Going faster doesn't always mean putting stress on your legs. The work should include the abs and lower back. They are the basis of almost all body movements while cycling. They are also responsible for working with the pedals.
Graeme Street, founder of the Cyclo-CORE training program and trainer in Essex, believes that without a strong core it is impossible to use even the strongest legs effectively. It's like a Ferrari body with a Fiat chassis.
Graham developed a special training program to strengthen his core muscles. It lasts only 10 minutes and focuses on the abdominal muscles, lower back, glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors. As a result of these exercises, your muscles will not only become strong, but will also begin to work as a single unit.
To develop the necessary strength, it is recommended to perform this complex 3 times a week.
Exercise 1. Boxing crunches
What works: transverse and oblique abdominal muscles, lower back muscles.
Lie on the exercise ball so that the emphasis is on the middle part of your back, bend your knees at an angle of 90 degrees, and press your feet firmly to the floor. The hands are folded behind the head, but do not put pressure on the neck.
Pull your stomach in and lift your upper back over the fitball, that is, try to lift your shoulder blades off the support. Turn your body slightly to the side clockwise and return to the starting position. Press your lower back into the exercise ball to maintain your balance. Do 15 twists clockwise and then the same in the other direction.
This exercise helps to minimize the lateral sway of the body when riding a bicycle.
How to train properly on a bike
Before you start exercising, you need to choose the right bike. What matters is your level of training and the area where you are going to ride. Professionals usually choose road bikes for city riding, but you need to keep in mind that they should only be ridden on flat roads. For rough terrain, it is better to purchase a hybrid bike model.
It is also worth choosing the best time to train on a bike - usually either in the morning or in the evening. In the daytime, especially in the warm season, overheating of the body is inevitable. If you are going to train in winter, take care of the right equipment that will protect you from cold air, and do not go to training if the thermometer shows the temperature below 8°C.
For training for adults, knee pads and elbow pads are optional, but a helmet is vital. When riding in the dark, you should provide your bike with a flashlight and reflective elements (the latter also applies to clothing).
A fitness tracker is a convenient device for recording the distance traveled. It is best if it is a device with a heart rate monitor that will show your heart rate.
Intensity
To obtain the greatest effect from training, trainers of various sports advise alternating periods of exercise and rest - this also applies to cycling. When increasing or decreasing the intensity of training, the principle of a wave-like increase is very important, for example:
- on Monday, intensive training is carried out for 60 minutes;
- on Tuesday, for the purpose of recovery, a measured bicycle ride is carried out for 60 minutes;
- on Wednesday you need to take a break from cycling, it is better to do strength training;
- on Thursday, intensive training is repeated, the time of which can be increased to 80 minutes;
- on Friday the loads are reduced, but the time increases to 90 minutes, the driving speed is moderate, without jerking;
- on Saturday it is better to take a full day off from any stress at all;
- On Sunday, do an endurance workout that involves riding at low or medium speeds for three hours.
High-quality cycling training for beginners means covering a distance of 250-300 km per week. For more prepared riders and professional racers - 500-800 km.
Increased stamina
Endurance is very important for cyclists, especially for those riders who plan to participate in multi-day trips or competitions. To increase endurance, it is necessary to increase the duration of training and distance weekly. Moreover, the ride should not be too fast or with sudden changes; you need to stick to a moderate pace. As a guide, a leisurely bike ride is one in which you can pedal and talk without getting out of breath. If this is difficult to do, you should reduce the speed.
A cycling training plan to increase endurance could be like this:
- a leisurely ride for three and a half hours with a quick finish at the end;
- walk through hilly terrain for four hours;
- a leisurely ride for five hours with a quick finish at the end.
Exercises
Special exercises for developing different muscle groups can make cyclists' training even more effective. Their goal is to develop the ability to ride faster and longer. The exercise program can be as follows:
- hill training - climb up and downhill for five minutes, then descend (this is a recovery period), then warm up for 10 minutes and repeat the five-minute climb and subsequent descent. Perform 8 such approaches per workout;
- ride intensely for five minutes on a flat surface, accelerating to 80-90% of the heart rate limit, then rest for a minute and a half, then ride slowly for 10 minutes, and then repeat the five minutes of intense riding at the limit. A total of 5 such approaches are done per workout;
- Ride leisurely for 10 minutes, after which the pace increases to 75% of your heart rate limit and remains the same for a 40-minute ride. You can check yourself whether you are driving at the right pace: during a conversation, you can hardly say more than five words in one breath. The workout ends with a 10-minute leisurely ride.
Exercise 2. Bridge
What it works: hip flexors, lower back and glutes.
Lie on your back, bend your knees (heels should be near your buttocks), stretch your arms out to your sides, palms down. Squeeze your buttocks and push them upward in a smooth motion, lifting your hips and pressing into your heels. You should have a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Stay in this position for a few seconds and lower yourself to ¾: your lower back can touch the floor, but not your buttocks. Then lift your pelvis again. Complete 20 reps.
This exercise stretches the hip flexors, which are often very tight in cyclists, and strengthens the connection between the lower back and glutes.
Trailforks
Trailforks is a mountain biking app. Its catalog contains more than 150,000 cycling routes from all over the world. The app uses crowdsourcing, so you can add your own routes if you want. Some of the app's features include offline route maps, GPS location support, elevation profiles, tons of information about different routes, and even some social features like a shared ride log. We didn't encounter any unexpected in-app purchases during our testing, so this is a great mountain biking app for those on a budget.
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Trailforks
Developer: Trailforks
Price: Free
Exercise 3. Hip Raise
What works: muscles of the lower back and buttocks, biceps femoris.
Lie with your stomach and thighs on the fitball. Place your hands on the floor, placing your palms directly under your shoulders. Legs are extended, toes are on the floor. With your back straight and shoulder blades pulled together, lift your legs straight. If possible, try to raise them above the level where your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold for a few seconds and return to the starting position. Complete 20 reps.
This exercise strengthens the lower back, which makes the second part of the pedal stroke more efficient.
Urban Biker
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Urban Biker
Developer: Sublimis App
Price: Free
With full features and no limitations, the free Urban Biker app is a great option for your sporting activities. It supports wireless sensors, a barometer for accurate altitude determination, power and energy counting, and displays duration, elevation, distance, altitude, heart rate, steps, kinetic energy, pace, pressure, acceleration and more. With such an assistant you will always be informed about your achievements.
Advantages:
- The program is absolutely free.
- Works without the Internet.
- There is a bicycle flashlight and a bell.
- The program can be used while running, walking and driving.
Flaws:
- There may be minor errors in actual use.
Exercise 4. Plank
What works: transverse abdominis, upper and lower back muscles.
Lie on your stomach, bend your elbows, lean on your forearms, placing your elbows directly under your shoulders. Raise your hips off the floor. The legs rest on the toes (literally on the tips of the toes), the back is straight, the stomach is pulled in. Make sure there is no arching in the lower back. Stay in this position for 60 seconds. It is better to breathe through your chest during the exercise.
The plank develops muscular endurance, which will help you stay in the aerial position longer.
GPS Cycling Computer
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GPS Cycling Computer
Developer: fitzeee.com
Price: Free
The GPS Bike Computer app will provide you with complete cycling trip statistics, as well as a route that you can track and save in the “My Trips” section. This section consists of two parts - a map with your route and an overview, with which you will find the distance traveled, average and maximum speeds, as well as minimum and maximum altitudes. In addition, the GPS Cycling Computer will be useful in other active sports, such as hiking and running.
Advantages:
- Graphic speedometer for a bicycle.
- Switches between imperial and metric units.
- Tracks your total cycling time, distance traveled, maximum and average cycling speed during your workout, and calories burned.
- Google Maps.
- GPX and KML export.
- Auto Pause – Starts and stops tracks during a break.
- Contains a dark theme and night style of Google Maps, which extend the battery life of your mobile device.
- Nice interface.
Flaws:
- There may be errors in mileage calculations.
Exercise 5. Side plank
What it works: Transverse and oblique abdominal muscles.
Lie on your right side, bend your right arm at the elbow, lean on your forearm (the elbow is clearly under the shoulder). Place your right leg on top of your left. Stretch your left hand to the right. In one movement, lift your hips off the floor so that your body forms a straight line. Then lower your hips, but not all the way: stop 5 cm from the floor, and then lift them up again. Perform 10-15 reps on one side, then do the same on the other side.
Strong oblique muscles improve your stability while riding, allowing you to make tighter turns at higher speeds.
Unusual workouts of famous cyclists
Two-time US champion, professional cyclist Chris Baldwin, retired from sports and became a cycling coach. Over 15 years of activity in this field, he has gained enormous experience, going from absolutely fantastic training to the most effective. He trained in the Borrego Desert and at an altitude of 3000 km in an oxygen mask, tried to prepare the body for riding in the heat in the sauna and tested a new training technique - riding in a plastic raincoat to prepare the body for a serious bike tour in sultry Georgia.
Exercise 6. Scissors
What works: transverse abdominis, hip flexors, inner and outer thighs.
Lie on your back, legs straight, hands (palms down) supporting your lower back. Place your elbows on the floor, pull your stomach in, raise your shoulders, look at the ceiling. Raise your legs about 10 cm from the floor and begin to cross and spread them apart, constantly changing the top leg. One change of legs - one repetition. You need to complete 100.
This compound exercise works the core muscles of your core and also helps you improve your hips, knees, and feet to pedal more efficiently.
MapMyRide
MapMyRide: GPS-enabled bike rides
Map My Ride - Lets you plan cycling routes and track where you've been. The app is suitable for walkers, runners and hikers. Quite easy to use. You track different bike runs, view stats, and adjust workouts or routes accordingly. Moreover, the app supports many third-party gadgets such as Under Armor shoes, Wear OS, Garmin gadgets, Fitbit trackers, Jawbone trackers and many more. Those who subscribe should consider an annual subscription because it is much cheaper than monthly.
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MapMyRide: GPS-enabled bike rides
Developer: MapMyFitness, Inc.
Price: Free
Exercise 7. Catapult
What works: all core muscles.
Sit with your knees slightly bent and your heels flat on the floor. Raise your arms to shoulder level and extend them forward, palms facing each other. Straighten your back, look up, take a deep breath and slowly lower yourself to the floor for 5 counts. Hands remain behind the head. In one exhaling movement, rise again, hands should go first. Complete 20 reps.
This exercise improves overall body control.
About the benefits of cardio training
We won’t go into a long description of the various benefits of training on this machine. Even a simple home magnetic or mechanical exercise bike can bring you a lot of benefits if you exercise it correctly. Let us remind you that there are 11 different types of exercise bikes. We have discussed all the nuances of choosing this unit here.
Let's note the most important things:
- cardiovascular system – cardio training improves the functionality of the heart and blood vessels, an exercise bike is one of the most optimal options for this;
- respiratory system - not only the volume of the lungs increases, but also the oxygen potential of muscle tissue, breathing becomes deeper, the pulse becomes more measured;
- general tone - aerobic exercise (regular) improves the condition of your muscles, ligaments and joints.
Attention! There is no need to consider an exercise bike a panacea for all diseases and an optimal preventive measure.
If you do not correctly determine the load or do not follow the training technique, you can even harm yourself. Before you strive to start receiving benefits, you need to understand how not to harm yourself, and learn about the restrictions for exercise (for example, exercise for hypertension, diabetes). As you can see, the impact is comprehensive. You strengthen your muscles, train your most important organs and increase your endurance. This type of load is close to natural, therefore it can improve the body comprehensively.
Exercise 8. Corner
What works: transverse abdominis, lower back muscles.
Sit on the floor, arms slightly back and resting on the floor, legs straightened. Keeping your legs together, lift them off the floor and extend your arms forward at shoulder level. The stomach is pulled in, and the torso and legs form a 90-degree angle. If you have difficulty keeping your legs straight, you can bend your knees slightly. Stay in this position for 60 seconds.
Like the plank, this exercise improves lower back stability and core endurance. That is, it will be much easier for you to stay in a half-bent position for a long time or drive up a hill without losing speed.
Bike Doctor
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Bike Doctor
Developer: Lock Stock
Price: 169.00 RUR
Bike Doctor is a real encyclopedia dedicated to bicycle repair! Bike Doctor is a set of original instructions from an expert cyclist - there are currently 24 of them, however, the program is regularly updated with new lessons. The application will teach you how to clean and lubricate your bike yourself, change parts, adjust switches - each of the instructions is as detailed as possible and contains a lot of photographs.
The advantages of the application “on the surface”: the user does not have to constantly visit the workshop and spend money on what he can do himself. In addition, with Bike Doctor, the cyclist will definitely not be caught off guard by a sudden breakdown somewhere in the mountains, where there is no way to count on outside help. However, the application also has disadvantages. For example, the program is paid for both Android and iPhone, although it will cost twice as much for users of Apple products. Also, the application is not Russified - the instructions are in English. However, this is not a big problem - the texts are written very simply and are supplemented with photos, so even an initial level of knowledge of English will make it easy to understand.
Advantages:
- Allows you to quickly repair your bike.
- There are a large number of original lessons.
- There are versions for Android and iOS.
- There are many photos.
- Information about setting up switches.
- 24 instructions included.
- Nice interface.
- Modern design.
Flaws:
- You have to pay for the application.
Which riding style is more conducive to calorie consumption?
To actively lose weight on a bicycle, you can pedal for 2 hours, or you can use interval training. It allows you to burn the maximum amount of calories in the least amount of time. This type of training is only possible for those cyclists who already have good physical fitness and are able to pedal intensely for 1.5-2 hours.
When doing interval training on a bike, you only need to do 30 minutes. At this time, you should alternate between a quiet ride for 2 minutes and active pedaling for 30 seconds. These intervals are then repeated.
What you will need
Cycling classes in budget sports schools or the Olympic Reserve School are free. However, in order to protect the young athlete from possible injuries, it is necessary to purchase the appropriate equipment.
- Professional bike. The height of the frame and the diameter of the wheel rim must strictly correspond to the height of the child.
- Helmet.
- Knee pads.
- Gloves.
- Safety shorts.
- Cycling shoes.
Clothing requirements for classes are a cycling jersey for the summer and cycling pants, a sweatshirt and a jacket for the cold season.
For training in the gym, it is advisable to purchase a set of sportswear made from natural fabrics.
Camps and competitions will require an entry fee, as well as payment for accommodation, meals, and travel to other localities.
Despite the high cost, it will give you good health and reliable friends.
Don't forget to eat along the way
Set a goal of consuming 200-400 calories in liquid or solid form during your workout, but keep in mind that this is an additional load (observe your body's reaction on training rides before the main event). If there is no doubt that your reserves are full, you can start the race on an empty stomach, but you need to have a snack every 20 minutes, otherwise your strength may run out after about an hour. Plan to eat about 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour of travel.
Just 15 grams of honey or glucose every 16 kilometers for a total distance of 64 kilometers promotes higher performance than drinking water alone. Athletes who consumed glucose or honey during the race arrived 2.75 minutes earlier than the rest, demonstrating an average of 40 watts more performance over the last 16 kilometers.
If you regularly retire at the end of a race and drink only water along the way, this tip is especially for you.
Train your body's endurance
If you want to get maximum results, start training your body regularly over weeks, or better yet, months. This will improve your health and teach your body to use fat reserves effectively. Cycling exercises help burn fat and use carbohydrate reserves more economically.
- Aerobic cycling training (4-6 hours over 7 days).
- No breakfast (we ride on an empty stomach for a maximum of 2 hours to reduce body fat).
- Forward and only forward!
Good stamina is a skill that must be earned. If you tend to overwork and then lose motivation, make your body sick, or lament that you are the one who can’t do anything, pull yourself together. Almost everyone is capable of developing endurance and covering distances of 100 km, 150 km or more. Not everyone sets records, but everyone can reach the finish line.
Regular exercise increases endurance levels and helps the body use fat more efficiently. Once the first milestone is passed, your goal is to increase the distance every 2-3 weeks. By pushing yourself mentally and physically, you open up new horizons and new challenges of speed, exhaustion and fatigue. Find a cycling buddy with similar or higher endurance levels. Train together and motivate each other to new achievements.
