Thanks to the at-home cycling craze, there are more cyclists on the road and on stationary bikes than ever before. From Peloton to Echelon and your favorite spin class here at our fitness center, Advanced Fitness and Wellness, cycling classes are popping up everywhere. Now, with the summer approaching, some of these avid cyclists are taking it away from the screen and out on the road, many even training for their next big race. Whether on the road or behind a tablet, no cyclist likes to be forced to stay out of the saddle due to injury. Thankfully, there are a few key ways to help prevent cycling injuries and help maximize your time training.
Check Your Form
At Advanced, we offer pre-season screenings for injury prevention for all athletes. This isn’t just for those with a set training season either! If you’re on the leaderboard each day, news flash…you’re also an athlete! First we will take a look at your form. Having an optimal position helps improve performance and limits injury. Always remember to keep your back flat and core engaged. This will support your spine and help minimize a slouching position while on the bike. Find yourself clenching your jaw? Try to keep your jaw loose. Clenching uses unnecessary energy that can be used for pushing harder through your lower body!
We also will take a look at your bike’s position. This includes checking your cleats, handlebar height and seat position. Sometimes if one of our athletes is experiencing some back pain, we adjust their settings to help them feel their best. With that, you’ll begin to see an improvement on output and endurance. So, not only do our screenings help with injury prevention, you’ll also see a steady improvement in your overall performance in and out of the saddle!
Your Training Schedule & Format
After we get you set up for success, we will take a look at your training plan. Your training program should include a gradual increase of time and intensity to avoid injuries such as tendinopathies and muscle strains. A new biker training for their first race should NOT set out to do 100 miles their first day, and new at-home cyclists should not start day 1 with a 90-minute ride. It’s important to build up slowly so your body can acclimate to the work and then you build upon that, training for your current fitness level. If you’re planning on working out 6 days each week, plan to have at least 1 active recovery day, plus one full recovery day. We can help design a training plan for you with the number of core workouts each week and recovery days to ensure you are seeing progress in your performance and also keeping yourself safe to prevent injury.
Let’s Get Started
So many of our athletes and patients have waited for this winter weather to break and get their bike outside. Some have also waited more than 2-3 months for their spin bike to arrive. So, hopping on and blasting a killer workout sounds like it might be what you need to get started, but it can do more damage and keep you off the bike! Remember, each day is a new day to work. Take it slow and we will work with you along the way to keep your performance high and have you feeling your best.
If you have a history of injury or would like to get treatment on a current injury, call or text 973-616-4555 for an appointment with Dr. Christine today!