Winter is coming and your Louisville sports chiropractor says it’s a great time to really focus on building your core muscles to get ready to take you to new levels next year. Those core muscles are the foundation to every single ride you go on. Yes your core…not your legs. Think about it…if you are pushing your legs against a soft core guess what, you are losing power because that soft core is now eating up that power. If you have a rock solid core and start pushing your legs against those rock solid abs guess where ALL of that extra power is going now? Right down to your cranks and not getting absorbed by that weak core!

Here are the best 5 exercises you can be doing to increase that core power. Ultimately increasing performance and preventing injuries.

Planks – Kickstands
What they work: Shoulder, Back and Abs

Ideal for building a strong core for long or speedy rides.

The Form:

  • Start by getting into a press up position.
  • Bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms and not on your hands. Those hands need to stay pretty so you can crank through those gears.
  • Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to ankles and you should like superman pretending to fly.
  • Engage your core by sucking your belly button into your spine.
  • Hold this position until you feel the burn then rest.
  • When these get too easy you can raise an arm or a leg while holding the position.

Windshield Wipers
What they work: Abs & Oblique

These are great to get you ready for sprints, especially good for the CX and MTB riders.

The Form:

  • Without forming an arch of your spine, lie down on an exercising mat.
  • Make a “T” shape of your upper body by extending your arms sideways with your palms firmly fixed to the ground. This should look similar to the same way you lie after an FTP test, race, hard ride or anything else that makes you feel like you are going to pass out.
  • Starting position: Raise your legs in a manner that your legs and knees form a 90 degree angle with the each other.
  • Raise your legs in an inclined/tilted manner such that both of your thighs are either touching each other or the lower one of them is touching the ground. Remember to exhale while you do this.
  • Pausing for a while, flip to the other side.
  • You complete one rep when you have finished doing the exercise on both the sides.
  • Repeat as many number of times you wish to.

Glute Bridges – Booty Busters
What they work: Low back and top of the glutes.

These are the money makers to get cyclists through the long grueling climbs in Boulder and beyond!

The Form:

  • Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground just close enough that you can graze your heels with your fingertips when you stretch your arms down by your side. Your feet should be about hip-width apart.
  • Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arm is on the ground.
  • Then drive up through your heels and upper back to lift your glutes off the ground. Drive your hips up as high as possible, squeezing the glutes hard. Keep your belly button drawn in so you don’t hyper extend your back/
  • Do not push backward off your heels. Make sure you are driving straight up and that your knees aren’t caving in.
  • Squeeze your glutes for second or two at the top in the same way your butt flinches when you nave one of those OH S&%$ moments on the bike and then lower all the way back down to the ground before repeating.
  • You should feel this move in your glutes and hamstrings and not in your low back.
  • Do not rush through glute bridges your booty is very delicate. Take time to hold at the top and feel the glutes activate.

Balance Ball Pikes – Cycling Stabilizers
What they work: Abs & Shoulder and various stability muscles.

Great to improve your balance whether you are sprinting on the road or hitting the turns hard on the mountain bike.

The Form:

  • Get into high plank position with calves and tops of sneakers on top of a Swiss ball. Hands should be on the ground directly under shoulders.
  • Raise hips up into the air so that body is in a pike position and tip toes are on the Swiss ball. When you get to the top you should look like a kitty cat scared for its life with its hair stuck up on its back.
  • Keep abs tight and hips even.
  • Pause at top, then return to starting position. That’s one rep.

Russian Twists – Crank Twisters
What they work: Obliques & Transversus abdominis

Another must do for any of the climbers out there.

The Form:

  • Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet slightly off the ground.
  • Move your torso all the way to one side, then all the way to the other.
  • Keep the work in your abs—if your neck is starting to look like that of a constipated turtle, relax your shoulders and try to really squeeze your abs. For more intensity, lean back further or hold a small weight in your hands.

Apex Chiropractic is the go to place for athletes in Boulder County. We keep them going strong and prevent injuries. We work with a range of professional athletes on a daily basis. Your brain and nervous system control every task in the body all the way down to a sub-cellular level and it is vital that all of the communication pathways from the brain out the spinal cord have clean and clear pathways. We use the most scientific technique on the market to optimize these communication pathways to allow your muscles and organs to work at their maximum level driving your performance through the roof! Contact us to set up your appointment.