Fitness
A cyclist stretching guide Stay loose for your next outing. by Justin Grinnell
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s warm weather approaches, avid cyclists are excited to get out on their bikes and hit the road. When the urge to move is so strong, it is easy to forget to properly warm-up. And yet, stretching and warming-up will make the ride so much better! Perform each movement, below, one after another, all on one side before moving to the other side. Perform five reps of each exercise, on each side.
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Rotational Stretch • While in the in-step lunge position, keep one hand on the ground as your rotate your upper-body to one side. Raise your arm and look at your hand as you rotate your upper-body. Hold for 3 seconds and repeat in the opposite direction.
4 HeEl to Butt • Standing tall with neutral posture, pull your heal back towards your glutes by grabbing onto your ankle or foot. Hold for three seconds.
IN STEP LUNGE • Take a big step forward and lunge down to the ground until both of your hands reach to the ground inside of your front foot. The front leg will be bent and 90 degrees or lower and the other leg will be straight behind you. Hold for 3 seconds.
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2 Knee Hug • Standing with neutral posture, hug your knee towards your stomach and chest with both hands. Hold for three seconds.
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Hip Raise • While in the in-step lunge position, place both hands on the ground. Raise your hips up in the air while raising your front toes off the ground and pushing your back heal to the ground. Hold for 3 seconds at the top of the hip raise.
Healthy & Fit • www.healthyandfitmagazine.com
MARCH 2014