It's helpful to include stretching in your cycling regimen. Stretching can increase flexibility and improve your joint's range of motion, helping you move more freely and ensuring that you have equal flexibility on both sides might protect you from injury.
Before stretching, warm up with 5-10 minutes of light activity will be better.At the very beginning, stretch gently and slowly.If you feel pain, you've stretched too far and you should slow down to avoid muscle injuries.
As we’ve mentioned, the main muscles we use when we ride are cervical muscle, back muscles, buttocks muscle, triceps muscle and other leg muscles.
So, in this article, we are going to talk about how to stretch.
Shoulder Stretches
The human shoulder is one of the more bio-mechanically complex joints because it has the greatest range of motion in the body.And there are numerous nerves, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels surrounding the shoulder, which can not only provide support and flexibility but also make the area easy to injury. Performing shoulder stretches regularly, particularly before and after strenuous exercise like cycling, may help reduce the risk of muscle strain and other injuries.There are three ways of stretching shoulders.
Way 1:
a. Sitting straight in your chair with perfect posture, raise your arms straight overhead as though you’re trying to touch the ceiling.
b. With your head and torso stationary, move your arms back and forth. Most importantly, move your arms behind your head.
c. You should feel some pulling in your mid-back, which helps to unfold and extend your spine.
d. Repeat 10 times.
Way 2:
a. Keep your back straight and your chin tucked in.
b. Roll your shoulders forward, up, back, and down in a circular motion.
c. Repeat 10 times, then reverse.
Way 3:shoulder stretches
a.Make sure your muscles are warm before you attempt to stretch or exercise them.
b.Hold your arms straight out in front of you with your elbows locked.
c.Then slowly pull your arms back, bringing your shoulder blades together to form a T.
Trapezius Stretched
The trapezius muscle is located in the middle and upper back and in part of the neck.And the main function of it is to move the scapula, or shoulder blade, and to help support our arms. If we cycle for a long time, the trapezius muscle will be tight, causing stiffness over our shoulder, neck, and back.Stretching this large muscle keeps loose and pliable, relieves tension and preserves or restores neck and shoulder health.
Upper Trapezius Stretch
1. Stand erect and move your hands behind your lower back.
2. Grasp your right wrist with your left hand.
3. Pull your right arm as far as possible to the left. Your hands should be in back, or just outside of, your left hip.
4. Lower your head toward your left shoulder until you feel the stretch in your neck.
5. Maintain the stretch for 30 seconds and then repeat it on the opposite side.
Middle and lower trapezius stretch
1. Stand straight and put your right arm horizontally across your chest. Your right hand should be near your left shoulder with your palm facing down.
2. Grasp the outside of your right elbow with your left hand.
3. Push your elbow toward your body gently, until you can feel the stretch in the right shoulder and the upper right side of the back.
4. Hold the stretch for 45 seconds and then switch your arms.
Chest Stretches
The chest area is a big sized muscle are consisting of two kinds of pectoral muscles, one is the pectoralis major and the other is the pectoralis minor. Like other muscle groups, the chest muscles would shorten and tighten for many reasons (engaging in strenuous work-out programs like cycling). That kind of stiffness can affect our upper body, which limits its range of motion and results in a sense of confinement and inconvenience, subsequently, impedes the execution of common daily activities. Therefore, a series of stretching exercises is necessary to help us loosen up the chest muscles and improve the flexibility.
Instructions:Image result for chest stretches
1. Stand under a threshold of medium width with the back straightened.
2. Open your forearms at a 90-degree angle to your arms and have your elbows at the level of your shoulders, holding the door frame.
3. Step forward with one leg without leaving your arms’ position on the door, feeling the pull in your pectoralis muscles, and hold it there.
4. Return to the initial position and repeat with the other side;
5.Move your hands higher or lower so as to achieve a more thorough chest stretching.
Back Stretches
The purpose of doing back stretches is multifaceted.Doing a few back stretching exercises is important in terms of preventing back pain and back stress and back stretches are also necessary to maintain mobility, maintain joint health and sustain a good posture.Here are some ways of back stretches.
Way 1.
a. Lie on your back on a bed or on the floor with your head on a pillow.
b. Bend your knees up so that your feet are flat on your floor.
c. Grab hold of both your knees and slowly pull them up toward your chest. (If you feel discomfort in your knees when doing this you may grab the back of your thighs.)
d. Slowly straighten your arms while continuing to hold onto your knees.
e. Repeat the above ten times.
Way 2supported upper thoracic extension
a. Sit up on a chair with a back whose height ends in the mid thoracic region - just at the bottom or just below your shoulder blades.
b. Slide your butt right to the back of your chair.
c. Clasp your hands behind your head with your elbows back.
d. Slowly lean back over the back of the chair so that you are looking at the ceiling.
e. Return to the upright position.
f. Repeat this exercise 10 times, don't hold it.
Stretching for sport and exercise improves flexibility, which increases the ability of a joint to move through its full range of motion; in other words, how far it can bend, twist and reach. Some activities, such as cycling, require more flexibility than others.In today’s article, we’ve talked about the stretches of the upper parts of the body, and I hope it will be useful for all the readers.
As a reminder, if you’ve already got an injury, consult a physical therapist rather than try all the stretches out there.
Stretching for Cycling(A)
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