Does your back start aching after a relatively short ride on the bike? If you think you have your bike fit, including shoes, right, then it’s most likely weak “core” (transverse abdominus, obliques, hip flexors, glutes, inner & outer thighs, & lower back) muscles according to Andy Pruitt, Ed.D director of Colorado’s Boulder Center for Sports Medicine.
The average person sits crunched over the steering wheel while driving to work, and then proceeds to do the same thing over a computer all day, and goes home for 2 to 3 hours of television. Not the best routine for strengthening the core muscle group, which will positively impact your cycling.
First off, always try to maintain good posture. The next item is to develop and work on a series of exercises that work the key core muscles. You can drop the old boxing style crunches as they’re not as effective and don’t work the key muscles that will benefit your cycling.
According to Pruitt, a series of 8 exercises that shouldn’t require more than 20 to 30 minutes to complete will do the trick. The exercises are:
1. Boxer Ball Crunch- you’ll need a stability (gym) ball and basically lift your shoulders up and move your torso in a clockwise motion
2. Power Bridge- lay flat on the floor and w/knees bent, thrust your mid-section upward
3. Hip Extension- w/your stomach on the stability ball raise the back of your legs
4. Plank- lay on your stomach and w/your elbows under your shoulders, lift your mid-section off the floor
5. Transverse Plank- while on your side hold your weight on your elbow and lift your hips
6. Scissors Kick- lay on your back and raise your shoulders and then lift your legs and alternate scissoring them
7. Catapult- the best overall, start sitting w/legs bent and in one motion w/arms extended slowly lower yourself to the floor on your back and them raise yourself back up
8. Boat Pose- while sitting w/legs bent, tilt back, extend arms and raise your legs and hold.
