Winter marks the offseason for most cyclist.  Some will use this time to relax and recover, while most will continue with some sort of physical exercise be it yoga, boot camps or indoor cycling.   

It’s no secret that cycling is one of the best modes of exercise.  The mind and body benefits greatly from long outdoor rides, especially with the fellowship of group rides.   

 

However, biking comes with its fair share of issues.  Extended periods of time in the saddle lead to some muscle groups becoming shortened and others extended and weak.  The cycling motion exists mostly in the sagittal plane (think forward and backward motions), which can neglect the muscles that control frontal plane (side to side) and transverse plane (rotation) motions. Our 12-week program takes advantage of tri-planar movements, helping you become more balanced and resistant to injury.  

 

Cycling is a low impact sport which has its pros and cons.  The low impact nature allows you to develop strong muscles while being gentle on the joints.  There are some indications that serious cyclist who don’t devote enough time to other forms of exercise may be at risk for developing osteoporosis.  The bones respond to the mechanical stress placed on them during strength training by increasing mass and density.  Supplement your cycling with strength training and now you have an ideal combo for muscle and skeletal health.  
 
While the sport of cycling is predominantly a cardiovascular sport, there are performance benefits to be gained by getting off the bike and working on strength.  To improve your speed, you need to continuously crank out more power.  Power is force over time.  If your RPM remains constant, then the only way to increase power is to increase the force that you’re exerting into the pedal. Now, you can work to improve your cadence, but the power improvement from cadence alone is limited because there is a ceiling on how fast you can pedal.  The ceiling for strength gains is much higher so with this in mind, it makes sense to work on developing leg strength.  The most efficient way to build strength is resistance training with weights.  Spend some time off the bike and in the gym!  

 

This is a generalized program designed for beginner and intermediate level cyclist.  We can scale the program to meet any skill level.   
 
The program does require some basic gym equipment.  You can save it on your phone or print it out and fill in your resistance as you work through it.  If you don’t have access to a gym, or want a more private or personalized experience, we do offer in-facility training at Kinetix or online coaching.  Our facility provides a clean, private, comfortable atmosphere fully equipped just for you.  There is no waiting for equipment and no distractions.  When you walk through our doors, we want you to focus all your attention and energy on your workout.  

 

If you have concerns regarding an injury or want a unique training experience to push your limits, send us an email at info@kinetixptp.com  Megan is our in-house Ironman triathlete and fitness professional who will be happy to help you decide which of our services is the best fit for you.