Doing some upper-body, core and balance exercises will help you avoid injuries during your rides.
Image Credit: adamkaz/E+/GettyImages Training wheels save the day when you learn to ride a bike as a kid. But if you’re learning in middle age — or getting reacquainted after a few years out of the saddle — you only have yourself to rely on to avoid spills.
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That's why it's crucial to build up your balance and coordination if your goal is cycling for exercise, especially as you age and problems with balance become more common, according to the National Institute on Aging.
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Cycling is a predominantly lower-body exercise, but your core and upper body shouldn't fall by the wayside. Strengthening these areas will help improve your overall balance and give you the agility that's needed to bike through tougher terrain — at any age.
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Related Reading Your Step-by-Step Guide to Start Cycling Over 50
“Strength and core work help you stabilize on the bike, gain stamina and reduce fatigue for your ride,” Rod Murray, a Morristown, New Jersey-based USA Cycling coach, owner of Body4Life Training and the author of Dynamic Flexibility: Train Your Body to Move, tells LIVESTRONG.com.
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He also suggests doing upper-body movements to reduce fatigue in the neck and shoulders and strengthen the mid and lower back, where cyclists are typically weak, as well as exercises to develop the hamstrings, like the glute bridge, to help avoid muscle imbalances in the lower body.
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Murray, who works with many cyclists over 50, shared some balance and strength exercises from his book below that can specifically help older riders looking to build a cycling routine.
Tip Complete 2 to 3 rounds of these exercises a few times a week until they feel comfortable, and you’ll be ready to ride. Move 1: Exaggerated Marching Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Legs
Start standing with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Raise your left arm overhead. At the same time, raise the right knee to hip height so the knee and thigh are flexed as much as possible. Come up on your left toes and step forward with the right leg. As you lower your right foot to the floor, bring your left arm back to your side. Repeat on the other side. Continue to alternate until you complete 20 reps.
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Move 2: Piriformis Walk Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Legs
Start standing with your feet together. Raise your right arm overhead. Lift your right leg to hip height and bend the knee as you grasp your shin just above your ankle with your left hand. Pull your ankle toward the opposite hip. Continue to gently support and lift the leg as you come up on your left toes. Release your right leg from this position and step it forward. Repeat on the opposite side and continue alternating legs.
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Move 3: Y Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Shoulders
Start standing in an upright position. Raise both arms straight up overhead as far as you comfortably can with your palms facing each other and fingers open to create an overhead Y. Gently pull your shoulder blades down and back, then squeeze them together and release. Do not use your arms to force your shoulders backward. Focus on achieving a controlled backward motion in the shoulder blades.
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Move 4: T Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Shoulders
After you complete the Y exercise, go directly to the T exercise. Bring your arms up and out to the sides at shoulder height with your palms facing forward. Remember to keep the fingers open. Using the same motion as the Y exercise, pull the shoulder blades backward, squeezing them down and back. Use your shoulder blades to perform the motion with control and don’t force the arms.
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Move 5: W Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Shoulders
After you complete the T exercise, transition to the W exercise. Bend and draw your elbows into the sides of your body toward your hips. Your arms should resemble the letter W. Keep your fingers open and palms facing forward. Just like the Y and T exercises, draw your shoulder blades backward in a controlled motion.
Show Instructions
Move 6: Shoulder Protraction and Retraction Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Shoulders
Start standing and keep your chin, neck and head in a neutral position throughout the movement. Avoid shrugging your shoulders. Raise your arms to shoulder height with your palms facing either the floor or each other. Keep your arms and fingers level with your shoulders. Your shoulders should be relaxed and aligned. Using only your shoulders, gently push your arms forward as far as you comfortably can, keeping them level with your shoulders. Round your shoulders forward while the rest of your back maintains its neutral position. Once you have rounded your shoulders as far forward as possible, begin retracting your shoulder blades by pulling them back to the starting position. Continue to pull your arms backward until the shoulders are pulled back as far as comfortably possible.
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Tip Murray says this exercise employs the forward (protraction) and backward (retraction) movements of your shoulder blades. The only movement is the arms being pushed forward and pulled backward by the shoulder blades.
Move 7: Forearm Plank Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Time (In Seconds)
5 Sec
Body Part
Abs
Come down onto your hands and knees on the floor or a mat. Bend your elbows, and rest your weight on your forearms, stacking your shoulders over your elbows. Extend your legs to create a straight line from the top of your head to your heels. To keep your lower back from dropping or sagging, engage your abs, glutes and quads as you hold this plank position. Keep your gaze toward the floor and your neck straight. Hold this plank for five to 10 seconds for five to 10 rounds. Build up to holding a one-minute plank.
Show Instructions
Move 8: Glute Bridge Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Butt
Start by lying on your back on the floor or a mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your butt and lift your hips off the floor as far as you comfortably can. Aim to achieve a diagonal line from your shoulders to your knees. Be careful not to arch your lower back. Your knees should be bent to about 90 degrees or as much as comfortably possible.
Show Instructions
More Workouts for People Over 50 We Love
8 Unilateral Exercises to Challenge Your Balance HIIT Over 50: A 20-Minute, Low-Impact Workout for Beginners At-Home Workouts to Improve Balance, Mobility and Strength in Your 60s and Beyond
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references
National Institute on Aging: "Balance Problems and Disorders"
references
National Institute on Aging: "Balance Problems and Disorders"
Doing some upper-body, core and balance exercises will help you avoid injuries during your rides.
Image Credit: adamkaz/E+/GettyImages
Image Credit: adamkaz/E+/GettyImages
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Start Cycling Over 50
Complete 2 to 3 rounds of these exercises a few times a week until they feel comfortable, and you’ll be ready to ride.
Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Legs
Start standing with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Raise your left arm overhead. At the same time, raise the right knee to hip height so the knee and thigh are flexed as much as possible. Come up on your left toes and step forward with the right leg. As you lower your right foot to the floor, bring your left arm back to your side. Repeat on the other side. Continue to alternate until you complete 20 reps.
Show Instructions
Image Credit: Rod Murray/LIVESTRONG.com
Reps
20
Body Part
Legs
Start standing with your feet together. Raise your right arm overhead. Lift your right leg to hip height and bend the knee as you grasp your shin just above your ankle with your left hand. Pull your ankle toward the opposite hip. Continue to gently support and lift the leg as you come up on your left toes. Release your right leg from this position and step it forward. Repeat on the opposite side and continue alternating legs.
Show Instructions
Reps
20
Body Part
Shoulders
Start standing in an upright position. Raise both arms straight up overhead as far as you comfortably can with your palms facing each other and fingers open to create an overhead Y. Gently pull your shoulder blades down and back, then squeeze them together and release. Do not use your arms to force your shoulders backward. Focus on achieving a controlled backward motion in the shoulder blades.
Show Instructions
Reps
20
Body Part
Shoulders
After you complete the Y exercise, go directly to the T exercise. Bring your arms up and out to the sides at shoulder height with your palms facing forward. Remember to keep the fingers open. Using the same motion as the Y exercise, pull the shoulder blades backward, squeezing them down and back. Use your shoulder blades to perform the motion with control and don’t force the arms.
Show Instructions
After you complete the T exercise, transition to the W exercise. Bend and draw your elbows into the sides of your body toward your hips. Your arms should resemble the letter W. Keep your fingers open and palms facing forward. Just like the Y and T exercises, draw your shoulder blades backward in a controlled motion.
Show Instructions
Start standing and keep your chin, neck and head in a neutral position throughout the movement. Avoid shrugging your shoulders. Raise your arms to shoulder height with your palms facing either the floor or each other. Keep your arms and fingers level with your shoulders. Your shoulders should be relaxed and aligned. Using only your shoulders, gently push your arms forward as far as you comfortably can, keeping them level with your shoulders. Round your shoulders forward while the rest of your back maintains its neutral position. Once you have rounded your shoulders as far forward as possible, begin retracting your shoulder blades by pulling them back to the starting position. Continue to pull your arms backward until the shoulders are pulled back as far as comfortably possible.
Show Instructions
Murray says this exercise employs the forward (protraction) and backward (retraction) movements of your shoulder blades. The only movement is the arms being pushed forward and pulled backward by the shoulder blades.
Time (In Seconds)
5 Sec
Body Part
Abs
Come down onto your hands and knees on the floor or a mat. Bend your elbows, and rest your weight on your forearms, stacking your shoulders over your elbows. Extend your legs to create a straight line from the top of your head to your heels. To keep your lower back from dropping or sagging, engage your abs, glutes and quads as you hold this plank position. Keep your gaze toward the floor and your neck straight. Hold this plank for five to 10 seconds for five to 10 rounds. Build up to holding a one-minute plank.
Show Instructions
Time (In Seconds)
5 Sec
Body Part
Abs
Reps
20
Body Part
Butt
Start by lying on your back on the floor or a mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your butt and lift your hips off the floor as far as you comfortably can. Aim to achieve a diagonal line from your shoulders to your knees. Be careful not to arch your lower back. Your knees should be bent to about 90 degrees or as much as comfortably possible.
Show Instructions
Reps
20
Body Part
Butt
8 Unilateral Exercises to Challenge Your Balance HIIT Over 50: A 20-Minute, Low-Impact Workout for Beginners At-Home Workouts to Improve Balance, Mobility and Strength in Your 60s and Beyond
National Institute on Aging: "Balance Problems and Disorders"
