The bike has a specific window between the 12 and 5 o’clock positions on the stroke, where the foot acts like a piston and pedals forward. And during that window, your quadriceps and gluteal muscles do most of the work. In the second half of the stroke, the hamstrings and calves tap to lift the foot.
All of these major muscles are essential for force generation and injury prevention (gluteal muscles help stabilize the hips when riding, and hamstrings help stabilize. Your knees). Therefore, strength training from the saddle is an easy strategy for any cyclist.
“It’s important to increase the strength of your legs from your bike, because it puts more strain on your muscles and allows you to employ more motor units,” said Christopher J. Lee, founder. I am. Kinesis integrated performance Located in Boulder, Colorado, we are an NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, a NASM Certified Orthodontic Exercise Specialist, and a Level 1 Functional Exercise Specialist. “This makes it easier to generate force with pedal strokes.” That No matter what terrain you are working on, it will be converted to faster speed and more power.
One of the best strength training movements for cyclists is traditional reverse lunge. Not only does the lunge target the muscles that control the ankles, knees, and hips, but “the angle of movement is similar to the angle during a cycling pedal stroke,” says Lee.
“Lunge is a great way to train your lower body unilaterally,” he added. That is, use only one limb at a time, just as you would on a bicycle. One-legged exercise also fires a core to increase saddle stability while dealing with muscle imbalances that can lead to injury.
Here’s everything you need to know to get the most out of your lunge, a staple of strength training.
How to rush
Lunge is one of the most basic complex exercises, meaning moving multiple joints and muscles at once. For traditional reverse lunges, Lee describes the basic steps.
- Stand with your legs separated by the width of your hips, and then move your weight so that you can balance with your left leg.
- Then bend your left ankle, knees, and hips at the same time while stepping on your right foot backwards. Gently place your right foot on the ground behind you, bending your knees. Lower it down, bend both knees about 90 degrees, keep your front thighs almost parallel to the floor, and lift your back knees off the floor.
- Push your left forefoot to the floor and stand up.
- Repeat on the other side.
Common lunge mistakes
These steps sound easy, right? However, there are some things to keep in mind as you proceed with this exercise.
To get started, you want to engage your core, keep your chest open (think: proud posture), and keep your eyes straight forward. “If you lean forward a little from your hips, you’ll be hinged to your hips and you’ll have more gluteal muscles,” he explains. The hinges are an important part — I don’t want to curl my back. “Maintaining a tall posture is the key to activating the posterior chain muscles,” says Lee. People often lean too far behind or fall off their chests. These are two important points to avoid.
“Don’t push with your hind legs,” says Lee, when you’re at the bottom of the exercise. Your front legs are working legs. “Many people push on their hind legs, but you want to have 70 percent of your weight on your front legs,” says Lee. This ensures that you are engaged in the correct muscles. When standing, consider that the top of your head is straight up to the ceiling.
Also make sure you are pushing your entire forefoot as you descend (and drive backwards) to the lunge. Sometimes, especially during walking rushes, people raise their heels in front of them, putting extra stress on the knee joints.
Finally, make sure the movement pattern is below before adding the resistor.
4 lunge variations for cyclists
Reverse lunge is a staple for all of the above reasons. However, various variations of lunges also help develop power generation and prevent injuries, Lee says.
Static lunge
Why it works: This variation, with the foot fixed to the ground, is more stable than a reverse lunge. “This allows us to use more loads and improves overall strength,” says Lee. It’s also a good option for those unfamiliar with rushing.
How to do: Start to stand. Take a big step directly with your right foot. Hold this split stance forever. Bend both knees 90 degrees and track the front knee along the ankle. Rush as low as possible without sacrificing foam. Then drive your right leg and stand in a straight leg split stance. repeat.
Walking lunge
Why it works: “Cycling is a stationary position and usually does not load the tendons,” says Lee. “The weight transfer and deceleration components of the walking lunge help stabilize the core, load the tendons and prevent excessive injury to the bike while transferring weight.”
How to do: Please stand with your feet separated by shoulder width. Go forward with your right foot and bend your knees 90 degrees. Without pausing, push your right foot to push your left foot forward and repeat the movement on that side. Alternate your legs as you walk forward.
Lateral lunge
Why it works: “Cycling is a straight line,” says Lee. Imagine your foot turning the pedal. It is not moving from side to side at any point. Lateral rush develops adductor and abductor muscles, the muscles that move the legs closer to and away from the body’s median, respectively. “If you don’t use these stabilizers, you can lead to muscle imbalances and injuries,” he explains.
How to do: Stand side by side and take a wide step with your right foot while keeping it parallel to your left foot. Bend your right knee, push your hips back and forth, hinge your hips, and transfer your weight to your right heel. Keep your left foot straight, but keep your knees soft. Press your right foot to return to a wide stance. Then repeat on the left side. Continue alternately.
Curtsy lunge
Why it works: Just as a lateral rush helps move on a new plane of motion, so does a Curtsy rush. It also targets the gluteus medius, which is smaller than the gluteus maximus, which is very important for pelvic stabilization and pedal stroke power.
How to do: Stand with your legs separated by the width of your hips. Place your right foot diagonally and return to the 5 o’clock position. Bend both knees. Track the front knee at ankle and chest level. Stand up through the left forefoot. Repeat while returning your left foot diagonally. Continue alternately.
How to incorporate lunge into your training
With one or two strength training sessions a week, cyclists can improve their strength, function and power-to-weight ratio. study Published in Sports biology Found in 2021. A study Was announced in Medicine and science in sports and exercise In 2019, we found that just 13 minutes, three times a week, was enough to build strength.
From there, it’s easy to incorporate a rush into any strength session. Quiet lunges with inherent stability can be done at the beginning of the week with heavy loads, Lee says. We aim for 3 sets of 5 to 7 repetitions with weights that are rewarding but do not damage the form at any point. For walking lunges, do 3 sets of 7-10 repetitions with a medium load later in the week. Finally, the lateral rush can be done twice a week with a light load of 3 sets of 10-15 iterations to increase muscle endurance.
Try programming strength training training on the same day as your cycling training. After intense training (such as cycling), it takes 24 to 48 hours for the muscles to be completely repaired. Therefore, stacking up two high-intensity workouts followed by a recovery day is the best way to avoid the end. The next time I ride hard, it will hurt very much.
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