I don’t have to look at my watch to know I’ve been on my road bike for almost three hours. It’s not so much that my legs are fatigued, it’s the aches in my shoulders, neck, lower back and even my ankles that’s telling how long I’ve been pushing at the pedals. It’s no wonder, of course. While my quads, knees and calves are in constant motion and being regularly replenished with fresh oxygen, the rest of me is relatively stationary, and just getting stiffer with each mile I crank out.
Jackie Wheeler, owner of Mountain Yoga Sandy (943 S. 1300 East, Sandy) and avid mountain biker, is all too familiar with the twinges and tightness cycling can cause. “I love cycling, but all that repetitive movement, leaning forward and overworking your hip flexors, quads and hamstrings, can cause some pretty unpleasant discomfort—or even injury—if you don’t do some kind of counter activity off the bike,” Wheeler says. “The benefits that cyclists, and really all athletes, can expect from doing yoga include increased flexibility and strength and gaining better control of the breath.”
Engaging in a regular yoga practice will not only double down on the flexibility and strength benefits offered by the poses outlined below but will offer the bonus of mastering control of your breath—a particularly handy skill when you’re, say, trying to recover quickly in between climbs or want to stay calm through a tough technical section of singletrack trail. And though it might be tempting to engage in more challenging yoga classes on the regular, Wheeler advises that those who cycle three or more times a week take it a bit easier. “I’d recommend gentler classes like a stretch, yin or even restore, versus higher intensity classes like power, vinyasa or flow yoga,” she says. “Most regular cyclists don’t need more intensity and can reap the greater benefits of oxygenating the whole body and active recovery by taking less intense classes.”
5 Yoga Poses For Cyclists
Wheeler says these poses are particularly effective in maintaining cycling-specific muscle flexibility and are great to do anytime but especially immediately following a ride.
Cobra, to relieve neck and lower back stiffness. Lie on your stomach with your arms bent so that your hands are directly under your shoulders and your elbows pointing up. Gently curl your spine upward moving your gaze toward the sky just to the point where it feels good.
Pigeon, to stretch the hip flexors and inner hip. From a low lunge position, with your right leg forward and left leg back, lower your body so that your right shin is parallel, or close to parallel, to the top of your mat. Your left leg should be extended straight behind you with the top of your left foot resting on the mat. Switch sides. A gentler alternative to pigeon is figure four: lie on your back with both knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Move your left ankle to rest on your right leg just above your knee. Bring your right knee toward your chest. Switch sides.
Downward facing dog, to release your lower back, lengthen your spine and to open your hamstrings. From a tabletop or all-fours position, with your hands and knees shoulder-and hip-width apart, roll onto your toes and lift your hips toward the sky, forming an inverted “V” with your body. Keep your
arms straight but maintain as much bend in your knees as you need.
Supine twist, to stretch your core and open your chest. Lie on your back, bring your knees into your chest and extend your arms straight out from your shoulders like a capital “T.” Gently drop both knees to one side while turning your head in the opposite direction and keeping both shoulders on the floor.
To build and maintain all-important core strength, Wheeler also suggests doing regular planks (holding a high push-up position on your hands and toes) and boat poses (balance on your tailbone with your legs lifted and your arms reaching forward).
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