REF-146 · Rønnestad et al., 2011 · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, Vol. · Paper
Strength training improves 5-min all-out performance following 185 min of cycling
Participants
n=20 well-trained cyclists:
E+S group (n=11, all men): usual endurance training + heavy strength training
E group (n=9: 7 men, 2 women): usual endurance training only (control)
Protocol
Duration: 12 weeks
Strength (E+S): 2×/week, four lower-body exercises, 3 × 4-10RM
Endurance (both groups): usual training
Test protocol (key): 185 min submaximal ride at 44% of maximal aerobic power, immediately followed by a 5-min all-out trial
Key Findings
| Parameter | E+S | E |
|---|---|---|
| 5-min all-out after 185 min | 371 ± 9 → 400 ± 13 W (P<0.05) | no change |
| 1RM half-squat | ↑ (P≤0.001) | no change |
| VO2, HR, blood lactate, RPE in the last hour of the 185-min ride | greater reductions than E (P<0.05) | — |
Primary finding: E+S gained ~29 W in the 5-min all-out after the 185-min ride; E did not change.
During the last hour of the long ride, E+S reduced VO2, heart rate, lactate and RPE more than E at the same submaximal load.
Mechanisms (suggested, not measured in this study)
1
Better cycling economy (lower VO2 at the same power late in the ride — this part WAS observed)
2
Stronger muscles working at a lower fraction of their maximum at submaximal loads
3
Delayed recruitment of less efficient type II fibres
Practical Application
Where an event finishes with a hard effort after hours of riding, this is the protocol that models it: 12 weeks of heavy strength training 2×/week (four leg exercises, 3 × 4-10RM) added to usual endurance training raised 5-min all-out power after a 185-min ride from 371 to 400 W in well-trained cyclists, while the endurance-only group did not change.
Build the strength block as the study did: 2 sessions/week, four lower-body exercises (half-squat among them), 3 sets of 4-10RM.
The benefit is visible before the finish too: through the last hour of the long ride the strength group lowered VO2, HR, lactate and RPE more than the control group — that is the reserve the final effort draws on.
The dose here was 2 sessions/week for the whole 12 weeks. How much strength work is needed to hold the gain across a season is inferred, not shown by this study.
Fuelling during the long ride strongly modifies late-race power (REF-181) — fix that before attributing a weak finish to strength.
Limitations
Small controlled trial, well-trained cyclists, one 185-min preload followed by a single 5-min test — a good ecological model, still one protocol.
The 5-min all-out outcome favours athletes whose events end in a hard finish; it is not a general endurance-performance measure.
Short intervention; the durability benefit of strength training over a season is inferred, not shown.
Groups were not sex-matched: the strength group was all men, the control group included 2 women. No masters.
Fuelling during the preload strongly modifies late-race power (REF-181) and is a competing explanation for differences in the finish.
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
regraded 2026-09-27 from A: parallel controlled trial, n=20
Content correction 2026-09-27
Strength dose "4×4-10RM → 4×3-5RM" -> 3 × 4-10RM, twice a week (abstract); the exercise list beyond "four lower-body exercises" is not in the abstract (half-squat is).
E group "361 → 356 W (−1.4%)", "1RM +23%", "VO2max no change", "body mass no change", "last 2 min" and the extra VO2max/40-min TT tests removed -> not in the abstract; E is reported only as "no change".
Limitation "male trained cyclists only; no women" -> the control group had 2 women.
Tier line no longer calls it a review; Sport "cycling, swimming, strength" -> cycling, strength; cross-references corrected (Beattie is REF-071; the Vikmoen/REF-079 pointer removed); Level A -> B+.