Barbell cycling is not the act of lifting weights whilst simultaneously riding a bike. This would be a pretty extreme and also dangerous sport. Whilst functional athletes might be familiar with the term, barbell cycling is quite a new method in the world of weightlifting, but it could be beneficial for your training.

What is Barbell Cycling?

Barbell cycling is a fast-paced method of completing multiple repetitions of a barbell movement, often Olympic lifts such as a snatch or clean and jerk.

The lift is performed in a cyclical movement, when one rep ends another begins. Barbell cycling is performed at a lighter load than traditional Olympic lifting and is more focused on repeated effort and increasing aerobic capacity.

Before you start barbell cycling, it’s essential that you can execute good Olympic lifting techniques. With the high speed of this method of lifting, it is easy to make mistakes and potentially increase the chances of injury if you cannot maintain good form throughout the lift.

What Are The Benefits of Barbell Cycling?

It Improves Your Lifting Technique

Practice makes perfect. The more you do something the better you get at it. That’s why barbell cycling can be so useful for improving your technique, you’re constantly performing repetitions of the same movement. During a heavy lift, when fatigue sets in this is usually when movement patterns change, and mistakes are made. Practising barbell cycling at a lighter load will help your body get used to fatigue and make the appropriate tweaks to ensure you’re still lifting properly.

It Incorporates Increased Volume

When you’re knocking out higher repetitions at 30-60% of your one rep max you can increase the volume lifted during a training session. This is useful if you’re an athlete in an off-season period that wants to focus on increasing the volume. It’s also great for beginner/intermediate lifters that want to get more lifting in to improve their technique, or if you’re strapped for time in the gym and want to get the maximum amount done in a short space of time. Performing more repetitions at speed will also improve your aerobic capacity.

It Improves Your Mental Resilience

Olympic lifting is incredibly mentally taxing. Because of the technicality of the movement, it requires concentration throughout the whole lift. When you’re barbell cycling, you need elite level focus to ensure that every repetition is smooth whilst performing at a fast-pace. You need to be able to make minor adjustments in the moment to keep your technique in form and reduce the amount of time you spend lifting. This is important for any functional fitness athletes, but also for anyone that wants to get better at listening to their body during a lift.

How to Improve Your Barbell Cycling

Barbell cycling can be a great tool to include in your training sessions. Here are some things to consider if you’re looking to improve your barbell cycling -

• Nail down your Olympic lifting technique.

• Keep the bar close to your body throughout the movement.

• Maintain a strong core.

• Work on your posterior chain strength.

If your Olympic lifts are on point then this is the perfect opportunity to trial out some barbell cycling. However, if you’re a complete beginner, your main focus should be to fine tune your technique before you dive into this high intensity training method.

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Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Exercise Type > Strength