Hi. I am Clare, your personal yoga trainer from Australia. I’ve specialized in yoga for athletes and stretches for cyclists, after being a principal professional dancer in my former career.
The best yoga stretches for cyclists to do, both before and after a ride, are as follows:
- The kneeling psoas stretch
Why? Because your psoas attaches to your spine- tight hip flexors are literally pulling your spine out of place.
All of your hip flexors get a pounding as a cyclist, as you are in a seated position most of the time, which “flexes” the hip. The hip flexors are continually contracted , therefore they get very tight. Add resistance to the motion (i.e. gears), and they just get tighter! In this case, my recommended stretches for cyclists help relax their tight muscles, improving hip flexibility.
The kneeling psoas stretch for cyclists also helps mitigate any future injury risk.
- Lying piriformis stretch
Also gets very tight! The piriformis muscle is a triangular-shaped muscle that attaches from your sacrum to your thigh bone.
Because in cycling you are sitting on your pelvis and moving your thighbones (from hip to knee) in one plane over and over again, this muscle gets tight, and I believe, malfunctioned too, as the repetitive single plane movement doesn’t work it in its ranges.
So you can get a tight piriformis even if you have weak glutes (butt muscles).
Yoga for cyclist is the ideal solution for this concern, which helps cyclists and athletes relieve spasms and stress that are responsible for sciatic nerve pain.
- Lying hamstring, inner thighs and I.T. release with strap
A must for cyclists. Your knees are always bent, therefore hamstrings get very tight and contracted. The groin muscles also, especially when doing speed work (as your knees turn inwards) and I.T band- the band that runs from your outer hip to your outer knee- gets a beating too, especially with heavier gears.
You can address this problem with one of our proven stretches for cyclists, the lying piriformis stretch, which engages both your hamstrings and glutes and makes them stronger. It helps you avoid any future injury or pain. The range of motion in your hip also improves as does your posture.
- Downward Dog
Got to stretch your back! The spine is your central nervous system, and all nerves run off it through all your limbs. Freeing up your back will relieve your legs, hips, arms, feet and back.
The downward dog pose is one of the best stretches for cyclists, especially when they want to improve their blood circulation and stretch your back, but also your ankles and hamstrings. The downward-facing dog helps calm your mind, decrease your anxiety, and strengthen your whole body.
Take the time to do some work on yourself and you will reap the rewards…fresher legs, better recovery, and feeling good in your body.
Once you start feeling better and experiencing the results for yourself, I suggest moving into yoga for cyclists. Since yoga & cycling go hand in hand when it comes to increasing your flexibility and keeping you in good shape. The yoga postures work on the nervous system. If you put in the time to develop this knowledge, you will be amazed by the changes in performance as well as recovery.
To explore the stretches for cyclists in detail, check out Elite Yoga Cyclist Programs on our official website or subscribe to Elite Yoga here. For more information, you can write to us at enquires@eliteyoga.com.au.
Leave a reply