Are you sitting down? Good. While you might not think of including furniture in your strength workouts, chairs and couches often fly under the radar as useful muscle-building tools.

Seated workouts come in handy for those who don’t have a ton of home workout equipment laying around, and are great for cyclists who are looking to boost their core and upper-body strength—two muscle groups that play a large role in your performance on the bike.

“When you’re seated, it forces you to engage your core in a way you wouldn’t if you were standing,” Amber Rees, senior trainer at Barry’s in New York City and Brave Body Project cofounder, tells Bicycling. “Cyclists are always in a seated position. Every move [you make on the bike] comes directly from the core and powers through to the legs, back, and arms, and enhances their overall output and performance and speed.”

That’s why Rees put together this circuit comprised of eight sitting exercises that work the muscles you use to climb, sprint, and even ride casually on your bike.

How to do it: Perform the circuit below for a total of 3 rounds, 10 reps per exercise. Rest as needed between each exercise. Each exercise is demonstrated by Rees so you can learn proper form.

You will need one medium to heavy dumbbell and access to a chair or couch.

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