Injury Prevention

6 Ways to Boost Your Spring Training

March 28, 2020 by Sarah Lauzé

Cycling season can seem a long way off when you’re in the depths of winter, making it easy to postpone those goals. If you’re not emerging from winter in as good of shape as you may of hoped, don’t let it discourage you. What you do or don’t do at the beginning of the season will set the tone for the rest of the year. Here are some of the best ways to boost your spring training.

Stay Healthy

The last thing you want is to come down with a cold just as the sun is emerging and the roads are clearing. However, as frustrating as it is, the end of winter is quite often when people get colds or coughs. Take preventative measures by washing your hands frequently, and giving your diet an extra boost of nutrients. Don’t go too hard too soon, as you’ll deplete your immune system and make yourself vulnerable to whatever illness is going around the office.

You also want to avoid injury in the beginning of the season, as it can really set you back in your training. This means avoding overuse injuries, as well as watching for rough spring road conditions.

Clean up your diet

The days of Netflix and comfort food are coming to an end, so it’s time to clean up your diet. Over the winter it’s easy to fall into some bad habits, but now is the time to break them. Trade in the sugary carbohydrate dense foods for fresh fruit and vegetables. Simply cutting out as much of the processed food from your diet as you can will go a long way. Give meal prepping a try, or stock your kitchen with some energizing foods.

Get your bike ready

No judgements here, we know it’s tough to be diligent to clean your bike after winter rides. It’s cold, wet, and all out you want is a warm bath. Even if you didn’t ride over the winter, your bike will still need a little TLC. If you trust your abilities, carefully examine your bike and fix any issues well ahead of your first ride. Check your chain, cassette, cables or any other areas that might need attention. You don’t want to be doing a rushed job before meeting your cycling buddies. Better yet, take it to your local bike shop and have a mechanic do a tune up to ensure you’re ready for the season.

Get your body ready

Once you’re finally back on your bike, it can be easy to overdo it. You want to be fit right away, or start off right where you left off in the fall, but you have to ease your body into it. Take some time to build up your base before pushing yourself too hard. If you start to get nagging frontal knee pain, it’s almost always caused be too much too soon. Take time to rest up and do plenty of stretching and walking before heading out on the bike again.

Start Stretching

Hopping on the bike after a long winter feels great, but it can also come as a shock to your body. Your muscles and joints aren’t used to the cycling position anymore, and things may have tightened up over the past months. Taking just 10 minutes a day to do some targeted stretched will have you feeling more comfortable and stronger on your bike in no time. Here are 10 of the best stretches for cyclists to get you started.

Set Some Goals

When it comes to cycling, what do you want from yourself this year? Make a list of things, both large and small, that you want to achieve. Then go through and get specific. If you want to ride more, great, now define what that looks like. Be realistic and honest with yourself, and only plan for what you know you can logistically fit into your life and schedule. Sign up for your first race, or join a cycling group, whatever you need to do to break out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself!

How Beneficial is Yoga for Cyclists?

December 17, 2019 by Sarah Lauzé

How beneficial is yoga for cyclists? There are a lot of misconceptions around yoga, and you may scoff at the idea of it improving how you feel on your bike. However, more and more pros are using yoga as their secret weapon to get faster and prevent injury.

So, what can the ancient discipline of yoga bring to modern day cyclists? Whether you ride to get stronger and faster, or just because you love it, yoga can be a great tool.

4 Benefits of Yoga for Cyclists

Core Strength

A strong core is vital for cycling power, posture, and injury prevention, especially in your lower back region. As a result of the bent over position on your bike, many cyclists have highly developed back muscles, with comparatively weaker abdominal muscles.

This muscular imbalance is normal, but can cause issues in the long run. If you’re tired at the end of a long ride and have poor core strength, you will be more likely to slump in the saddle. This will place undue pressure on your shoulders and wrists, as well as cause lower back pain once off your bike.

Flexibility & Posture

Much in line with your core strength, maintaining proper posture on your bike will prevent injury. The natural inclination is to round your back as you crane your head to look forward. Not only does this create drag, but it will eventually cause pain in your lower and upper back and neck.

Everything in your body is connected. So, to maintain proper bike posture you have to have adequate flexibility in your lower back, hips, glutes, and hamstrings. The flatter your back can be, the less issues you’ll come up against in your training. Yoga can help you not only build the strength and flexibility to hold your posture, but also help you become constantly aware of how your body is feeling.

Breathing

You may not put much thought into your breathing when you’re attacking a hill. The pressing thought for most is to simply keep breathing, even if it looks more like panting. However, when transformed from an automatic function, it can be great training tool.

Yoga can help you learn how to monitor your breathing, making the most of each breath. It can train your body to take slower and deeper breaths to maximize your oxygen intake.

Yoga is ideally injury prevention rather than treatment, but it can help on both ends of the spectrum. Regular stretching and yoga will reduce your risk of suffering from the typical overuse injuries that plague cyclists. These include IT band syndrome, tight hamstrings, back pain, and knee problems.

Because your legs never fully extend on the bike, your muscles get little chance to fully lengthy. There is also an imbalance of strength, with so much power coming from certain muscles, while others remain underdeveloped. Ensuring you are working and stretching these muscles off the bike will go a long way to keep things balanced.

There are a lot of different types of yoga, so you can try different ones until you find on that fits. For those that struggle with having the discipline to stretch, it can be a great way to ensure you are giving your body what it needs to recover. Even switching out just one of your rides a week for a yoga session will help your overall strength and power on your bike. A great budget friendly option you can try from home is this online stretching and yoga program called Dynamic Cyclist, specifically for cyclists.

Knee Stretches for Cyclists

October 25, 2019 by Sarah Lauzé

Knee pain is one of the most common injuries among athletes. In fact, a 2010 study of professional cyclists found that knee pain was the cause for over half of the time spent off the bike. As one of the most complex joints in the body, it makes sense that it’s often one of the first places we experience pain. That being said, it is always better to try and prevent a problem then it is to deal with it. Knee stretches for cyclists can help keep all the components in the knee remain flexible and in place.

Pedaling requires work from the quads to straighten the knee and push the pedal forward and downward with enough power to propel the bike forward. In addition, the IT band contributes to that same movement, although less intensively. These efforts, although low-impact, can lead to problems with knee pain. Tendinitis of the kneecap can be a painful condition, causing you to lose power in your pedal stroke and even keep you off your bike. Stretching these muscles can both prevent and treat these issues, resulting in a healthy, flexible range of motion.

Many cyclists think knee pain means taking time away from the bike and resting up, but that’s not necessarily true. It could be caused by something as simple as a saddle adjustment or new cleats. So, if you’re experiencing knee pain, figure out what it may be stemming from and adjust your training accordingly. To help in recovery, and to prevent further knee pain, try stretching the muscles surrounding the knee on a regular basis.

The Anatomy of the Knee

The first step to preventing knee pain is to understand how the joint works, and what can go wrong. In simplified terms, the knee is a hinge with the quadriceps pulling the knee straight, and the hamstrings bending it. The iliotibial band (ITB) runs down the outside of the thigh and into the outside of the knee, connected at the other end to the glutes and hip flexors. The patella (kneecap) acts as a hinge and a connection point between it all.

To understand knee pain it is helpful to have a basic idea of what lies beneath the skin. In simplistic terms, think of the knee joint as a hinge where the quadriceps muscles pull the knee straight and the hamstring muscles bend the knee. The quadriceps run from the front of the femur (thigh bone) to the patella (knee cap). The patella acts as a pulley to increase the force generated by quadriceps which creates a greater torque on the tibia (shin bone).

To make matters more complicated, the ITB runs down the outside of the thigh and blends into the outside of the knee. ITB stands for iliotibial band and is a well known potential source of trouble for cyclists, runners and active people in general. The ITB is also attached to your gluteals (buttock muscles) and a hip flexors. Often when looking for the source of knee pain we have to pay close attention to hip flexibility and control.

Types of Knee Pain

Knee pain can show up in a variety of forms and for different reasons. These are some of the main types and common causes:

1. Anterior Knee Pain

Anterior knee pain is at the front of the knee, on and around the kneecap (patella). It is most commonly caused by overuse. The quads are attached to the shin via the kneecap so each time you pedal, forces are transmitted across the joint, essentially squishing it against the thigh bone. The part of the tendon attached to the kneecap can become inflamed and sore to the touch. Often referred to as ‘runner’s knee,’ it can happen to cyclists as well.

2. Posterior Knee Pain

The fair less common posterior knee pain shows up behind the knee and is usually a more simple diagnosis. Overextending the knee, with a saddle that is too high or too far back, causes posterior knee pain in most cases, so make sure your saddle is the proper height and adjustment for you.

3. Medial & Lateral Knee Pain

Pain located at the sides of knee in the collateral ligaments is most commonly caused by the feet. In cycling, this would come down to your cycling shoes or the position of the cleat. How far apart your feet are positioned can stress one of the collaterals, causing medial or lateral knee pain during or after a ride.

4. Iliotibial Band (IT Band) Syndrome

The IT band, running along the outside of the thigh from the pelvis to just below the knee, is a thick strap of tissue that can often become tight or inflamed. This is usually caused by over use, weakness of the gluteus medius muscle, or cleat placement. If the IT band has become inflamed, then rest and ice are in order. If it is tight and sore, then regular stretching and rolling will be your best course of action.

What can cause knee pain?

Although cycling is a low impact sport, too much of anything can lead to stress and strain on the body. Pedalling is a repetitive motion with the constant bending and extending motions flexing the knees and hips. Naturally, with overuse these are the most common sites of chronic-use injury.

Too much too soon

The number one cause of knee pain with cyclists is going too hard or far too soon. It is great to challenge yourself, but going further than your ligaments and muscles can handle will only hinder you progress. Endurance is something that is built up over time, conditioning your muscles over miles and hours. Ligaments take even longer to develop than muscles, with issues often arising from tightness or inflamation.

Improper bike fit

The little adjustments you can make to your bike can make all the difference when it comes to addressing or avoiding knee pain. The height and position of your saddle and the placement of cleats on the bottoms of your cycling shoes can cause or help avoid knee pain, depending on how well they are adjusted for you.

Not Enough Stretching

Flexibility or lack of, is a cyclists nemesis. Eventually if you do not stretch or roll your muscles will tighten so much that you will have difficulty walking never mind riding. Make sure to do stretches that especially focus on the muscles surrounding the knee (see below).

4 Best Stretches for Cyclists to Treat Knee Pain

Bilateral Hamstring Stretch

This stretch is effective for all cyclists because of the involvement of the knee flexor muscles in the repetitive pedaling motion. It is also great for those who experience discomfort in the inner or outer face of the knee, which likely originates at the insertion of the hamstring.

Stand with you feet shoulder width apart and slowly bend at your hips towards the floor. Let your arms hang, or place them on the floor if you can. Your knees should be straight, but not overextended or locked out. You should feel the stretch in your hamstrings and along the back of the knees.

Lunge with Ankle Flex

If you feel tension or strain in your calves, Achilles tendon, or the back of the knee then this is an important stretch.

Stand with your hands on your waist, one leg slightly in front of the other, with your knees straight looking ahead. Slowly lunge forward with the front foot, keeping your rear foot in its original position. Both feet should be making full contact with the floor, including the heel. As your center of gravity moves forward and downward, the rear ankle will act as an anchor and increase the stretch.

Flamingo Position

Because of the involvement of the knee extensor muscles in the pedaling motion, the flamingo position is a great stretch to relieve discomfort in the quads and patellar tendons.

Use a chair or wall the steady yourself, and raise one foot by bending your knee. As you hold the front of your ankle, slowly pull it upwards and gently push your hips forward. As the hip extension increases, you will feel the stretch in the front of the thigh.

Figure Four

Stretching the muscles that rotate the hips, specifically the glutes and piriformis, can have a positive effect on the knees. As mentioned previously, each segment of the leg is connected, and each area can have a domino effect, especially through the knee.

Lie on your back with your neck relaxed and head resting on the floor. Cross your right ankle over the other and place your hands on your left thigh, pulling your legs towards you in a figure four position. Slowly pull on your leg to increase the stretch, feeling it in your glute and hip. Repeat with the left side.

As cyclists, we know how hard it is to stick to a stretching routine. We all want to spend more time on our bike, but maintaining a healthy range of motion and flexibility will, in the long run, keep you on the bike without injury. That’s why we’ve partnered with Dynamic Cyclist to bring you a stretching and strength program that is easy to follow, and is geared towards cyclists. They’re offering our readers a free 7 day trial, just click the link below to get started.

Common Stretching Mistakes Most People Make

September 13, 2018 by Sarah Lauzé

Stretching is an important routine for almost everyone to get into, and especially for cyclists. The repetitive motion of cycling, as well as the position on the bike, can cause something called “adaptive muscle shortening” over time. Stretching is the most effective way to combat muscle shortening and maintain a healthy range of motion. However, if you’re stretching wrong, not only are you wasting your time, but you can even cause injury. Here are some of the most common stretching mistakes most people make.

8 Common Stretching Mistakes

Too Much Too Soon

Flexibility training is much like strength training. It’s temping to go all in right from the get-go, but you’re going to want to take it slow. Pushing your muscles and joints too far will do nothing but harm. Stretching should be a relaxing practice, and you should never push your muscles to the point of pain. Pain is the body’s defence mechanism, so listen to it! You should stretch to the point of tension, but you’ll want to stop there.

Stretching an Injury

Although stretching can do wonders to both prevent and treat injury, you don’t want to directly stretch an injured muscle or joint, especially within a few days after the initial injury. Ease into gentle static stretches after resting the area for 2-3 days.

Bouncing

NEVER bounce while holding a stretch. This is known as ballistic stretching, and it can stretch your muscles too far and too fast resulting in a pulled muscle. Slow and steady always wins, and never stretch to the point of feeling pain.

Not Holding the Stretch Long Enough

Perhaps the most common of the stretching mistakes is not holding the stretch long enough. 15 seconds is hardly enough time for the muscle to relax, let alone begin to lengthen. For any real improvement and change in flexibility, each stretch should be held for at least 45-60 seconds.

Doing the Same Stretch Over and Over

Have you been doing the same five stretches since high school? While it’s better than nothing, doing the same limited number of stretches day after day can cause muscle imbalances. If you focus too much on one area, it will loosen and become more flexible over time, but that muscle’s “antagonist” can become shortened as the other lengthens. Practicing a large variety of stretches, and switching through different routines each day will keep you muscles balanced and strong.

Using Stretching as a Warm Up

Research has shown the stretching before exercise can actually decrease the firing power of the muscles. Although for most casual riders this doesn’t necessarily matter, you should never stretch cold muscles. Stretching cold muscles is like trying to stretch old rubber bands. Either stretch after you ride, or do a quick five minute warm up (walk around the block or do some jumping jacks) before you move into your stretching routine.

Forgetting to Breathe

Okay this sounds kind of silly, but many people unconsciously hold their breath when they’re stretching. This is one of the reasons yoga is so great, because it focuses on the breathing almost as much as the stretching. Holding your breath causes tension in the muscles, which is the exact opposite of what you’re trying to do. Taking deep, slow breaths will relax the muscles, promote blood flow, and increase oxygen flow to the muscles.

Expecting Immediate Results

We all know there is no quick way to get rich, lose weight, or become fit– and stretching is no different. If you’re looking for a quick fix with immediate results, then you will most likely stop stretching before you give your body the chance to experience any of the benefits. If you want to see improvement in your flexibility and range of motion, there are no shortcuts.

To make the most of your time stretching, check out Dynamic Cyclist‘s stretching program. Made specifically for cyclists with easy to follow video stretching sequences, you can maintain a healthy range of motion and increase flexibility, so you can feel your best both on and off the bike.

Foot and Ankle Exercises to Improve Cycling Performance

August 1, 2018 by Sarah Lauzé

As you push up a hill, it’s normal to feel some discomfort from exertion. Climbing demands a lot from the body, and sometimes this can show up as pain or a lagging in your feet and ankles. If you’ve ever experienced that sloppy feeling as you pedal, the uncoordination that comes with fatigue, then you know the toll it takes on your power output. It can also disrupt your cycling posture, putting your knees at risk. The best way to prevent this is to do some foot and ankle exercises off the bike to correct form and activate dormant muscles. You are essentially unlocking muscles that will then kick in on your next ride and pick up some of the slack.

Foot and Ankle Exercises for Cyclists

A combination of stretching and compound exercises can help correct imbalances that are created in the cycling motion. They will help strengthen and create stability in the ankle by activating multiple muscles and joints that will in turn step in and help the ankle out.

Single-Leg Balance

Sounds simple, but balancing on one leg works to improve your balance and ankle stability. Simply raise one foot off the ground, bending it at a 90 degree angle at the knee. Hold your arms out for balance if need be. The key here is to focus on activating your ankle to stabilize your body. Hold each side for 30 seconds, doing 5 reps in total.

Ankle Rotation

The ankle rotation will help increase your range of motion in the ankle. Sit with one leg up on your other knee, fingers locking into your toes. Then rotate your foot around with your hand, stretching out the ankle joint and getting the blood flowing. Start with small circles and slowly increase to larger circles.

Calf Raises

Not only do calf raises help strengthen your ankle muscles, but they target your calves as well. Although the calves take a bit of a back seat when you’re on your bike, they are important for the downstroke on the pedal. They are also connected to your ankle and heel bone, so they are important to the overall stability of your ankle. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder distance apart. Slowly raise up onto your toes and the balls of your feet, holding onto the back of a chair or countertop for stability if needed. Hold for 30 seconds then relax back down onto your heels. Repeat 10 times. You can also opt to do one leg at a time to make it more challenging.

Calf Stretches

Everything in the body is connected. So, although most your power comes from your quads, your calf muscles also play a major role. Muscle tightness and strain can be a direct result of keeping your foot and ankle stable while pedaling. Improper bike fit, in particular cleat position, may be a contributing factor, but it is a very normal issue to have. Regular and targeted stretching can not only help keep your calves from tightening up, but also help them keep the foot and ankle stable.

Lunge

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Step your right foot forward, placing your hands on your hips. Gently push your hips forward, bending your right knee. You should feel the stretch in your left calf. Hold for 45 seconds. Repeat with the right leg.

Wall Stretch

Stand facing a wall, about one foot away. Place your hands on the wall and step one foot to the wall, digging your heel into the floor while resting your toes on the wall. Hold for 30 seconds an then alternate calves.

Downward Dog

The downward dog, focused on your shoulders, calves, and hamstrings. From a standing position, kneel down onto all fours on your mat. Plant your toes and straighten your legs, pushing your body up. Slowly drive your heels toward the floor, bringing your head in between your arms. Focus on driving you hips towards the ceiling, planting the heels on the floor.

Stretches You Can Do At Your Desk

April 12, 2018 by Sarah Lauzé

As cyclists and as human beings, our bodies are meant to be moving. With the integration of technology into almost every area of work, there are more and more of us sitting at a computer for 40 hours a week. So we ride to and from work, walk to get groceries, and head out for long rides on the weekend as a way of offsetting the desk chair. The bad news is – this may not be enough to counteract an entire workday of sitting. Incorporating stretches you can do at your desk into your day-to-day routine can help reduce the risks of a sedentary lifestyle.

In addition to this problem, as cyclists we develop a selection of major muscles through time in the saddle, but there are other that remain underdeveloped. Opposing muscle groups are not often moved through their full range of motion, which can cause muscle imbalance. Regular stretching for cyclists, even if it’s brief, can help balance posture and reduce stiffness and soreness.

Ideally, you should stand up from your chair every 20 minutes. If you have a standing desk, raising it up at different intervals can help combat the risk of a sedentary lifestyle. Getting up to go to the bathroom, grab a coffee, walk to a meeting, or head out for lunch are all great, so you just have to target those sections of your day where you are not getting as much relief. You don’t have to stop working, run a lap of the office and drop down into downward dog. Even simple stretches at your desk can help get blood flowing and wake up your muscles. Here are some of the most effective stretches you can do at your desk.

Stretches You Can Do At Your Desk

Stand up and sit down

Okay, so it’s not exactly a stretch, but the simple act of standing up and down does wonders! Plus, you can do it while you’re on the phone and no one will ever know.

Shoulder Shrug

Inhale deeply and shrug your shoulders up towards your ears like you’re saying “I don’t know.” Hold, then release and drop them back down slowly. Repeat 3-5 times.

Torso Twist

While sitting, turn your upper body to the right and grab the back of your chair with your right hand, holding the arm of the chair with your left arm. Turn your head as far the right as you can, feeling a stretch in your spine, abs, and neck. Hold for 15 seconds. Slowly come back to face forward, and repeat with the left side.

Leg Extensions

Brace your upper body and raise your legs up one at a time so they parallel to the floor. Depending on your desk set up and how much leg room your have, you may even be able to do this under your desk. Holding your leg our in front of you, point and flex your toes forward 5 times. Release and repeat with the other leg. Repeat as many times as you want!

Give yourself a hug

Not only does this stretch feel great, but you get to give yourself a much deserved hug. Place your hands on the opposite shoulders, breathing in and out slowly. You should feel a stretch between you shoulder blades.

Raise Your Hands

Sit up tall in your chair, stretching your arms overhead and interlocking your fingers. Turn your palms toward the ceiling as you left your chin and tilt you head back, looking up at the ceiling. Take a few breaths here before releasing.

Leg Crossover

Sit on the front edge of you chair, with your thighs parallel to the floor and feet below your knees. Lift your right foot and place it over your left thigh, ensuring the ankle clears the leg. Your right shin should be parallel to the ground, feeling a stretch in your hip flexor. To deepen the stretch, hinge at the hops and tilt your torso forward, keeping your back straight. Hold for 30 seconds, and repeat with the left side.

You don’t need to sign up for daily yoga classes or commit a ton of time to stretching, but even a little bit can go a long way in keeping you injury free and feeling your best. Start with 10 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week and you will start seeing and feeling the results. If you want a more intensive stretching program for cyclists, check out stretching routines for cyclists by Dynamic Cyclist. They have daily, easy to follow stretching videos designed specifically for and by cyclists. Spend less time thinking about how and what to stretch, and more time in the saddle!

The Best Stretches for Cyclists

March 31, 2018 by Sarah Lauzé

Cyclists are known for their toned calves, strong thighs and overall cardiovascular fitness. We may be able to output a ton of power into each pedal stroke, but when it comes to flexibility and range of motion, most of us are lacking. This isn’t without cause, and we want to provide the best stretches for cyclists to keep you feeling your best.

Cycling is one of the few activities in which muscles contract concentrically (while shortening), rather than eccentrically (while lengthening). It’s great for our bodies as it’s low impact, but this repetitive motion can cause the muscle fibres to shorten, also known as ‘adaptive shortening.’ This will not only cause an imbalance in your muscles and put you at risk of injury, but it can make maintaining proper posture almost impossible. The best way to combat this is with regular and targeted stretches for cyclists.

Flexibility and range of motion can be an easy thing to ignore. So long as we can keep up on those group rides or stay in the saddle for hours at a time, it can quickly fall off the radar (if it was ever there). However, the range of movement around a joint or multiple joints is actually extremely important for all athletes, and especially for cyclists. As humans we are not built to be in a cycling position for extended periods of time, just as we aren’t built to sit at desk jobs 40 hours a week. This doesn’t mean we need to give either one up, but that we need to take the right steps to ensure it doesn’t have a negative effect on our body.

The hunched over, forward leaning position on the bike is known for causing the hip flexors to tighten over time. From there, these short, tight muscles with a limited range of motion can cause an anterior pelvic tilt, and arched lower back and weak core muscles. The domino effect is no fun, so it’s always better to take preventative measures rather than reactive.

The focus should be on maintaining, or probably regaining, a healthy range of motion in the joints. From there, you’ll find you ride more comfortably, efficiently and with better technique.

Why Cyclists Need to Stretch

Immediate Effects

Accelerate recovery – Stretching reduces muscle soreness and stiffness by increasing blood flow, delivering more nutrients to your muscles and removing lactic acid and metabolites. Stretching also promotes whole body relaxation; boosting recovery, rejuvenation and adaptation by increasing the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system after exercise.

Increased Oxygen Flow – Stretching increases blood (and oxygen) flow to the muscles, reducing post-ride soreness with the added bonus of promoting cell growth and organ function.

Relaxation – Stretching before and after a workout can give both you and your muscles time to relax. With stress or exhaustion, the muscles will begin to tighten. Stretching can encourage a release of endorphins and leave you feeling encouraged.

Cumulative Effects

Prevent Tissue Degradation – Generally speaking, our day to day lives are restricted to certain movements and physical exertion. Over time and with age, the body starts dehydrating and stiffening. On a cellular level, muscle fibres start developing cross-links with parallel fibers making them stick together. Stretching slows this process by stimulating the production of tissue lubricants and pulling the interwoven cellular cross links back into an ordered state.

Flexibility – Your range of motion is the distance parts of you body can move and rotate before causing damage to muscles and tendons. Everyone naturally has a different range of motion, but stretching can help you define what that looks like for you. As cyclists, we have to have the freedom and flexibility to move without resistance or pain.

Injury Prevention – Everything in the body is connected, and as cyclists we demand a lot from our muscles, joints and ligaments. Stretching keeps the connections strong, treating and preventing injury, improving functionality and longevity. We also can’t forget about the muscles and joints that are not used in cycling. On the bike, all movements are in a straight line, with no other plane of movement. So, it’s important to keep this in mind while stretching. Not only do you want to focus on the muscles used, but those that aren’t, as a means of reversing and preventing muscle imbalance.

Better Posture & Aerodynamics – Stretching the right muscles can help correct poor posture both on and off the bike. By lengthening tight muscles that pull areas of the body away from their natural position you can maintain proper posture without the desire to round the back or slouch.

The Focus Areas

There is no one recipe for optimal flexibity, as that will vary on an individual basis, but there are target areas that will be more or less the same for all cyclists. The areas that become tightened are fairly universal:

Hip Flexors – The action of cycling involves repeated hip flexion with the hip never full extending, which can cause tightness or even a shortening of the muscle over time. Not only can tight hip flexors cause discomfort in your everyday life, they can also reduce your cycling performance. It can lead to lower back pain and will make it tough to access the glutes (see below).

Hamstrings – Tight hamstrings pull the pelvis back on the saddle, rather than allowing a forward tilt. Also, when they become shortened they don’t allow the involvement of the glutes, which can have a negative effect on how much power you can produce.

Quads – The powerhouse of the pedal stroke, it’s pretty obvious that the quads need some attention.

IT Band – The IT Band stabilizes the knee; if it’s tight it can rub against the knee, become inflamed and lead to knee pain.

Glutes – The glutes are one of the largest and strongest muscles in your body. Leaving them inactive is not only costing you power, but can lead to injury as the hamstring and quads overcompensate. Tight glutes prevent you from achieving an aerodynamic position on the bike. First things first, proper pelvic posture is key. If your front side (anterior side of your hips/hip flexors) are tight you won’t be able to access your glutes completely. Work on keeping your pelvis in a neutral position and remember to keep your core engaged when stretching the glutes.

Lower Back – Another symptom of tightness in other areas, lower back pain most commonly stems from tight hamstrings.

10 of the Best Stretches for Cyclists

After a gentle warm up, complete 4-5 of these stretches, holding each one for 1 minute if you can. If not, start with 30 seconds and build up the time. Ideally cyclists should try to stretch everyday, but 5 days a week will be enough to start experiencing some of the long term benefits.

Half Pyramid

The half pyramid stretches the hamstrings, inner thighs, lower back and opens the chest.

Knight’s Pose

The knight’s pose targets the hip flexors and the quads.

Flamingo

This classic quad stretch is important for recovery after a ride.

IT Opener (With Strap)

The iliotibial band stabilizes the knee, so this stretch is great to keep it loose and functioning properly.

Child’s Pose

Great for releasing post-ride tension, child’s pose stretches the groin, chest, and shoulders.

Can Opener

Focusing on the glutes, the can opener is great for cyclists to help release tension.

Lower Twist

For those who suffer lower back pain from cycling, the lower twist targets the bottom of the spine and the glutes.

Figure Four

The figure four is a great multi-target stretch, focussing on the hamstrings and glutes, as well as opening up the hips.

Downward Dog

One of the more well-known poses, the downward dog is popular for a reason. It fully stretches the hamstrings, calf muscles, shoulders and lengthens the spine.

Pigeon

Also known as “The King of Hip Openers,” the pigeon stretch works to loosen up tight hip flexors. There is also plenty of room for adaptation in the stretch, so it’s great no matter your level of flexibility.

You don’t need to sign up for daily yoga classes or commit a ton of time to stretching, but even a little bit can go a long way in keeping you injury free and feeling your best. Start with 10 minutes a day of stretches for cyclists, 4-5 times a week and you will start seeing and feeling the results. If you don’t know where to begin, check out Dynamic Cyclist. They have daily, easy to follow stretching videos designed specifically for and by cyclists. Spend less time thinking about how and what to stretch, and more time in the saddle!

How to Stretch Tight Hamstrings

February 2, 2018 by Sarah Lauzé

Most cyclists focus on the performance of the quads and glutes, but the hamstrings are one of the main muscle groups activated cycling. So, it makes sense that they are often a source of pain or discomfort, but taking time to stretch tight hamstrings can make all the difference.

The hamstrings run down the back of your leg from your hips, crossing behind your knee joint. The upper portion of the hamstring is where your power comes from as you push the pedal in the down stroke. The lower part is activated as you pull, reach the up stroke and bend your knee. The muscle works as a whole, but it’s important to think of these two general parts, so you can target stretching to different areas of the muscle.

The Effect of Bike Position

The position the body is in on the bike does put some strain on the hamstring, and not just in the pedaling motion. When we spend a lot of time bent over to reach the handlebars, two things tend to happen:

The upper hamstring is stretched, so if the muscle is not flexible enough to comfortably maintain this position, you will likely compensate by adjusting other parts of your posture.
The lower hamstring remains bent at the knee, which can cause the muscle to actually become shortened.

These two aspects can lead to imbalance within the muscle which can, in turn, cause pain and injury.

Hamstring Strain

Technically speaking, a strain is micro-damage within the muscle fibres from being overstretched and over exerted. The only thing you can do is take adequate time to rest, ice the area, and elevate it when possible.

Hamstring strain can be a result of grinding in too high of a gear at a low cadence. It can also happen if you go too hard or too soon, not giving your muscles the time to adapt and strengthen. This is most often an issue at the beginning of the season, as you may want to pick up right where you left off, but your body just isn’t ready.

Prevention through strengthening and stretching

The easiest way to avoid hamstring pain and strain altogether is strengthen and stretch. This means slow progress, so monitor your training load and frequency to ensure you avoid overuse injuries. Some strength training, with exercises like squats and deadlifts, can keep the muscles strong and engaged, especially when you aren’t riding as much.

Doing a daily stretching routine is the best way to prevent hamstring injuries and stretch tight hamstrings. It works to keep the muscle balanced, and the upper portion from shortening as a result of the cycling position.

How to stretch tight hamstrings

Reclining Hand-to-Toe

You will need a yoga strap, or a tie or belt, for this stretch. Start by lying on your back on a soft surface (like a yoga mat), bend your knee into your chest and place the strap around the arch of your foot. Slowly extend the foot up towards the ceiling, straightening the leg by contracting the quadriceps. You don’t want to completely lock the knee, but keep a slight bend.

Standing Forward Bend with Chair

You will need a chair for this stretch. Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart, bending your knees slightly. Slowly bend forward toward the chair, resting your head on your forearms. To increase the stretch down the back of the legs, push your hips up, driving your weight through your heels. Roll up one vertebra at a time.

Standing Forward Bend

Stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Hinge at your hips and slowly bring your fingertips to the floor as you use the weight of your torso to stretch the back of the legs. If you can’t reach the floor, use a block or stack of books to support yourself on.

Stretches to Treat Neck Pain from Cycling

December 29, 2017 by Sarah Lauzé

Neck pain from cycling is one of the most common injuries, but it is often left unaddressed. Pain of any kind is your body telling you something, and shouldn’t be ignored. Typically, the discomfort is localized in your anterior deltoids, upper trap muscles and neck extensors. This can be attributed to a few causes such as bike fit, head positioning when riding, and muscle tightness.

What Causes Neck Pain

Bike Fit

As a beginner cyclist it’s important to work with a bike fitting specialist and tweak one thing at a time, ride for about a week, and assess the changes. This allows you and the fitter to pinpoint the exact solution or cause in order to improve riding conditions.

Often neck pain from cycling is linked to having a high seat post in relation to your bars. When the seat post is too high it can place you in an aggressive position, which your body may not be ready for. It’s a better tactic to gradually increase the aero position as you get used to cycling. Additionally, if your road or aero bars are too far away causing you to overreach you can place unnecessary strain on these muscles. The solution would be to place the bars closer in relation to your body so you’re in a “tucked” position when riding.

Head Position

It’s natural to try and keep your head up on your bike, looking forward to ensure you don’t swerve off the road. The key is to learn to look up with you eyes, rather than your entire head. Keeping your head down puts less strain on your neck, and allows you to ride for longer periods of time without irritating the muscles.

Tight Muscles

As a beginner cyclist you are now forcing your body to use muscles either it hasn’t in other activities or in a different way. This leads to tightness, muscles spasms, and pain. However, there are a few stretching exercises that can be completed which will lead to disruption of the pain-spasm cycle.

How to Treat Neck Pain from Cycling

Stretching is the best way to keep the neck muscles relaxed and prevent neck pain. Adding these stretches into your routine (or building a routine around them) will help keep you pain free, or address any neck pain you may already have. Hold each one for 20-30 seconds, and repeat at least twice.

Neck bend

Stand with your back straight, feet shoulder-width apart, and your arms at your sides. Look straight ahead and relax. Let your head drop forward by bringing your chin to your chest. Keep your back straight and your eyes on your toes as you hold this position. You can put your hands behind your head and pull down gently to extend the stretch.

This stretch is for cyclists who experience muscle tension at the back of their neck after spending extended periods of time on the bike.

Neck and bend rotation

Stand with your legs slightly apart, your back and neck straight, and look forward. Your hands can be at your sides, or clasped behind your back. Lower and rotate your head to the left, looking down toward the ground. Relax into the stretch, trying to extend the movement. You should feel the stretch along the right side of the neck. Bring your left arm up and gently pull down on your head to lengthen the stretch. Repeat the movement, lowering your head to the right.

This stretch is especially important for track and road racers who spend a lot of time in an aerodynamic position, creating tension in the neck and head extensor muscles.

Lateral neck bend

Stand with your feet slightly apart, back and neck straight. Raise your right arm and place it on the left side of the head, with your forearm going over top of your head. Your fingers should be pointing towards the ground, with your fingertips touching your ear. Gently pull down on your head, leaning so your ear is approaching your shoulder. Keep your shoulder down and relaxed throughout the stretch. Repeat with your left arm reaching up to the right side of your head.

Rear neck pull

Turn your head slightly to the left. Raise your left arm and place your hand on the top of your head, fingers pointing down the back of your hand, forearm resting on the top of your head. Even though your head is turned, keep your neck and back in line with your body. Gradually pull on your head, rotating so your face is near your armpit.

Stars

Sit or stand, keeping your neck, shoulders, and torso straight. Looking straight ahead, imagine there is a star in front of your with a vertical line, horizontal line, and two diagonal lines. Trace the vertical line, looking up at the ceiling and then bringing the chin down to the chest three times. Next, follow the horizontal line side to side once. Finally, trace the two diagonal lines once each. Return to the starting position and repeat three more times. This is a great stretch because is combines flexion, extension, rotation and lateral rotation to give you a complete neck stretch.

If you want stretching routines for cyclists, check out Dynamic Cyclist for the daily video program.

How Functional Mobility Will Make You Faster

April 3, 2017 by Andrew Funamoto

Another season begins, the snow melts, and the flowers bloom. The giddiness and excitement of your new bike overwhelms you and you’re putting a ton of kilometers in the bank. Your quadriceps are sore, your hamstrings are tight, your hips begin to seize. This is all part of getting faster, right? Wrong. Speed and strength does not have to come at the expense of mobility.

Due to the repetitive nature of the pedal stroke, cycling puts us in a particularly vulnerable situation. We spend hours hunched over the bars, spinning our legs at 100 revolutions per minute. The impact is low, but over time the muscular imbalances take a toll. Adding mobility and stability off the bike will bring your riding to the next level.

Stretching

We’ve heard it a thousand times: “Stretch!” But before you stretch, there are a few things to understand before you go whole hog and start lunging in the car park before the Saturday club ride.

Pre-Ride Stretching

Dynamic Stretching is the best way to get your body prepped for the rigors of your ride. While static stretching has been shown to negatively impact speed and power, dynamic stretching will get blood to your muscles, and mobility in your joints. Get a few of these dynamic stretches in before you down your coffee and crumpets.

Throughout the Ride

It’s still early in the season (remember?) and you’re barely hanging on late in your club ride, and your shoulder, neck and back are acting up. Take the time to move around a bit. Stretch your neck, roll your shoulders and move your back. Cramping or feel a twinge in your calf? Skip a few turns in the rotation in order to take a minute to stretch those tight muscles.

Post Ride Stretching

You made it home, had your shower and post ride nutrition. Time to take a few minutes to reset your muscles. Have a look at ILB contributor Jem’s post ride routine. Post-activity stretching has been shown to reduce Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness (DOMS), increase rates of recovery and improve range of motion in your joints. While there is some debate as to how long you should stretch, anywhere between 15-30 seconds will yield the desired results. There is no debate, however, as to how deep you should stretch: Make sure you are only stretching as deep as it feels comfortable. Any signs of pain, pinching or discomfort signals that it is time to back off a tad. Stretching longer than 60 seconds, or deeper than comfortable is more than likely causing unnecessary trauma.

Mobility & Yoga

Yoga is trendy, but the activity has been around for thousands of years (in comparison, the bicycle is about 200 years old). Yoga provides focus to both static and dynamic stretching, and always adds a component of movement to the practice. The nature of the sport and the position on a bike renders basic balance and maintenance a challenge. As time and intensity on the bike increases, certain muscles are worked to exhaustion, while others become dormant and atrophy. With a very limited range of motion of the legs, and a virtually static upper body, finding movement in other directions, off the bike, is vital to longevity. If yoga isn’t your thing, adding some basic functional stability workouts will help. While yoga stresses mobility and flexibility, functional strength training stresses strength and stability– Both have their place in a monthly cycling training plan. An hour or two a month dedicated to mobility will help you in a few key areas.

Flexibility

80 percent of your aerodynamic drag is caused by your position on the bike (sadly, the $10,000 aero bike will only help you 20% of the way. Imagine how fast you would be if you invested $10,000 in your position and coaching?). Adding a few yoga practices to your training plan will slowly improve your position and gift you a handful of free watts. Wind tunnel testing suggests that a position change can improve your aerodynamic drag by well over 20%. That might be the difference of being able to ride with the A group instead of the B group!

Stability

Yoga and functional strength training will frequently introduce movement in directions other than forward and backward. Forcing you to engage your core and stabilizer muscles will improve bike handling and stability on the bike. The changes are subtle, but feeling more confident into corners, descending and staying in an aerodynamic position when on the front of your club ride are not to be ignored.

Discovering Injuries

Adding a few days of strength and mobility may also reveal weaknesses and muscle imbalances that you didn’t realize you had. Did a certain yoga practice relieve some chronic back pain? Maybe side lunges will suddenly ease knee pain that you recently discovered.

It should be noted that certain types of yoga can be pretty tough on your muscles. A rigorous Vinyasa or a slow, deep stretch Yin class can have your legs feeling pretty slow on the bike the next day. Plan an easy ride for a day after yoga. Taking the time to assess your body off the bike will give you an added boost in confidence and self awareness.

Fascial Therapy

Get on the roller. If you haven’t heard a friend say this, get some new ones. The foam roller is your new best friend. Fascial tissue has been neglected for a long time, and is only making it to the mainstream in recent years.

What is Fascial Tissue

There is a lot of current research on fascial tissue, but it used to be regarded as the sack of tissue that keeps all of your muscles and organs in place. The new understanding of fascia suggests that the membrane act like a coil providing direction, stability and recovery to muscle tissues. Neglecting this vital tissue may be hurting your performance on the bike. A number of recent studies show that fascial release (like getting on a foam roller) reduces injury and increases function of the muscles. When we do exercise, we create scar tissue– Massaging your legs with a foam roller will release built up scar tissue and allow the fascia to realign itself and function more efficiently.

Let’s be honest, we aren’t professional cyclists even if we have a soigneur at home. We are weekend warriors, and have very little time outside of family, and work obligations — But maybe a bit of cross training will pay more dividends than you expect.

Postlude

I come from a background in (American) football. When I started cycling, I came into the sport carrying all of the baggage from football (both physical mass and methodology for training). There was very little focus on mobility and flexibility. In the off season we had a rigorous training plan that included 4 heavy lifting days, interlaced with 2-3 practices per week. The workouts were not functional, and were focused on building a lot of mass. In any case, over the course of my career, I naively assumed that mobility and flexibility would ultimately come at the expense of strength– The reality is just the opposite. Working on mobility, flexibility and stability will only improve your functional performance. 5 years removed from contact sports, I am now clearly seeing the benefits of introducing strength training and yoga throughout the season. I’m getting faster and stronger while simultaneously becoming more stable and much more mobile.

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