Hip! Hip! Hooray! 5 Poses for Cyclists
With cycling being a seasonal sport, it makes sense to log as many hours as you can while the sun is still shining. The following sequence helps lengthen the spine and torso and stretch the intercostal muscles between the ribs, increasing lung capacity. Each pose on its own targets the muscles around the hips and pelvis, helping to loosen things up and support injury-free riding all season long.
Practice all 5 postures together, or benefit from doing one or two on their own!
Begin on your mat on hands and knees, with hands shoulder-width distance apart and knees about hip-width distance apart. As you inhale, arch your back andbroaden the collarbones, drawing your gaze forward. As you exhale, round the spine, tuck your tailbone, and look towards your navel. Repeat this movement for 5 to 10 rounds. Cat Cow stretches the muscles of the spine and helps lubricate the hip joints.
Move into Downward Facing Dog. Allow the weight of your head to create traction in the cervical spine, lengthening out the neck. Pedal your heels towards the floor to stretch out your calf and hamstring muscles. Broaden the collarbones and avoid collapsing the chest. Breathe in deeply to feel your rib cage expand; exhale fully and feel the abdominals contract. Downward Dogstretches the postural muscles along the back of the body and reduces fatigue while building strength in the wrists and shoulders.
From the top of your mat, step the right leg back about 3 to 4 feet into Pyramid Pose. Angle the back foot so that you feel stable in this position. If prayer position behind your back is not accessible, interlace thefingers or grasp opposite hand to elbow, opening the chest and shoulders. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths and then switch sides, stepping the left leg back. Pyramid Pose lengthens the hamstring and gluteal muscles: two areas that get tightfrom the repetitive motion of cycling. Italso dissolves tension in the neck and shoulders caused by hunching over the handlebars.
Come to the floor for Seated Wide Angle. Take your legs wide apart into a “V” position. Walk your hands forward between the legs, internally rotating the thighs. To do this, keep your kneecaps and toesfacing straight up towards the ceiling.Then, start turningyour torso to the left, drawing the belly towards the thigh. Hold for 30 seconds to one minute before repeating on the other side. Seated Wide Angle stretches the inner thigh and hamstring muscles, while lengthening the muscles along the spine.
In seated postures, if your back is rounded or you struggle to sight upright, sit on a bolster, folded blanket, or pillow to raise your hips, allowing the pelvis to tilt forward and the spine to remain long.]
From Seated Wide Angle (#4), tuck your left heel in towards the hip for Gate Pose (sometimes called Runner’s Lunge).Turn to face your right leg and bend forward. Press your right hand against the inner leg to rotate the chest towards the ceiling. With practice, you may be able to grasp the foot and reach towards the opposite knee. Gate Pose stretches the hamstrings, quadriceps, calf muscles, and adductor muscles along the inner thighs. By lengthening the sides of the torso, you stretch the secondary muscles of respiration, located between the ribs, increasing lung capacity and endurance.
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