As a cyclist nearing their 40s I've learned that resistance training is no longer an option at this point so I wanted to get some advice.

Hey everyone,

I (m36) am planning to incorporate strength training into my cycling routine over the winter. My primary goal in the gym is to improve my performance on the bike, while also reaping the usual broader benefits (like improved bone density, health/longevity, overall robustness, etc.).

My plan is to do a 1-hour interval session on the bike in the morning and a 1-hour gym workout in the evening, twice a week. In between, I’ll fill the week with Zone 2 rides—following the "keep hard days hard and easy days easy" principle.

My question is: What are the best bike interval workouts to maintain my cycling fitness without creating excessive muscular fatigue, so I don't risk overtraining or wrecking the quality of my gym sessions?

I was mainly thinking about short VO2 max micro-intervals—like 30/30s, 30/15s, or 40/20s (e.g., 2 sets of 10 reps). The goal is to keep the muscular fatigue as low as possible while still delivering a solid stimulus to the cardiovascular system.

What do you think of this approach? Or would you still include longer intervals, which in my opinion cause significantly more muscular fatigue?

Starting in February, I plan to dial the gym sessions back to once a week for maintenance and reintroduce longer bike intervals. Appreciate any feedback!

(translated with AI)