Best Exercises for Cyclists that can make your leg muscles strong
Best Exercises for Cyclists that
can make your leg muscles strong
Like how you do gym exercises to burn calories from your body, similarly to cycle faster and with more efficiency, you have to do some lower body exercises to improve your power on your bike. You have to give you more effort and force through pedals. And for that, you have to make your body more strong mainly your lower body. So, to help you, I’m going to give you some strength exercises that can help you to increase the strength of your body and improve your power on your bike. But before knowing about the exercises let’s grab some knowledge about the effective muscle groups that have a vital impact during cycling.
Which muscles work during
cycling?
If you
want to train you for cycling then you have should have some knowledge of your
body. Having this knowledge can help you to decide which muscles you should
focus on to improve your cycling performance.
The lower part of your body works the most during
cycling. Not only lower but your upper body also work during your ride but we
will now focus on lower body muscles because this muscle has the most impact
during cycling.
The muscle groups used in cycling are:
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Gluteus maximum
This is the main muscle behind your every stroke as you pedal your bike because the gluteus maximus is the largest of the three gluteal muscles and this is the muscle behind your pedalling power. These muscles come into effect when you push down pedal during the ride.
Hamstring muscles
These muscles run from your hips to the back of the leg passing through the back of the knee. These muscles are active both during the pushing the pedals down and pulling up.
Quadriceps
These muscles are found at your thigh. These muscles play a vital role during strong downward power on the pedals.
Calf muscles
Bulging the calf is a sign of a real cyclist. These are found at the back of your lower leg (below knees). These are as important as quads when you pedal downward and are most active when you hit pedals with your toes.
Shin muscles
These
muscles are present at the front of your lower leg opposite to the calf. Where
calves are vital for strong downward force, shin plays a vital role in drawing
your foot in the pedal stroke.
These are the key muscles groups that have the most
impact during cycling. And, all exercises in this article focus mainly on these
key muscle groups.
Exercises that cyclist use to improve their muscles:
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1.
Squat 2.
Burpee 3.
Bulgarian lunge 4.
Deadlift 5.
Leg lift |
Squat
1.
Stand with keeping
your feet wide apart. And keep your toes pointing slightly outward.
2.
Then, look straight
ahead and focus on a point in front of you.
3.
Put your arms
straight and parallel to the ground, keeping your chest up and spine erect.
4.
Put your body weight
on your heels and keep your whole body tight during this squat.
5.
Breathe deeply and
push your hips back. Keep going until your hip joint is lower than knees.
6.
Once at the bottom,
breathe out and drive through your heels and move your hips upward and stand up.
Burpee
Burpee
is a full-body exercise, you can also say it strength exercise or aerobic
exercise. Burpee acts at your arms, back, chest, core, glutes and legs. You can
also improve your cardiovascular fitness by a burpee. Not only that it will
also check your body balance and coordination. By doing this workout, you will
soon notice improvements in your physique, mobility and cycling strength.
1.
Start from the squat
position, keeping your back straight and knees bent. Then lower your hand to
the floor in front of you.
2.
After lowering your
hand, kick your feet back so you’re on your hands and toes (take a push-up
position).
3.
Try to keep your
body straight all the time. Do one push up.
4.
Do a frog kick by jumping
and take your feet back to their original position
5.
Stand and take your
arms overhead and jump quickly into the air and land back where you started.
6.
As you land, get
back to the squat position and repeat those steps.
Bulgarian lunge
A Bulgarian lunge is a form of split- squat. It’s a very good lower body exercise
that strengthens your legs muscles including the quads, hamstring, glutes and
calves. That means by this exercise you can improve your balance and mobility.
You can also see that this exercise mainly focuses on your leg muscles rather
than on your whole lower back which might help you in this by improving your
performance and balance.
1.
Stand a few feet
ahead of a bench or a step. Then lift your left leg behind you and place it on
the bench or the step.
2.
Keep your feet wide
apart and your feet should be far enough to do lunge comfortably.
3.
Roll your shoulder
back and lean forward a little. Then begin to lower your right leg which is on
the floor, bending the knee.
4.
Keep going till the thigh of the right leg gets parallel to the floor.
5.
Then push your leg
up to get to standing pose.
Deadlifts
The deadlift is a weight training exercise. It is similar to weight lifting. You
just have to lift off a weight perpendicular to the ground. This exercise
activates your hamstring, glutes and quadriceps which are not only important
for cycling but also other athletic works like running and swimming. This
exercise can help you to increase your power on pedals.
1.
Stand straight with
your foot wide apart with the weights on the floor.
2.
Bend over and make a
tight grip on the weight. Then bend your knees till your shin touches the bar.
3.
Lift your chest and
straightens your lower back. Then stand up with the weight.
4.
Hold the weight up
for a second with your hips and knees locked, and then put the weight back to
the floor.
5.
Your weight could be
barbell or bars. Deadlifts also have many variations like sumo deadlifts and
Trap-door deadlifts that you can practice too after getting good at basic.
Leg lifts
After
deadlifts, we will now discuss leg lifts. As you have got it from the name “Leg
lifts”, you have to lift your legs in this exercise. It is an awesome lower
body exercise that works at your glutes and helps you to strengthen your legs.
You may also do it to tone your thighs and glutes. Along with strength, it also
improves your stability because, it works on your hips, core and all
stabilizing muscles.
1.
Lie down flat on
your back with your leg stretched. And keep your hands down flat on the ground
with your palm down. If you do this on a workout bench then it would be good as
it will improve your range of motion.
2.
Then raise your legs
with bending your knees. Try to keep your calves parallel and thighs
perpendicular to the ground.
3.
Straightens your
legs and point your feet towards the ceiling. Then lower your legs
slowly to the ground keeping your legs straight.
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