Maybe you get on your bike as part of the daily commute, maybe you cycle competitively or maybe you hop on a bike once a year to pedal along the Waterford Greenway on a sunny bank holiday, but no matter what type of cyclist you are, if you want to improve efficiency as you cycle or if you want to achieve better results, you need reformer pilates.

With the Tour De France 2019 happening this weekend, we’ve been chatting about how reformer pilates can be used in a cyclists training programme to improve your game and to leave your body in good condition after a gruelling cycle! One thing we hear a lot from our cyclist clients in class is that they tend to neglect stretching (despite knowing better), which leaves them with tight hip-flexors, pectorals shoulders and a sore lower back (ouch!).

Here’s just a few ways that pilates works to helps cyclists bodies to feel their very best!

In today’s world, we regularly attribute postural issues to things like working long hours at a desk, overuse of phones, and too much lounging around watching Netflix, and all of this is very valid, however cycling can also be tough on the spine, and as such it’s so important for cyclists to consider posture and spinal alignment as part of their training. When we look at the position of the spine while cycling, the spine is rounded forwards and tension is often held in the shoulders and pectorals. In order to counteract this, it is important to work on opening the chest and to strengthen the muscles of the back and shoulders. In our classes we work all parts of the body both elongating and strengthening the muscle for optimal alignment.

If you’ve ever been to a pilates class, you’ve undoubtedly heard your instructor harping on about your core. In pilates we work on strengthening the deep muscles of the core, but why is this important for cyclists? We know cycling is a very leg dominant sport, and its also a sport that requires a lot of longevity of the muscles for long tours on the bike. This means cyclists need to be aware of how they use their energy. The deep core muscles play a huge role in stabilising the body as we cycle, which means better balance on the bike, but even better, switching on deep core muscles while riding takes pressure off of the muscles of the legs allow you to ride for longer and with less risk of injury.

So there you have it! What cyclist doesn’t want better posture, stronger, longer muscle, more efficiancy on the bike and less risk of injury?!
If you haven’t yet, book your fist class today and reap the rewards.