Cycling is one of the best exercises for working your leg muscles, engaging both quads and hamstrings as well as smaller glute muscles.
Yet unless you are engaging in steep hill workouts or long, arduous climbs, it’s possible that your glutes might be sleeping. A few simple bodyweight exercises could help wake them up!
Strengthen Your Core
Although cycling may seem to focus solely on your legs, having strong core muscles can play an integral role. A stronger core allows you to deliver more power to the pedals with reduced back pain or injury risk.
As with runners, cyclists tend to rely on their hamstrings for hip extension when pedaling rather than activating their gluteal muscles – this causes an unfair load distribution which may lead to hip impingement which is both painful and inconvenient for all involved.
Simple body weight exercises such as bridges and quadruped hip extensions can help strengthen your mind-body connection so your gluteal muscles engage automatically while cycling, leading to stronger and healthier rear ends. Advanced exercisers may wish to try the single leg glute bridge by placing a resistance band around their knees and trying to form an upright line from heels to shoulders using one leg as resistance.
Get Out of the Saddle
Many cyclists lack the strong glute muscles needed to generate power on the bike, according to a lead sport/exercise physiologist from St Mary’s University. They recommend that each downstroke of pedalling activates all three gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus, medius and minimus).
But cycling workouts tend to focus more on hip flexors and quadriceps muscles than on glutes – possibly leading to cyclists having “dead butts,” says she.
As riding out of the saddle requires you to use more muscles, which in turn consume more oxygen, this could result in you tiring faster than if seated for your rides.
Before your ride, there are a few simple exercises you can perform to activate the glutes and improve climbing ability. All it requires is a looped resistance band and some space on the floor; adding them into your pre-ride warm up routine would also be ideal.
Activate Your Gluteal Muscles
Cycling works your glutes, but its main effects lie with quads and hamstrings. Gluteus maximus (the largest gluteal muscle) plays an essential part in hip extension during pedal stroke cycling; gluteus medius and minimus assist by stabilizing hip joints.
Poor gluteal muscle strength can create numerous issues when cycling, including knee pain, overworked quads and back issues. To strengthen them, perform some simple exercises both on and off your bike to strengthen them.
Perform 10-20 repetitions of these off-bike exercises as a warm up before getting on your bike, ideally as part of a series. To add resistance, hold a weight in one hand for more challenge; perform single leg bridges, use looped resistance bands for side-lying leg lifts, or do single-leg hip abduction with 10 reps each leg.
Keep It Simple
Your gluteal muscles – the large gluteus maximus, middle gluteus medius and small gluteus minimus — serve an essential purpose: hip extension. Lateral leg movement when walking; stability for your hip joint. They’re important whether you’re an avid cyclist looking for that flattering butt shape or simply trying to complete daily activities without pain; keeping these strong is vitally important!
One effective exercise to assist this goal is the single-leg glute bridge. Ideal for beginners as it doesn’t require external loads, to perform this movement you simply place a resistance band around your knees and push outward to create tension; lift hips off floor using glute contraction until line between knees and shoulders forms; lower hips then repeat as necessary – you may also try this without using band for an advanced version of this movement!https://www.youtube.com/embed/UVidiqcYycI