Sometimes for us cyclists the biggest performance gains to be had are actually found off of the road bike. As we start to approach winter, consider building in some of these exercises in your regular routine and you'll start to see some massive improvements in your overall and on the bike fitness. It's not just big power numbers you can expect to see but also on bike stability and more efficient riding positions are going to be more easily sustained.
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00:00 It might sound counterintuitive, but the best way to improve your cycling isn't necessarily
00:04 through more cycling, quite the opposite in fact.
00:08 Supplementing your riding with off-the-bike cross training helps address those aspects
00:12 of your fitness which don't get sufficiently developed through riding alone, but nevertheless
00:18 are still crucial for your cycling performance.
00:21 After all, it's no coincidence that essentially every professional cyclist includes regular
00:26 off-the-bike exercises as part of their training plans.
00:30 But unlike professional cyclists, not all of us have the time, money or inclination
00:35 to put in all the hours at the gym.
00:37 So we've spoken to Dan Lacciufano, owner of Surrey Strength and Performance Gym, and
00:41 Sam Mack, a chartered physiotherapist at the St James Clinic in London, to get their expert
00:47 recommendations of what five of the best home exercises are for maximum gains.
00:53 And all of these can be done without any specialist equipment, so let's get into them.
00:59 First up we have Bulgarian Split Squats.
01:02 This is a unilateral or single leg exercise and is hugely beneficial to cyclists because
01:07 it's essentially a two-in-one.
01:09 The muscles targeted are your quadriceps and hamstrings, essentially both sides of your
01:14 thighs, as well as your gluteus maximus, helping to boost your anaerobic power output for improved
01:19 sprinting and efforts up to short to mid-sized climbs.
01:23 Being a unilateral exercise, it also places demands on your balance and stability.
01:28 Through controlling your knee direction and making sure it doesn't buckle inwards, you'll
01:32 be improving your joint stability, which in turn will help reduce chances of overuse injuries
01:37 whilst on the bike.
01:38 The way to do this exercise is, rest one foot on a bench or seat at approximately knee height,
01:44 assume the forward lunge position, keeping the body upright, hips squared with the rear
01:49 foot resting on the bench.
01:51 Lower the front leg to 90 degrees, keeping the knee aligned with the foot.
01:55 Drive up through the heel to straighten the knee back to the starting position.
01:58 And aim to do 10-12 reps on each leg.
02:02 After doing both legs, take up a 2 minute rest and repeat this for up to 5 sets.
02:07 Doing fewer reps and fewer sets initially as you build up your conditioning is ideal.
02:14 Next we have the good old fashioned press up.
02:16 Loved by fitness classes throughout the world and with good reason.
02:20 Although upper body exercises may seem superfluous for a cyclist, developing your upper body
02:25 strength helps make it easier to maintain your riding position on the bike and is especially
02:30 beneficial for sprinters who need to be able to counteract the forces they're putting
02:34 down through the pedals.
02:36 You should aim to keep the elbows tucked in so you're working the triceps more and to
02:40 reduce the risk of injury to the shoulders as well as keeping your core tight and your
02:44 body straight.
02:45 Need to be in control of the movement.
02:48 Other than that, you should start off by placing your hands below the shoulder, slightly wider
02:52 than shoulder width.
02:54 Keep your shoulders, hips and ankles in a straight line.
02:57 Bend your elbows to lower your chest just above the floor, keeping the elbows close
03:01 to the chest.
03:02 Then push back up to the start position.
03:04 Aim for 10-15 reps, then 2 minutes rest and then try and do that for 5 sets.
03:10 Again, fewer reps and fewer sets is recommended for those just starting out.
03:16 With the mason twists, we have yet another dynamic exercise, only this time you're starting
03:21 to work the core and the obliques much harder.
03:24 Strength in this area helps prevent rocking from side to side whilst riding, meaning less
03:28 power wasted.
03:30 Stabilising lateral movement in this way is fundamental to maintaining good form on the
03:34 bike, making you more efficient and reducing your risk of injury.
03:39 If you have a hard wooden floor, you may wish to place a blanket or cushion or yoga mat
03:43 if you have one under your bum to relieve the pressure on your coccyx.
03:47 The way to do this exercise is as follows.
03:50 Sit on the floor with your knees bent.
03:52 Lean back roughly to about 45 degrees, keeping your back straight.
03:56 With both hands in front of your chest, tighten the core and lift both legs off the floor.
04:02 Rotate your arms from side to side, touching the floor around waist level and then twist
04:06 to the opposite side to do the same.
04:08 You can aim for 10 reps and then take a 2 minute rest before repeating for up to 5 sets.
04:14 Or you can build up the reps and sets from whatever level suits you.
04:18 You can make this exercise harder by holding a dumbbell, or if you don't have one, fill
04:22 a 2 litre bottle of water and hold that instead.
04:27 Next up we have the bridge.
04:29 For those just starting out, the bridge is a great exercise for developing your back
04:33 and your core.
04:34 Again, vital for your stability and maintaining your position on the bike.
04:39 The bridge also helps to develop your hamstrings and gluteus, but less so than the split squats
04:44 we did earlier.
04:45 So the way to do these ones is, lie yourself on the floor with your knees bent at roughly
04:50 90 degrees, with your feet flat and your arms by your side.
04:54 Lift your hips up off the floor until the knees, hips and shoulders are in a straight
04:58 line.
04:59 Squeeze the glutes and tighten the core to prevent excessive load through the back.
05:03 Then hold for 2-3 seconds for isometric contraction, and then slowly relax.
05:09 Now if that's a bit too easy for you, then you can step things up a notch by resting
05:13 your shoulders on a bench, sofa or chair, and start with both your feet and bum on the
05:18 ground.
05:19 Then, with one leg, lift up so you're straight like a tabletop, being careful not to overextend,
05:24 return and then repeat.
05:27 As you'll just be using one leg, and because your range of motion will be much greater,
05:31 you'll be increasing both the demand on your muscles, and also helping to develop your
05:35 stability in your joints and your core.
05:38 Now for both of these, aim for between 10-15 reps and take up to 2 minutes rest in between.
05:43 You probably know the drill by now, you should aim for up to 5 sets.
05:50 We're going to end on a tough one here.
05:51 If you're not yet able to do the full number of reps and sets for the split squats and
05:56 single leg hip thrusts, it will be best for you to leave this one out.
06:00 On the other hand, those exercises will provide really good conditioning for pistol squats,
06:05 so in time you'll be able to build up the strength to progress.
06:09 Stand with your feet hip width apart, extend your chosen leg forwards with your toes pointed
06:14 up, extend your arms out in front of you, bend your other knee and slowly lower yourself
06:18 to the ground, pause, and then straighten back up.
06:22 Your extended leg should stay lifted for the whole of the duration.
06:26 Then switch up, and then repeat.
06:29 This exercise is the most demanding for both muscular strength and stability, making it
06:33 the most effective for boosting your cycling performance.
06:36 But on the other hand, you might not be able to do it on your first try.
06:40 If you're not able to, but you do want to flesh out your session with a full 5 exercises,
06:46 try a deep step up using a bench, chair, or low wall as an alternative.
06:51 If you can get to the point where you can do 10 reps on each leg for 5 sets, then you
06:56 will have definitely noticed a massive difference in your cycling performance.
07:02 So there we have it, those are our 5 favourite exercises to do at home with very minimal
07:08 equipment.
07:09 If you've got any at home exercises, then do share them down in the comments.
07:12 If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content,
07:15 and I'll see you again very soon.
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