Improving core strength

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Improving core strength
This has had a dramatic effect on being to hold a good position on the bike:

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 2-kg potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can.

Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 5-kg potato bags.

Then try 10-kg potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 20-kg potato bags in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level.)














After you feel confident at that level, put 1 medium-sized potato in each of the bags.

[Ivor]

silly b*gger.

on a serious note though... who does core exercises? and what do you do?
I did at the start of the year and found they really helped me... however, after my crash(es) I still can't put my body weight on either of my elbows . So planks and side planks are still out. Perhaps I'll try the potato bags.

[quote="marco"]When you do the planks you dont have to do them on your elbows you can do them with arms straight, palms flat on floor and back still dead straight, albeit higher in the air. Do it in front of a mirror ideally to ensure your not sagging in the middle!

[quote="marco"]You can walk your hands forwards and backwards as well and you will get major effect

[Marky Mark]

I'd like to chip into this thread but I can't be mashed. You say potato, I say potato.

[img]http://www.jazzdj.co.uk/jdjblog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/mashed_potato.jpg[/img]

[Tamar]

I am supposed to be doing planks to stop my back hurting all the time...but I generally don't get round to it until I climb into bed and think 'b*gger - forgot to plank' so I do them in bed on the mattress in the hope that it will be better for me doing them on a wobbly surface...but I generally only manage 30 seconds before deciding that beds are better for sleeping in.

Press-ups on a swiss ball (both feet on ball or hands on ball) are also good for core strength...but I am too feeble to do them. Other good core strength exercises (again, which I know more about in theory than practice) are: lie on the ball, walk your legs fwd until ball between shoulder blades. Extend one leg. Focus on keeping hips level and not falling off ball. Swap legs.

Or, sit on ball, feet together, knees bent. Rest one arm in lap and with other raise a weight out to the side. Use core muscles to prevent yourself from falling off the ball. Repeat on other side.

Or, lie on floor with knees bent and feet placed with one foot slightly further forward than other. Curl butt up off the floor, keeping rib cage on the floor (you should not be pivoting on your shoulders/neck, just raising ass off floor a bit). Make sure hips are level hold, then lower, making sure that both butt cheeks touch down at the same time (check by placing your hands as a landing pad). Because your feet are placed asymmetrically this will force your core to work to keep things level. Do 6 sets of 10 reps swapping which foot is fwd each time (ie 3 sets of 10 for each side).

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Oh my goodness, you're all being terribly serious (Mr potato head, Marky Mark excepted as usual - LOL)

[huw williams]

Planks - side planks - sit-ups - crunches - press ups - chin up bar and a few of the exercises we did at the pilates class.

20 mins 3 times a week. If I do them all I get no aches, pains, whinges or twinges even on the hardest or hilliest rides

If I don't do them I get a low, dull ache in the small of the back after about 75 miles or when riding hard in training and also a numbing pain at the base of my neck at the back between the shoulder blades. So its essential for me

[Tamar]

You're so disciplined Huw!

At the moment I use the fact that my lower back and hips hurt as an excuse not to do the core work...even though I know deep down (haha) that it will improve things in the long run. I can hardly roll over in bed most nights and have to sort of reverse out of bed and straighten up gradually in the morning. Any hard pedalling or out of saddle efforts causes pain across my lower back and even getting out of my chair at work makes my hips hurt.

But I'd still rather lie on the sofa with a book than do planks.

Eww, 20 mins of sit-ups and planks. I can't bear the thought of it.

[huw williams]

Sounds like you NEED to be doing it - just think of the long-term impact if you don't

20 mins session is not so bad - just a few minutes on each exercise and the time soon passes without too much pain - apart from the chin-up bar which is an implement forged in the flames of hell

[Ivor]

[quote="huw williams"]If I don't do them I get a low, dull ache in the small of the back after about 75 miles or when riding hard in training and also a numbing pain at the base of my neck at the back between the shoulder blades.

[Tamar]

Once, when I was much fitter and thinner, I decided to have a go on a chin up bar. I jumped up, hung on, and then didn't know what to do next. I sent strongly worded messages to my arms to do something....but nothing happened and I remained dangling. How do you do it???

Did a plank last night. Woohoo! And a side plank. Decided that was enough excitement for one night as it was almost midnight and I was ready for sleep.

[Snoop Doug]

[quote="Tamar"]Did a plank last night. Woohoo! And a side plank. Decided that was enough excitement for one night.

[huw williams]

stand on floor - reach up and grasp bar - raise yourself up till chin is level with bar then slowly lower yourself down with legs bent at knees so you don't touch the floor. then raise/lower again 20 times (in your dreams) 10 times (in reality) before collapsing and swearing at the bar - 2 mins rest then begin again, this time only managing 2 or 3 before swearing begins

[Snoop Doug]

top tip marco - I'm on the case! Perfect description too - tho don't let that stop you swingin' by here for a beer sometime

Snoop