How to build core strength?

[shewhobikes]

I've done searches and found bits and pieces, questions about pilates, etc., but I'm curious about specifics:
What exercises do you do to strengthen your core?
How often do you do them/in season and out?
What specific benefits to cycling in doing this?
Thanks!

[Bike Goddess]

Shewbikes- I don't know if this will help you, but for core strength, I lift weights and do counterweights as well at the gym. I am fortuneate that I have a cycling friend who is a trainer at my gym so she set up a program specifically designed to meet my requests.

I wanted a program to increase endurance and build lower body strength (i.e. legs). If you want I will send you on your own message a copy of the program.

The key for us cyclists is not to build muscles for looks, rather to strengthen them. So, rather than increasing weights, you increase sets. I have been doing this program (with a few modifications in the past few weeks)since last November and have found that I am stronger on long rides and not as tired when I come home after a fast ride.

Most of the people I have met in the gym are not cyclists so they don't necessarily know what you need. To me that is the most important part!

Let me know if you want to see what I do! I have cycled 1941 miles as of Yesterday since January 1st and feel the best I've felt in years!

[VenusdeVelo]

Shewhobikes -- core strengthening is absolutely wonderful for cycling. Like your leg muscles -- your core -- full abdominals and back area -- benefit from strengthening. Besides your legs, they are the key muscles that strengthen your body's stability. Cycling is very dependent upon your core having the strength to control and maneuver the bike, and if you road bike especially, your back and lower back can take a beating if you are not building the muscles around it to their optimal levels. This is what core strengthening does for you. You also gain a great deal of flexibility that cycling can sometimes take away -- whenever you do a sport like cycling over and over, your muscles become somewhat tightened into those positions, and yoga and pilates esp I have found have allowed me to counter that by loosening up that tightness I get in my back, hips, etc.

Pilates is probably the optimal way to build your core (look for classes at your gym or good DVDs I like are Mari Winsor, Stotts Technique). The other way, and also very beneficial you can even do at home is done with a ball (those large ones you fill with air). There are several core exercises you can do for torso and back -- several of the balls you can buy come with some, or you can pickup an issue of Women's Health mag, Self, Shape...they all have routines in there on the ball. Yoga moves that focus on your core can also be used. Added benefits -- recent studies are showing that yoga is an aid in easing post cardio exercise muscle pain -- additionally it relieves lactic acid build-up pain. Yoga is preventative -- these studies showed results with people doing yoga 2-3 times per week.

Also check out some sites that provide info and some floor and ball exercises:
www.ultracycling.com
www.yogajournal.com/practice/196.cfm
www.hubbub.com/DailYoga/30MinuteYoga.htm
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?stor...TOKEN=44930982
http://www.ginmiller.com/gmf04/artinfo/bestabsSB2.htm
http://www.shopnbc.com/pom2k.aspx?ca...laytype=2&ft=0

Good luck, I have never had a better back since I started core strengthening!!

[shewhobikes]

BikeGoddess, yes, please do send me your routine.

Venus, thanks for the good links! I may just have to get one of those balls. We have yoga and pilates at the gym, but now that it's so pretty I hate to go inside! At least with the ball I can squeeze a little work in in the early a.m. and while catching the news on the tv.

[neuroticcyclist]

I too recommend Pilates and a ball. It has done amazing things for flexibility (i.e., staying in the drops for a long time) and lower back strength. I supplement that by lifting in the winter and light arms in the summer.

Pilates is hard to learn by yourself, so I recommend a class. Once you know the routine, you can do either half of it after a ride to stretch or the whole thing in 45 mins to an hour on an "off day" and feel better and stronger for it.

There is also a thing called Bosu, but it was WAY too hard for me!

[Bike Goddess]

I need your email address before I can do that. Send it to me via private message from your home page

[nuthatch]

Thanks for asking this question. I know it's kind of been asked before but it's good to see what you guys do individually. My back was just aching like crazy on a ride today (a bit longer than normal) and I was thinking about what kind of routine I could do at home, quickly and without too much special equipment - just make it part of the normal routine like riding and stretching and brushing my teeth. I feel like I'm going to have to shoe-horn it in somewhere timewise.

[Bike Goddess]

Nuthatch- Check your seat height and handlebar height as well. Also when I get home I do a stretch for my back that eases the pain- other than that you'll need to do some strength training (my opinion).

Lay flat on the floor- bring your knees up to your chest- hold about 20 secs. do this 2-3 tiimes and your back should feel much better. Also you can do the same thing except bring one leg up to you knee- stretch and then the other one up. Alternate legs.

I will also stretch on long rides when I take a break. That seems to help as well!

[JanT]

Crunches, and the Swiss Ball. The balls are cheap, around $20 at most sports stores, and they often have exercise diagrams included. Mine even had a short video. I am amazed at how I can feel the muscles in the abdomen tighten, and how good my shoulders and back feel after a few minutes on the ball. If you're like me and don't like to spend alot of money or time "exercising," this is the way to go. I'd rather ride or run for a half-hour than do some exercise routine!

[Raindrop]

Crunches are a great way to increase abdominal muscle strength, but to strengthen core muscles you need to address all the inner and out abdominal, and back muscles. Two that will help you to do that are:

Get into a four point position, on your hands and knees; knees directly under the hips, hands directly under the shoulders. The back should be in a neutral position, chin slightly tucked. Draw your belly button into your backbone without rounding your back, extend your left leg (keeping your hips focused toward the floor) while extening your opposite (right) arm....almost as though someone was pulling on you from each end, hold for a pause, then exhale, and with the next inhale, extend the other leg and opposite arm. Do about 6 - 10 repetitions, slowly and with purpose.

Roll over onto your back. Pull your knees directly above your hips into a 'chair position". Your arms should be extended on the floor next to your hips. Draw your belly botton into your backbone and then do a slight pelvic tilt, which will press your lower back into the floor (keep your shoulders relaxed). Hold that for a pause, relax, and then repeat slowly and while breathing deeply for up to ten repetitions. On the last repetition, hold the backbone pressed into the floor for a count of eight then stretch your legs to one wall the arms to the other.

[neuroticcyclist]

Both of those are good exercises. Make sure (and Pilates will tell you this) to keep the stomach in when you do the exercise. That protects the back.

The most simple pilates stretch/abs I do after riding and it helps. It sounds stupid, but you lie on your back with hands over your head and legs should width apart, toes NOT pointed but feet flexed. Sucking stomach in, pull yourself seated slowly, pause for a half-second on top and, keeping feet flexed, gently go as far forward as you can feeling the hamstring stretch, hold a second and slowly go all the way down, sucking stomach in. The gentle rollup of the back through the situp (with the feet in that position) gives a core ab workout (nothing too hard after a ride) and moves through to stretch the legs. I find that it stretches the legs, back, etc. Typically, as with all Pilates exercises, you only to 5 or 6 of them. Sounds stupid, but they add up to be very effective!

[LBTC]

core is definitely essential for fast and comfortable riding! In the off-season I did kickboxing this year. best core strength and overall muscle strength I've ever had. In previous years I've done weights, but can't always be motivated to keep doin them, and have done yoga. This year, the KB schedule was pretty steep - three nights a week, so yoga slipped a bit to in between KB classes.....I think I've missed a bit on flexibility and overall muscle health, but I've gained tons on strength. Sure noticed in last week's KB class that front kick to side kick without putting a foot down, totally integrated the MTB climbing muscles!! That was cool to feel that correlation.

Now that it's riding season I have to get back to my yoga/stretch post-ride routine. things like warrior, pigeon, twists and sometimes one-legged balances if I didn't work tooo hard on the ride. some core practice in those, but not too serious, compared to an ashtanga session(!), probably holding each individual pose for up to 15 seconds, but moving through several that stretch one area differently without resting in between...

I wouldn't be without my exercise ball - use it when I do weights or anything when I work out at home. I totally want to try a BOSU ball! I've seen tons of great exercises to do on them.

totally right, what bike goddess said, the muscles need to get strong. but, wholly, when they get there, and when the cardio from those long rides kicks in, they still look good!! Gotta like it when I get changed into something nice and DH says "WOAH"

namaste,
~T~

[nuthatch]

Gotta like it when I get changed into something nice and DH says "WOAH"

namaste,
~T~

oh, yeah! Looking for that "whoa" too!

[Biking Chick]

I've done searches and found bits and pieces, questions about pilates, etc., but I'm curious about specifics:
What exercises do you do to strengthen your core?
How often do you do them/in season and out?
What specific benefits to cycling in doing this?
Thanks!

Good Morning Shewhobikes ...

Earlier this year while flipping through tv channels while on the trainer I started spending more time watching Denise Austin on Lifetime TV - a couple of months ago I started *participating* in the half hour show and I have to say that after a couple of weeks I noticed a huge difference in abs, back and legs; I had thought about joining one of the beginning pilates or a yoga class but knowing that once the nice weather arrived I wanted to be able to have the freedom to ride in the evenings with dh so evening classes 'were out'. For me, the timing of the show is perfect - by 7:00 I'm finished with aerobic and toning - three days a week I add weights targeting upper body which I do immediately following the aerobics.

I have not been very disiplined about stretching and cool down after rides but since watching the show I now know what stretching routines work for me after those long rides; I'm convinced that they have helped reduce sore muscles.

There are a number of really good shows on tv - a few of them are too fast paced for me but you might find that they are what you are looking for. I'm finding that I stick with a routine when I can follow along with an instructor and for me, this is a better alternative to having to go to the gym or working 'by myself'.

What ever routine you follow I know you'll benefit from a routine that targets your 'core'. Yesterday we went on a 30-mile ride with speeds that averaged 17 mph and I found not only was I able to keep up but when I took the lead for a 10 mile stretch I received all kinds of praise (what was way nice!) I know the aerobic/toning and weights have made a big difference.

Good Luck.

[Biking Chick]

oh, yeah! Looking for that "whoa" too!

My goal is to be toned to do justice to a tank top in the LBS that I have my eye one ... the kind with the skinny spaghetti straps and a shelf bra. If I get the look from dh in a sleeveless jersey ... I think that top will definately get a 'whoa'!