Ride Strong
Page 18
Start with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders so that you are making a rectangular shape with all four points on the floor underneath you. Then soften your elbows, tucking them in, and make sure that your back is neither rounded like a cat or excessively dipped in the back like a cow. Ideally you should have a shallow dip in your lower back, but otherwise your hip, shoulder and ear should be all in one line.
To practise correct alignment, you can use a dowel rod or pole balanced along your spine to check for three points of contact – at the pelvis, between the shoulder blades and the back of your head. Your gaze should fall between your hands with your chin tucked in so that your neck is in line with the rest of your body. If you slide your hand between the pole and your lower back (as shown overleaf), you can adjust your position so that you have just enough space to slide the thickness of your hand into the gap, and also the correct contact points along your back. Although this technique takes some patience, it can make a massive difference to how effectively you are able to perform this exercise.
When I work one to one with clients, I use a dowel rod along the spine to check for neutral alignment and to provide feedback.
Minimal movement
Once in position, take a full breath into your tummy and as you breathe out, draw your navel in towards your spine to maintain engagement of the deep core muscles. It should feel like you have pulled in a thick corset-like belt around your lower belly. Progressively press one hand and the opposite knee into the ground until you find you are hovering on the opposite diagonal.
Hold this hover position for 5 seconds, before lowering and changing sides. Your goal is to keep your body as still as possible throughout, keeping your core engaged by drawing your belly button in and holding your supporting shoulder and hip steady. You should be able to feel your middle working hard to hold you steady, and may find as the repetitions go on that you start to ‘shake’ a little to hold position, which indicates that your muscles are working and beginning to fatigue.
Horizontal
The horse stance horizontal takes the opposite arm and leg into an outstretched position similar to that of the alternating superman exercise described earlier. This variation of the exercise challenges the sagittal plane (forwards and backwards bending) the most.
Movement
Drawing your navel in to stabilize, and pushing down on the supporting hand and knee, slowly extend your opposite arm and leg, taking them along the line of your body (level with your hip with your leg, and slightly outside your shoulder for your arm) until they are outstretched and in line with your body. Your goal with this exercise is to move as far as you can without any change in the shape of your core. If your back dips in at the lower back or you round your upper back you have lost your alignment or gone too far into the position. Once you have gone as far as you can and maintained your core alignment, hold the position for 5 seconds before lowering your arm and leg and changing sides.
Abduction
The horse stance abduction takes the leg and arm to the sides of the body, challenging the frontal (sideways) plane the most. This makes it a particularly good exercise for strengthening the lateral stabilizers of the hip – the gluteus medius. If you perform this exercise well you will notice increased work in this outer hip muscle both on the supporting leg and on the moving leg.
Movement
Drawing your belly button in to stabilize, and pushing down on the supporting hand and knee, slowly take your knee and opposite elbow out to the side, maintaining a right angle position at the knee and elbow. Only take your knee as far as you can without causing your hips to tilt, and as you move your arm outwards keep your elbow down and raise your upper arm by turning the thumb up (as shown). Your elbow should remain level with your hand to maximize the work in the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder.
If your hips or shoulders tip sideways you have lost your alignment or gone too far into the position. The movement is not a very big one, but if you are doing it well, you will feel the work in the muscles at the sides of your hips and deep in your shoulders. Once you have gone as far as you can and maintained your core alignment, hold the position for 5 seconds, before lowering your arm and leg and changing sides.
How many reps and sets?
Perform 8–12 repetitions for 2–3 sets, with 30 seconds’ rest between sets. Choose one of these exercises and work on it for 8–12 weeks before changing to another variation for best results. Alternatively, once you are familiar with all three variations you can do one set of each in order to get a big bang effect of stability in all planes of movement.
Abdominal strength in all planes of movement
In addition to avoiding too much flexion, it’s really important to consider training your core in three dimensions, with both stability and movement in mind. Since we are designed to move in three dimensions off the bike, we need to be strong and stable in all planes of movement. On the bike we are predominantly moving and working in the sagittal plane – bending over to reach the bars, and bending and straightening our legs and hips within the pedalling action. The stability and strength demands are low, but it is often over longer periods or when pushing and pulling the bike from left to right standing out of the saddle, that stability and strength at the sides of the body and across the core in particular become important.
The exercises in this next section predominantly challenge the abdominal muscles but will also strengthen the surrounding core muscles of the hips and back, for a more stable centre with movements on and off the bike.
Exercises to strengthen the abdominals should challenge all three planes of movement
Exercises for sagittal plane core strength (forwards and backwards)
As cyclists we are moving mostly in the sagittal plane (forwards and backwards), but in a way not supportive of our innate design, and so our normal postural alignment and strength in this dimension is often negatively affected. For this reason, you may find that the exercises designed to challenge the core in the sagittal plane are the hardest to do well.
If in working through the exercises here you feel you can’t do any of the variations with good form, don’t worry. I simply suggest you leave them out altogether and come back to them at intervals to see if you are doing any better. Often, by working on the exercises in the frontal and transverse planes you will eventually break old habits and patterns that mean you can find good form in these exercises too.
Sticking to the form principle will help you change your muscle balance and alignment permanently as you progressively recycle these exercises into your programme design.
Whatever level you are working at, ‘the form principle’ must be applied consciously and consistently. The form principle dictates that you never compromise form for added load or difficulty. In other words, your position and your technique takes priority at all times. If you follow the technique points outlined in this chapter, and use the photos for guidance, you will achieve good form with the exercises here.
Planks
A plank is one of those exercises that can be great for core strength when done well, but actually diminishes core strength and can worsen muscle imbalances if done poorly. I have included a number of variations of the exercise here so that you have the best chance of choosing an option that can help you make a start on this exercise effectively. Some people favour the plank performed on the elbows, believing that it has more relevance to cyclists, particularly when resting on time trial bars. In my experience, cyclists are often more likely to perform a plank with poor form on their elbows, since the familiarity leads to the rounded shoulders of the flexed position on the bike. The ‘forward ball roll’ included here is an exception because it uses the instability of the moving ball to ‘wake up’ the core.
A good plank position strengthens the shoulders and upper back and is not meant to replicate the cycling position but correct for it, and a traditional plank on the hands opens up many more possibilities for classic conditioning ex
ercises such as squat thrusts, burpees and press-ups.
If you find that your back aches in working through the plank variations here, or you are unable to maintain the alignment described, simply leave out the exercise altogether and keep coming back to it at intervals to see if you can do any better.
Swiss ball forward ball roll
The forward ball roll is my favoured variation on a plank for cyclists, as the instability of the ball in three dimensions gives you the best chance of stimulating the core to produce good alignment. The stable nature of the more traditional plank (on both the elbows and the hands) makes it all too easy for the cyclist’s lazy body to drop into a poor position with inactive glutes, a dip in the lower back and often a rounding of the upper back. This ball version is a little more difficult to learn, but may give you the best chance of strengthening your lower abdominals and glutes in particular.
Preparation
Start by kneeling behind the ball with your elbows resting on it, making a rectangular space underneath it into which you will then begin to move. Your elbows should be under your shoulders but slightly forwards, and your knees should be under your hips but slightly backwards, making a trapezius shape. Focus on a neutral alignment of your spine. You should have a natural curve at your lower back, and your hips, shoulders and ear should all be in line. Look down between your elbows to keep your neck in line. (The best way to learn this alignment is using the horse stance exercises already described.)
Movement
Draw your navel in and slowly move forward from the hips, opening up the angle between your thigh and your torso, maintaining the neutral alignment of your back. In practice this means tucking your hips under as you move forwards. You should feel your lower abdominal muscles and glutes working strongly. You should not feel this exercise in your lower back at all.
When you find a position that you can maintain, but feel that you are working the right areas, hold it for 5 seconds, before releasing backwards out of position. Sometimes it is difficult to get a feel for what your back position might look like, so positioning a mirror to one side, if at all possible, can help you connect what you see with what you feel.
Kneeling plank
Some cyclists will have a problem performing any plank with good form, but for others working into a full plank by first achieving good alignment in a kneeling plank can be the bridge that you need for the full version. Even if you are going to use the full plank as part of your core programme, I recommend going from the kneeling position first because I believe it’s the best way to ensure you are doing the plank right.
Preparation and position
Kneel on all fours with your knees together, and if you have a hard floor, resting on a soft surface (Nichola, pictured, is using a yoga block). Keeping your hands positioned a little wider than shoulder width, walk your hands forwards while shifting your hips forwards and down. Keep moving in this direction until you are in the kneeling plank position shown, with your knees, hips, shoulders and ears all in one line.
Squeeze your thighs together, pull your tummy in, and squeeze your glutes. Your shoulders are softened away from your ears, and arms straight.
Plank on toes
Preparation and position
From the kneeling plank position, tuck your toes and push strongly through the balls of your feet, lifting your hips higher so that your ankles, hips, shoulders and ears are all in alignment. Squeeze your glutes together as you move, and brace yourself through your arms to support your body weight, but keep your elbows soft rather than locked.
Once you are in position, focus on squeezing your thighs together, pulling your tummy in at the front, and squeezing your glutes at the back. Keep your shoulders soft away from your ears and your arms straight but elbows not locked.
How many reps and sets?
Since this exercise is an isometric position, the focus is on increasing your core endurance in the position with progressively longer holds and shorter rest periods. In the set descriptions below, ‘on’ means that you are in the position and ‘off’ means that you come out of the position. Suggested progressions to work through are:
3 × 20 seconds on 10 seconds off × 2–3 sets
3 × 30 seconds on 15 seconds off × 2 sets
3 × 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off × 2 sets
3 × 1 minute held with 30 seconds’ rest × 1 set
Though it may be tempting to go straight to the ‘harder’ sets here, it is more sensible to work through the progressions and focus on the quality of the position.
Swiss ball crunch
The Swiss ball crunch is the only type of ‘crunchie’ or ‘sit-up’ that I would recommend for cyclists, since the curve of the ball offers some support for the lower back as well as offering a counterbalancing backwards curve for extending the spine between sets.
The Swiss ball crunch does include some lumbar flexion so should be avoided by riders who have a history of lumbar disc injury. Good mobility in the upper back and a trouble-free neck are also prerequisites in order to include this exercise safely, so it may be better avoided if you know you have a very stiff upper back or any neck problem.
Preparation
From a seated position on the ball, walk your feet forwards and lie backwards over it, keeping your weight over the ball as you go, until your back is curved around the ball and you are supported by it, but hanging slightly upside down as shown. You can vary how far back into this position you want to go by bringing your feet in closer (to push up and over more), or by taking your feet further away (and dropping your hips) to have a slightly less extreme start position. Your feet should be a little wider than hip-width apart to give you a stable base, and your knees should be directly over your ankles so that your shin is vertical. Rest your fingers by your temples (do not interlock them behind your head), with your elbows dropping out to the side.
Movement
The Swiss ball crunch needs to start from both ends of your body, with a pelvic tuck at your tail end, and a chin tuck at your head end. The pelvic tuck ensures that your lower abdominals are included in the crunch while the chin tuck works the deep muscles of the neck that help to stabilize your neck.
Initiate the movement with these ‘tucking’ actions, then continue to engage your abdominal muscles, until you feel your abdominals are fully contracted and there is no more movement. Note that there is not any actual ‘sit-up’ and the knee and ankle stay fixed through the crunch movement.
Pause briefly in this fully contracted position, before unravelling your body from the centre outwards in the reverse action, until you are fully extended over the ball in the start position.
(Neck crunch)
If you find that your neck hurts and is a limiting factor in this exercise, you can isolate the neck flexor muscles on their own to develop the strength to then be able to use your neck effectively in the Swiss ball crunch
Preparation
Lie flat on your back on the floor, with your knees bent as shown, and your fingers resting by your temples.
Movement
Keeping the back of your head in contact with the floor for as long as possible, lengthen the back of your neck to tuck your chin towards your chest, and lift the back of your head up off the floor by just a centimetre or two. If you are engaging your deep neck muscles effectively in this movement you should feel a throaty sensation as you engage the relevant muscles.
Lower your head back to the floor with control, keeping your chin tucked in and letting the back of your head touch the ground at the last minute.
How many reps and sets?
Perform 8–12 repetitions for 2–3 sets, with 30 seconds’ rest between sets. Choose one of these exercises and work on it for 8–12 weeks before changing to another variation for best results. Alternatively, once you are familiar with all three variations you can do one set of each in order to get a big bang effect of stability in all planes of movement.
Exercises for frontal plane core strength (sideways)<
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Stability at the sides of your body is essential as the cycling action is unilateral, with a predominant downwards push on one leg at a time. Lateral core stability can help you maintain a solid centre as you push and pull alternately with the legs. Strength at the sides of your body becomes even more important when standing out of the saddle, climbing, or pushing harder when seated in the saddle.
The lateral gluteal muscles at the sides of your hips (the gluteus medius), the back muscles on either side of your spine, and the oblique abdominal muscles all stabilize against the force generated by the up-and-down movement of alternate legs. As the power you produce with your legs and hips increases, so must the stability and strength of your core muscles in the frontal plane.
Swiss ball side lean
This Swiss ball side lean exercise challenges all the muscles down the side of your body, from the lateral hip to the abdominals on one side and the muscles of the back on the same side. Building postural endurance in these muscles is important for standing climbing endurance in particular. With a stronger, more stable torso you will be able to stand out of the saddle for longer more comfortably. You will also be able to push harder for longer seated in the saddle.
Preparation
Sit sideways on your ball with your uppermost leg stretched out and braced against the wall, and the other leg bent and slightly forwards. Your feet should be a good distance apart to help give you a stable base of support for the lean. It’s important you get a good anchor with the top leg so that you don’t fall over the ball as you go into the lean. Position the ball so that you are sitting on half of the ball as you look down on it. Your hips and body should be facing forwards, perpendicular to the wall. Cross your arms over your chest and sit tall on the ball, drawing your navel in to prepare your abdominal muscles.