For any cyclist, the greatest joy is to venture out and cover countless miles. Exploring new places, new trails and different routes is exhilarating. However, improving performance on the bike also requires exercises aimed at strengthening our legs, that is, reinforcing the two main engines.
In this article we are going to tell you How to develop cycling legs and what are the best exercises to do it.
Exercises to develop cyclist legs
The exercises are beneficial for both road and mountain cyclists. The most advantageous aspect is that they can be performed both at home and in the gym. We have chosen 8 exercises suitable for all levels and needs, keeping one constant goal: improving leg strength, which will increase our cycling speed, improve endurance and increase pedaling efficiency.
Leg strengthening exercises can be performed 2 or 3 times a week., depending on each person's fitness level and experience level. In general, this means that most people can complete 3 or 4 sets of approximately 10 reps, making sure to rest between each set.
box jumps
This exercise, as the name suggests, involves performing a sequence of jumps onto a box or an elevated surface such as a bench. Start by placing your legs parallel and bending your knees to generate momentum before jumping onto the box or bench, making sure that both feet land simultaneously. Your arms serve to provide additional momentum. Performing this activity can improve your explosiveness.
Squatting
This exercise is highly recommended for cyclists. It mainly targets the quads, hamstrings, knees, and hips. Start with your feet flat on the ground and parallel to each other, then lower your body as if you were about to sit down on a chair. Make sure your knees stay behind your toes as you push your hips back. Also, avoid bending your back or lifting your heels. Once you reach the lower position, hold the position for several seconds before standing back up.
Up and down stairs
This is an activity that anyone can do on a daily basis. For example, we can start by choosing not to use the elevator at home several times a day. If we want to go a step further, we can find some stairs to do different exercises, such as climbing the steps one at a time, two by two, make small jumps, move sideways, alternate legs, among many other optionsThis practice allows us to gain resistance while toning muscles such as the calves and quadriceps.
Strides
This exercise is one of the most complete, as it involves several leg muscles, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves. To perform it, we must take a step forward, making sure that the front knee bend forming a right angle of 90 degrees while the rear should be in contact with the ground.
In this sense, it is essential to keep the torso straight, pull the shoulders back and keep the head looking forward. To increase the challenge of the exercise, we can introduce weight into the arms, which can remain attached to the body or move in conjunction with the movement.
hip thrust
Lying on your back with your arms and back close to the floor, bend your knees, making sure that your calves are perpendicular to the floor and your heels are in line with your hips. Once in this position, raise your hips in a gentle and controlled manner, aiming to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders, involving the muscles of the legs and buttocks. We maintain this alignment for 1-2 seconds. For repetitions, we lower the pelvis until it almost touches the floor, making sure not to touch it, before raising it again.
Tiptoe rise
Start standing, keeping an upright posture. Place your arms in front of your chest and stand on your toes, balancing on the balls of your feet, then shift your weight onto your heels while gently lifting your toes. Try to do quick repetitions. The goal of this exercise is to raise your heels by pushing with your toes., letting them fall before finishing with a slight lift on the toes. This movement mainly works the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.
burpees
Burpees are a very dynamic and complete exercise. We start standing and do a squat. Next, we bend our legs and place the palms of our hands on the floor, keeping our back straight while we lean forward. With our hands on the floor, we extend our legs, balancing on the tips of our feet. From this position, we do a push-up. Finally, we bend our legs again and finish with a vertical jump.
Russian twist
The Russian twist is an exercise that enhances our flexibility and posture. Sitting on the floor with your legs slightly extended and bent, with your feet elevated, We will rotate the torso from one side to the other, strongly exercising the abdominal muscles. To increase the challenge, we can perform this movement while holding a dumbbell in our hands. It is essential to maintain a constant breathing rhythm and keep the shoulders relaxed.
Importance of having good legs for cycling
Cycling is a sport that, while requiring good general physical condition, relies heavily on leg strength, endurance and power. Specifically training these muscles not only improves performance on the bike, but also prevents injuries and optimizes efficiency with each pedal stroke. Each pedal stroke requires a significant amount of energy, which comes mostly from the leg muscles.
Muscle groups such as quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles They are primarily responsible for generating the force needed to move forward. Trained legs allow you to apply more power to the pedal, which translates into greater speed and efficiency.
I hope that with these exercises you can learn more about how to develop cyclist legs.