Ways To Improve Your Cycling

To some, cycling is a sport and for others, a great way to get a killer cardio workout in, or just something to do for fun. Regardless of why you are cycling, there are always ways to improve your cycling skill set. Whether you cycle every day, once a week, or have never cycled before, by following three simple suggestions, you can increase your efficiency on any type of bicycle.

Step 1: Master The Basics

One of the key elements of cycling is to keep your weight evenly balanced while you are riding a bike or on a stationary exercise bike. Women’s Health Magazine suggests distributing your weight so that 60 percent is on the seat and 40 percent is on the handlebars. This will help eliminate pressure on your joints, meaning you will experience less pain and will be more comfortable cycling in general. You’re also able to move faster in a cycling race because you don’t have any pain troubling you.

Next, learn when it is the correct time to stand up while cycling. If you are training for a race or trying to get a good workout in standing and sitting can maximize the efficiency of your workout. If your training is more cross-country style where you riding hills or if you want an intense workout, remain seated to feel the burn in your legs. Whether you sit or stand during a cycling session depends upon your goals.

Another important aspect of cycling is focusing on keeping your pedaling smooth. Even though you may be switching positions on the bike (from standing to sitting), it is important to keep an even pedal speed.

Lastly, you always should be aware of what your upper body is doing while your lower body is doing most of the work. If you have a weak core paired with poor posture, you can be faced with unnecessary discomfort while riding and discomfort lead to inefficiency.

All of these basic cycling skills are fairly easy to master with consistent training and practice. Learn to be conscious of what your body is doing during your entire ride. By focusing on each skill set, you can easily increase your efficiency on the bike which will lead to overall improvement.

Step 2: Gear Up

If you really want to feel like a top-notch cyclist, you have to look the part too! Don’t be afraid to rock an outfit complete with cycling shorts and a shirt. Cycling clothes tend to be more fitted so that they don’t wrinkle or bunch or make you uncomfortable while riding. Cycling clothes are made with a special material that helps control sweat too. Don’t forget the helmet as well!

In addition to clothing, there are other items you can invest in to perfect your skills. Buying indoor cycling equipment or rollers so helps you practice at home if you have your own bike. Then, another thing you can invest in would be a gym membership. If you cannot ride outside, at least you can go to the gym and hop on a stationary bike to still get a workout in. Having access to the correct equipment 24/7 allows you to become a more successful cycler.

Step 3: Take Time to Recover

Eating, sleeping, and resting are the top three things you can do to optimize your recovery. This applies to any type of workout regimen too, not just for intense cycling.

Food is a major player in how well your body recovers from a tough race or a tough training session. For those that are top cyclists and training for a big race, it is important to keep a 4 to 1 ratio to carbohydrates and protein. There are also other ‘anti-inflammatory’ foods that can help relieve muscle soreness too. Getting enough sleep will affect how your body recovers as well. Try to get 7 to 8 hours a night; top riders can sleep for 12 hours to successfully recover.

If you want to improve your cycling and overall general health, it is important to eat enough of the right types of foods and get enough rest. Rest and general diet is 95 percent of successful recovery. To continue to improve and continue to get stronger or faster with your cycling, taking care of your body needs to be the top priority.

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Workouts Your Knees Need!

Knee pain affects millions of people in the United States a year. Unfortunately, there is a myriad of things that can cause knee pain: arthritis, trauma, improper footwear, and overcompensations due to other ailing joints.

One thing is for certain: Knee pain can cause a downward spiral of issues if you don’t keep the muscles around the knee joint strong and mobile. Most often muscles will atrophy or lose flexibility causing the mechanics in the knee as well as joint above and below it to be adversely effected.

It Is Essential To Stay Mobile

The simplest way to avoid severe knee pain is to stay moving. For example, if you “tweak” your knee in some way that feels like an injury, you are better off keeping it gently mobile than staying sedentary. Low impact exercise like water aerobics, yoga, bike riding, or walking would be great examples to help appropriately heal the “tweak”.

When you have a knee injury, the goal is to not let scar tissue develop during the healing process. Also, by promoting blood flow to the area with low impact exercise you will have much faster recovery time with significantly less pain.

Exercise Tips For Healthy Knees

When it comes to knee pain, keep your workouts very basic and non-strenuous; you don’t want to risk causing more pain. Single joint exercises are good to do when you are first coming back into a regular routine but you will need to start incorporating functional, multi-joint closed chain exercises too.

To prevent overcompensations in movements, it is essential tomaintain a full lower body flexibility program. The following movements for these muscles can all be done on the TRUE Stretch:

  • Hamstring
  • Glute
  • Quad
  • Hip Flexor
  • Calf
  • Trunk rotation
  • Tensor Fascia Latae
  • Adductors

To help preserve tone and function in the muscles around the knee, the following movements are recommended:

Avoid exercises like deep squats, lunges, step-ups and high impact activities such as plyometric or running, knee extension machine.

Above all, listen to your body.  If a movement or exercise hurts, don’t do it! You will be saving yourself not only a lot of pain, but possible injury.

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Make Sure You Are Getting Enough Zzzzz’s! It’s Important!

One of the most frequently overlooked factors in health and fitness is sleep. As busy as life can get, it is easy to forget to make sure you are getting enough sleep every day. In fact, when it comes to prioritizing fitness goals, many people put sleep as one of the least important factors related to those goals. Not getting enough sleep can affect your focus, energy, body composition, and weight loss or gain. Continue reading “Make Sure You Are Getting Enough Zzzzz’s! It’s Important!”