by Jo McRae
Risks of swimming
•Some strokes may be contraindicated for specific joint problems, in particular for some neck, shoulder, back and knee problems. Breaststroke swum with the head out of the water is usually the most provocative
•To get the most out of swimming as a mode of cross-training, you might need to upskill so that you can swim more than one stroke in more than one way
Paired and team sports
Indoor games and racket sports
STAR RATINGS:
Flexibility: 1 Core stability: 2 Strength: 1 –2 Cardiovascular fitness: 2–3
Aside from straight line running, there are many team games in particular that offer excellent benefits for cyclists looking for a more social and varied cross-training activity. Indoor ball games such as five-a-side football (soccer), netball, basketball or any other indoor team game can provide some entertainment when the weather outside is at its worst, and when most cyclists are looking for off-season activities. Racket sports such as badminton, squash and (indoor) tennis are a few other options that might give you some of what you are looking for.
Not only do all of these sports offer some of the benefits discussed because of their running element, but since they require multidirectional movements they are also more likely to encourage the body to become active in three dimensions, through the natural inclusion of many of the primal patterns discussed in Chapter 1 and explained further in Chapter 3 on strength training. From a social standpoint, getting involved in a game with other players can be motivating and enjoyable too.
Stepping, lunging and twisting movement are elements included in all of these examples, which in particular are absent from cycling movements, and in broader terms the coordination and agility demands of games and racket sports are high too. Improving your reactions, balance and agility through playing games in the off season can help you apply these skills back on the bike in situations where you need to respond quickly to a changing situation.
In practice, it will be easiest for you to include these activities as part of your cross-training if you already have the skills needed to play the sport to a reasonable level. For example, if you played football to a good level at school or as a teenager, you are much more likely to be able to pick up a game of five-a-side and get involved without any issues. Deciding to play football if you have never really played before would be pointless since you will not have the prerequisites to get involved and reap the rewards, and also would be more likely to develop injuries and issues that would be associated with being a beginner and an adult.
In terms of the success formula, you probably need to have reasonable flexibility and core control, without any significant injury problems, to include games or racket sports for cross-training, although a high skill level in any sport (even if you haven’t played for some time) will make it easy for you to get involved without any problems at a recreational level.
Benefits of indoor games and racket sports
•Multidirectional movement benefits, including some of the primal patterns (running, lunging, bending, twisting, pushing, pulling, squatting)
•Three-dimensional stimulation for the core muscles
•The impact forces involved have a positive impact on bone density, strengthening bones, helping to prevent osteoporosis and reducing the risk of fracture from falls from the bike (especially together with the below)
•Improved balance, agility, reactions and responses
•Indoor games and racket sports can have a completely different psychological focus to many cycling activities, which can be refreshing from a mental perspective
•‘Team’ and ‘social’ benefits can maintain interest in exercise during the off season and enhance your mood and general well-being
Risks of games
•If you do not have a good level of skill in the sport as a foundation, you will be unable to get involved without the added risk of being a beginner
•Some team games have a contact element, which has an inherent risk of acute injury associated with it
•Muscle soreness from the multidirectional running element can be significant if you do too much too soon
Group exercise classes
There are almost as many exercise class options as you can think of, depending on the current trends and on the exercise professionals operating in your area.
A group class of any kind is motivating and enjoyable because of the group dynamic, irrespective of how much interaction there is between participants. For the most part, when you go to a class you are exercising independently at the same time as other people. For some cyclists who often don’t have the skills or background for team sports, this offers the benefits of being in a group without having to depend on your level of fitness or skill to participate.
In this section I am discussing three main classes of interest to cyclists that seem to have some longevity, but also are popular at the time of writing. Other options may be appealing and available to you, and I would encourage you to look at them through the same lens of evaluation I am using here.
Yoga
STAR RATINGS:
Flexibility: 2–3 Core stability: 2–3 Strength: 2 Cardiovascular fitness: 1
I am introducing yoga in its broadest sense, from my viewpoint as a cyclist first, and exercise professional and sometimes participant second. I am acutely aware that traditionally yoga has spiritual practice and mindfulness at its heart, but for the purposes of the cross-training discussion in this book I am mostly evaluating it in simplified, physical terms.
That being said, the first thing to know about yoga is that there are many different styles, and where one might not suit you at all, another might give you exactly what you are looking for. Some styles of yoga are very dynamic, involving standing poses and postures that combine a strong contraction in some muscles with a stretch in the opposing muscles, and with the core being active throughout. The whole-body engagement of standing poses combines many of the primal patterns that I have discussed throughout this book in combination (lunging, squatting, bending, twisting, pushing and pulling), using your own body weight for load, and often holding the positions for progressively longer periods to develop muscle strength and postural endurance.
Many styles of yoga include a strong balancing component too, with single-leg exercises and movements that most cyclists will find difficult to start with, but which for exactly this reason can offer significant benefits if you persevere. Yoga ‘flow’ sequences combine strength and balance components woven together in a chain of movements which is repeated several times over as you stretch and strengthen your way into a better position, and as your body warms up.
Other styles of yoga again can be more passive in nature, using floor-based positions and a focus on breathing to relax and let go of any tension, bringing about a progressive stretch in certain areas by using your body weight and the position to release the tension. Mindful deep breathing and relaxation may be a more prominent aspect, offering a more regenerating and meditative feel to a class, which for the most part gives the impression of aiding and enhancing recovery rather than expending energy in the process of the practice.
When most cyclists turn to yoga for cross-training they think of its flexibility benefits as the main attraction, but the many different styles and types of yoga mean that different attributes of fitness will become more prominent depending on the class you have chosen. Some styles emphasize strength and balance through standing postures, or flow sequences, while others emphasize breathing and relaxation through floor-based stretches. Trying out a number of classes before finding the style that suits you the best is highly recommended.
In practice, some yoga styles can be quite difficult to grasp for cyclists who don’t have an athletic or gymnastic background, so choosing the right class that gives you what you need can be really important.
Even more important, in my view, than finding the right style of yoga is having a good instructor who will help you achieve
a good position, using the right muscles in the correct way. Many of the positions are relatively complex compared to the essential exercises I have included in this book, and so having an instructor direct you into the right place so that you share the load effectively is particularly important.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and any good class instructor will offer various levels of an exercise to encourage you to get the most out of each movement or pose in a safe and appropriate way for your level. Pay close attention to what you are told to do, and expect to work hard both mentally and physically, and you will find that your understanding and ability in yoga will improve the more you attend class.
As with many of the cross-training options discussed here, but particularly with any form of group exercise, I would recommend you commit to the same class and instructor on a weekly basis for 2–3 months at a time. This allows you time to understand what you are doing and physically adapt to the exercises.
With something like yoga, an occasional intermittent class is unlikely to be sufficient for you to progress and develop your practice enough to grasp even the basics. Most cyclists will find yoga difficult because the skills and conditioning elements involved are outside your abilities at the outset. Rather than dismissing yoga as a result, if you remember that the whole purpose of cross-training is to work on your weaknesses you might find that the rewards are surprising.
Yoga and hypermobility
If you are hypermobile, yoga may seem particularly attractive because, compared to your cycling peers, you seem to be quite good at it at the first attempt. However, if you’re hypermobile and want to include some yoga as part of your cross-training, you need to be more careful to choose the right kind of yoga for you, and a good instructor. On the face of it you will seem to be more flexible and more able to achieve positions and poses, but there is a risk that without proper preparation you may be ‘hanging’ and ‘hinging’ off hypermobile joints. For this reason, the more dynamic or ‘stronger’ yoga styles will be more appropriate for you, and with good instruction you will be taught to use your muscles to actively engage with the poses, rather than passively drop into them.
Benefits of yoga
•Potentially wide-ranging benefits, including improved strength and flexibility, balance and coordination, as well as relaxation and many far-reaching benefits associated with deep breathing
•The varied types and styles of yoga classes available means that you are likely to find one that you enjoy and benefit from if you take the time to find one that suits you
•The relaxation, mindfulness and meditative nature of some forms of yoga can help enhance recovery both physically and mentally
Risks of yoga
•For some hypermobile individuals, poor technique in a yoga class can lead to injuries associated with stretching joints and their surrounding tissues rather than muscles
•Muscle soreness from some of the deep stretching and strengthening that can happen in yoga can be significant while you adapt to the style of exercise
Pilates
STAR RATINGS:
Flexibility: 1 –2 Core stability: 3 Strength: 1–2 Cardiovascular fitness: 1
Pilates as a system of exercise has evolved significantly from its original roots devised by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century. As a physical culturalist, Pilates believed in the importance of mindful, conscious movement in maintaining a healthy physical body, and anticipated the impact that modern lifestyles were to have on people’s health and well-being well ahead of his time.
Modern Pilates has developed in a number of different directions, but most classes still hold true to the original principles of concentration, control, centring, efficiency of movement, precision and breathing. For cyclists, the emphasis on alignment, core control and body balance is very complementary to many of the elements discussed in this book, and Chapter 4 on core essentials in particular.
As a cyclist you may have access to two types of Pilates, the more mainstream style that you will come across in a fitness environment, and the more ‘clinical’ Pilates that you may encounter in a rehab setting.
Many physiotherapists are trained in clinical Pilates which focuses more closely on correct engagement of deeper ‘inner unit’ core muscles that are often implicated in back pain, but also knee and hip problems. If you have been to a physiotherapist for treatment of one of these problems, chances are your rehab exercises may have included some Pilates.
The key concept in Pilates which defines it as separate to other systems of exercise is the idea of body control coming from the centre. In general, Pilates movements are slow and relatively isolated. Some of the movements may seem minimal, with a focus the quality of that movement more than the range or extent of the movement itself. In a Pilates class there will be distinct instructions on how and when to breathe, and how and when to engage your deep abdominal muscles in particular.
In Chapter 4 of this book on essential core exercises I gave you an overview of how the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ abdominal muscles should work to provide both stability and strength to your core, and in Pilates you will find a good deal of emphasis on the inner muscles in particular.
If you are looking for a Pilates class in a fitness setting, often the class will begin with some standing work before moving on to the ‘mat work’, which is performed on the floor. Standing postural work led by an instructor can be particularly beneficial in helping cyclists become aware of their alignment, and in learning to correct it. The mat work is divided into exercises on all fours (some of which have some overlap with the ‘horse stances’ I introduced in Chapter 4), exercises lying on your side, and on your front and back. The mat work is designed to isolate areas around your core in three dimensions.
Clinical Pilates classes are more likely to be taught by a physiotherapist in smaller groups, with more personal attention to form and correct core engagement given by the instructor. Often these classes are exclusively focused on the mat work in order that correct engagement is learned in an isolated way, before moving to standing exercise variations. If you have been referred to a clinical Pilates class by a physiotherapist, it would probably be wise to attend in order that you learn correct technique before moving into a bigger class in a fitness environment.
One of the biggest challenges to cyclists attending a Pilates class is understanding what it is you are supposed to be doing. A common first experience is to come away feeling like you weren’t ‘doing anything’, and therefore could not see how the class could benefit your fitness in any way. I must confess that this was my first experience too, even though I have subsequently trained in clinical Pilates techniques as part of my work.
In a way, if this is your experience you can be sure that you have a lot to learn from Pilates and that if you engage with the problem you will start to see the benefits. Patience is not a strong point for most cyclists who prefer the simplicity of repetitive pedalling. However, perseverance should mean that you gradually understand the workings of the class as well as your body.
Some Pilates classes may leave you coming away feeling better in yourself, perhaps slightly more flexible, or a little bit taller, in spite of the fact that you didn’t really feel that you were doing very much. Generalized muscle soreness is rare in response to Pilates, and the place you might feel that you have been worked is often in and around your core.
Benefits of Pilates
•A clear and direct focus on core control and alignment offers huge benefits for most cyclists
•Support from an instructor to help you engage your deeper or inner abdominal muscles correctly can pay dividends when tackling other conditioning exercises (such as those in Chapter 4 of this book)
•Isolated, focused exercises where movement is slow and deliberate can be easier to follow for cyclists whose overall movement skill can be low
•Increased body awareness and control means improved movement all round
•The impact of Pilates can often be quite subtl
e, such that a Pilates class will be less likely to leave you with muscle soreness that will impact your cycling training
•Pilates (and clinical Pilates in particular) is a very safe form of exercise, even if you are in rehab from an injury
Risks (difficulties) of Pilates
•Pilates can be slow, and requires patience and determination to understand the movements and execute them correctly
•Without regular practice and a good instructor, you may not get the hang of what you are supposed to be doing, and so some of the potential benefits may elude you
•Some Pilates classes may include a lot of flexion exercises (such as sit-ups from the floor), which may be provocative for some cyclists who have lower back problems in particular.
Circuit training
STAR RATINGS:
Flexibility: 1 –2 Core stability: 2–3 Strength: 2 Cardiovascular fitness: 2–3
Of all the options discussed in this chapter, circuit training has the biggest bang of potential benefits from one session in one hit.
A circuit of exercises can comprise any number or type of exercises, which are repeated for either a given number of repetitions or a set amount of time. Traditionally, a circuit will be largely made up of body-weight movements that stimulate both cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance at the same time.
Many of the primal patterns discussed throughout this book and in Chapter 3 in particular, including lunges, squats, jumps, stepping exercises and shuttle runs, are likely to be included as part of the circuit. Often more core-focused exercises such as press-ups, squat thrusts, back extensions and sit-ups are also part of the workout.
Instructor-led circuits can be found in fitness clubs and in sports clubs, and some cycling clubs may offer a coach-led circuit as part of their winter training. While the instructor or coach is there to teach technique and manage the timings of moving from one exercise to the next, typically their main role is in motivation. Traditional circuits are tough and intense, pushing you into anaerobic territory where you will be breathing hard and feeling progressive muscular fatigue and lactic acid build-up the longer the circuit goes on.