and shoulder blades squeezed together, lift your straightened legs, raising your hips higher than parallel to the floor if possible. Hold briefly and return. Perform 20 reps.

This strengthens the lower back, enhancing the power during the second half of the pedal stroke.

Exercise 4: Plank

Target muscles: transverse abdominal muscle, upper and lower back muscles.

Lie face down, bend your elbows, resting on your forearms with elbows directly under shoulders. Lift your hips off the floor, supporting yourself on your toes and forearms. Keep a straight back and engage your core without sagging your lower back. Hold for 60 seconds, breathing deeply through your chest.

Planks build muscular endurance, helping you maintain aerodynamic posture longer.

Exercise 5: Side Plank

Target muscles: transverse and oblique abdominal muscles.

Lie on your right side, bend your right elbow under your shoulder, resting on your forearm. Stack your right leg atop the left. Reach your left arm overhead to the right. Lift your hips off the floor in one motion, forming a straight line from head to feet. Lower hips close to the floor but stop about 5 cm above, then lift again. Perform 10-15 reps per side.

Strong obliques improve stability on the bike, enabling sharper turns at higher speeds.

Exercise 6: Scissors

Target muscles: transverse abdominal muscle, hip flexors, inner and outer thighs.

Lie on your back with legs straight and arms supporting your lower back, palms down. Rest elbows on the floor, engage your core, lift your shoulders, and look at the ceiling. Raise your legs about 10 cm off the floor, then start crossing and spreading them alternately. One full leg switch counts as one rep. Do 100 reps.

This comprehensive exercise engages core and thigh muscles to improve pedal efficiency.

Exercise 7: Catapult

Target muscles: entire core.

Sit with knees slightly bent and heels on the floor. Raise your arms forward at shoulder level, palms facing each other. Keep your back straight, look upward, take a deep breath, and slowly lower yourself onto the floor counting to five. Keep your arms behind your head. Exhale and raise yourself back up with arms leading. Repeat 20 times.

This exercise enhances overall body control and coordination.

Exercise 8: L-Sit

Target muscles: transverse abdominal muscle, lower back muscles.

Sit on the floor with hands slightly behind you, palms supporting your weight. Keep your legs straight and together. Lift your legs off the floor while extending your arms forward at shoulder height. Keep your core engaged and body forming a 90-degree angle. If straight legs are difficult, bend knees slightly. Hold for 60 seconds.

Like the plank, this move boosts lower back stability and core endurance, making it easier to maintain a semi-crouched cycling position or tackle hills without losing speed.

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