Thread: Squatting deep (ATG) and cycling - results

I had read research previously and agreed with the theory/results that an increase in squat strength and regular training will have a strong flow on effect to cycling. Rode once in 2 weeks, and it was a quick short one. Was concentrating on squats and started going down past parallel for 2wks.

Rode today (mountain bike in hilly area) and was able to push noticably higher gears in all situations easier/longer.

If you ride, squat, deep if you can.

Without question. I also found that when I run stairs 2x week. I could spin better in a bigger gear. Also doing step-ups is great. ATG squats make sense for cyclists because the lower you go the more your hamstrings are involved (for the upstroke and when you are climbing out of the saddle). Also any movement that work your hip and glutes will help too. When you are seated you draw a lot of your power from your hips (when riding). I have curvy hips from all my years of riding (muscle not fat on the sides of my hips).
If you play with moving forward and back a half inch to an inch you can activate different parts of your muscles. This is one way how the pros do it to prevent fatigue. It's more of a road trick than a mountain bike trick but can be used when on trails as well.