To reach your next PR — or to simply improve cycling performance — the secret may not be doing another long ride or class. Rather, it may be adding strength and mobility training to your routine.
Strength training helps build durable, powerful muscles and stable joints, which translates to better performance, fewer injuries, and improved recovery.
Mobility work, meanwhile, is “going to unlock your body for the work you’re going to be doing, which helps with proper muscle recruitment, range of motion, and all the things that can help lead to injury prevention,” says NASM-certified personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist Carrie Boyle.
Incorporate these moves recommended by Rachel Andrews, a certified strength and conditioning coach, to help level up your performance.
Mobility
Open Book Stretch
This is a great stretch to do first thing in the morning, before or after a ride, or after a long period of sitting.
Full Instructions
- Lie on your right side. Bend your knees to 90 degrees and let them rest on the floor in line with your hips. Keeping your knees on the floor, extend both arms on the floor in front of your chest so your palms touch.
- On an exhale, retract your left shoulder blade and peel your left arm open as you gently rotate your upper body to bring your arm and shoulder blade toward the floor on the opposite side.
- Inhale as you return to the starting position. Do two sets of five reps per side. Try to deepen the upper-body rotation on every exhale.
Strength
Offset Front-Rack Split Squat
Perform this exercise two or three
days per week.
Full Instructions
- Rack a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of your left shoulder with your left hand.
- Step your left foot back and lower into a lunge, aiming to bring your left knee to the floor. Your back toes should be tucked so you’re on the ball of your foot. Your right foot should be on the ground in front of you, your right knee bent 90 degrees.
- Distribute your weight evenly across your right foot as you push up to a standing position, then lower your left knee back to the kneeling position. Do two or three sets of eight to 10 repetitions per side.
More on the Moves
Indoor and outdoor cyclists spend a lot of time in one position — seated, with spine, shoulders, and neck bent forward. Moving the thoracic (mid) spine in different planes of motion keeps the muscles and joints mobile, says Rachel Andrews, a certified strength and conditioning coach, who recommends the open book stretch for cyclists.
The ability to twist your spine, shoulders, and neck keeps other joints and muscles from kicking in to compensate for a lack of spinal mobility, which reduces pain and injury risk. It also enables you to check behind you for vehicles while cycling.
To power each pedal stroke on the bike, cyclists must push down with one leg while the other leg is bent behind them. This position calls for strength in the quadriceps (the muscles in the front of the thighs) and hamstrings (the muscles in the back of the thighs), along with help from the core muscles to keep cyclists from falling off the bike.
To shore up these muscles, Andrews recommends offset front-rack split squats. “It’s a similar position as the bike pedal stroke, where you always have one foot forward and one foot back,” she says. Holding a weight on one side can help train your core muscles to stabilize while your legs bend and straighten.
Level Up
From basketball to Zumba, discover the mobility and strength exercises that can enhance your favorite cardio workout and boost your overall performance. Learn more in “Level Up Your Favorite Cardio With These Strength and Mobility Moves,” from which this article was excerpted.
