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Admit it, you don’t warm up before hopping on your bike. I’ve rarely seen or met anyone who does. I certainly don’t—until I need to, which I suspect is the case for others as well.
Once I feel a little niggle in my knee or tightness in my hips, I’ll do a few cursory stretches to loosen up, unkink, and generally get my muscles ready to ride. But here’s a great idea: Maybe we can all prevent those knots, aches, and niggles from piping up in the first place with a little preride dynamic warmup ritual.
That’s what’s so great about this dynamic stretching routine from USA Cycling certified coach and physical therapist Ellen Foster, D.P.T., of Beyond Exercise in Cincinnati, Ohio. The whole thing takes about two minutes and can be done in your driveway, living room, or wherever you’re getting ready to ride, inside or out—even on the starting grid of your next race.
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“These are moves I prescribe to my clients who are dealing with pain or dysfunction—tight hips, achy knees, back and/or neck pain, those things that come on with longer rides or heavier efforts,” Foster says.
“It prepares the body for movement by activating your muscles and taking the joints through their full range of motion,” Foster says. “It also helps improve performance by counteracting cycling’s repetitive motions and sustained postures that may cause pain and dysfunction.”
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Sure you can get away without this kind of warmup because cycling isn’t quite like soccer where you’re going to pull a hamstring if you don’t warm up before a spirited ride or Zwift session, but you’ll notice that your legs open up more quickly and your back doesn’t get as sore or stiff if you fire up your muscles and get them ready for action, Foster says.
“I started doing it before races, because you’re just standing around the staging area waiting for your category’s start. It was something I could do right there to get my body ready to perform,” Foster says.
This dynamic warmup is also a good way to tune in to your body and see what joints or muscles might need more attention. For instance, if you notice your hips are persistently tight, you can take the time to do the foam rolling and/or stretching and strengthening you need to loosen them up and improve your range of motion before they cause back or knee pain.
“People are using Whoop straps and other technology to give them information about their fitness and recovery,” Foster say. “This is another easy way to check in and get more information about how your body is doing that will help make you a better rider.”
Do 5 to 10 reps of each stretch:
- Standing Quadriceps Stretch
- Figure-4/Standing Pigeon
- Windmill
- Air Squat
- Reverse Lunge With Torso Rotation
- Standing Fire Hydrant
- Overhead Reach With Side Bend
- Thoracic Extension + Hamstring Stretch
