Video: Body work to boost performance
Strength and flexibility exercises can keep injuries at bay
Cycle training involves long hours in the saddle, thousands of kilometres of riding and a lot of repetitive strain on your body. To ensure your progress isn’t derailed by injury, you’ll need a plan to keep your body healthy and resilient. You should start with a sustainable plan early on, which is why Andrew has decided to focus on body work in this episode.
In this video, Andrew talks to Dr. Kevin Jardine, a certified chiropractor. Andrew has had a long relationship with Dr. Jardine, who has worked with other pro riders and teams such as BMC and SpiderTech powered by C10. Dr. Jardine has helped Andrew through many injuries and, more important, to develop a program to improve his core strength and flexibility. Andrew says Dr. Jardine helped him to prolong his career.
To prevent potential injuries from repetitive strain, Dr. Jardine recommends focusing both on strength and flexibility. Dr. Jardine says the core is especially important for cyclists. The core is made up of more muscles and attachments than people realize. In fact, the core system goes from the breastbone all they way to the knees. The pelvis is the centre portion of the core and, along with its attached muscles, acts like its suspension.
Dr. Jardine recommends performing a sequence of exercises aimed at strengthening the core, and doing accompanying stretches to ensure healthy flexibility. He gets you started with a couple of routines that you can use in your training—the glute-bridge march, an intermediate core exercise, and a stretch using a box to target key areas used in cycling, such as the hamstrings and pelvic muscles.
If you have any questions, you can always contact Andrew at ARcoaching@gmail.com. You can contact Dr. Kevin Jardine at the Urban Athlete. To view the types of programs Dr. Jardine recommends, visit Feeling Pretty Remarkable.
