DAY #1
Coming off of that awesome SQUAT challenge, lets shift our focus and get some core on!
Benefits of Core for cycling:
The ‘core’ is often referred to the foundation of the human musculoskeletal system. Anecdotally, the core can be compared to foundation bricks of a house – without the foundations, the structure will cease to exist.
The core keeps the body stable on the saddle and improves efficiency by preventing excessive side-to-side movement so that all the energy produced is delivered in a smooth pedal stroke. That rocking or swaying motion resulting from lack of core strength leads to a lack in efficiency (and potentially some saddle sores) and the body starts to use other muscles to compensate. This can lead to pain in a number of areas including the hips, groin, hamstrings, quads, as well as the lower back, shoulders and neck.
So lets get into What we are going to do this next 20 days
Day 1-
20sec plank *on hands or elbows
20 middle crunches
20 right side crunches
20 left side crunches
20sec plank *on hands or elbows
About the Plank: The goal of these is to keep the flattest back possible. Try not to soup down and try not to pike into a mountain top. You want to focus on keeping your back flat and engaging the full core muscles to hold yourself up. You can do these on your hands or go down to on your elbows if your wrists hurt. TIP: use a nice thick mat or a yoga mat thats doubled over for extra comfort if you are on your elbows
TIP: use dumbbells or the same sized blocks if you are on your hands to reduce wrist pain.
Crunches: For these, Lay on your back and bend your knees to where your feet are flat on the ground. Cross your arms over your chest and lift UP towards the ski taking both solders off the ground. Inhale when you go down and exhale when you go up. You should feel your core engage and over time, a burning sensations of the abdominal muscles around the stomach.
Left Crunches-stay in crunch positions and now life your right shoulder off the ground and bend to the left side
Right Crunches-Still in crunch position, take the left shoulder off the ground and push up to the sky, Bending to the right side.
100 just like that!!
On it. Thinking my core is not up to snuff. Definitely will help w lower back discomfort from being in the saddle to long. The new challenge is looking promising already. Gulp