Exercises to Strengthen Core

If you read the last post on core muscles and cycling, then you ought to know how important this group of muscles is and if that’s the case, then you’re probably wondering how best to improve them. Crunches only strengthen one small area of your core; you need exercises which work the whole system effectively.

These 5 core exercises can be done anywhere, without any equipment and are effective:

V Twist: Start by lying on your back with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and your feet off the floor (thigh should be perpendicular to the floor) and fold your hands over your chest. Then slowly straighten your legs away from you to the right until they are at a 45 degree angle to the floor. At the same time, contract your torso up and extend your arms forward. Then lower yourself (slowly!) back to your starting position. Feel free to contract your torso and reach out to the left or right as well. Repeat 10 to 20 times depending on ability.

Side Balance Crunch: Start with your left knee and your left hand on the floor and your right arm straight up. Extend your right leg so that your body forms a straight line. Pull the right knee to your torso and your right elbow towards your knee. Then straighten your arm and leg and repeat it ten times, then switch sides.

Plank: Start on your elbows and knees with your hands clasped. Then straighten your legs and raise your body so that your weight is being held up on your forearms and the balls of your feet (Feet should be hip width apart). Face the floor, don’t arch your back or stick your butt into the air and hold this position for at least 15 seconds. This move can be easily modified to the side plank and the circle plank.

Oblique Reach: Sit with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Then straighten your right leg into the air and roll spine into a C-curve. Place your left hand behind your head and extend your right arm towards your right foot. Twist your body a bit to the left, roll back a bit more and hold for one count. Then come back up. Do five of these, then switch sides.

Russian Twist: Sit on the ground and hold your feet in the air. Then lean back until you are half way to a sit-up, then rotate from side to side, pausing slowly when you reach the end of a rotation. You can make this exercise harder by adding weights – hold a weight ball out and follow it with your head while rotating your torso. Either one, 2 sets of 10 to 20 reps will do.

Some information for this post was gathered at real simple.

How Long and How Often?

If you have a relatively weak core to powerful leg ratio then you may need to do some of these exercises. I generally do core exercises while watching TV, when I am bored or for a warm up right before my “real” workout. To maintain your core you probably only need to do core exercises once a week, but if you are looking to improve core strength then these exercises should be done two to three times a week.

You can do any and all combinations of the above exercises in less than 15 minutes. If you do them regularly and correctly, you’ll notice a real difference in your cycling performance. Keep that core strong and let us know which exercises you use to strengthen your core in the comment section below.

Why Is Core Strength Important for Cyclists?

When we think of cycling, the first parts of the body we generally think of are legs. Yes, it’s fairly obvious that our legs are important to cycling, but what may not be so evident is the role that other parts of our bodies play in moving ourselves along on our two wheeled beauties, namely our core! If you are serious about cycling this year and you want to do more than ride at a gentle pace down a sunny road or trail then you really need to start strengthening your core!

What is the Core?

There is a common misconception about the core: when the ‘layman’ talks about ‘core strength’, they usually think of the abdominal muscles, the ‘six-pack’ and so those who think that way tend do a hundred thousand crunches and then wonder why they’re not as good at cycling as they’d like! (If this sounds like you, don’t worry; you’re in good company).

The core muscles are actually quite a bit larger than just your abdominal muscles. They start at your hips and go all the way through your abs, up along your spine and to your shoulders and neck. The core muscles are complex muscles requiring far more than simple crunches in order to get stronger. However, if you do improve your core strength, you’ll find that your cycling will vastly improve.

Why Do Cyclists Want a Strong Core?

A strong core is vital to a strong pedal stroke as it is the platform that you push from. If your core is not strong and stable, it will fatigue and you will waste a lot of energy compensating and using smaller muscles, your body will move up, down and sideways instead of putting that energy into the pedals. Having strong legs but a weak core is like having a muscle car with a hyundai chassis.

If you have a strong core it will increase your power to your pedals, increase your endurance, allow you to be more comfortable on the bike (specifically reducing lower back pain), take corners more efficiently and have a more efficient pedal stroke. All of which are very important to any cyclist. Unfortunately, merely biking around won’t do much for your core muscles which is why you have to work them out separately.

Strong legs will only take you so far; a strong core will bear you to the finish line and beyond. Don’t worry; we have some great exercises coming up (One of the next posts so sign up for our newsletter below so you don’t miss it) that will have you strong and ready when it comes time for your training, races, and long rides. Until then, keep those wheels spinning!