Best Peloton Strength Classes to Pair With Rides for Maximum Performance

Let’s cut straight to it: if you’re only riding on Peloton and skipping strength work, you’re leaving serious performance gains on the table. Cycling is a strength-dependent sport, and the riders who climb faster, sprint harder, and recover quicker are the ones supplementing their saddle time with targeted resistance training.

The Peloton library is stacked with strength classes that complement your rides perfectly — but not all of them are created equal for cyclists. After hundreds of hours testing combinations and tracking performance metrics, here are the best Peloton strength classes to pair with your rides, organized by your specific goals.

Why Strength Training Matters for Cyclists

Before we dive into the pairings, understand why this matters. Cycling is a repetitive, sagittal-plane movement. You push down, pull up, and repeat thousands of times per ride. Without strength work, you develop muscular imbalances, your stabilizers weaken, and your power output plateaus. Targeted strength training corrects these gaps, builds the raw force that translates to higher watts, and protects your joints from overuse injuries.

The key is strategic pairing. You don’t want to crush a 45-minute lower body session and then attempt a PR on a Power Zone ride. Timing, sequencing, and class selection all matter.

Best Pairings for Building Raw Power

If your goal is increasing your FTP and pushing bigger watts, you need to develop maximal leg strength. These classes focus on heavy, compound lower body movements that directly translate to cycling power.

Andy Speer’s 20-Minute Lower Body Strength: Andy programs heavy squats, deadlifts, and lunges with progressive overload in mind. His classes are structured, no-nonsense, and built for athletes. Pair these with endurance or recovery rides on the same day, or schedule them 24-48 hours before a Power Zone Endurance ride.
Adrian Williams’ 30-Minute Glutes & Legs: Adrian hits the posterior chain hard — glutes, hamstrings, and hip extensors — which are the primary drivers of your pedal stroke. His tempo and intensity are perfect for building functional cycling strength. Pair with a low-impact ride afterward to flush the legs.
Rad Lopez’s 20-Minute Lower Body Strength: Rad brings a methodical approach with compound movement patterns that build serious strength. His focus on form and controlled tempos develops the kind of muscular endurance that pays off during sustained climbs.

Schedule these classes two to three times per week during your base-building phase. On heavy leg days, keep your rides easy — think recovery or low-impact classes only.

Best Pairings for Climbing Performance

Climbs demand sustained force production at moderate to high cadences, plus serious core stability to maintain form when fatigue sets in. You need both leg endurance and a bulletproof midsection.

Olivia Amato’s 15-Minute Core Strength: Don’t let the short duration fool you. Olivia’s core classes are brutally efficient and focus on anti-rotation and anti-extension — exactly what you need to stay stable in and out of the saddle on climbs. Pair directly before a climb ride as activation work.
Ben Alldis’ 20-Minute Lower Body Strength: Ben programs single-leg work and tempo-based exercises that build the unilateral strength climbers need. Bulgarian split squats, single-leg deadlifts, and step-ups are staples. Use these 24 hours before a climb ride for optimal performance.
Rebecca Kennedy’s 10-Minute Core Strength: Quick, targeted, and devastatingly effective. Rebecca focuses on plank variations and dynamic stability movements. Stack this before any climb ride as a warm-up to fire up your stabilizers.

Best Pairings for Endurance Rides

Long endurance rides break down muscle tissue and expose weaknesses in your stabilizer muscles. The right strength work builds resilience and keeps you injury-free across high-volume training weeks.

Robin Arzón’s 20-Minute Full Body Strength: Robin’s full body classes hit every major muscle group with moderate loads and higher reps. This is ideal for endurance cyclists who need balanced strength without excessive muscle soreness. Schedule on a separate day from your long ride.
Callie Gullickson’s 20-Minute Upper Body Strength: Cyclists notoriously neglect the upper body, which leads to neck pain, shoulder tension, and poor bike posture during long efforts. Callie’s upper body classes with rows, presses, and shoulder work correct this. Pair on the same day as an endurance ride — upper body before or after, your choice.
Hannah Corbin’s 20-Minute Full Body Stretch (Bonus): While technically not strength, pairing a dedicated stretch session after your endurance ride plus strength combo accelerates recovery and maintains the mobility you need for efficient pedaling mechanics.

Best Pairings for Sprint and HIIT Rides

Sprint performance demands explosive power, fast-twitch muscle fiber recruitment, and hip flexor strength. You need classes that emphasize speed and explosiveness, not just raw load.

Jess Sims’ 20-Minute Bodyweight Strength: Jess programs plyometric movements — jump squats, explosive lunges, and bounding variations — that develop the snap you need for sprint intervals. Use these as a standalone session 48 hours before your HIIT ride.
Adrian Williams’ 20-Minute Full Body Strength: Adrian’s full body classes often include power-based movements with moderate weight and explosive concentric phases. This builds the neuromuscular coordination that translates directly to high-cadence sprints.
Andy Speer’s 10-Minute Core Strength: A strong core transfers upper body stability into lower body power during all-out efforts. Andy’s short core sessions are the perfect pre-ride primer before any HIIT or Tabata class.

How to Structure Your Weekly Schedule

Here’s a proven framework for integrating strength and rides without overtraining:

Monday: Lower body strength + recovery ride
Tuesday: Power Zone or climb ride + 10-minute core
Wednesday: Upper body strength + low-impact ride
Thursday: HIIT or Tabata ride only (legs need to be fresh)
Friday: Full body strength + easy spin
Saturday: Long endurance ride + stretch
Sunday: Full rest or yoga

Adjust based on your fitness level, but the principle remains the same: never stack heavy leg strength and high-intensity rides on the same day. Separate your hardest efforts by at least 24 hours, and always prioritize the session that aligns with your primary goal.

The Bottom Line

Peloton gives you everything you need to become a stronger, faster, more resilient cyclist — but only if you use the platform strategically. Stop treating strength classes as optional add-ons. They’re the foundation that makes your rides better. Pick the pairings that match your goals, commit to the schedule, and watch your output numbers climb. The leaderboard rewards the riders who put in the work off the bike just as much as on it.