{"id":194444,"date":"2023-11-15T06:50:54","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T06:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=194444"},"modified":"2023-11-15T07:03:23","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T07:03:23","slug":"these-four-core-exercises-could-make-you-a-faster-cyclist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/11\/15\/these-four-core-exercises-could-make-you-a-faster-cyclist\/","title":{"rendered":"These Four Core Exercises Could Make You a Faster Cyclist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>If you\u2019re looking to get faster at cycling, the first thing to do is commit to consistently training; adding a couple of structured rides a week with some longer sessions at the weekend is a good first step. Signing up to an online training programmes can take out a lot of the guess work so perhaps consider forgoing your daily coffees and investing instead in your hobby.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re already consistently training without seeing a lot of progress, there could be other areas that you\u2019re neglecting. A prime example of this is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2022\/10\/25\/cycling-economy-core-and-strength\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">strength training<\/a> and your core. If your trunk is wobbling around a lot, you\u2019re losing power that could be transmitted through your legs and into your drive train.<\/p>\n<p>We spoke to specialist cycling physio Lucy Poole to find out the most effective way for cyclists to get faster through core work.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Being a strong cyclist requires more than just strong legs,\u2019 says Lucy. \u2018Your core is a complex network of deep and superficial spinal, pelvic and hip muscles, so needs to be challenged in a variety of ways. These exercises can help reduce injury and maximise power transfer into the pedals.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Lucy suggests the following exercises, performed 2 or three times weekly. Hold each exercise for ten seconds and repeat 6 times.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Beginner curl up<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Start in a supine position with your hands supporting your lumbar region without flattening the lower back to the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Flex one knee to 90 degrees and keep the other leg relaxed on the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Lift the head and shoulders a short distance off the floor and leave the elbows on the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Do not produce any movement in the head and neck (no flexion or chin tucking).<\/li>\n<li>Try to picture the rotation point being in the thoracic spine and view the head and neck as a block that should be lifted as a whole.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Side plank<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Lie on your side with your legs straight and in line with your body.<\/li>\n<li>Support the upper body on the elbow\/forearm, with the elbow directly under the shoulder. Place your top arm on your side.<\/li>\n<li>Lift your pelvis off the floor to create a straight line with your body, and hold the position without allowing your pelvis to drop.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat on the other side.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Lower back extension hold<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Lie face down on a mat with your arms behind your head and your chin tucked in.<\/li>\n<li>Lift your upper body up by pulling your shoulder blades together without lifting your feet.<\/li>\n<li>Return to the starting position and repeat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Bird dog<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Get on your hands and knees (four point position) with your knees directly under your hips and your hands directly under your shoulders. Your back should be in a neutral position (slightly arched) and your chin must be tucked in.<\/li>\n<li>Tighten slightly your abdominals, lumbar muscles and pelvic floor muscles then lift one arm and the opposite leg without allowing the trunk or pelvis to move or rotate.<\/li>\n<li>Try to grab something far away in front of you with your hand and touch an imaginary wall far behind you with your foot instead of just lifting them up.<\/li>\n<li>Lower your leg and arm back to the floor and repeat with the other leg and the opposite arm.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re looking to get faster at cycling, the first thing to do is commit to consistently training; adding a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":194446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[7471,7472,4483,6741],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-194444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","tag-core-exercise","tag-core-training","tag-juliet-elliott","tag-lucy-poole","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>These Four Core Exercises Could Make You a Faster Cyclist - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019re looking to get faster at cycling, the first thing to do is commit to consistently training; 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