Hard "Core"

Alot of cyclists out there just simply ride. The word "gym" connotates bubonic plague and is avoided at all costs. Well, good news because what you are about to read doesn't require rubbing elbows with roided out freaks; The exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home. All it takes is about 10-15 minutes 2-3x a week and you'll totally feel the difference in your cycling.

I can tell you that I have done more sit-ups, crunches, and hanging leg raises than "Carter's got liver pills" (famous Dad saying, sorry). I think one year I did something like 7000 crunches. Yeah, I kept a log and yeah, I'm an idiot. So why have I had a couple of very bad episodes of back pain over the last few years? I wasn't training my core properly. Sure, I was doing the aforementioned exercises along with back hyperextensions and oblique twists. But, what those exercises do is mobilize the core, not stabilize it. The muscles that stabilize the core are the transverse abdominus, internal obliques, lumbar mulitifidus, pelvic floor muscles, diaphragm, and transversospinalis. These muscles function as an integrated functional unit; The stablization system works in concert with the movement system. When working optimally, each structural component distributes weight, absorbs force, and transfers ground-reaction forces. As such, these interdependent systems must be trained appropriately to allow for efficient functioning during dynamic activiites. Training the muscles of the movement system prior to the muscles of the stabilization system makes no structural, biomechanical, or logical sense. So to get you started, I will give you four basic exercises that require no equipment, just an empty space on the floor. I do these pretty much every other day:

1. Supported plank. Get into a standard push-up position, but instead of supporting the weight of your upper body with your hands, come down on your forearms and gently clasp your hands. So, your weight is then supported by your forearms and toes. Your goal is to be able to hold this position (with body parallel to the floor, mind you) for 2 minutes. Give it a try- much harder than it looks. When you can do the 2 minutes with relative ease, a nice progression would be to lift one leg and hold for 30 seconds, while maintaining the aforementioned position. Don't forget to do both sides. You will most likely notice that you have a stronger side and this exercise will address any imbalances that may have developed through sports, etc. Also, as you get stronger, you might try holding this position with your forearms planted on a Swiss Ball. When you can do that, again try lifting a leg and holding or if you're really adventurous try "drawing" small circles with your elbows. Pretty tough.

2. Side bridge. Lie on your side and come up on your forearm and ankle and lift your hip off the floor. You should be able to draw a straight line from elbow to ankle with your pelvis perpendicular to the floor. This exercise really hammers your obliques. If you follow the crest of your hip bone (the side that you lifted off the floor) toward your navel, you can feel the oblique working hard to keep your hip off the floor. (Unless of course you have been enjoying too many Ring Dings) Your goal is to hold this position for 60 seconds. Here's another progression for you: I will usually do 1:45, but every 20 seconds or so, I'll perform a couple of repetitions (i.e. let my hip come down to the floor and forcibly contract up into the held position). Have fun with this one.

3. Contralateral hip and shoulder extension. Hey, it was the most specific name I could come up with for this one. Here's how it's done. Come down on all fours. (hands and knees) What you are going to do is extend your hand out in front of you (neutral position- thumb up) as you simultaneously extend your opposite leg behind you. (i.e. left arm, right leg) Your ideal positioning should be such that your arm, torso, and extended leg behind you are all on the same plane. You will most definitely feel your core stabilizers working to maintain this position. The goal of this exercise will be to perform 4 repetitions per side with a 15 second hold on each. A nice progression for this one would be to balance on one knee by taking the weight off your supporting leg's shin by curling your foot a few inches off the floor toward your butt. You can also try doing more repetitions per side as well as longer isometric "hold" periods.

4. Bridge. Lay down on the floor in a supine position. (face up) Plant your heels close to your butt, making sure to keep your feet in line with your hips. Flex your glutes so that the only parts of your body touching the floor are your feet, shoulder blades, and head. Try and lift your hips as high as possible and hold for one minute. By actively contracting your glutes in this way, you are passively stretching your hip flexors. Tight hip flexors are usually the cause of alot of back problems and for cyclists where your hips are in a continuously flexed position, it is the perfect remedy. You can spot somebody with this "anterior pelvic tilt" because their posture profile will show a swayed back as a result of overcompensation of the erector spinae (lower back) muscles. It will also make the person appear as if they're a couple inches shorter than they actually are. (I definitely don't need to appear any shorter) Anyway, a progression to this exercise would be to hold the aforementioned position with one leg and perhaps adding in some movement in between the "holds" like marching. Be sure to maintain maximum hip height while doing this.

So, I have left you with four basic exercises to stabilize your core. If you stick with these 3-4 times a week, you will feel a definite improvement in posture and overall core strength when riding or doing any other type of dynamic exercise. They can all be done in your living room at home. All you need is a floor and some determination. Good luck. Next post I'll highlight some superior movement exercises for the core.

Side note: I recently eclipsed the 100,000 ft. climbed barrier for the year. My actual totals are 1152 miles, 110868 ft. That puts me at over 96' per mile. Not bad, although the half a million mark seems more daunting than I originally thought. I suppose that number will go up rapidly with longer/hillier rides planned for the summer.