Yoga is great for cyclists if you feel that improving your flexibility can help your position on the bike and you want to prevent injury and pain. Whether you are suffering from stiff neck after your ride or experience lower back pain during your ride, this blog post can help you understand why it is important to stretch but also to strengthen your muscles as a cyclist.
How can Yoga help you if you cycle a lot?
The main reason why you should try Yoga as a cyclist is that in cycling only very few muscles are being used:
- Gluteus Maximus
- Vastus Medialis (Quadriceps)
- Rectus Femoris (Quadriceps)
- Vastus Lateralis (Quadriceps)
- Semimembranosus (Hamstring)
- Biceps Femoris (Hamstring)
- Gastrocnemius Medialis (Calves)
- Gastrocnemius Lateralis (Calves)
- Soleus (Calves)
Those muscles are all located in the lower part of the body. Core muscles or arms are not needed at all, which leads to a great imbalance in the body. Cyclists suffer from a lot of problems like shortened hamstrings, lower back pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulder area. Even a few minutes before or after your ride depending on which order you prefer can already help a lot if you practice consistently. Let’s look at each of the 7 most important reasons why you should practice Yoga as a cyclist.
Hamstrings
Neck
Shoulders and upper back
Lower back
Core muscles
Neutral pelvis and pelvic tilt
Good posture in everyday life
If you are looking for videos on this specific topic, look no further than my Videos for cyclists