Becoming stronger on the bike is about more than wearing a speed suit and choosing the right kind of energy bar (despite what the manufacturers of such goods would have you believe). We want to delve into the more substantive aspects of how to become a better cyclist, and that involves looking at the sport from a personalized and wide-angle perspective.
The last thing we want as cyclists is to start feeling bogged down by the thought of getting on a bike. If you stop seeing improvement or the body begins to give you grief, all of a sudden the activity you used to love will become nothing more than another chore. You might already be there, but it’s never too late to change things up and reinvigorate a whole new routine.
It’s our goal today to give you six solid tips to improve your cycling, make you a better cyclist and help you feel good long-term on and off the saddle. These tidbits of advice will positively contribute to several other areas in your day to day life, so let’s start making a difference today!
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1. Slow Down
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Overtraining is a real and extremely detrimental condition that we in the cycling community are susceptible to. Your body doesn’t differentiate stress; stress from work, from relationships and from exercise. It’s all the same to the body. Having a cup that’s too full is a sure way to hurt cycling performance and eventually end up injured.
You wouldn’t think that to become a better cyclist you might have to stop cycling. Sometimes stopping completely, sometimes just learning to slow down. Try reducing the overall intensity of your rides by sticking to even terrain as opposed to hilly slopes. Or, have your goal be to enjoy the ride instead of focusing on performance, which is another way to calm a flared up system.
Look at it this way, cycling has been shown to improve executive functioning and mental health in older adults. This is evidence that our sport can be regenerative and medicinal with the proper dosage. Using it as a tool for recuperation and fulfillment (instead of punishment) is a way we can stay on the bike longer while feeling good about the choices we’re making.
2. Cross Train
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Cross training is one of the best ways to improve your cycling performance and make you an overall better bike rider. Not only do you get to explore other recreational and social opportunities, but it’s a physical necessity for any athlete participating in any sport.
Proper cycling posture is a key factor in determining whether your rides will be efficient, comfortable and pain free. Even the most meticulous cyclist, however, will start to feel aggravated after too much time on the bike. Moving your body with different amounts of force through varying ranges of motion is a complexity that it constantly craves.
Integrating activities that use movements not found in cycling will provide the most benefit. Swimming is a great example; rotation, pulling, back extension, core extension, freeing of the legs and shoulders are all things cycling isn’t great at. An intelligently selected cross training activity will give your body that fresh new stimulation it has been waiting for.
3. Eat Better Food
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The benefits of whole, organically grown, fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are far reaching within your own body, your community and the rest of the planet. Shopping at a farmers market is more than a nice day trip (but it is that too!). It supports local operations and people you get to meet face to face, making a connection between you and what you put in your body.
You literally are what you eat. Everything you digest breaks down to eventually form the cells of your entire anatomy. Organic food is more nutritious and contains less pesticide residues than commercially raised goods. By choosing whole, organic foods (not organic cookies) you’re supporting a sustainable ecosystem both inside your body and outside in the world.
When you eat poorly (and we all know what that means), your body has to try to build muscles, tendons, organs, blood and bone out of garbage materials. How do you think those structures will perform? A hint: They will be at high risk of injury and lacklustre on the bike. Not to mention your mental health, which your food choices have a profound effect on.
4. Implement A Strength Training & Mobility Routine
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Unless you are a powerlifter, weightlifter or bodybuilder, your number one goal as an athlete in the gym (including cyclists) is injury prevention. When you get injured, it doesn’t matter how good you look or how strong you are or what your Vo2 max is…you won’t be able to do the activity you love. This often occurs as a result of a repetitive, improperly balanced program.
The implementation of a strength & mobility routine is how you make up for the shortfalls and detriments of your sport. There is no lack of those in cycling, so we have to be clever with the moments before we get on the bike, time actually spent riding, and off days dedicated to the health, pliability and strength of our bodies.
Dynamic Cyclist is a fully integrated training system dedicated to cyclists. It’s a fraction of the cost of a gym membership and can be performed at home with little or no equipment. They have follow along strength workouts, stretching routines, mobility exercises and injury prevention programs that are all designed to help you become a better cyclist.
5. Get A Training Partner
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Riding alongside a partner is one of the best ways to get better at cycling. Whether it’s your romantic partner, a long-time friend or someone you met at an event, cycling is a wonderful activity that should be shared and bonded over.
Cycling solo certainly has its benefits, but we all need human connection. Shared experiences are the most memorable, and cycling offers us that opportunity to get outside together and explore. If you’ve noticed a lack of motivation lately, a training partner can help breathe new life into the sport you once fell in love with.
Nowadays there is ample opportunity to connect with local biking enthusiasts. Race events, Facebook groups and other online communities mean that if you want to find someone to ride with, you can! For the more competitive athlete, you’ll find grueling hills and long distance pushes far more enjoyable knowing someone else is going through it too!
6. Hire A Coach
Commissioning the services of a qualified, experienced coach is one of the best returns on investment in any sport or activity. You’ll be under the guidance of someone who has been there and seen the problems you might be facing in themselves and other athletes. Not only that, they’ve learned ways to address those problems and figured out solutions to improve them.
There is a plethora of information, training programs and advice that pervades the web on anything and everything cycling. Deciphering such information can be difficult and result in a lot of wasted time and effort. This is one of the main advantages to working with someone who can separate the wheat from the chaff and ensure you’re doing the right things at the right time.
Dynamic Cyclist’s dedicated 1-on-1 coach, Cory Krist, has over 20 years of experience helping people become better cyclists. He graduated with an honours degree in Kinesiology and uses his extensive knowledge to help people understand the why behind different training principles and techniques. You can learn about Coach Cory and set up a call with him HERE!
Become A Better Cyclist
As cyclists, we all know the importance of staying in top shape and maintaining muscle balance to avoid injury and ride pain-free. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Dynamic Cyclist, the program that offers daily stretching and strength training video routines designed specifically for cyclists. Created by industry professionals, these programs will take your cycling to the next level and help you reach your full potential. So, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced rider, Dynamic Cyclist has everything you need to improve your performance and keep riding for years to come. Experience the results for yourself, click here to try 7 days free.