A well rounded workout

dbackmtg

I took up cycling 2 years ago this month. Up until this past February I mixed in light lifting and other aerobic activities in with my cycling. From Feb. on all I have done is cycle at least 4 days a week. I have been doing no other exercising. From the waist down I'm in decent shape. My cardio cond. is also good. My back has been bothering me quite a bit and my upper body strength is not where it should be. I'm like the weight lifter that trains his upper body but doesn't do anything with the legs, except opposite. You've probably all witnessed one of those guys. My back has been giving out on quite a few rides lately due to my core is in no where near the condition that my legs are. Cardio and leg strength are fine, my back and upper body aren't. Two weeks ago I actually lost the power in my left leg at mile 18 on a 60 mile trip. Luckily 11 miles later we went through my town. I was limping into town. I could barely keep 12 mph. I have had two back surgery's and it is important that I keep my entire body ,(especially my core), in shape. I guess I'm posting this in case there's some other poor soul out there doing the same thing as me. To ride the mileage that I want to do takes more than just getting on your bike and riding alot especially if you have something like a bad back, knee or whatever. I'm actually missing out on a couple of longer rides that I just can't physically dobecause my core is out of shape. Let's see, last year I trained so much that I made myself ill and missed out on some rides. This year I didn't train enough in the right areas and am missing out on more rides. Maybe next year I'll get it right!

doive1231

I had a sore back for some years and was advised to try cycling. I did this along with core-strengthening exercises and my back is improving as well as my cycling.


The physio I saw at the time gave me this website for core-strengthening exercises:

http://www.mayoclinc.com then type core into the search bar on the top right. There are exercises without the ball or with (Tesco about £7). It seems to be about providing resistance to your stomach muscles and this will strengthen your back.

Hope this helps,

Dave