So far we’ve looked at how to keep you bike fit and improve your cardio fitness over winter. This week we take a look at why improving your strength and flexibility to address weak areas will pay dividends in the spring!
Gym Work – Strength and conditioning
As we all know cycling is a fantastic low-impact form of exercise and is the reason why so many people have chosen to take a hold of the handle-bars, but strength training is a must if you want to support your bone density and have a powerful core for those long rides!
The main focus in strength training for cyclists is to work in a similar motion supporting your upper and lower body overall increasing your muscular endurance and stamina. Through the winter it’s a great time to set up some objectives and maintain your muscular frame and support system so you can be striving to improve on your next seasons PB’s and records!
Yoga & Pilates
A lot can be said for the benefits of Yoga and Pilates across so many sports including cycling, football and even boxing! Yoga will not only improve your flexibility but it will also improve your mental focus, giving you a higher endurance level and also the ability to keep better control of your breathing through long and hard climbs. As it will also give all your muscles the good stretch they need, you will able to stay more comfortable on your bike and for many days after!
If you’ve ever looked into a Pilates class and thought that it looks a bit easy or soft then by all means jump right in and have a go. This is a workout that will hone in on your core and leave it obliterated! This is crucial though if you want to avoid some serious backache when putting your bike back on the rack after those tough summer rides and tours!
So there we go, now you have no excuses as to how far you go in the Summer season of 2018! Push yourself to limit and prepare for what you’ve always wanted to do, it’s only a bike box away!
Banbury Bike Box Hire 