Cycling is the perfect activity for the summer months. When you’re on your bike, you can get tons of exercise, enjoy the outdoors, and limit your carbon footprint.
But there are several nuances to cycling that must be considered in order for you to be successful and avoid cycling injuries. In this post, we’ll review the top five cycling tips from your Plano chiropractor that will keep you healthy and strong throughout the cycling season.
Tip #1: Keep Your Entire Body Strong
Cycling obviously requires significant levels of strength from the lower body. However, the activity also necessitates that you keep your core muscles and even your upper body strength as well.
You should aim to perform resistance training exercises for the whole body at least three times per week. Compound movements such as bench presses, squats, pull-ups, and similar exercises can effectively work the entirety of the body when paired together.
This will help you start strong and finish strong during your rides. Maintaining as much muscle as possible is one of the best ways to put yourself ahead of the competition and to help you beat your own personal best.
Tip #2: Set Your Bike to the Right Settings for You
If you’re new to cycling, you may be surprised to learn that the height settings on your bike are critical to your success. In fact, picking the right setting for the handlebars and seat is one of the best ways to help you avoid injury and improve your efficiency while you ride.
As far as seat height is concerned, you should select a height at which the seat is roughly at the level of your hip bone. This is a good, general way to estimate seat height, but everyone’s body is different. If this feels uncomfortable for you, you might need to modify the seat height slightly and ignore this rule!
As far as the handlebars are concerned, you should pick a height that allows you to achieve your cycling goals. If you’re going on long, leisurely rides, you should set your handlebars slightly higher. This will allow you to sit up more straight and enjoy all of the sights around you.
If you are sprinting on your bike, you should set the handlebars lower, allowing you to be more aerodynamic. No matter what your cycling goal is, selecting the right handlebar setting is key to achieving it.
Tip #3: Warm-up Before Every Ride
It can be tempting to just hop on your bike and ride right away. But this temptation should be avoided due to the high chance of suffering a cycling injury.
You should complete at least a five-to-ten minute warm-up before every ride. This can be done in a variety of ways. For instance, you can complete jumping jacks, jog in place, or perform a number of other movements. Whatever you choose to do for your warm-up, be sure to start slow and finish faster, priming your heart and other structures of your body for the upcoming exercise session.
Tip #4: Stay Flexible
Earlier, we highlighted the importance of being strong for cycling. But flexibility is just as important, if not more important, than being strong for successful cycling. While cycling doesn’t necessarily require a huge range of motion, it does force you to stretch the muscles across your knees, hips, and ankles with every pedal stroke.
You should aim to stretch at least five days per week, if not every day. Stretching sessions should last roughly 15-30 minutes and should consist of stretches for the entire body, emphasizing the legs more than anything else.
Tip #5: See Your Chiropractor Regularly
Keeping regular appointments with your chiropractor can improve your cycling performance in a variety of ways. Most importantly, your chiropractor can ensure that your neuromuscular system is operating at optimal efficiency, helping you achieve cycling heights you never thought possible!
The team at Keystone Chiropractic, your go-to Plano chiropractor, can help you with all of your cycling needs (or injuries!) today. Book your appointment now!
