No time to strength train? That's exactly why you need to read this.

If you’re a runner or cyclist over 30, 30 minutes of structured strength training beats random mixes of planks and push-ups every time. Progress comes from planned lifts, clear intent, and week-to-week progression, not guessing. Here’s how to turn a short session into real performance gains and fewer injuries.

Strength training for runners and cyclists over 30 is a game-changer for performance, resilience, and long-term health.

If you want the full breakdown, check out my Strength Training Over 30 Guides:

Strength training for runners over 30

Strength training for cyclists over 30

TRAINING BREAKDOWN

"One session moves your body, the other builds running and cycling athleticism."

By Emma O'Toole

Hi there,

How many times have you said it?

“I don’t have time.”

To strength train. To warm up properly. To stretch.

It’s the most common reason runners and cyclists give me for skipping strength work.

Spolier: if you don’t have time to strength train, then you definitely don’t have time for injuries.

This is because an injury doesn’t just cost you 30 minutes here and there it wipes weeks, often months, off your training. And lost time will only be one of your concerns, there’s lost fitness, lost confidence, and lost momentum.

And the irony of this is that the thing you “don’t have time” for (strength training) is one of the biggest safeguards against the very setbacks you can’t afford.

Six weeks ago, David got in touch. He told me he’d sit at home and waste a third of his 30-minute session deciding what to do. Some push-ups here, the odd plank, a few kettlebell swings there… and he’d leave unsure if it even counted as training.

He felt like he was putting in the time, but nothing was changing on the bike.

Fast forward 6 weeks into my BUILT TO RIDE OVER 30 twelve week strength training programme and it looks very different.

He now opens the app and gets to work, there’s no second-guessing, no wasted time just focused sessions that slot around his life and training to improve his on the bike performance.

David is climbing stronger, recovering faster, and in his own words: “finally feels like my time doing strength is paying off. I’ve noticed this in particular on the infamous Rosedale Chimney hill!”

That’s the power of having a plan.

David’s not alone in this, this is what happens when you swap random sessions for structured ones. To show you what I mean, here’s the difference.

Structured vs Random

Random session:

• Spend 5-10 minutes deciding what to do.

• Mix of “safe bets”: push-ups, planks, bodyweight squats.

• No progression (random stacking of exercises).

• Completes the session not knowing if progress has been made.

Structured session:

• Opens the app / plan and the session is ready to go.

• Exercises progress week on week (weight, reps, sets, tempo)

• Exercises stacked purposefully: Warm-up → main lifts → accessories → session complete.

• Clear purpose to each session: improve force, stability, resilience, power and speed.

  
  

One session moves your body, the other builds running and cycling athleticism.

One session eats up your time, the other makes the most of it; being able to hold form at the end of a run, keep power on the pedals when your legs are tired, or recover well so you can actually complete your next session harder.

Crucially though, one session does very little to reduce your risk of injury because the same weak points get ignored over and over; whilst the other strengthens those weak points, building your resilience and training consistency.

30 minute strength sessions

If you’ve only got 30 minutes to strength train, you don’t have time for:

• Wondering what to do.

• Filling the session with random exercises that get your heart rate up.

• Wasting weeks with no progress.

You need to hit the ground running and the beauty of it is that with the right plan, 30 minutes is enough.

This is because when each repetition has a purpose, you don’t need hours to see changes in your body that equates to better performance on the road or the trails. Those 30 minutes aren’t just reducing your risk of injury, they’re what give you stronger climbs, better form in the final 5k, and faster recovery to name just three.

That’s what David found, and what hundreds of runners and cyclists who stick to a structured plan find. You’re no longer wasting energy making decisions or second guessing yourself, instead you’re using that energy where it matters: building strength that carries over to your sport.

If you’ve been winging your strength training, or if “I don’t have time” has been your default excuse, then this is your sign to change that.

Here’s my challenge to you:

Get in touch here and I’ll send you a couple of suggestions, from free plans to get you started, 12 week strength plans for runners and cyclists over 30, through to joining my waitlist for 1-1 bespoke strength training plans guaranteed to improve your running and cycling.

Simple, clear, no wasted time.

Don’t forget to also check out our fantastic free community for ongoing support and help with your training.

Have a great day!

Thank you!

Emma x

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