The Core – Far from being the visible muscles Whenever the core is mentioned, the superficial muscles of the torso such as the abdominal ‘six-pack’ muscles may spring to mind. However, it is often the deeper muscles that aren’t necessarily in view that make up the ‘real’ core and its weakness and imbalance in these muscles that can lead to injury. MUSCLES OF THE BACK
MUSCLES OF THE ABDOMINAL WALL
deltoid
Pectoralis major serratus anterior latissimus dorsi linea alba external oblique aponeurosis external oblique rectus sheath
external intercostal rectus abdominis tendinous inscription
umbilicus
internal oblique inguinal ligament
semispinalis capitis
sternocleidomastoid
splenius capitis
trapezius
splenius cervicis spine of scapula
levator scapulae supraspinatus
deltoid
teres minor
Rhomboid major
teres major
Latissimus dorsi latissimus dorsi thoracolumbar fascia External oblique
AMERICAN PRO CYCLIST
n ‘I’m a big believer in core work. It improves my energy transfer on the bike and helps prevent injuries. Cycling naturally strengthens some muscles but weakens others; that’s why most pros slouch when they walk. I have specific gym days that involve core activities, where I’ll spend an hour going through exercises, for example squats and dead lifting where you use the whole core to stabilise. I try to keep it cycling-specific, and finish every gym session with a difficult core workout where I’ll do core exercises to fatigue.’
CYCLING NIRVANA Daryl Impey
Erector spinae
TO WEAR THE YELLOW JERSEY AT THE TOUR DE FRANCE
Serraturs posterior inferior
n
Internal oblique
external oblique
iliac crest
internal oblique
PA R T 1 : P R E PA R AT I O N
Tyler Farrar
Serraturs anterior
The underlined muscles are the key ‘core’ muscles
NO T E
The PFC core strengthening routine (see page 202) helps to both directly and indirectly strengthen these core muscles. 20
See the rehab toolkit for a comprehensive core exercise programme.
BELIEVE IN CORE WORK
Rhomboid minor Serratus posterior superior
infraspinatus fascia
Gluteus maximus
result in pain elsewhere. For example, one cause of lower back pain could be insufficiently conditioned hamstring muscles. The moment your body starts adjusting and compensating and as you move away from your ideal position, your set-up on the bike is being compromised. This can have a domino effect and lead to the development of pain and injuries elsewhere and notably hamper your performance. All the muscles are interconnected, they seldom work in isolation, and if there’s any sort of muscular imbalance, other muscles will try and compensate to help and your body may naturally adjust itself. Once you can no longer compensate or adapt, pain and injury can creep in. It requires just a little dedication and some aptitude and within a couple of weeks, you will improve your power to transfer through the pedals, your stability on the bike and reduce your chances of developing injuries.
SOUTH AFRICA
| FIRST AFRICAN
‘My Cycling Nirvana without question was the first day in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France in 2013. Just wearing the jersey took away any pain and made the whole day feel effortless. They say the yellow jersey gives you wings, I can attest to that. Maybe I was focusing on how awesome the moment was and how big it was that any pain I was experiencing, because of how hard the stage was, was worth it. What a special day.’
C o r e s t r e n gt h : a v i ta l c o m p o n e n t
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