Most of us know that we should stretch after a ride, but how many of us actually do it?
Stretching regularly – ideally after a ride when your muscles are warm and malleable – can help you to avoid injury and you really only need to take 5 to 10 minutes out of your day to see the effects.
To help you remain supple, we’ve teamed up with the guys at Velo Atelier who offer ‘products for the discerning cyclist’ (including bike fitting, coaching and pilates) to bring you a series of six video guides for stretching, followed by six strengthening moves later in the summer.
Velo Atelier: Bike Fit Beyond the Nuts and Bolts
Instructed by Level 3 Pilates teacher, Dorte Jensen, the videos will demonstrate stretches for key areas which can become a source of irritation for cyclists:
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Quads
- Neck
- Hip Flexors
- Calves
Dorte has over five years experience teaching pilates classes, so though the stretches aren’t likely to be unknown to you, she’ll demonstrate the correct way to carry them out and highlight common errors which can hamper the effects of the stretch.
The first in our series is the Glute stretch. The Glutes are a hugely important muscle group for any cyclist – they drive the pedalling action. When the muscles in our bum get tight, they can become uncomfortable, even causing compression of nerves that run through the legs or pulling on the IT band and resulting in knee pain.
Take a look to see the best way to stretch the Glutes…
