Did you do the right warm-up and stretching before and after the ride?
Like any sport, stretching and relaxation before and after riding is an essential link.
However, according to Xiaobian’s observation, many people around him don’t warm up before riding, and don’t relax at all after riding.
Some people will inevitably ask, have I been riding for so many years without relaxing or stretching? Why waste time warming up and relaxing? Today, Xiaobian will talk about the benefits of warm-up before riding and relaxation after riding.
Why warm up before riding? Warm up before riding can warm up the muscles, raise the body temperature, accelerate the blood circulation of the whole body, and wake up the body to move quickly.
For the common muscle groups of riding, special functional actions can expand the range of motion of joints and reduce the probability of injury.
The following actions can be used in the warm-up of riding, long-distance riding or before the race.
It will take half an hour to complete, which will be a blessing for the future.
01 open close jump, open your hands and feet when jumping, and close them when jumping again.
Opening and closing jump can quickly increase the heart rate, which is a very classic warm-up action.
A set of opening and closing jumps almost involve the whole body and can help you get into motion.
02 lift your heels and walk with your toes on the ground and walk in a straight line.
Heel lifting walking can develop ankle strength, improve ankle functional range of motion and joint stability, and enhance calf muscle strength.
03 follow the ground and walk in a straight line.
Heel walking can develop ankle muscle strength and improve ankle functional range of motion and joint stability.
At the same time, it can also strengthen the muscle strength around the tibia and prevent tibial fracture.
04 holding the knee and lifting the heel can improve the functional range of lumbar and hip flexors, and improve the balance ability at the same time.
While exercising the calf gastrocnemius muscle, it also stretches the back muscle of the calf.
05 great stretching is called the greatest stretching in the world.
It can stretch to all parts of the upper limbs, lower limbs and trunk, enhance the mobility of joints and help riders enter the state quickly.
Why should we relax after riding? After long-distance riding, quadriceps femoris, gluteus maximus and other muscles are abnormally tired.
Correct stretching and relaxation can reduce excessive muscle tension, reduce joint pressure, increase joint activity and improve exercise performance.
The following actions can be used to relax and straighten after riding.
Keep relaxing and stretching.
Trust me, your riding performance will be better and better.
01 stretch the quadriceps femoris, which is the front of the thigh.
This part is the most used muscle group in cycling.
After long-distance cycling, this part has a particularly severe sense of stiffness.
Stretching the quadriceps femoris can relieve excessive muscle tension and help you recover quickly.
Specific method: stand with your legs straight, pull the ankle on the same side with one hand, lift it backward, and the sole plate is upward.
The lower legs should be as close to the hips as possible, and the legs and knees should be close together.
02 stretch the iliotibial band of the iliac (Qia) tibia, that is, the outside of the thigh.
When this part is overused to strain, the iliotibial band friction syndrome will appear, causing pain.
Specific method: put the right leg in front and the left leg behind the right leg from the rear.
While bending the right knee, extend the left leg outward to keep the left knee straight and feel the tension on the outside of the left leg.
03 when stretching iliopsoas, the posture of hips is fixed for a long time, resulting in abnormal stiffness of iliopsoas and rectus femoris in the front of thigh.
The tension of iliopsoas muscle can also easily lead to lower back pain.
Therefore, it is very important to relax this part.
Specific methods: lunge, with the right leg in front, raise the left hand over the head and stretch the body to the right.
04 stretch the hamstrings.
The hamstrings are the muscles behind the thighs.
These muscles are often used when riding, especially when climbing, but the strength of this muscle is the main factor limiting you to ride faster.
Specific methods: keep your back straight, take one step forward with one leg, straighten it, bend the other leg and press your body forward.
Put your hands on your bent thighs and reach your toes.
05 calf muscles if quadriceps femoris is the first tired muscle group in riding, then calf muscles are the second tired.
Especially in the process of acceleration, the lower leg is very easy to fatigue.
Pushing the wall can help you relieve the pain in your lower legs after riding.
Specific measures: straighten your right leg, put your right foot on the wall, and slowly approach the wall.
alternate.
06 when cat stretching riding, the upper body is fixed for a long time, which is easy to cause stiffness and pain in the waist and back.
Cat stretching is a very classic yoga movement, which can help relieve back pain and relax tight shoulders and neck.
At the same time, it can also enhance the function of abdominal muscles.
Specific methods: when inhaling, raise your head and tilt your pelvis, and when exhaling, lower your head, round shoulders and round back.
How to use tools to relax? If you feel that you are not relaxed enough, you can also use tools to relax.
Foam roller and baseball can help you relieve your fatigue after riding.
01 foam shaft relax quadriceps femoris, place the front thigh on the foam shaft, and roll back and forth slowly.
02 foam shaft relax the hamstring muscles, place the back of thighs and hips on the foam shaft, and roll back and forth slowly.
03 foam shaft relax iliotibial band, place the outer thigh on the foam shaft, and roll back and forth slowly.
04 foam shaft relax the upper back, place the upper back on the foam shaft, and roll back and forth slowly.
05 hold the ball, relax the hip muscles, put the hip on the baseball, look for the pain point and roll slowly.
When you do this for the first time, it may hurt very much, but then you will feel great.
06 baseball relax the thigh muscle group, hold the baseball, take the initiative to find the pain point of the thigh muscle group and press it slowly.
If you can’t do it yourself, you can cooperate with your partner to massage each other and enjoy the sour pleasure after riding together.
The above is the warm-up and stretching before and after riding.
You can try it, but no matter what method it is, you need to stick to it.
When you stick to it for many years, there are many benefits.
If you just try it once or twice, I guarantee you will be very sour..