Biking: Why these exercises help

Sometimes, the difference between winning or losing a bike race depends on how fit you are.

Photograph: Joe Duty/Creative Commons

Your heart is thumping furiously; there are beads of sweat lining your forehead and adrenaline coursing through your veins. Your ears are perked up for the sound of the signal to begin and your hands firmly grasp the accelerator.

You have your strategy crystal clear in mind, you have practiced enough and there's nothing that can stop you from winning this race.

Yet, you lose.

Ever had the above experience? Have you ever lost without having any apparent deficiency to turn to?

We're all usually so eager to get on the bike, strap on our helmets, and go vroom vroom that we rarely pay attention to the simple mechanical process of warming up; one thing which could render the rider as a weak link. Perfectly mapped out routes, notched up and shiny bikes, extensive safety gear, or polished riding skills don't mean a thing unless you've charged yourself up to optimum performance levels through basic warming up techniques.

Why the need to warm up?

A well worked out warm up routine will keep you injury free by preparing the muscles for the race battle and making them more flexible. There are many benefits that come along with being more flexible:

• Greater flexibility will enable you to have a greater range of motion and improved posture while on the bike.
• It will also help you attain an increased level of physical and mental relaxation before, during and after a race.
• Increasing your flexibility will reduce muscle tension and soreness and also reduce lower back pain.

Demonstrated below are a few warm up movements and static stretches pertaining to the back, hip, and shoulder. For the dynamic warm up movements, it's crucial to start with a short range of motion, and gradually progress to a full range of motion while the muscles, tendons, and joints heat up. Ideally, stretches would be performed after the warm-up.

Lower body

Lunge with twist: The lunge and twist is a great way to start warming up your body. Step out with one leg, drop your back knee slightly above the ground and bring the opposite elbow to your front now. Do make sure though to twist under control; no wrenching.

Upper body

Arnold Press: Yes, it is named after Arnold Schwarzenegger and is duly performed as a strength exercise. When gripping the bars tightly, the upper back contracts, making it stronger and agile. Make sure when performing this movement that you press up and out at the same time, not separately.

Static Stretches

Shoulder and Lat Stretch

With the smaller and weaker joints situated in the shoulder and elbow, make sure to not force any positions that are uncomfortable. Start slow on this one. When stretching, move your shoulder blades to find a tight spot, and gently apply pressure. Again, don't force it.

You can always jumble up your own warm-up routine by mixing and matching different exercises. One thing to keep in mind though, is that warm-ups need to be inculcated routinely in your riding schedule rather than being a rarity; since doing it irregularly will prove harmful rather than helping you out. Happy riding!