After a 16 year professional career racing on the road and the track and 3 Olympic Games, Jo Kiesanowski credits a consistent base of strength work to her longevity and versatility as a cyclist. If we’ve learned anything from Jo, it’s that strength work is essential to remain healthy as a cyclist, build explosive power, speed and endurance. As we begin the New Year, here are Jo’s favorite exercises that will encourage versatility as a cyclist and get you ready for all the races and adventures you have planned on the bike in 2018.
*Jo holds her USA Weightlifting Certification, USA Cycling Coach Certification and is a TrainingPeaks certified coach. We recommend that you consult a health professional before performing these exercises and remember that proper form is essential to preventing injury.
Form tips
Benefits
A powerful movement that teaches us how to use our hips and gluts more efficiently and explosively.
(Jo’s personal favorite)
Form tips
Benefits
This is a tough exercise to master right away so keep at it if it doesn’t come smoothly at first. It requires a lot of mobility, range of motion and core strength to get down to a full squat while holding a weight locked out overhead which is why this is one of my personal favorites. This is more of a core exercise than a squat despite its name.
Read more about Jo in our Prologue, or learn more about how to build a strong foundation in Part I of this series.
Photos: Chris Wilson//@chriswilsonphoto
Gym: Mètier//Capitol Hill, Seattle