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Upper-body strength is helpful in many sports; it's a must in handcycling.

Handcycling is an adaptive sport that allows people with no or limited use of their legs to cycle for fun and competition, according to Move United, the national leader in community adaptive sports. The handcycle resembles a tricycle, but instead of using your legs to propel yourself forward, you use your arms.

"It's like turning a bike upside-down and cranking the pedals with your arms," says Rick Babington, a USA Cycling-certified coach who works with handcyclists. "It's all upper body: shoulders, arms, upper back, chest and core muscles."

However, whereas a bicycle involves alternating limbs with each pedal, a handcycle requires both limbs to move together. So, even if you're a casual handcyclist with no desire to race, wheeling yourself any distance takes serious upper-body strength.

That's why we tapped Babington to create an upper-body workout. Use this 20-minute routine to prepare for a successful handcycling season of racing or your exploring local cycling paths.

‌Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here — we’ve got something for everyone.‌

This 20-minute routine is ideal for beginner handcyclists, Babington says. Start by doing it once a week and gradually build up to three, giving yourself at least one day of rest in between.

Similarly, do one set of each exercise to start. Add more sets once you get used to the movements, stopping at three sets total. The amount of reps of each exercise are listed below.

We asked handcyclist Edwin Munoz, founder and CEO of the Edstrong Foundation — a nonprofit organization that provides fitness rehab, travel and community to those with paralysis and other neurological disabilities — to demonstrate the moves.

Resistance band

Dumbbell

Stability ball

The seated chest press mimics the motion of using both arms to propel yourself forward in a handcycle, Babington explains. As such, this exercise is a great way to build strength and endurance in your chest, shoulders and triceps.

You can use a cable machine in place of a resistance band, if desired.

Every time you push the handcycle cranks forward, you must pull them back to complete the movement, Babington says. That motion is best replicated with the seated back row, an exercise that recruits your back and biceps muscles.

Wrist and forearm strength is also crucial in hand cycling "because if those small muscles fail, then the big muscles can't work correctly," Babington says. You need your wrist and forearm muscles to maintain your grip on the hand cranks so your other muscles can do their job.

Increase the angle of wrist extension (straightening) and flexion (bending) to make this exercise more challenging.

You can also do this exercise using a wrist roller, a short handle with a cord attached in the middle (like this one from Amazon), to work these muscles.

Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here — we’ve got something for everyone.

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