Good core strength gives you good posture, balance, mobility and stability, all of these are very important for any road cyclist, triathlete or mountain biker. Not only will good core strength improve your bike handling, and your riding position it will also cut down on injuries. Contrary to popular belief, the core doesn’t just include the abdominal muscles, it also consists of muscles in your back and around your pelvis which help you to stand up straight, bend over and rotate your body. Everything we do in our everyday lives activates your core muscles from getting out of bed in the morning to doing up your shoe laces the benefits of good core strength are huge for all cyclists, let´s face it who doesn’t want to put out more power and ride for longer! The longer our rides are the more important core strength becomes as we get fatigued from hours of riding, it’s your core strength that will keep you balance and maintain your posture on the bike which in turn reduces the risk of injury.
Time spent on developing your core strength is time well spent, however, don’t be in the mind set of just going through the motions. Take your time on doing your core strength exercises. Concentrate of your balance, posture and positioning during each exercise a perspective that just performing these exercises in general without failing over, is not sufficient. By focusing on the individual techniques of each core strength exercise you’ll be able to see a bigger improvement in strength and power on the bike.
Core strength development relies significantly on intensity. Intensity in core strength training relates to the number of reps or the time you can hold your position, i.e. more intensity = more reps or more time in the plank position. However, in endurance training, intensity often refers to how high your heart rate, power or speed are. With core strength training we are not looking at raising your heart rate significantly or how fast you can complete the exercises on the contrary you need to slow it down and be more controlled and precise with these workouts.
Top 5 core strength exercises are
- Plank. a) Get into push up position and rest your elbows and forearms on the floor. b) Make sure your body forms a straight line from your head to toe. c) Hold the position. 3 x 30-second holds for beginners; 3 x 60-second holds for advanced
- Reverse Crunch. a) Lie on your back with your hands tucked under your bum and your knees bent. b) Bring your legs up until they form a 90 degree angle from your torso. c) Do a pelvic tilt and pull your knees in towards your chest, squeeze and slowly lower to starting position. Aim for 15-20 reps.
- Glute Bridges. a) Lay flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. b) Use the muscles in your lower back and butt to bring your hips straight up. c) Slowly lower. Aim for 15-20 reps.
- Side Plank. a) Lay down on one side. b) Lift up with only your elbow and foot touching the ground, creating a straight line through your body. c) Lift with your side muscles and hold. 3 x 30-second holds for beginners each side; 3 x 60-second holds for advanced each side
- Superman. a) Start on all fours. Keep your back straight and your spine and neck neutral, you should be looking at the floor. b) Slowly extend your arm and opposite leg. c) Hold this position, then return to starting position and do the move on the opposite sides. Aim for 15-20 reps.
