The lunge is one of my favorite exercises for cyclists since it works on eccentric strength. When you lunge forward, the muscles of your hips, trunk and thigh have to decelerate and stop the motion of your body before pushing back to the starting position. This motion is referred to as an eccentric action, in which your muscles are lengthening while developing tension. Cycling has virtually no eccentric action, so the inclusion of this type of exercise can drastically improve your overall lower body strength. Hold a pair of fairly light dumbbells as shown and take a long step forward into a lunge, keeping your knee behind your toes and avoid having your knee collapse to the inside. Push back to the starting position and repeat with your other leg.