Pilates for Cyclists: Boost Flexibility & Endurance”
Alright, cyclists, let’s talk about how Pilates can benefit you and most importantly, what you love, which is cycling. Whether you cycle on the open road, you do stationary bike, or you’re just getting started, Pilates can not only strengthen your core, but actually can improve your flexibility, your mobility and your stamina and endurance so you can do what you love, which is cycling. Let’s get into those benefits.
Hi, I’m Lesley Logan, co-founder of onlinepilatesclasses.com and while I’m not an avid cyclist, I actually was a long distance runner, and so I totally understand having a passion for moving your body and doing something outside where you could do it for hours at a time. In fact, I used to run marathons, and I always run past the cyclist so I could see how they’re moving their bodies and also what could go wrong. Here’s the thing, even as a runner, I couldn’t only just run. You have to do some cross training, but when your time is limited and the thing that you want to do takes up some of that time, it’s so important that what you cross train with actually benefits you in more ways than one. And what Pilates could actually do is not only prevent injuries that you could have from cycling, but also allow you to feel good when you’re off the bike as well. We’re talking about stretching, strengthening and mobility.
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Understanding the Needs of Cyclists
Alright, after many years of working with people who love to cycle, including those who have joined our OPC community, what we have found is that most cyclists have some issues eventually that have to do with their hips being tight, lower back aches, pains that can linger even longer than when they’re on the bike, and a weaker core. And look, that might not be what you’re suffering from right now. It might be something different. You could put it in the comments below, but ultimately, over time, when you overuse certain muscles, you are going to have tightness in some areas, weakness in others, and that’s going to pull a strain on another part of your body. And here’s the thing, these issues are not just something that cyclists have, but it is something that you can have. And here’s why, when you are on the bike, the position that the bike requires your back to be in, and what your legs are doing, these actual aches and pains and need to even be something that plagues a runner or other types of endurance sports because of the plane that you’re in. You’re in this frontal plane motion, and you’re asking your thighs to work harder.
Stronger Rides: Pilates for Cyclists’ Core
Now, it would be great if you were using your whole leg and you’re pulling your core and things like that, but ultimately, it’s hard to do for long periods of time, and the overuse of those muscles is what tightens your hips with even if you are stretching after you cycle, you might have to stretch a lot more than you think, that those tight hips actually can pull on the back so often the lower back issue comes because of the tight hips and then the core weakness. A lot of people think if they just brace or pull their abs in that strengthens in their core, but remember, from other videos we’ve done here on this channel, the core is all the muscles around your torso. So the muscles around your hips, your center in the front your back and up in your shoulder girdle, so it’s very easy, as you get tired, to hang out in those shoulders. And now you’re hanging out in the joints, and you’re working your abs towards gravity, like the gravity’s pulling on them, and that’s going to make things get tired sooner, which is going to affect other things. And so you do want to cross train, and just doing sit ups is not necessarily the thing that’s going to strengthen your entire core.
The Benefits of Pilates for Cyclists
Improve Your Core Strength
So remember, Pilates is a full body workout. Every single exercise is designed to work the whole entire body, and it starts from our core. What is our core again? The core is the muscles around your stomach, your hips, your shoulder girdle and your back, alright. So every exercise, even if you only do a few of these exercises, is going to strengthen your entire core and improving your endurance using your core strength while you’re cycling.
Enhanced Flexibility
Another benefit of doing Pilates as a cyclist is enhanced flexibility, so improving flexibility. And flexibility is built into the workout, which is why I love Pilates. Like, when I first started doing Pilates I was still a professional runner, and you could not talk me into doing anything that didn’t have to with running. And I would stretch as little as possible, so I could get back out and running. But the cool thing about every Pilates exercise is has an active, dynamic stretch going on, so we’re actually activating the muscle and stretching it. So each exercise is going to ask you to do that, which means while you’re doing your Pilates workout, while you’re strengthening your core, you are also stretching parts of your body that need to so that those hips, those tight hips, actually find some mobility, some looseness, and, even more importantly, some strength to go with it. And I want to talk about why Pilates specifically does this over anything else, over yoga or something else, it’s because there’s a lot of strength in the side body. Remember, cycling, running, those endurance sports are gonna happen in that frontal plane, and so we have to strengthen our side body, not only it prevents injuries, but also reduces falls. And when you really strengthen your side body, you’re actually going to have more muscles to work around with your hips and reducing that pressure that’s on that lower back.
Injury Prevention
And here’s the thing, why do injuries happen? Of course, you could fall and then that’s gonna probably cause an injury. But for the most part, a lot of people have injuries because of imbalances in their body. And one of the things that I love about Pilates is that it is designed to balance your imbalances. When I work with different athletes, I actually can find out what are their most dominant muscle groups that they use, and we can use other exercises to challenge the parts of our body that are under utilized in their practice, in their sport. And what is so cool about Pilates is there is so much to strengthen your back body, to strengthen, like we talked about, your core, but also using those arms, and not just using them in a way that that is for choreography, but use them in a way so that when you do things you love in life, like cycling, you are not hanging out in your elbows, wrists or shoulders. You’re actually including muscles of your body so you can support yourself for longer on that bike.
Better Breathing
So here is the thing, Joseph Pilates was obsessed with us learning how to exhale. Why? Well, you’re not gonna forget to inhale. I promise you, your body doesn’t wanna die. It will inhale on its own, but exhaling that air is so key for removing that carbon dioxide and getting all those toxins out so we have space to breathe in new, amazing air. And because you’re going to focus on how you’re breathing, aka not holding your breath in Pilates, it’s going to train you to have better breathing outside of your Pilates practice. This connection between Pilates and cycling is incredible. Having that amazing breathing where you’re using that breath to support your body is going to allow you to have better endurance and stamina in your cycling. If you want to learn more about Pilates breathing, here is the coolest thing. Pilates breathing is a little bit different than you would breathe outside of Pilates, but it actually allows you to stretch and strengthen your capacity for breathing into your lungs. So check out our video already on this channel about lateral breathing versus diaphragmatic breathing, and you can see how that can benefit your lung capacity and your cycling.
Bone Health for Cyclists
Alright, cyclists, we do have to talk about your bone health. So here is the thing, doing one activity over and over again is awesome, and also it does mean that you are not getting as much of another thing that you might need, which is stressing the bones. So the thing about cycling all the time is you’re doing a great job stressing the muscles around your legs and even around maybe your arms or shoulders. But we’ve got to strengthen all of the muscles on our body, because they do pull on the bones and help us have stronger bones for longer in our life. So we want to reduce the chances of having osteoporosis in our life. And Pilates is one of those amazing ways to do it in a low impact way. So if you’re already suffering from bone density issues, Pilates is going to be something that you can use safely to improve your health and longevity in your life without incurring any more injuries. If you aren’t there yet, Pilates is a great thing that you want to add in so that you are stressing those muscles, which are going to pull on those bones and increase your bone health for longer in your life.
Key Pilates Exercises for Cyclists
Pilates Essentials: Roll Up & Spine Stretch Forward
Alright, so if you are intrigued, here are some of my favorite exercises that you can do on your own, before or after your practice. The first one is going to be the Roll Up. Now this one can be tricky, so if you struggle with it, do not get too mad at me. There are other exercises that can support you and prepare you for but the Roll Up is amazing at challenging the core, working the glutes, hamstrings, inner thighs and stretching the back. The next exercise I want you to do is similar to the Roll Up, but it’s done seated, and this is called Spine Stretch Forward, and it is exactly what it says you are stretching your spine forward. And what’s really fun about both those exercises is they have an active, dynamic stretch in them that asks you to pulse your spine while you’re pulling your stomach muscles in, allowing to stretch those hamstrings and, most importantly, your back.
Strengthen & Stretch: Single and Double Leg Kick
Alright, my next two exercises I have for you. I love these exercises. I have Single Leg Kick and Double Leg Kick. Single Leg Kick is exactly what it says. One leg kicking. It’s kicking two times. And what is it doing? It’s stretching your thigh and strengthening your hamstring and glutes. And what’s cool is it’s an asymmetrical exercise, so you can really take notice of which leg needs more of this. It also asks your spine to be in an extension, working your abs away from gravity, doing the opposite of what your spine normally is doing when you’re on your bike, because you’re going to have your head and neck up versus down. Double Leg Kick is going to stretch your shoulders. So important for our cyclists out there, we’ve got to stretch this open to prevent having poor posture. It’s also going to stretch both legs at the same time, strengthen the back of both legs the same time, work your abdominals against gravity, and after you’ve stretched your shoulders, you’re going to be asked to lift those arms behind your back, which is going to stretch your chest and strengthen your upper back.
Shoulder Bridge & Side Leg Kicks for Cyclists
The last two exercises I have for you are Shoulder Bridge and Side Leg Kicks. Shoulder Bridge is actually an excellent exercise for working the back body and stretching the front of the hips. It’s something that can be done before or after you cycle. It can be done multiple times in a day. Even can be done while you’re at the office, and it is really excellent at working the back side of your body. And also you can add the kicks in, which is an asymmetrical exercise. It’s going to challenge your weak side versus your strong side. The last exercise I have for you to add into your practice is Side Leg Kicks. This, like I told you, Pilates helps work that side body strength. Side Leg Kicks is going to work your obliques. It’s also going to work your glutes on both sides. It’s also going to ask you to have mobility in those hips and legs. And so I highly recommend that you add this in. It’s something I make all of my endurance athletes do because, again, it does prevent injury. It really does make sure that your knees and hips are stronger for longer.
Try Full Body in 15 for Core Strength
If these exercises intrigue you and you really just wish you had a workout that you could follow along with, I highly recommend you try Full Body in 15, it is our free series for people who want to add Pilates into their practice of what they already love to do. So whether you’re a cyclist looking for full body Pilates for cyclists, a runner or you work out at the gym, fullbodyin15 is something you can add into your workout regimen, and it has key exercises, all the ones I included, and a few more. It only takes 15 minutes to work your full body.
Integrating Pilates into Your Cycling Routine
Alright, so when should you do Pilates? When should you add that 15 minute workout in or these exercises I’ve already given you? Here is the deal. I highly recommend doing your Pilates practice before or after you do your cycling. And I know that might not be possible, but this would be my first option for you, the best, the most amazing option, but I’ve got a couple other ideas for you as well. Here’s why, if you do it before a long ride day, you are actually going to have a great warm up, and you’re going to have those connections you need for the endurance and stamina for those strength of your hips, your glutes, your hamstrings, your core for that long ride. If you’re having a short ride day, I highly recommend you doing after is a great way to have as a cool down stretch what you’ve worked out and strengthen your body for the next ride. If that’s not an option for you, then I ideally would recommend that you’re doing this at least on your off days or first thing in the morning after you get out of bed, or right before you go to bed if you ride in the morning, like what fine little moments in time that you can do this. The ideal goal would be to do it two to three times a week. That would be my big ask for you. Once a week is going to be fine, but it’s not going to get you those benefits we talked about for a very long time. Consistency will be key, which is why doing a few minutes of Pilates is better than no minutes of Pilates and adding more exercises in as you’re ready. And if you want to know more reasons why you should be doing Pilates, check out this video we did here on this channel that goes into deeper details why everyone should be doing Pilates in their life.
Join OPC: Pilates & Community
Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope this was helpful. I hope this piqued your interest. If you’re a cyclist or if you know someone who is you can send this to them. And if you want to join us at fullbodyin15.com, that’s going to be excellent. If you would like feedback on your form, accountability, a new class every single week. Go to OPC YouTube to Pilates for cyclists YouTube you’ll be able to try out OPC, and you’ll join a community of other riders just like you, who you can actually nerd out with and see how often they’re doing Pilates, how it’s helping their body, and get accountability and feedback on your form. Thank you so very much. If you have any questions, feel free to put in the comments below. I answer all these questions, and we go live on Sundays to answer those questions at 9am Pacific Time. Have an amazing day and an incredible ride.
