By Meg Ausen

Happy March Everyone!With daylight savings around the corner and spring approaching, it’s likely that WE are all chomping at the bit to get back on our bikes after a cold and slippery winter. In preparation for hitting the pavement, WE have some ideas for exercises to prep your body for the upcoming cycling season. Remember to always be safe and if you have certain health issues, modify or avoid any exercises that will aggravate pain or cause injury. If you have any questions about how to perform any of the below exercises, it’s best to consult a health professional!

Core
Core strength is essential for cycling, particularly if you are riding longer distances. Your core creates the platform for pedaling, so working naturally having strong core muscles will translate into stronger pedaling. Not only will the following exercises strengthen your core, but you may see improved posture as another benefit – a strong core helps alleviate lower-back pain that is often associated with cycling. One of the pros behind these exercises is that you can do them from the comfort of you own home. For an added bonus, add some weights to your routine.

• Planks – planking is one of the best movements a cyclist can do. Try side planking if you really want to make your core work.
• Crunches – crunches target both your abdominals and your hip flexors.
• Leg Raises – the benefits of leg raises are many – besides targeting and strengthening your core, leg raises work hip muscles, thigh muscles, quads and your back!

Legs

A no brainer, keeping your legs in shape is essential for having the strength to pedal yourself from point a to point b. Like the core exercises listed above, the following exercises can be performed from the comfort of your own home – no need for forking out the money for gym fees if you don’t want to!

• Squats – squats are considered a powerful exercise for cyclists, targeting the hamstrings and glutes, some of the key muscles for strong cycling.
• Lunges – targets many of the most important pedaling muscles, including the calves, hamstrings, and glutes. Mix it up by throwing reverse lunges into your routine.

Yoga

Try to introduce some yoga into your schedule. Aside from helping to alleviate stress (really important for New Yorkers!), yoga can be extremely beneficial to cyclists. Cyclists often have really tight hips, shoulders and hamstrings, and yoga can open those back up and correct some muscle imbalances.
If practicing at home, here are some recommended poses for cyclists

• Cat/Cow – this pose brings length to your spine in both forward and back bends, working out stored tension from cycling.
• Downward Dog – this pose will help to open your lower back simultaneously strengthening it, which will help provide structural support when you’re on your bike.
• Chair Pose – this pose helps to both strengthen and open up your lower back and hips. It also helps to lengthen the upper spine.
• Sacrum Stretch – this pose opens up the entire spine, particularly the sacrum which is located at the base of the spine.

If you want to pay for classes, the options for yoga studios in New York city are endless. Do some research for studios that suit your needs, but here are a few suggestions:

• SYNC Studio – this is a joint cycling/yoga studio in Williamsburg.
• Third Root Community Health Center – a community center in Brooklyn centered around social justice. Offers yoga and alternative medicine.
• Yoga to the People – with locations all around New York City, this studio is a welcoming and affordable way to find out what type of yoga is right for you.

These exercises are helpful to us all year long, but building a routine as WE wait for spring will pay off when you are ready to get back on your bike for the upcoming season! Do you have any other ideas? Feel free to post them on WE Bike NYC’s Female Bike Forum!