Here’s how to train circuit style.

Circuit training is an exercise term you’ve probably heard before—maybe through a fave at-home workout app or from an in-the-know fitness friend. But knowing what it actually means is a little trickier.

You can think of circuit training as a surprisingly simple way to program your strength workouts, though, and one that offers big benefits, especially to cyclists. “Circuits are one of my favorite types of workouts and are part of all my clients’ programs,” says Frank Baptiste, C.S.C.S., personal trainer and founder of FranklyFitness. Incorporating regular circuit training into your routine can boost your performance in the saddle, reduce risk of injury, and provide a lot of bang-for-your-exercise-buck—ideal for days when you’re strapped for time.

Ahead, everything you need to know about circuit training for cyclists, including instructions for a super effective bodyweight circuit you can try at home today.

Circuit training is a form of interval training where you do six or more exercises back-to-back with minimal rest in between. Then, you repeat for a set number of rounds or circuits, or for a set time, explains Baptiste.

As for which specific exercises you do, what type of equipment (if any) you use, and how many rounds you complete, well, that’s really up to you. Circuit training really is that open-ended and versatile.

There are a lot of benefits to circuit training that may just convince you to train this way. For starters, circuit workouts are a really efficient way to increase muscular strength and endurance, as well as cardiovascular fitness, says Baptiste. “Because you complete all the exercises in a non-stop fashion, it’s guaranteed to keep your heart rate elevated and earn you a good sweat—the type of workout that leaves you feeling energized,” he says.

Additionally, compared to more traditional forms of strength training where you do all your reps and sets of one exercise before moving onto the next, circuit workouts don’t require you to rest as much within a workout, making them a good choice for busy cyclists. Moreover, the varied format of circuits can help you stay motivated and engaged throughout the workout.

For cyclists in particular, circuit training is a great way to train the aerobic system, which is the primary energy system you use when pedaling. To be sure, circuit workouts do contain some anaerobic efforts, but overall, they are less anaerobic than HIIT workouts because the rest periods are shorter and the overall intensity level isn’t as high. In that sense, circuit workouts more closely mimic cycling, as a typical bike ride is mostly in the aerobic zone, unless you’re doing sprints or crazy hill climbs, says Baptitse.

In addition, circuit workouts are great for reducing risk of injury and boosting performance on the bike. “There’s a lot of people who just ride the bike, or just run, and you’re not going to meet your peak performance unless you’re training all the different muscles of your body and really leaning into not just one type of workout,” says Olivia Amato, Peloton instructor who teaches bike, treadmill, and strength classes.

“When you’re moving on the bike, you’re moving in one plane of motion,” explains Amato. That would be the sagittal plane of motion, which involves forward and backward movements. But with circuit training, you can incorporate movement in different planes of motion, like the frontal plane (side-to-side) and transverse plane (rotational/diagonal). This variety can help you build well-rounded strength while reducing muscular and mobility imbalances—two key elements of injury prevention.

To top it off, circuit training allows you to increase strength in muscles that are most important in cycling (like your quads), while also incorporating moves, like bent-over rows or glute bridges, that can help counteract some of the positioning that’s overemphasized in cycling. In turn, you can become a stronger, more resilient athlete, both on and off the bike.

For the cyclist who exercises five or six days a week, Baptiste recommends training three to four days on the bike and two days in the gym doing circuits. Avoid circuit training more than three times a week, he says.

When penciling circuit workouts into your schedule, make sure to leave a day in between so you’re not doing circuits on back-to-back days, recommends Baptiste. It’s okay to ride and circuit train in the same day—you just need to choose your priority for training that day and complete that workout first when your muscles are freshest. That said, if you’re brand new to circuits, wait a few weeks before you do them on the same day as a ride, suggests Baptiste. Once your body has had time to get used to the movements in a circuit workout, then you can try stacking them alongside your rides.

The ideal circuit workout for cyclists alternates between upper body and lower body moves. “This allows you to move from one to the next with less rest,” says Baptiste. “The upper body gets to recover while you do the lower, and vice versa.” The workout should incorporate core and posture drills to balance out the position you’re in on the bike, too.

As for which specific circuit workout exercises are best for cyclists, Baptiste recommends single-leg quad moves (think: lunges, step-ups, and split squats), because your quads provide the majority of the power on your downstroke in cycling. “The stronger your quads are, the better your performance on the bike will be,” says Baptiste. Single-leg moves deliver the added benefits of boosting stability, closely mimicking the motion of cycling, and pinpointing and correcting imbalances from side to side, he explains.

That said, you don’t want to forget about your backside muscles to counteract all the quad-emphasis that happens in cycling, so incorporating moves like bridges, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, and hamstring curls is a good idea, too. It’s also smart to include lateral moves to balance out all the sagittal movement we do in the saddle, as well as upper-body moves like pulling exercises that open up the shoulders and combat the hunched, internally rotated posture enforced on the bike, says Baptiste.

Here’s a general circuit workout format, from Baptiste, that cyclists can follow:

Do 10 to 15 reps of each move with about 15 seconds rest between moves. Rest 2 minutes after repeating all the moves and do the entire circuit 2 to 3 times.

Looking for something more specific? Here is a no-equipment circuit workout, from Baptiste, that will help cyclists build strength and endurance.

How to use this list: Complete each move in succession without little to no rest in between movements, following the reps listed below. Rest for 2 to 3 min at the end of the circuit. Then repeat for 3 total rounds. You don’t need any equipment, except a chair, couch, or bench nearby. An exercise mat is optional.

Mallory Creveling, certified personal trainer and Bicycling deputy health and fitness editor, demonstrates each exercise so you can learn proper form.

Stand in front of a chair, couch, or bench, facing away from it. Place right foot on chair behind you. Bend left knee to lower into a lunge position, left thigh parallel to floor and back knee just hovering off the ground. Allow a slight hinge at the hips. Press through left foot to straighten left. From here, bring right foot forward, off the chair, and step it several feet in front of body. Place foot firmly on the ground and bend both knees to lower into a forward lunge, keeping torso upright and bracing core. Press through right foot to stand back up, bringing right foot back, and place it back on chair. Repeat. Do 8 to 10 reps. Then switch sides.

Start in a plank, shoulders over wrists, forming a straight line from head to heels, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Engage glutes and legs. Pivot on feet and rotate body to the right, lifting right arm up toward ceiling to create a T shape with arms. You should hit a side plank. Pause, then return to regular plank. Repeat on left side. Continue alternating side planks, with a regular plank in the middle. Do 8 reps per side.

Lie facedown, legs extended behind you and arms out to sides with palms facing down and elbows bent. Arms should form a W shape. Keeping eyes down, use mid-back muscles to slowly lift upper-body off the ground. Once upper-body is lifted, squeeze shoulder blades together. Then extend arms overhead, keeping upper-body lifted. Pause, then pull arms back down to W shape. Pause, then lower upper-body to the mat. Repeat. Do 12 reps.

Standing on one leg, bend forward at the waist to touch toes, then walk hands out to a high plank position, shoulders over wrists, foot still lifted off floor. Bend elbows to lower body into a push-up. Press through hand to return one-legged high plank. Walk hands back toward feet and stand back up. That’s one rep. Repeat. Do 5 reps. Then switch sides.

Start standing. Push off left foot to jump to the right, landing on right foot and letting left leg swing behind you as you send hips back and reach for toes with left fingertips. Then push off right foot to jump back to the left, landing on left foot, right foot swinging behind. Continue alternating. Do 10 reps per side.

Start on all fours with a neutral spine, knees under hips and wrists under shoulders. Keeping back flat, use core to lift knees off the ground a few inches so you’re balancing on palms and the balls of feet. From here, lift one palm and tap opposite shoulder, keeping the rest of body as stable as possible. Place palm back on the ground and repeat on the other side. Continue alternating. Do 10 reps per side.

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