exercises for cyclists - I Love Bicycling

Do you experience pain while riding?

As avid cyclists ourselves, we know firsthand the toll that years of hard-earned riding can do to your back, your knees, your muscles, and your body in general. Nasty spills, the same positions, countless pedals, arduous climbs, burning lungs, and everything else that makes the challenges we face on the bike that much more rewarding…it all has a price.

We often come out on the other end with tight muscles, achy joints and chronic pain. This begs the question: “Is cycling itself the problem?”

Well, yes and no.

Yes, because there are components to the sport of cycling that encourage the development of overuse injuries. The fact that we remain stationary in a seated position while riding, that we are hunched over to reduce wind resistance, and that we tend to ride for hours at a time over incredibly long distances (to name a few).

No, because there are things we can do to prevent our bodies from breaking down so we can continue to enjoy and excel at the sport we love.

And it’s these preventative measures that inspired us to write a book…

Ride Pain Free: Stretching & Mobility Program for Cyclists

stretching and mobility program for cyclists

I Love Bicycling and Dynamic Cyclist joined forces to bring you this 7-day guided program that addresses the most common muscle imbalances for cyclists with both dynamic and static exercises. Each routine is designed for cyclists to target the common issues they endure by our team of physiotherapists, athletic therapists, and personal trainers. Through easy-to-follow routines, we will target all areas of the body, and teach you how to alleviate tension and improve posture for pain free riding!

Why We Wrote It

We wrote this book to address the unique needs of cyclist’s worldwide; to help them stay healthy and injury-free.

Cyclist’s face a number of challenges when it comes to injury prevention, and in few sports is it more important to find balance in the rest of your training. We understand how hopeless it can feel to be left with debilitating pain that keeps you off the bike, and we’re here to tell you that there is always a way to not just heal, but thrive.

Stretching and mobility are poorly understood concepts in most sports, and even more poorly practiced. By incorporating the correct stretches and mobility exercises into your routine, and giving yourself the time to open up and counteract the hours you spend on the bike, your body will be that much more prepared to tackle anything you throw at it, on or off the bike.

As cyclists, we understand the specific needs of our sport and the types of injuries we are all susceptible to on the bike. We felt we were well positioned to address those needs with a detailed, 7-day instructional program that is fun to do, easy to follow, and can be done in a condensed time period to accommodate any schedule.

We wanted to show people how easy it is to make a difference in your own body in just 15 minutes a day. And that’s exactly what we hope this book will do for you.

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How This Book Can Help You

The fact cycling keeps a person in the same positions, doing the same things, repeatedly, is both a blessing and a curse.

The bad part about it is that, without properly implemented stretching and mobility protocols, we’re bound to develop overuse injuries that cause pain, dysfunction, and demotivation. The good part, though, is that we can tell where these problems are coming from, and systematically address them through our training.

Some of the common problems cyclist’s experience that we talk about in this book are:

Low Back Pain
Knee Pain
Tight Hamstrings
Neck Stiffness

You will learn about why these tend to develop over time as a result of cycling, the symptoms you may experience, and most importantly, what you can do to resolve the problem and get back to smooth, enjoyable riding!

While going through the routines, you’ll notice that each exercise has a supplementary benefits section that teaches you what it does for the body and why we’re including it. This helps the book to be not just a follow along workout regimen, but an educational resource that will help you train smarter and harder to become the best possible cyclist you can be.

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Start Riding Pain Free TODAY

Sometimes a little guidance is all you need, and if you’ve been dealing with nagging pain, aching joints, and any other recurring problems on your cycling journey, this book was written for you. Accompanying the written directions are instructional photographs detailing the steps of each exercise, making it fun and easy to read through; it’s like having a workout partner right there with you at home!

Our team of dedicated health professionals and experienced cyclists want to help you enjoy the sport you love. Invest in your health and performance, and get your copy of Ride Pain Free: Stretching & Mobility Program for Cyclists today!

Hi there and glad you found time to address the vexed topic of stretching. In the following three to five minutes of reading, I’ll tell you how the Dynamic Cyclist program helped me enjoy cycling again even after two herniated discs. Minor spoiler: With the right routine and exercises it’s easy to do and also more beneficial in the long run than aftercare.

A Bit About Me

I’m Felix, a multisports enthusiast with a passion for cycling, a love for challenges, and adventure on the mind at all times. I have done performance oriented sports since childhood, however for me it is about so much more than pushing speed or distance. The most important aspects for me are enjoying nature and discovering new regions. Sports are about being a part of a like-minded community, sharing an experience, and the joy of working out in a group. Sports, especially cycling, form a connection!

Herniated Disc Number Two

So when I was forced to take a break and was limited to a five kilometer radius around my house I felt pretty bleak. My endorphin levels nose dived like the stock market in 2008. During a period like this you need a strong partner by your side — so a thank you goes out to my girlfriend, who put up with me during my second herniated disc and always encouraged me.

So what happened? My morning routine during the Covid pandemic, winter months consisted of 10-15 minutes of freestyle stretching followed by a short HIIT session before work to get a little spritz for cycling. At the time I had a lot going on at work and sat at my desk day in and day out (not always ergonomically correct of course), but I believed that with my 10-15 minute stretch program I would be fine. Apparently, that was not the case! As I found out later: stretching is not just stretching. If that sounds confusing, bear with me here.

It was a cool, gray morning in February 2021. On this particular morning I skipped the stretching program and went straight into HIIT and — bam — I went down. After being falsely diagnosed with a blockage I decided to stop training for a while only to be diagnosed with a slipped disc a few weeks down the road. Unfortunately, at the age of 28, this was already my second slipped disc. This was the absolute last warning shot for me. Something had to change urgently!

Dynamic Cyclist – It’s a Match!

After being frustrated with myself for not learning from the first herniated disk, I got my act together and looked into what I could change in the future in a sustainable way so I could avoid another slipped disc. I had to approach the whole thing from a holistic perspective.

What did this involve for me? Acutely and also in the long term a good physio, of course. However, I also had to change my own behaviour. In addition to a balanced diet this included active regeneration and stretching. My herniated disc is partially genetically inherited (one more reason to take preventive action). As luck would have it I found the Dynamic Cyclist program. It was a match!

Give Yourself a Break From the Daily Madness

The first time I tried the program I was hooked by the concept and presentation. Dynamic Cyclist only includes the most important aspects of mobility and stretching without any unnecessary fluff. It has a logical structure and a stretch program that is designed to guide you through the process of gaining mobility and flexibility over time. I can confirm that it does not get boring. I can easily find where I left off in the program from my home screen and the exercises have become my daily routine. Now my 15 minutes of stretching each day is more efficiently invested than before my herniated disc. So it is not the time that matters most, but the selection of the right exercises and the logical sequence they are performed in. I enjoy the videos so much that some days I even complete two videos, especially after cycling when my hip flexors are tight. This is another great aspect: you can easily find the relevant cycling “pain points” within the app and therefore work areas that compromise your mobility.

Vary Your Training and Discover New Ways

I have yet to find a comparable program that is as strong in content as Dynamic Cyclist, both in depth and breadth. In addition to the Stretching & Mobility portion, there are numerous other training focuses you can use in the app such as Strength Training, Roll & Release, or Challenges. Before I found Dynamic Cyclist I found stretching boring, but necessary for me to continue doing my sport in a performance-oriented way. With Dynamic Cyclist I feel I am at the leading edge again. Everything is more fun with good instruction! In person instruction is nice, but you are much more likely to take 15 minutes and stretch efficiently through an online video program than drag yourself to your local yoga studio every single day. I’m glad I found Dynamic Cyclist. It has a permanent place in my daily routine and should be considered by everyone who loves to ride.

Written by Felix Rähmer – Endurance Cyclist