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.
07:16 [MUSIC PLAYING]
Comments