Best exercises to strengthen one's core and lower back for cyclists:
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Best exercises to strengthen one's core and lower back for cyclists:
What would you say are the best, lets say 5 exercises, to strengthen my core and lower back for cycling (i seem to have a weaker lower back and core as I've increased my riding)? If you have any videos (from Youtube for ex.) to share that'd be great. Thx.
#2
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721
Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times
in
1,286 Posts
For me personally I use various kettlebell exercises. Every kettlebell exercise involves using your core, back and posterior chain...Some people like to use barbell deadlifts and barbell squats...The best thing to do, is to experiment with different exercises and see what you're comfortable with and then choose something that you enjoy, something that produces good results and something that is sustainable long term while minimizing the risk of injury. Be careful with youtube fitness channels because there is a lot of nonsense out there that is useless and may do more harm than good.
#3
I'm good to go!
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 14,987
Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020
Mentioned: 51 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6193 Post(s)
Liked 4,809 Times
in
3,317 Posts
I can't stand threads that use "best" in their title. Sorry, it's just the way I am. Best to me is so subjective.
#4
just another gosling
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 19,534
Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004
Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3889 Post(s)
Liked 1,938 Times
in
1,383 Posts
I think you're on the right track, thinking of doing say 5 exercises. I like lat pull downs, back extension machine: https://www.sparkpeople.com/resource...p?exercise=222, dumbbell deadlifts, and stiff-legged deadlifts. After those, 50 reps of kettlebell swings are good. That said, right now try pushups, plank, and twisting side planks:
All of those until you can't anymore.
Too many people injure themselves from jumping in to weights before they have the conditioning for it. It's too easy to up the weight too quickly. For weights, IME it's best to start with sets of 30, then gradually decreasing the reps over the period of a couple years.
Too many people injure themselves from jumping in to weights before they have the conditioning for it. It's too easy to up the weight too quickly. For weights, IME it's best to start with sets of 30, then gradually decreasing the reps over the period of a couple years.
__________________
Results matter
Results matter
#5
Me duelen las nalgas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 13,513
Bikes: Centurion Ironman, Trek 5900, Univega Via Carisma, Globe Carmel
Mentioned: 199 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4560 Post(s)
Liked 2,802 Times
in
1,800 Posts
Check out Bowflex videos on YouTube. Best short, clear and well informed videos I've found for home conditioning and physical therapy.
Don't worry, you don't need a Bowflex and they don't spam viewers with endless ads. Many Bowflex channel videos use no apparatus at all.
There are plenty of videos trying to demonstrate basic conditioning and physical therapy approaches, but most of them are poorly done -- too long, with no evidence of the presenter preparing a script or even an outline, no editing other than some choppy cuts to eliminate dead space. They'll take 15-30 minutes to say what the Bowflex folks do in 2-3 minutes. (Kinda like my third paragraph here -- overwritten.)
Don't worry, you don't need a Bowflex and they don't spam viewers with endless ads. Many Bowflex channel videos use no apparatus at all.
There are plenty of videos trying to demonstrate basic conditioning and physical therapy approaches, but most of them are poorly done -- too long, with no evidence of the presenter preparing a script or even an outline, no editing other than some choppy cuts to eliminate dead space. They'll take 15-30 minutes to say what the Bowflex folks do in 2-3 minutes. (Kinda like my third paragraph here -- overwritten.)
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 5,373
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2482 Post(s)
Liked 2,955 Times
in
1,678 Posts
Chances are you don't need to do anything other than riding your bike. At least, in over 50 years of racing (up until 20 years ago) and training, I've never felt the need for cycling-directed exercise other than riding the bike. The first 5 or so rides of increased mileage in the spring are often accompanied by a bit of lower-back discomfort, but that invariably goes away quickly.
Likes For Trakhak:
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Posts: 877
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 528 Post(s)
Liked 230 Times
in
161 Posts
Squats and deadlifts. For strength so basically not 5 x 5 but 2 x 5. For squats ass to grass is not needed, in cycling your legs will never be angled that much.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,646 Times
in
6,054 Posts
Renegade rows, squats, and deadlifts including single leg DLs.
Likes For Seattle Forrest:
#9
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Chances are you don't need to do anything other than riding your bike. At least, in over 50 years of racing (up until 20 years ago) and training, I've never felt the need for cycling-directed exercise other than riding the bike. The first 5 or so rides of increased mileage in the spring are often accompanied by a bit of lower-back discomfort, but that invariably goes away quickly.
#10
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Check out Bowflex videos on YouTube. Best short, clear and well informed videos I've found for home conditioning and physical therapy.
Don't worry, you don't need a Bowflex and they don't spam viewers with endless ads. Many Bowflex channel videos use no apparatus at all.
There are plenty of videos trying to demonstrate basic conditioning and physical therapy approaches, but most of them are poorly done -- too long, with no evidence of the presenter preparing a script or even an outline, no editing other than some choppy cuts to eliminate dead space. They'll take 15-30 minutes to say what the Bowflex folks do in 2-3 minutes. (Kinda like my third paragraph here -- overwritten.)
Don't worry, you don't need a Bowflex and they don't spam viewers with endless ads. Many Bowflex channel videos use no apparatus at all.
There are plenty of videos trying to demonstrate basic conditioning and physical therapy approaches, but most of them are poorly done -- too long, with no evidence of the presenter preparing a script or even an outline, no editing other than some choppy cuts to eliminate dead space. They'll take 15-30 minutes to say what the Bowflex folks do in 2-3 minutes. (Kinda like my third paragraph here -- overwritten.)
#11
Junior Member
Thread Starter
I think you're on the right track, thinking of doing say 5 exercises. I like lat pull downs, back extension machine: https://www.sparkpeople.com/resource...p?exercise=222, dumbbell deadlifts, and stiff-legged deadlifts. After those, 50 reps of kettlebell swings are good. That said, right now try pushups, plank, and twisting side planks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k017syWyKs All of those until you can't anymore.
Too many people injure themselves from jumping in to weights before they have the conditioning for it. It's too easy to up the weight too quickly. For weights, IME it's best to start with sets of 30, then gradually decreasing the reps over the period of a couple years.
Too many people injure themselves from jumping in to weights before they have the conditioning for it. It's too easy to up the weight too quickly. For weights, IME it's best to start with sets of 30, then gradually decreasing the reps over the period of a couple years.
#14
Full Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 249
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times
in
57 Posts
This is a great body weight move. I do them with a weighted vest but you can do without.
Single leg deadlift. Hit your core and lower back, also hamstrings and glutes. It’s great for athlete as it improves single leg balance as well.
This guy explains how to do them extremely well as opposed to the way some people do them as a yoga stick pose.
Single leg deadlift. Hit your core and lower back, also hamstrings and glutes. It’s great for athlete as it improves single leg balance as well.
This guy explains how to do them extremely well as opposed to the way some people do them as a yoga stick pose.
Last edited by CyclingBK; 08-11-20 at 03:41 PM.
Likes For CyclingBK:
#15
Full Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 249
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times
in
57 Posts
I think you're on the right track, thinking of doing say 5 exercises. I like lat pull downs, back extension machine: https://www.sparkpeople.com/resource...p?exercise=222, dumbbell deadlifts, and stiff-legged deadlifts. After those, 50 reps of kettlebell swings are good. That said, right now try pushups, plank, and twisting side planks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k017syWyKs All of those until you can't anymore.
Too many people injure themselves from jumping in to weights before they have the conditioning for it. It's too easy to up the weight too quickly. For weights, IME it's best to start with sets of 30, then gradually decreasing the reps over the period of a couple years.
Too many people injure themselves from jumping in to weights before they have the conditioning for it. It's too easy to up the weight too quickly. For weights, IME it's best to start with sets of 30, then gradually decreasing the reps over the period of a couple years.
The key is perfect form and getting a feel for handling the weight and tempo of the lifts. For strength training with resistance/weights, I like the 8-15 rep range with 3-5 sets as a solid range for building strength combined with some muscle mass as well as joint health.
Some type of regular strength training is a must as we age, I believe.
I think people should realize how much shoulder muscle strength and muscle mass they lose over time, for example, as we age. It happens slowly but surely and over time, the lost strength can really cause mobility issues and joint deterioration.
Last edited by CyclingBK; 08-11-20 at 07:03 PM.
Likes For CyclingBK:
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Music City, USA
Posts: 4,444
Bikes: bikes
Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2622 Post(s)
Liked 1,429 Times
in
711 Posts
I spent a few weeks increasing the amount of time I spent as aero as possible on the bike. First week I'd just do a few 2-3 min efforts with head/shoulders as low as possible. Progressively built that up. Very sore lower back and it bands and hamstrings. Got progressively better.
Last week eeked out almost two hours in that position. Very sore afterwards, but massive progress compared to the initial 2-3 minutes I was able to maintain.
Anyway, point being, if you're going for improved strength for cycling performance, you can likely build all the core strength necessary by just holding the position you want to achieve. Same for arm strength (climbing out of the saddle) and anything else.
Weights and impact activities can be good for all the off-the-bike/anti-osteoperosis stuff, though.
Last week eeked out almost two hours in that position. Very sore afterwards, but massive progress compared to the initial 2-3 minutes I was able to maintain.
Anyway, point being, if you're going for improved strength for cycling performance, you can likely build all the core strength necessary by just holding the position you want to achieve. Same for arm strength (climbing out of the saddle) and anything else.
Weights and impact activities can be good for all the off-the-bike/anti-osteoperosis stuff, though.
Likes For rubiksoval:
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bristol, R. I.
Posts: 4,340
Bikes: Specialized Secteur, old Peugeot
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 663 Post(s)
Liked 496 Times
in
299 Posts
For someone who would like to stay fit for life, a good understanding of what constitutes core muscles and what they do is helpful and for a pro athlete, crucial. The largest bone in the body is the pelvic girdle which can regarded as the foundation. Every other muscle in the body, if not directly connected to the pelvic girdle, is dependent on some structure that is. When the core is strong, core muscles provide support for the peripheral structures of the body, the arms, legs, head, neck and shoulders. This is easier to see from a good anatomy illustration. https://www.acefitness.org/fitness-c...s-of-the-core/ For example, the ability to hold your head up while cycling is dependent on stable shoulders and backbone because it is all connected. A bonus effect of a strong core is breathing is improved. Yoga exercises emphasize the breadth and core muscles are directly involved with breathing. A particularly good book is "Yoga Anatomy" with superb illustrations of the process breathing. https://poshmark.com/listing/Leslie-...rce=gdm_unpaid
#18
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721
Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times
in
1,286 Posts
Majority of people train their core the wrong way and they waste their time doing silly isolation exercises and then they wonder why they still have a belly and no abs. The best core building exercises are asymmetrical exercises using a kettlebell and doing various kettlebell movements. Asymmetrical movements forces each individual side of your body to work hard to stabilize and control the weight which you're holding in your hand. Do equal amount of volume for both left and right side of your body. Other effective core exercises involve doing rotational and anti-rotational movements. Don't waste your time doing isolation exercises for your core but instead train your core using full body movements.
#19
just another gosling
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 19,534
Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004
Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3889 Post(s)
Liked 1,938 Times
in
1,383 Posts
The best lower back exercise I've found so far is riding my bike. Nothing else fixes up my lower back like that. Posture is important. Pelvis rolled forward, back straight, lots of forward lean which means plenty of reach and low bars. Go out like that for 4 hours with 3-4K feet of climbing, fix your back right up. Can't do that, then start training so you can. This is the same thing rubiksoval is saying, different words.
I'm having a saddle sore disaster this summer, so I've substituted walking for riding. Walk a steady 4 mph for 1-2 hours, using a gait which rolls your pelvis. Each hip travels in a circle, lift up, reach out, push down, push back. Works good. My back'll be good when I start riding again in September, after our 10-day backpack in the Cascades.
I'm having a saddle sore disaster this summer, so I've substituted walking for riding. Walk a steady 4 mph for 1-2 hours, using a gait which rolls your pelvis. Each hip travels in a circle, lift up, reach out, push down, push back. Works good. My back'll be good when I start riding again in September, after our 10-day backpack in the Cascades.
__________________
Results matter
Results matter