Athletes all over the world, at different levels of fitness are incorporating Yoga either into their training, to increase their endurance, or to protect themselves from injury. But honestly, whether you’re an athlete or not, whether you use a regular cycle or an electric cycle, practicing these easy yoga exercises is a great place to start, and also double as great stretches for cycling enthusiasts.
Specifically as cyclists, you are most likely to spend most of your time bent forward over the handlebars. This can lead to tight hip flexors and strained muscles. Many postures in Yoga, target the lower back, help in strengthening your muscles and make you less prone to injury.
This set of easy yoga exercises has been curated specifically keeping in mind the needs of a cyclist. They mainly target your hips, back, thighs, chest and core. Whether you decide to do these exercises on a daily basis or on a weekly basis, yoga is always a good option to improve flexibility and endurance. Be it cycling long distance to work or for a workout, these exercises are a great place to start.
1. Boat pose
Boat pose– is an excellent way to achieve core strength and overall stability. The full boat pose/purna navasana is a great workout for your lower back, abs and legs- it also improves your metabolism and is a great fat burner.
If you have ever been on a long ride and started to feel pain in your lower back, then chances are the problem lies within your core – quite literally!
2. Warrior II
This warrior pose, is a great exercise for stretching before or after your ride. It opens your chest cavity and lungs, also improves circulation and respiration. It has the ability to energize tired limbs after a long ride and strengthens and tones the legs and buttocks. This posture will help relieve lower back aches while also strengthening your back, which we all know is of utmost importance for any cyclist.
3. Bound Angle pose
Many cyclists get tight inner thigh muscles (adductors) that can lead to an imbalance in the knee joint, which could in turn cause knee pain or discomfort. This tightness can also cause the outer gluteal muscles to not engage correctly when they’re needed. Balance in these muscle groups is important in order to keep your hips stable on the saddle.
This asana helps you to relax and stretch your hip and thigh muscles thus resulting in greater flexibility and relieving the stress and tiredness.
4. Upward facing dog
Upward facing dog targets the upper back, shoulders and arms for strength but also stretches the front of the body from the hip flexors to the muscles of your upper chest. Thus improving breathing capacity by increasing the chest wall expansion and forced expiratory lung volumes – an added benefit for the cyclists
5. Garland Pose
If you ride your cycle/ electric cycle regularly, you know the importance of good posture. The Garland pose, helps you achieve it. It strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles, calf, core, and down back. As you are lifting your ribs way from the hips, it engages your core. Yes, it does so much!
Additionally, Malasana is bone strengthening in the ankle and knee joints, barring osteoporosis in the advanced age.
Controlled breathing and aerobically trained muscles are important for any sport. Yoga specifically focuses on these 2 aspects and can help you improve them. Remember, if your breathing is not in sync with your exercise, you would only be stretching your body. The benefits of Yoga are achieved only when accompanied with steady breathing practices.
If you have any medical conditions, it is advisable to speak with your doctor before practicing yoga. Remember to work within your own range and at your own pace. What is important is you taking a step towards getting outdoors.
Also published on Medium.
