12 STRETCHESTO STAY LOOSE ON & OFF THE BIKE
Target all your riding muscles to stay lithe and limber in just 10 minutes per day
Have you heard that stretching can dramatically reduce performance? Well, it’s true, especially if you hold long, static stretches right before performing explosive exercises. The good news is that any negative effects are transitory, so you shouldn’t use it as an excuse not to stretch. Intuitively we already know that, don’t we? As stretching tight, achy muscles tends to make us feel better, even if we’re loathed to do it.
And research shows that the benefits of stretching aren’t limited to the specific muscle you’re working on. Instead, stretching affects the nervous system, increasing the parasympathetic, or rest and digest response, which in turn reduces stress and allows you to relax and recover faster. It’s why a
THE COACH
dynamic warm-up is better than static stretching before sporting activities, as you need to prime the nervous system while taking your limbs through the full range of motion required for the activity. Not relax.
TIME IT RIGHT
So timing is important. For static stretching you only need to hold the stretch for 30 seconds to reap most of the benefits. The stretch should be at the end-range of motion but not so extreme as to be painful. In fact, easier is more effective in the long run as it’s more relaxing and safer. Also, stretching the same muscle group repeatedly in the same session isn’t as beneficial as stretching it frequently. So if your quads are tight, it’s much better to stretch them for three bouts of 30 seconds every day (10.5 minutes total per week) than to stretch them for 10 minutes in one session once a week.
As with most things in life, mobility and flexibility decrease with age.
How bad is the loss of range of motion? Well, it’s estimated that you lose approximately 10% of your mobility per decade between the age of 20 and 50. It’s not incremental though, so you could wake up on your 33rd birthday after sitting at a desk for 13 years with a serious loss of mobility. Fortunately, offsetting the decline is relatively easy. With as little as 10 minutes per day you can rattle through a mountain bike-specific stretching protocol to help maintain your current level of flexibility or wind back the clock and actually improve it. Also, being more flexible keeps your movement repertoire from shrinking with age. Two massive benefits for mountain biking.
You’ll find some of the stretches outlined here easier than others, as we all have different needs, so we’ve put together the 12 most effective stretches for mountain bikers. Initially you’ll want to try all of them, to help identify your tightest spots, before picking the most effective options for your particular limitations. That way you can put together a dedicated stretching routine that will take less than 15 minutes per day.
So to recap. After a brief warm-up or after exercise, hold each stretch for 30 seconds and repeat it three times within the same session. If you’re tight on time, increasing the stretch duration to 60 seconds and performing the routine every other day is also very effective. The trick to maintaining the improvements in limb range of motion is to NOT pack in your stretching routine once you start feeling better, or the backwards slide will begin all over again.
THORACIC EXTENSION
Place the middle of your back on a foam roller. Now lift your hips off the ground so only your feet are in contact with it and your upper back is in contact with the roller. Try to put the back of your head on the ground behind you and slowly drop your hips to contact the ground.