If you usually train on a stationary bike or with elliptical machines, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about how to increase power, speed and endurance.
Instead, if you think about yoga, you might consider it an equivalent to stretching or something you do to avoid soreness after a workout. And while you’d be right to assume that yoga has a lot to offer when it comes to avoiding sore muscles, there’s actually a lot more to it than that. Based on the fluid connection of movement and breathing, yoga gives you the tools you need to control your breathing, get your heart rate under control, and ultimately access more power on the bike. It also helps keep muscles flexible and therefore less prone to injury. Encouraging joint space and alignment and increasing mindfulness are two other beneficial aspects of yoga. How is yoga complemented with more cardiovascular activities such as cycling?
It can be hard for those who love the hustle and bustle of a high heart rate to get excited about something that seems slower like yoga, but it really has a lot of potential to improve your performance in all physical activities. We rarely take the time to tune in and appreciate what our body does, how it feels in different positions, and how it affects us mentally and emotionally; Yoga gives us that opportunity.
Why is yoga such a good complementary activity for stationary bike training in particular?
Yoga can help in three main ways: it improves flexibility, increases strength, and develops breathing techniques.
Flexibility
If you regularly perform long sessions on the bike, it is essential to stretch and work flexibility. After spending so much time hunched over in the same position, the shoulders, neck, chest, and hip flexors require some attention. These are all parts of the body that yoga is aimed at. Once you incorporate stretching and improve your flexibility, you’ll also quickly notice that you recover faster after training on the bike.
Strength
In order to safely enjoy cycling training, you need to make sure your muscles and joints are strong and stable. For cyclists, it is especially important to work on strengthening the core. Our abdominal muscles are connected and work with the lower back, so improving core strength will help relieve back pain. Trunk exercises also strengthen the muscles along the spine, improving overall posture and naturally allowing the spine to be more flexible.
Respiration
If you want to be able to stay relaxed and focused while pedaling, it’s important to have some control over your breathing. Steady, fluid breathing allows you to calm your mind and connect with how your breathing affects your body and the power it is capable of exerting. Yoga puts this approach to the forefront, allowing you to cultivate better breathing habits that will then be automatic when you train. Cycling is a very linear movement, while yoga involves a lot of twisting. Why is twisting important for overall health and fitness?
