by Jo McRae
I have chosen to include the more static split squat here (instead of the more dynamic lunge) because its greater stability requirement is more relevant to cyclists, who need a stable pelvis to push from when both seated and standing on the bike. Dynamic forward lunges can tend to exacerbate the ‘quad dominance’ and relative weakness in the buttock muscles that is common and may provoke calf injuries in cyclists because of the eccentric ‘braking’ forces involved. This is another good reason to favour the split squat, back lunge or multidirectional lunge first, before introducing the forward lunge.
The split squat is an essential strength exercise for ensuring balance between the leg muscles and stability of the pelvis. Developing strength together with stability in the hips will help you to maintain a stable core as you generate force with your legs both in and out of the saddle.
For some cyclists who are stiff and tight in the hamstrings and weaker in the lower back, squats and dead lifts with a neutral spine may be difficult to work with, so the split squat offers a useful alternative leg-strengthening exercise as the torso stays upright throughout the exercise.
If you struggle with good form in the squat because of lack of flexibility in the hamstrings or poor posture, the split squat will allow you to strengthen your legs with good form more easily.
Stick supported split squat
Preparation
This supported split squat allows you to use a stick or empty light barbell to help to maintain good form and keep your body upright throughout the movement. The stick offers a support, making the split stance more stable if you struggle with the balance element. This variation will give you a feel for engaging your hip muscles on the back leg too, and help you avoid the problem of excessively leaning into the squat.
Start the movement from the bottom, so that you can check the width and length of your stance more easily Kneel in a split stance as shown, with both legs making a right angle at the knee. Your front shin and back thigh should be vertical, and your toes should be tucked under at the back, ready to push downwards.
Check that your feet are about hip-width apart, and that your back heel is aligned behind your buttock, and not turning inwards towards the middle of your body. This can be a common fault if you are tight in the hips and will make you unsteady when your push up into the split squat.
Movement
Tuck your hips down at the back and draw in your navel in to stabilize. Look forward, and keeping your body upright, push through both feet, and at the same time pull down on the stick to come up to the top of the split squat. Try to push through the ball of your foot on the back leg, kicking your heel up as you go. Your goal is to keep your spine ‘neutral’ and often this can mean quite a strong ‘tuck’ at the hips to engage the glute on your back leg.
Lower yourself with control back towards the floor, maintaining this position through the body until your back knee is hovering an inch or two away. Then, repeat the upwards push with both feet and pull downward on the stick to come back to the top position.
It’s tempting at the top of the position to relax your body. Try to hold the tension in your torso so that you maintain a strong position throughout the exercise both on the up and the down of the movement.
How many reps and sets?
Perform 8–12 repetitions for 2–4 sets, with 1 minute’s rest in between sets. For the split squat, one set means one set on each side. You should be able to do between 8 and 12 repetitions with good form, while working hard to maintain your position and technique for the last two or three repetitions. If you find that you are much better on one side than the other, only do as many reps as you can do well on your weakest side until you start to be able to work more evenly. For example, if you can only do 8 repetitions on your left side, you would only do 8 on your right side even if you could actually do more. You should start to fail between 8 and 12. If you find that you can do more than 12 repetitions well, you need to progress to one of the more difficult split squat options. If you are unable to do 8 repetitions with good form, keep working on the other exercises and come back to the split squat later.
Stick behind the head
This first unsupported split squat progression uses the stick across the upper back to help you engage your back and shoulder muscles, and to keep your torso engaged strongly throughout the movement. It will also help you keep your body upright and your core engaged, and avoid excessively leaning forwards. Using a stick across the back in this way also helps you to learn correct upper-body position for loading with a barbell later, if you decide to take your strengthening work into a gym.
Preparation
Starting from the bottom of the movement, so that you can check the width and length of your stance more easily, kneel in a split stance as shown with both legs making a right angle at the knee. Your front shin and back thigh should be vertical, and your toes should be tucked under at the back, ready to push downwards. Check that your back foot and front foot are about hip-width apart, and that your back heel is aligned behind your buttock, and not turning inwards towards the middle of your body. Make sure the stick is resting on the fleshy part of your upper back, not your neck, and lift your chest, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and tuck your elbows under the stick to engage the upper back muscles.
Movement
Prepare to push up into position by tucking your hips down at the back and drawing your navel in to stabilize your centre. Look forward, and keeping your body upright, push through both feet to come up to the top of the split squat. Try to push through the ball of your foot on the back leg, kicking the heel up as you go. Your goal is to keep your spine neutral, your chest lifted and your hips underneath your shoulders.
From the top position, lower yourself with control back towards the floor, maintaining this position through the body until your back knee is hovering an inch or two away. Then push with both legs to come back to the top position.
It’s tempting at the top of the position to relax your body – your core and hips in particular. Try to hold the engagement in your torso so that you maintain a strong position throughout, both on the up and the down of the movement.
How many reps and sets?
Perform 8–12 repetitions for 2–4 sets, with 1 minute’s rest in between sets. For the split squat, one set means one set on each side. You should be able to do between 8 and 12 repetitions with good form and you should be working hard to maintain your position and technique for the last two or three repetitions. If you find that you are much better on one side than the other, only do as many reps as you can do well on your weakest side until you start to be able to work more evenly. For example, if you can only do 8 repetitions on your left side, you would only do 8 on your right side even if you could actually do more. You should start to fail between 8 and 12. If you find that you can do more than 12 repetitions well, you need to progress to the dumbbell front-loaded option. If you are unable to do 8 repetitions with good form, keep working on the stick supported version until it becomes easier.
Dumbbell front-loaded split squat
This front-loaded split squat offers you a simple way to load the split squat for strength development without needing a gym. Make sure that you are able to perform the previous split squat variations well before progressing to this loaded option.
Preparation
For this variation carrying a dumbbell, I recommend you start from the top of the movement. Hold the dumbbell in front of your chest with your elbows tucked directly underneath it. Actively use your upper back to keep your chest lifted to support the dumbbell in front of you.
To get into the correct position, start by standing with your feet hip-width apart, and then step into the split squat stance by taking two short strides forwards with whichever will be your front leg. Make sure your foot is straight, and not turned inwards or outwards. Check that your feet are hip-width apart and then kick up your back foot so that the weight is on the ball of your foot to prepare to move.
Movement
From the top position, shift downwards and slightly forwards with your hips, keeping the glute on the back leg engaged by tucking your pelvis down at the back and drawing your navel in to engage your abdominals. Keep your hips underneath your shoulders, and your chest lifted. Drop into the split squat by leading with your hips. Go low enough that your knee is about an inch or so off the ground. The knee may move slightly forwards of the ankle on the front leg throughout this movement. Then push through both legs, back up into the split stance position at the top of the movement. Repeat this movement at a steady speed without rushing, thinking about leading with your hips on the way down and your shoulders on the way up.
How many reps and sets?
Perform 8–12 repetitions for 2–4 sets, with 1 minute’s rest in between sets. For the split squat, one set means one set on each side. You should be able to do between 8 and 12 repetitions with good form and you should be working hard to maintain your position and technique for the last two or three repetitions. If you find that you are much better on one side than the other, only do as many reps as you can do well on your weakest side until you start to be able to work more evenly. For example, if you can only do 8 repetitions on your left side, you would only do 8 on your right side even if you could actually do more. You should start to fail between 8 and 12. If you find that you can do more than 12 repetitions well, you need to progress by adding more weight to the dumbbell.
Pushing precautions
For cyclists, pushing movements should be carefully selected to ensure that strengthening occurs without exacerbating or contributing to poor posture. The ‘prime movers’ in pushing exercises are the chest muscles and the triceps at the back of the arm. Cyclists are often tight in the chest and stiff in the upper back with relatively shortened upper abdominal muscles pulling the ribcage down at the front to create a slumped position. These postural tendencies can make it difficult to maintain good alignment through a push, with the result often being excessive rounding of the upper back, so choosing an appropriate exercise for your current alignment is particularly important for pushing exercises.
Overhead pushing movements need to be approached with particular caution to avoid causing injury to the shoulder and/or neck in these circumstances. For cyclists who are rigid in the upper back with limited backwards bending (extension), overhead pushing and pressing movements can become risky or ‘contraindicated’. When the upper back doesn’t move adequately there is an increased likelihood of ‘impingement’ problems at the shoulder joint, in which case pushing movements that are forwards rather than upwards should be included until mobility is restored.
Where some cyclists have a very stiff or ‘fixed’ thoracic spine, overhead loading may cause shoulder pain due to the disrupted biomechanics of the upper back and shoulder as they work together. If you failed the rib expansion test on here or find the horizontal foam roller mobilization quite painful, you may want to avoid overhead pushing and pulling exercises until your back is more mobile
Shoulder impingement is a syndrome where the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles at the front of the shoulder become inflamed and irritated, leading to pain in the shoulder and arm, especially when raising your arm overhead or when lying on your side in bed at night. The space where the tendons exit the shoulder becomes reduced such that ‘pinching’ of the tendons occurs with certain movements. Impingement problems are more common with prolonged poor posture of the upper back, which can lead to bone changes in and around the shoulder joint.
‘Contraindicated’ is a medical term for something that is not advised. Certain exercises would be contraindicated for a particular person if they aggravate a condition or problem area. It’s not that the exercise is ‘bad’, but that it’s not a good idea for that person.
However, for those with already adequate mobility in the upper back, overhead pushes can be a good way to maintain flexibility and strengthen together. Single-arm pushes with a contralateral rotation (as with a punching action) are also an excellent way to include a push while keeping an eye on maintaining mobility.
Strictly speaking, the ‘primal standard’ for pushing exercises is one where you push and move a load forward while standing on your feet. For those who have access to a cable machine, single arm pushes with a twist can be a great way to maintain mobility while integrating the core and avoiding any unwanted upper body muscle development.
Without access to a cable machine and a gym, the pushing (and pulling) options are slightly limited. I have included two types of pushing exercises here, a closed-chain press-up and two open-chain options – the Swiss ball chest press and Swiss ball seated overhead shoulder press. Where possible, it’s worth including both types of push as they each have their benefits. The closed-chain press-up requires more stability through the muscles of the upper back and shoulders, something that is also required when you hold the bars steady as you ride.
‘Closed-chain’ exercises are those where the hands (in an upper body exercise) are fixed and you move your body towards the unmoving surface. A press-up is an example of a closed-chain upper-body pushing exercise. An open-chain exercise is one where you move the load away from your body. The Swiss ball chest press here is an example of an open-chain pushing exercise.
Most functional exercises are closed chain in the lower body and open chain in the upper body. Force is generated from the ground up via the legs and transmitted through the core to be expressed through the arms. Squats, lunges and dead lifts are all closed-chain examples. The lunge-twist-push is an example of a closed-chain movement in the legs generating force that is expressed in an open-chain movement with the arm. Many functional movement combinations work in this way. For cyclists, seated cycling is an open-chain exercise and very sport specific. This is one of the reasons it’s important to ‘integrate’ the strength you develop off the bike with goal-relevant interval training on the bike as part of your periodization.
The press-up (push)
The press-up is a long established classic core exercise combined with a body-weight push. Often used and rarely done well, a good press-up is an excellent exercise for abdominal strength, shoulder stability and pushing strength. The classic press-up also has the advantage of needing no equipment at all. A press-up performed with poor form can exacerbate poor posture and will do little to develop true strength in the body. Pay close attention to the ‘form principle’ here and choose the option that you can do well, or alternatively, if you struggle to maintain good alignment, choose the Swiss ball chest press instead and come back to the press-up later.
This press-up is the pushing option that strengthens the abdominal muscles the most, as well as developing shoulder stability. Being able to maintain neutral alignment of the spine is an essential prerequisite to including this exercise. If these are aspects you want to emphasize with your pushing choice, it will be a good option for you to include in your exercise programme.
Plank preparation
Most people fail to execute a good press-up because they have not developed a plank with good form first. This is why I have included a full plank as a preparatory exercise here. The press-up could quite legitimately be called a core exercise and therefore be included in Chapter 4, but since the pushing options for home-based exercise are limited, I have included it here.
Preparation
To prepare for a full plank position, start by kneeling with your knees and ankles together. Keeping the feet, ankles and knees together in the plank position can help you engage your hips when you push up into the plank position.
Kneeling plank position
Keeping your hands a little wider than your shoulders, and with your fingers pointing forwards, walk your hands away from your knees and gradually drop your hips down, until you are in the position shown with your shoulders directly above your wrists and your knees, hips and shoulders in one line. In this position, focus on squeezing your glutes together, pulling your abdominals in, and keeping your shoulders down away from your
ears.
For some (women in particular), this kneeling plank forms a good foundation for the kneeling press-up that will follow. Note that it is not a ‘box’ press-up. In this example, the trunk is in a straight line so that the core muscles are fully engaged.
Full plank position
To push up into the full plank position from the kneeling plank, tuck your toes under and push back through the balls of your feet to lift the hips. The hips should not drop when you move into position but should actually lift slightly. Strengthen your middle by squeezing your glutes together and strongly bracing through the abdominals. Keep your arms straight and pull your shoulders away from your ears.
The plank position is one of those exercises that tests your ability to maintain a neutral spine. If you are holding good form, with a sense of working hard through your core, you are probably in a good position. If you are dipping into your lower back or rounding your upper back then you are not holding a good position and it might be best to leave this exercise out and keep coming back to it as you work on other areas to bring your body into better balance. Using a mirror to one side to make you more aware of your position can be really useful with this exercise.
Here, Jake shows a classic pattern of a poor ‘plank’ position, with a dipped lower back and a rounded upper back. Even with me trying to correct and cue for the right position, Jake was unable to achieve good form at this stage in the exercise.
