For those of us out there who prefer to take our chances with the dirt, I have been following Bike James’ blog for some time now as he really offers insightful and informative training info specific to mountain bikers. This s the first in a series which I will be posting up on the blog and targets core strengthening exercises presented a little differently to what I have seen in the past, whats amazing is just how much sense they make…

By BIKE JAMES

Core strength is very important for mountain bikers. Unfortunately, a lot of riders still train with crunches and other exercises that do not adequately strengthen the core for the specific demands of riding your mountain bike. Without proper core strength you end up with a sore lower back and neck.

This core strength sequence, which I call the Ab Sequence, are some basic exercises that you should perform everyday in order to strengthen the core and reduce injuries. When riding a mountain bike your core has to provide the platform for you to pedal and maneuver around your bike. This routine will help create the mountain bike specific core stability needed to dominate on your bike.

This core strength sequence consists of 4 exercises – the Glute Bridge, the Plank, the Side Plank and the Bird Dog. You can right click on the links below and select “Save as…” to download the IPod compatible video file.

Core Activation Drills

You can also watch the video demo of this sequence below:

Here are some pictures and coaching cues for each exercise:

Glute Bridge (6-10 reps):

• Lie on your back with your feet shoulder width apart and your heels drawn into towards your butt.
• Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes to bring your butt up off the ground.
• Squeeze your glutes until your hip fold is straight. Make sure that you are not pushing your belly button towards the ceiling and that you feel no pressure in your lower back.
• Staying tight, bring yourself back down to the floor.
• Do not relax at the bottom. Instead, do a light touch on the ground before coming back up.

Plank (30 seconds):

• Make sure that your elbows are under your shoulders and not pushed out under your face.
• Keep your shoulders “packed in” and keep them pulled down away from your ears.
• Keep your abs engaged by pulling your bully button in towards your spine.
• Keep your glutes squeezed tight.
• Maintain a straight spine and keep your butt down and in line with your shoulders and heels.

Side Plank (15 seconds each side):

• Lie on your side with your feet stacked on top of each other and elbow on the ground under your shoulder.
• Draw you belly button into your spine, squeeze your glutes and bring your hips off the ground.
• Keep your shoulders and hips square and maintain a straight spine.

Bird Dog (30 seconds each side):

• Start on your hands and knees.
• Start by bracing your abs. Squeeze your glute and extend one leg back and the opposite arm out.
• Keep your thumb pointing to the ceiling and your toes pointed to the ground. This will help you keep your hips and shoulders square.
• After you are finished with the first arm and leg pairing come back to all fours. Brace your abs and extend the other leg and arm out.