The point of this exercise is to improve hip and knee extension and also plantar flexion in the ankles which are important joint actions for pedaling power. This explosive compound exercise is great to improve acceleration on and off the saddle. It also improves shoulder mobility and enhances control in the stabilizer muscles in the upper thoracic and lumbar region.
Cyclist tend to round their backs out a lot when riding for long hours and this exercise improves posture by strengthening the muscles in the arms, shoulders and back. This is also a great exercise for core stability due to the instable nature of the suspension trainer.
Cyclists need to be nimble and quick with their feet while maneuvering either through traffic, around pot holes or while competing in a bunch during a race, and ladder drills help the athlete develop and improve coordination, rhythm, timing and reaction time. Some cyclists have a hard time with ladder drills because they’re only on the bike and spend little time running or doing anything that lowers ground contact time. This is one all athletes of any sport should try.
Single leg squats are essential to all athletic development programs. You generally see most cyclist use the leg press as a means to gain leg power however in my opinion because the hip is fixed in the leg press machine the gluteus muscles don’t get what they need to be able to help drive the legs the way they should as the cyclist pedals. Hip flexion and extension occurs best with most variations of squat but the single leg squat is the most challenging and mastering this exercise proves your athletic brilliance.
I use this exercise as a test on frontal plane stability. Mastering this exercise for cyclists decreases the energy wastage when a cyclist is fatigued and begins rocking their bike from side to side to gain leverage while trying to go faster. Time and valuable inches are lost when closing in on the finish line if the cyclist’s core isn’t stable. Try working beyond 1minute when adding this exercise to your routine.
This brilliant total body exercise is a combination of upper body strength, core stability, hip extension and leg strength that gets everything moving in a beautiful sequence to teach the athlete how to stay in control mentally and physically while under stress and fatigue.
