3 Exercises to Build a Better Body for Cycling

As one who is training to become a pro cyclist, one of the greatest challenges you will face is strength training. Good cycling requires strength in the right areas of the body. You have to develop stamina in the parts that are in motion in both the upper and lower body when you are cycling on your bike. While the main aim is to increase muscle strength, you also want to develop endurance and stamina in order to be able to cycle for long periods. The aim is to develop a support system for your prime movers using assistance muscles. The better able they are to support your prime movers the faster and longer you will be able to cycle. There are certain exercises that you can use to develop a body for cycling:

Sagan’s Crunches

Today, most workouts that are required for development of abs require the use of abs-machines. Sagan’s crunches don’t need them at all, meaning that you will be working your body even harder. They are easy to do but may be exhausting the first few times that you try them. Lie on the floor, legs bent at the knees and then clasp your hands behind your head. Lift yourself off the floor towards your knees until you are about 4-6 inches off the floor (the aim is not to reach your knees with your forehead). Hold your body in that position for 5 seconds and then lower yourself slowly back to the floor. If you do 200 – 300 Sagan’s crunches a day you will build a lot of stamina in your upper body while at the same time developing fine abs. The reason why you need your torso muscles to be strong is that they are involved in the movement of every cycle that you make.

Basso’s Leg Curls

Quite obviously you need your leg muscles to be their best if you are going to do anything significant on a bike. In fact, some professional bikers will tell you that without good leg muscles you are wasting your time. Basso’s leg curls are for your hamstrings. You need to lie face down on a machine that you have already adjusted to fit your preferred height and weight resistance. Place your legs (just below the calves) beneath the padded lever, grab the machine by the sides and then curl your legs up and lift as far as they can go. Hold in place for one second and then lower them slowly. Repeat 20 times and more as you become more seasoned.

Boivin’s Ladder Moves

You want to use these to work on your quads. Agility ladders are important when building a body for cycling because they work on both cardio and strength training. You will also develop speed, concentration and agility, all of which are important in pro cycling. Boivin’s ladder was developed by Guillaume Boivin, a hockey player from Canada. It is a simple exercise that will not cost you much and that will get your legs fit very fast. All you need are anchor weights and a rope ladder than you can lay out on flat ground. Wrap the anchors around your ankles for resistance and then shuffle from side to side for 20 minutes. You can increase the weight of the anchors over time but make sure you don’t do it too fast or you will tear your calf muscles. You can shuffle for 20 minutes a day or go up and down a flight of 100 stairs.

All these exercises will help you develop a better body for cycling
but don’t push yourself too hard or you will be done before you have even begun. BESPOKE Cycling Studio in Los Angeles California