
On top of all the other benefits – back protection, power, speed – a rock-hard core is your key to lasting 12 quality hours in the saddle.īut while you might think that a six-pack means you’re on the right lines, it’s essential to delve deeper for truly functional benefits.

Two exercises to improve your cycling endurance After you’ve done it six times, rest for 15 seconds and then repeat the exercise with your left leg.ĭo six reps per leg per set and do three sets, resting for 30 seconds after each. Hop forward on your right leg as far as you can, swinging your arms for help. One-legged squat jumpsĭo six reps per leg per set and do three sets. Try to land and explode rapidly, keeping ground contact brief. In fact, US researchers have found that jump squats can boost body power and acceleration by 13 per cent in five weeks.Ĭomplete as many of these exercises as you can in 30 minutes, breaking for two minutes between each. “These plyometric drills can make the difference between finishing first and trundling into last place.” “By training these muscles over a month and making specific groups expand and contract at speed you can get the edge,” says Wadsworth. You need the fast-twitch, type-two muscle fibres in your glutes, quads and hamstrings for Chloe Hosking-style all-out sprinting speed. By working these muscles you’re also protecting your back and nervous system and preventing spasming.” Five exercises to improve your acceleration “Recruiting your glutes in the saddle is amazingly hard so do this just before you get on the bike to be fired up and ready to go. “This activates the gluteus maximus muscles in cycling positions,” Wadsworth says. Just before you touch the ground, tense your right glute and change legs.

Then take your right foot back and straighten it. In a press-up position, tense your glutes and lift your right knee to your right elbow, keeping everything in the plank position. This activates the gluteus maximus muscles in cycling positions.
