Does Cycling Build Glutes? What the Science Says

There's no doubt that the glute muscles play an important role in the pedal stroke, because the largest of the three, the gluteus maximus, is the main driver of hip extension (opening the hip joint). But is this enough to make them grow in size?

In this article, we'll take a science-backed look at what cycling really does for your glutes, how to get more glute activation on the bike and what to add for stronger, more developed glutes.

Short Answer: Does Cycling Build Glutes?

Cycling doesn't significantly build or increase the size of the glute muscles. The physical changes the glutes undergo with regular cycling are most likely due to fat loss from around the muscles and an increase in muscle tone (muscle elasticity and passive contraction), which contribute to the glutes sitting higher and appearing firmer. Equally, it's possible that the loss of fat may make your glutes appear smaller overall, but it's very unlikely that the muscles themselves would decrease in size.

Cycling is typically performed at a low to moderate intensity for long periods, meaning the engaged muscles adapt by increasing efficiency and muscular endurance, i.e., fatigue resistance. This characteristic of low-level force production results in minimal muscle growth (hypertrophy).

That said, it is possible to adjust your pedalling style or training to increase glute engagement, which we will discuss below.

Glute Anatomy 101

The “glutes” are made up of three separate muscles: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.

As the name suggests, the gluteus maximus (glute max) is the largest of the three and the largest single muscle in the human body. When cycling, the glute max is the main driver of hip extension: opening the hip joint by driving the thigh backwards.

This extension of the hip joint is part of the power or pushing phase of the pedal stroke.

Source: Muscle recruitment pattern in cycling: a review

The gluteus medius sits above and to the front of the glute max, on the outside of the hip. Beneath it is the glute minimus, the smallest of the three glutes. The primary role of these two smaller glute muscles is to stabilise the pelvis and abduct the leg, lifting it outward from the body's midline.

On the bike, when properly activated, these muscles help keep your pelvis steady as you push power through the pedals, keeping your leg tracking in a consistent line, which in turn improves pedalling efficiency and reduces the likelihood of knee injury. As they don't play a significant role in force production, the two muscles won't undergo notable changes in size or strength through cycling.

How Glutes Engage During a Pedal Stroke

As the authors of "Muscle recruitment pattern in cycling: a review" highlight, the pedal stroke is broken into two halves: the power phase (0–180 degrees) and the recovery phase (180–360 degrees).

By measuring muscle electrical activity with electromyography (EMG), researchers can determine the precise activation of muscle groups. In one study of 10 road cyclists, researchers found that the glute max engages from the end of the recovery phase through halfway into the power phase (from 340–130 degrees), with peak activity around 80 degrees, just before the halfway point of the power phase.

This is a wide active range compared to the other main muscles involved in the pedal stroke, including the quadriceps. However, since a greater portion of total force production comes from the quadriceps, these muscles experience more growth than the glutes.

The angle of your body is another important factor in glute engagement. A study showed that reducing the hip angle by riding in drops and on aerobars leads to higher glute max activity, but it activates later in the pedal stroke.

Cycling for Glute Strength vs. Glute Size

When a muscle grows in size in response to exercise like weightlifting, this process is called hypertrophy. Hypertrophy also occurs in response to hormones, such as during puberty.

Muscle growth is typically associated with strength gains, but the two don't always correlate. As this review of the literature shows, you can actually gain muscle strength, which is the maximum force the muscle can produce, while maintaining or even reducing the size of the associated muscle, depending on the type of exercise and the individual. Many pro cyclists tailor their strength training to achieve strength gains without muscle growth.

Strength is built through repeated movements against high resistance, whether that's carrying heavy loads at work or doing weighted squats or pull-ups in the gym.

Four Ways to Increase Glute Activation on the Bike

As mentioned above, there are specific techniques on the bike that increase glute activation and the percentage of power they contribute to the stroke.

Steep Climbs

One study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology showed that changes in body orientation among mountain bikers during steep climbs led to increased activation of the gluteus maximus, so doing repeats on steep hills should help increase the demand on your glute muscles.

Low Cadence Riding

Performing sessions with repeated high-intensity efforts at a low cadence is an effective way to increase resistance in order to improve muscle strength and increase your top-end speed.

According to another study, this type of training may even be as effective as off-bike resistance training for increasing muscle strength and size in trained cyclists. However, this benefit is limited to the quadriceps due to their outsized role in force production during the pedal stroke.

Out of the Saddle Riding

Pedalling out of the saddle has been shown to increase gluteal activation because the pelvis isn't supported while out of the saddle, so the three gluteus muscles must activate to stabilise the pelvis and maintain a smooth, efficient pedal stroke.

High Cadence

High cadence also affects muscle activation, but differently from low-cadence, high-resistance riding. This review points to two studies indicating that a higher pedalling rate is associated with increased activation of the gluteus medius, the vastus medialis, the medial hamstrings and the calf muscles.

How Indoor Cycling Can Help With Glute Activation

Indoor cycling is a useful tool for practising some of the techniques mentioned above.

Another benefit of indoor training is ERG Mode, which provides a pre-specified resistance, so you can drop your cadence down and push more watts per pedal stroke, increasing the load on the muscles and improving muscle strength.

Above: Climbing Alpe d’Huez on ROUVY. Steep climbs like this are one of the most effective ways to increase glute activation indoors.

In the ROUVY app, you can also find dedicated strength workouts built around low-cadence intervals.

Why Cycling Alone Won't Grow Your Glutes Much – and What to Add

Again, even if you're maximising activation and incorporating high-resistance intervals into your cycling routine, it's unlikely that your glutes will grow in a notable way. There's simply no way to provide enough resistance to achieve glute hypertrophy when cycling.

TIP: For more on building cycling strength off the bike, see our guide to strength training for cyclists.

This systematic review of 11 studies on gluteus maximus hypertrophy shows that you can grow your glutes in a reliable, repeatable way using a range of different strength exercises. The most impressive results were in the study by Popov et al., where performing three sessions on a leg press machine increased gluteus maximus size by 18% in eight weeks.

To achieve hypertrophy of the glutes, perform two of the following exercises twice or three times per week for 3–4 sets of 5–18 repetitions:

• Squat
• Leg press
• Hip thrust
• Deadlift
• Reverse lunge
• Glute bridge

Glute Activation Drills to Do Before Riding

Glute activation drills hit the headlines after the 2025 UAE Tour when Tadej Pogačar's pre-race activation routine was recorded and published online.

Much like the warm-ups undertaken by any elite athlete, activation drills give cyclists an advantage by helping them fire up the muscles required on the bike that might not engage fully or evenly if they jump on the bike and start to ride without doing so.

Performing a short two to five-minute activation routine that focuses on the glute max, glute med and min, hip flexors, quads, and hamstrings, such as the one done by Pogačar, will help ensure that your muscles are firing so you can achieve maximal power output and maintain an efficient pedal stroke.

Some of the best activation exercises for cyclists include:

• Banded glute bridge (glute max, hamstrings)
• Clamshells (glute med, glute min)
• Bodyweight squats (quads, glutes)
• Leg kickbacks (all glutes, hamstrings)

Doing each of these exercises for a few slow, focused reps will help activate all the lower-body muscles and your core.

Related Reading

• ROUVY, "Deadlifts for cyclists: Why This Strength Move Boosts Performance"
• ROUVY, "Why Cyclists Should Practice YOGA – Flexibility, Recovery & Core Strength"
• ROUVY, "Leg Workouts for Cyclists: Strength Training That Improves Riding"
• ROUVY, "Cycling and Weight Lifting: How to Combine Them Without Killing Your Gains"