Why Every Cyclist Should Do Yoga
Yoga isn’t just for your green tea drinking, Heram pants wearing, vegan food loving friends. Yoga is an amazing practice that can make you a faster and better cyclist.
Ever hopped, or rather stiffly edged, off a bike after a long ride and felt tight and all kinds of uncomfortable? Well this doesn’t have to be the case every time you put the pedal to the metal and enjoy a ride.
The posture you assume while riding can leave you feeling achy and tight post-ride but we have a solution for you – Yoga! And better yet – practicing yoga is not just about stretching out those tight muscles, it can even help to you maximize your potential and performance on the bike.
Whether you’re an amateur or keen enthusiast, Yoga will help to build those key elements that are oh so important to all cyclists – strength, stamina, flexibility and power. On top of this, practicing yoga will also enable you to recover faster from injuries, help to lengthen your muscles to give you a longer more powerful stride and will reduce your stress levels. Every cyclist should give it a go!
So – we have narrowed it down for you and are sharing our top 5 suggestions to help you achieve a balanced body, to take care of your muscles and to maximize your cycling potential.
Pose 1:
Downward facing dog – this pose will help you open, stretch and strengthen your lower back which will give you that extra support when your on the bike. It will also help you stretch out the back of your legs and strengthen your arms.
Pose 2:
Child Pose – this pose is a gentle stretch for the hips, thighs and ankles. Child pose can also help to relieve back pain.
Pose 3:
Low Lunge – this pose focuses on stretching the quads, the front hamstring and will open out your stomach, chest and neck.
Pose 4:
Pigeon pose – this pose will help you to stretch out your buttocks, open out your hips and groin muscles. This pose can also ease lower back pain that you may feel after being on the bike.