Tight muscles don’t just lead to stiffness on the bike–they can also result in improper posture while cycling, favoring one side of your body, or even injury. Maintaining suppleness and flexibility is essential for a comfortable and healthy riding experience. Molly Hurford, a certified yoga instructor, cyclist, author, and podcaster at ConsummateAthlete.com , offers tips on keeping your body in top shape. Try incorporating some of these stretches before, during, and after your workout. Before your ride
Pre-ride stretches play a crucial role in preparing for your ride.
“Think less ‘gym class warm-ups’ and more ‘dynamic stretches to shake off the sitting hunched at the desk all morning’,” Hurford says. “It doesn’t have to be complicated—and it doesn’t have to take more than a couple of minutes.”
Start with simple neck movements, like slowly looking up towards the ceiling and then dropping your chin towards your chest. Then return to the center and look over each shoulder.
“Doing this a few times before every ride can lead to big gains in terms of neck mobility,” she advises. Hurtford, a devoted yogi, also likes to incorporate the practice into her routine.
RELATED: 6 reasons to add yoga into your training routine
You can increase flexibility and sharpen your focus with a few minutes every day“I like doing a few really basic sun salutations just to open up my shoulders and back: stand up nice and tall, then sweep your arms up and look up to the sky, let your back arch back just […]
Continue reading the original article at: cyclingmagazine.ca