Yoga For Cyclists

April 24th, 2008 Elizabeth

Cycling is a very enjoyable but demanding sport. I am extremely short and small so I have a 13 inch frame and it still doesn’t quite fit me. I have to keep my seat completely lowered so that I don’t fall over when we stop:) After an all day trail ride, this arrangement (and the fact that I am too cheap to buy a custom bike) causes my body to shift and become unbalanced. In other words, I need some serious deep stretching to cope.

Yoga for Cyclists DVD and book is exactly what the doctor ordered especially if I’m trying to avoid injury. The book is lightweight enough to put in my camelback and use during breaks and the DVD has a warm-up/cool-down session and a training session for when I can’t make it to the trail or road.

The two sessions featured on the DVD are designed to cultivate strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance and of course these are all things cyclists need to enjoy their sport. I am always on the hunt to strengthen my wrists and keep the numbness out of my seat.

Here are some of the muscles and benefits focused on during the two sessions:
leg strength; hips; butt; abdominals and lower back; arms; chest expansions; shoulders and wrist strength; forearms; increasing lung capacity; increasing circulation to the pelvic area

The poses are designed to give us something to work toward so there is a nice challenge and they work to strengthen muscles so when we do crash, we can take the impact better and recover faster.

As with all of Andria Baldovin’s specialized yoga programs, there is a wonderful meditation sequence and breathing exercise. Most of all however, I really liked that there was a strong connection drawn, before each session, between what muscles the poses work and how those muscles relate to biking.

Entry Filed under: Adventure Racing, Cycling, General, Mt Biking