Sometimes for us cyclists the biggest performance gains to be had are actually found off of the road bike. Consider building in some of these exercises in your regular routine and you'll start to see some massive improvements in your overall and on the bike fitness. It's not just big power numbers you can expect to see but also on bike stability and more efficient riding positions are going to be more easily sustained.
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00:00It might sound counterintuitive, but the best way to improve your cycling
00:04isn't necessarily through more cycling, quite the opposite in fact.
00:08Supplementing your riding with off-the-bike cross-training helps address those aspects
00:13of your fitness which don't get sufficiently developed through riding alone, but nevertheless
00:18are still crucial for your cycling performance. After all, it's no coincidence that essentially
00:23every professional cyclist includes regular off-the-bike exercises as part of their training
00:29plans. But unlike professional cyclists, not all of us have the time, money, or inclination
00:35to put in all the hours at the gym. So we've spoken to Dan Lacciufano, owner of Surrey Strength
00:41and Performance Gym, and Sam Mack, a chartered physiotherapist at the St. James Clinic in London,
00:46to get their expert recommendations of what five of the best home exercises are for maximum gains.
00:53And all of these can be done without any specialist equipment, so let's get into them.
00:59First up, we have Bulgarian Split Squats. This is a unilateral or single leg exercise and is
01:05hugely beneficial to cyclists because it's essentially a two-in-one. The muscles targeted
01:10are your quadriceps and hamstrings, essentially both sides of your thighs, as well as your gluteus
01:16maximus, helping to boost your anaerobic power output for improved sprinting and efforts up to
01:21short to mid-sized climbs. Being a unilateral exercise, it also places demands on your balance
01:26and stability. Through controlling your knee direction and making sure it doesn't buckle
01:31inwards, you'll be improving your joint stability, which in turn will help reduce chances of overuse
01:36injuries whilst on the bike. The way to do this exercise is rest one foot on a bench or seat at
01:43approximately knee height. Assume the forward lunge position, keeping the body upright,
01:48hips square with the rear foot resting on the bench. Lower the front leg to 90 degrees,
01:53keeping the knee aligned with the foot. Drive up through the heel to straighten the knee back
01:57to the starting position and aim to do 10-12 reps on each leg. After doing both legs,
02:03take up a two-minute rest and repeat this for up to five sets. Doing fewer reps and
02:08fewer sets initially as you build up your conditioning is ideal.
02:13Next, we have the good old-fashioned press-up, beloved by fitness classes throughout the world
02:19and with good reason. Although upper body exercises may seem superfluous for a cyclist,
02:24developing your upper body strength helps make it easier to maintain your riding position
02:29on the bike and is especially beneficial for sprinters who need to be able to counteract the
02:33forces they're putting down through the pedals. You should aim to keep the elbows tucked in so
02:38you're working the triceps more and to reduce the risk of injury to the shoulders as well as keeping
02:43your core tight and your body straight. Aim to be in control of the movement. Other than that,
02:48you should start off by placing your hands below the shoulder, slightly wider than shoulder width.
02:54Keep your shoulders, hips and ankles in a straight line. Bend your elbows to lower your chest just
02:59above the floor, keeping the elbows close to the chest. Then push back up to the start position.
03:04Aim for 10-15 reps, then two minutes rest and then try and do that for five sets. Again,
03:10fewer reps and fewer sets is recommended for those just starting out.
03:15With the mason twists, we have yet another dynamic exercise, only this time you're starting
03:20to work the core and the obliques much harder. Strength in this area helps prevent rocking
03:24from side to side whilst riding, meaning less power wasted. Now, stabilizing lateral movement
03:30in this way is fundamental to maintaining good form on the bike, making you more efficient
03:35and reducing your risk of injury. If you have a hard wooden floor, you may wish to place a blanket
03:41or cushion or yoga mat if you have one under your bum to relieve the pressure on your coccyx. Now,
03:47the way to do this exercise is as follows. Sit on the floor with your knees bent,
03:52lean back roughly to about 45 degrees, keeping your back straight. With both hands in front of
03:57your chest, tighten the core and lift both legs off the floor. Rotate your arms from side to side,
04:03touching the floor around waist level and then twist to the opposite side to do the same.
04:08You can aim for 10 reps and then take a two minute rest before repeating for up to five
04:13sets, or you can build up the reps and sets from whatever level suits you. Now, you can make this
04:18exercise harder by holding a dumbbell, or if you don't have one, then you can fill a two litre
04:23bottle of water and hold that instead. Next up, we have the bridge. Now, for those just starting
04:30out, the bridge is a great exercise for developing your back and your core. Again, vital for your
04:36stability and maintaining your position on the bike. The bridge also helps to develop your
04:41hamstrings and gluteus, but less so than the split squats we did earlier. So, the way to do these
04:47ones is lie yourself on the floor with your knees bent at roughly 90 degrees, with your feet flat
04:52and your arms by your side. Lift your hips up off the floor until the knees, hips and shoulders
04:58are in a straight line. Squeeze the glutes and tighten the core to prevent excessive load through
05:02the back. Then, hold for two to three seconds for isometric contraction and then slowly relax.
05:09Now, if that's a bit too easy for you, then you can step things up a notch by resting your
05:13shoulders on a bench, sofa or chair and start with both your feet and bum on the ground. Then,
05:19with one leg, lift up so you're straight like a tabletop, being careful not to overextend, return
05:25and then repeat. As you'll just be using one leg and because your range of motion will be much
05:30greater, you'll be increasing both the demand on your muscles and also helping to develop your
05:35stability in your joints and your core. Now, for both of these, aim for between 10 to 15 reps and
05:41take up to two minutes rest in between. You probably know the drill by now, you should aim for up to five
05:46sets. We're going to end on a tough one here. If you're not yet able to do the full number of reps
05:54and sets for the split squats and single leg hip thrusts, it will be best for you to leave this one
06:00out. On the other hand, those exercises will provide really good conditioning for pistol squats,
06:05so in time you'll be able to build up the strength to progress. Stand with your feet hip-width apart,
06:11extend your chosen leg forwards with your toes pointed up, extend your arms out in front of you,
06:16bend your other knee and slowly lower yourself to the ground, pause and then straighten back up.
06:22Your extended leg should stay lifted for the whole of the duration, then switch up and then repeat.
06:29This exercise is the most demanding for both muscular strength and stability,
06:33making it the most effective for boosting your cycling performance. But on the other hand,
06:38you might not be able to do it on your first try. Now, if you're not able to, but you do want to
06:43flesh out your session with a full five exercises, try a deep step up using a bench, chair or low
06:49wall as an alternative. Now, if you can get to the point where you can do 10 reps on each leg for
06:54five sets, then you will have definitely noticed a massive difference in your cycling performance.
07:02So, there we have it. Those are our five favourite exercises to do at home with very
07:07minimal equipment. If you've got any at-home exercises, then do share them down in the
07:11comments. If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content,
07:15and I'll see you again very soon.