Core Exercises

The Best Core Workout for Cyclists

Boost power in the saddle with this quick and easy abs routine

Hard Core

If you’re not doing core work, you should be. Research on cyclists shows that when core muscles fatigue, pedaling mechanics break down, paving the way for poor performance and injury. No time, you say? That’s no excuse. You need only four minutes to hone your core, says Allison Westfahl, an exercise physiologist in Boulder, Colorado. Here she details the moves she prescribes for pro clients like Garmin-Sharp’s Tom Danielson.

Do It
Perform one set of each exercise, resting 15 seconds between moves. Aim for three sessions a week. If you can, tack the routine onto the end of a ride. A study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research reported that cyclists who cooled down with a core workout had significantly better lactate clearance, which helps reduce muscle fatigue, than those who did nothing. (If you get sore after this workout, try these soothing stretches for sore muscles.)

Related: Ride smarter. Corner better. Go faster. Climb stronger. Recover quicker.  Discover how, with The Cyclist's Training Bible.

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