Training for your riding position

Session A · about 10 min

• Push-up Shoulders 2 × 10 reps

  What for. Strengthens chest, shoulders and arms in support — the same holding work as propping yourself on the bar, only with more weight.

  How it goes.

  1. Hands slightly wider than the shoulders, body in one line from head to heel.
  2. Lower slowly until the chest is just above the floor, elbows pointing back at an angle.
  3. Push back up without the hips sagging. Too hard: do it on your knees.

  What to watch. Sagging hips. Then the lower back carries what the core should hold — the same tension as in the front plank.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: No equipment, Floor or mat.

• Scapular retraction Shoulders 2 × 15 reps

  What for. Strengthens the muscles between the shoulder blades — the ones that carry whatever goes through the arms onto the bar.

  How it goes.

  1. Sit or stand upright, arms relaxed.
  2. Draw the shoulder blades back and down, as if holding a coin between them.
  3. Hold briefly, release slowly.

  What to watch. Shrugging is the opposite. The movement goes back and DOWN.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: No equipment, Standing.

• Front plank Core 2 × 30 seconds

  What for. Holds the trunk against sagging — the base tension you lean on the bar with, without collapsing into your back.

  How it goes.

  1. Forearm plank, elbows under the shoulders.
  2. Squeeze the glutes, tilt the pelvis up slightly, body in one line.
  3. Keep breathing calmly — the tension holds, the air flows.

  What to watch. Sagging hips or a raised backside. Either one takes the work out of the trunk.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: No equipment, Floor or mat.

• Chin tuck Neck 2 × 10 reps

  What for. Strengthens the deep neck flexors. They hold the head when the trunk is low and the eyes still have to look ahead — otherwise it hangs on the neck extensors alone.

  How it goes.

  1. Sit or stand upright, looking straight ahead.
  2. Slide the chin straight back, as if making a double chin. The head does not tilt.
  3. Hold for five seconds, release.

  What to watch. Don't nod: the movement goes back, not down. A hand on the chin shows the direction.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: No equipment, Standing.

• Kneeling hip flexor stretch Hip 2 × 30 seconds per side

  What for. Stretches the hip flexor — the muscle cycling holds shortened for hours, because trunk and thigh stay at an acute angle throughout.

  How it goes.

  1. Go into a lunge and down onto the back knee, front leg at a right angle.
  2. Push the pelvis forward without arching the lower back — squeeze the glutes and it tilts the right way by itself.
  3. Keep the upper body upright and look for the tension at the front of the back leg's hip.

  What to watch. The most common mistake is arching the lower back: then the lower back stretches instead of the hip flexor, and you barely feel a thing.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: No equipment, Floor or mat.

Session B · about 9 min

• Thoracic rotation on all fours Neck 1 × 10 reps per side

  What for. Brings rotation into the thoracic spine. It needs that, so the neck does not have to take it over.

  How it goes.

  1. On all fours, one hand behind your head.
  2. First curl the elbow down towards the floor, then open it wide upwards, letting your eyes follow it.
  3. Keep the hips still — the rotation comes from the ribcage.

  What to watch. The pelvis turning along. Then the lumbar spine rotates, and it is not built for that.

  In the programme: one round. Needed: No equipment, Floor or mat.

• Prone Y raise Shoulders 2 × 10 reps

  What for. Strengthens the lower part of the shoulder-blade muscles, which keep the shoulder blades flat on the back while the arms reach forward to the bar.

  How it goes.

  1. Lie face down, forehead on a folded towel, arms forward and out in a Y.
  2. Turn the thumbs up and lift the arms a hand's width — the movement starts at the shoulder blade.
  3. Hold briefly, lower slowly.

  What to watch. Keep the shoulders away from the ears. Shrugging works the neck instead of between the shoulder blades.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: No equipment, Floor or mat.

• Dead bug Core 2 × 12 reps

  What for. Teaches the trunk to stay stable while arms and legs move. That is exactly its job on the bike.

  How it goes.

  1. On your back, arms straight up, hips and knees at right angles.
  2. Extend one leg and take the opposite arm back.
  3. Back to the start, then the other side.

  What to watch. The lower back must stay on the floor. If it lifts, the movement is too big.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: No equipment, Floor or mat.

• Glute bridge Hip 2 × 15 reps

  What for. Strengthens the glutes in extension — the movement that puts pressure on the pedal.

  How it goes.

  1. On your back, knees bent, feet hip-width apart.
  2. Squeeze the glutes and lift the hips until thigh and trunk are in one line.
  3. Hold briefly at the top, then lay down one vertebra at a time.

  What to watch. No higher than that line. Beyond it, the lower back works, not the glutes.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: No equipment, Floor or mat.

• Chest stretch in a doorway Shoulders 2 × 30 seconds per side

  What for. Opens the chest muscles, which shorten over hours in the riding position — and which have a hand in the shoulders falling forward.

  How it goes.

  1. Stand in a doorway, forearm on the frame, elbow at about shoulder height.
  2. Take a small step forward and slowly turn your upper body away.
  3. Look for the tension at the front of the chest, not in the shoulder.

  What to watch. If it pulls at the front of the shoulder joint instead of the chest, the elbow is too high.

  In the programme: 2 rounds. Needed: Doorway, Standing.