Barton Haynes here, continuing my series on healthy riding as summer heats up, and along with it the cycling season.
Stretching is cycling’s best friend
Muscle tightness is another thing most of us cyclists deal with in the hips and calves. Riding is kind of an ideal sport for developing tight muscles: your hips are always collapses, and you repetitiously repeat the same small movement for many hours on end.
Preventing tightness is actually quite easy. Stretching. Pre-ride stretchingis something that make muscle tightness and associated cramping completely go away. Not only does stretching prevent tightness, but it’s also a great pre-ride warm up exercise for:
- Hips
- Hamstrings
- Lower back
- Neck
- Calves
Best stretches for cycling
My favorite stretches for biking are:
- Low lunge for hips
- Pigeon posefor gluts, hip flexors, IT band, and lower back
- Pyramid Posefor hamstring
- Calf stretches on a curb
- Chin tucks for neck
There are many other stretches that can help cycling in small ways, and picking up an occasional yoga class is something I highly advocate for regular cyclists.