One-Hour Workout: Build Bike Base Plus Strength Session

This week’s strength and bike combo workout comes from coach Dan Nascimento. He believes there are three things you should do over the winter months—build strength, build base endurance and build muscle resilience and strength endurance to prepare for race-specific training. He says this strength and bike combo workout does all three at the same time.

“Your heart rate will remain at the endurance base level the whole 60 minutes, and as the workout progresses there will be a higher demand on your musculature due to the strength work,” Nascimento says. “This will allow you to get strong and build base endurance at the same time. Not to mention fight the boredom of 60 minutes on a turbo trainer at a low heart rate. The purpose of this workout is to keep an aerobic heart rate for the 60 minutes.”

You will need: dumbbells, resistance band, indoor bike trainer

Warm-up: 10 minutes on trainer at endurance/aerobic/base pace, building heart rate or power for the duration (note heart rate). By the time you get back on the bike for each set, your HR should be pretty similar.

RELATED: Bike Intervals And Core Work In One Session 

First set (2 minutes):

• Step-back lunges with dumbbells
Do 3 sets total: Holding a dumbbell sideways with two hands at your chest, do 10 reps on each leg, switching between legs (20 total). Focus on a tight core and a vertical back—do not lean forward.

Step-back lunge video here.
Advanced version (holding weight overhead) here.

Back on the bike for 8 minutes.

Second set (2 minutes):

• Core punches
Do 3 sets total: 10 regular core punches, 10 reverse core punches. Switch hands and repeat. Focus on keeping a slow, controlled pace.

o Attach a resistance band to a solid object at 4 inches below chest height (you could also use a pulley at the gym). Put one leg in front of the other but keep them shoulder-width apart. For regular punches, grab the cord with your rear hand, and punch in front of your body and away from the object it’s anchored to. Keep it close to your chest and rotate from the core.

o For reverse punches, face the anchored object and pull the band back behind you.

Core punch video here.
Reverse core punch video here.

Back on the bike for 8 minutes.

Third set (2 minutes):

Weighted hip lifts to single legged hip lifts
Do 3 sets total: 10 double-legged weighted hip lifts into one set of 5 hip lifts on each leg

o Lie on your back with heels close to your behind, grab a weight you can handle for 10 reps and place it on your hips. Squeeze your butt to lift as high as possible, ideally creating a 90-degree angle.

o After the 10th rep, drop the weight and continue into 5 single-legged lifts (take one leg off the ground)

Weighted hip lift video here.
Single leg hip lift here.

Back on the bike for 8 minutes.

Fourth set (2 minutes):

Side plank with dumbbell lifts into front plank
Grab a light weight (5 lbs or less) and do this 3 times total: 30 seconds left plank, 30 seconds right plank, 30 seconds front plank. For the side planks, hold the weight in the opposite hand and dip your hip to the ground with it at your side, then above (perpendicular to your body) as you lift your hips to a taut position.

Side planks with dumbbell lifts video here.

Back on the bike for 8 minutes.

Fifth Set (2 minutes):

Push-ups
Do 3 sets of 10 push-ups.

Push-ups video here.

**Bonus round! Do 8 minutes on the bike and then cycle through 1 round of 10 repetitions of each set 1–5.

More one-hour workouts.