About Abi -
Abi Carver designs yoga routines for mountain bikers looking to eliminate muscular aches and pains, gain an edge in competition and unlock razor sharp mental focus, for next level performance. Her aim is to make yoga more accessible to action sports athletes so that they can do the activities they are passionate about for longer, with less pain and with more skill. Follow her @yoga15app for more yoga tips and tutorials.
After low back pain, the second most common physical complaint I hear from mountain bikers is a weak, underperforming core.
As literally every pedal stroke goes through the core, a bulletproof mid-section is essential for optimal performance. It gives you greater control of the bike - especially on technical downhill sections where you are constantly adjusting your balance and position, gives you maximum power, increases grip strength and endurance, enhances your breath efficiency, alleviates lower back pain, makes you more resilient to injury and gives you the confidence to hit your fastest speeds.
Every competitive athlete incorporates dedicated core stability work into their training program alongside traditional strength workouts, and mountain biking should be no different. To be the best rider you can be, you need to combine sessions on the bike, at the gym and on the mat.
This short yoga routine is not designed to replace your current core training program, but to fill in some of the gaps that may not currently be optimised. These are some of the unique benefits of yoga for building core strength:
- yoga simultaneously builds strength, increases flexibility, trains balance and improves range of motion
- yoga strengthens the postural muscles that support the spine
- yoga strengthens the muscles and ligaments that surround the joints, keeping them stable and effective at absorbing impact
- yoga works each muscle in the core from multiple / different angles
- yoga enhances body awareness and movement efficiency
- yoga corrects muscular imbalances and trains proper movement patterns
- the focus on the breath in yoga enhances lung capacity and efficiency
- yoga gives you a change of pace from riding and hitting the gym
The 15-Minute Routine
Here is a list of the poses:
1. Warm up
2. Plank
3. Cobra
4. Side plank
5. Spider planks
6. Boat
7. Leg lifts
8. Reclining spinal twist
9. Body scan meditation
10. Advanced Variations
When you feel comfortable with this routine, you can step it up a notch for more of a challenge:
Advanced Plank
Locust
Advanced Spider and Side Planks
Advanced Boat
Advanced Leg Lifts
You can download the full Core Strengtheners and Advanced Core Strengtheners videos here along with all the other routines for mountain bikers.
Please let me know how you get on in the comments below. And share this article with anyone you think could do with some yoga inspiration.
Previous Yoga with Abi:
Short Yoga Routine To Help With Lower Back Pain in Bikers
15-Minute Yoga Routine To Enhance Balance and Agilityl
15-Minute Post-Ride Yoga Routine
8 Quick Yoga Stretches To Do At Work
MENTIONS: @yoga15app
Abi Carver designs yoga routines for mountain bikers looking to eliminate muscular aches and pains, gain an edge in competition and unlock razor sharp mental focus, for next level performance. Her aim is to make yoga more accessible to action sports athletes so that they can do the activities they are passionate about for longer, with less pain and with more skill. Follow her @yoga15app for more yoga tips and tutorials.
 |
 | The best strategy is always to be very strong. - Carl Von Clausewitz, Military Strategist |
After low back pain, the second most common physical complaint I hear from mountain bikers is a weak, underperforming core.
As literally every pedal stroke goes through the core, a bulletproof mid-section is essential for optimal performance. It gives you greater control of the bike - especially on technical downhill sections where you are constantly adjusting your balance and position, gives you maximum power, increases grip strength and endurance, enhances your breath efficiency, alleviates lower back pain, makes you more resilient to injury and gives you the confidence to hit your fastest speeds.
Every competitive athlete incorporates dedicated core stability work into their training program alongside traditional strength workouts, and mountain biking should be no different. To be the best rider you can be, you need to combine sessions on the bike, at the gym and on the mat.
This short yoga routine is not designed to replace your current core training program, but to fill in some of the gaps that may not currently be optimised. These are some of the unique benefits of yoga for building core strength:
- yoga simultaneously builds strength, increases flexibility, trains balance and improves range of motion
- yoga strengthens the postural muscles that support the spine
- yoga strengthens the muscles and ligaments that surround the joints, keeping them stable and effective at absorbing impact
- yoga works each muscle in the core from multiple / different angles
- yoga enhances body awareness and movement efficiency
- yoga corrects muscular imbalances and trains proper movement patterns
- the focus on the breath in yoga enhances lung capacity and efficiency
- yoga gives you a change of pace from riding and hitting the gym
The 15-Minute Routine
Here is a list of the poses:
1. Warm up
2. Plank
3. Cobra
4. Side plank
5. Spider planks
6. Boat
7. Leg lifts
8. Reclining spinal twist
9. Body scan meditation
10. Advanced Variations
When you feel comfortable with this routine, you can step it up a notch for more of a challenge:
Advanced Plank
Locust
Advanced Spider and Side Planks
Advanced Boat
Advanced Leg Lifts
You can download the full Core Strengtheners and Advanced Core Strengtheners videos here along with all the other routines for mountain bikers.
Please let me know how you get on in the comments below. And share this article with anyone you think could do with some yoga inspiration.
Previous Yoga with Abi:
Short Yoga Routine To Help With Lower Back Pain in Bikers
15-Minute Yoga Routine To Enhance Balance and Agilityl
15-Minute Post-Ride Yoga Routine
8 Quick Yoga Stretches To Do At Work
MENTIONS: @yoga15app
Must Read This Week
122 Comments
I'm don't spend much time reading pinkbike articles anymore but this is great, keep up the good work PB
vimeo.com/ondemand/yogabalancechallenge
www.yoga15.com/vimeo
Here are a couple more poses with vid tutorials:
Feel-Good Poses: www.yoga15.com/home/6-top-feel-good-yoga-poses-for-athletes
Cat Cow: www.yoga15.com/home/athlete-pose-of-the-week-cat-cow-video
Thread The Needle: www.yoga15.com/home/pose-of-the-week-thread-the-needle
Any idea how long it takes to regain all that movement?
Things like jump squats, clap press ups, hands off pull ups, power cleans and high pulls will be as much use as anything. Core? Hard to beat rollouts, deadbugs and toes to bars.
I'm not talking down deadlifts or squats, far from it. There is more to training than pulling as many plates as possible!
Thanks
vimeo.com/ondemand/yogarelaxationchallenge
vimeo.com/ondemand/therapeuticyoga
www.pinkbike.com/u/yoga15app/blog/8-quick-yoga-stretches-to-do-at-work.html
www.yoga15.com/home/how-to-create-a-yoga-routine
www.yoga15.com/home/2015/9/23/the-easiest-way-to-make-yoga-or-anything-else-a-habit
watch this
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” Henry Ford
5 or 6 years back it might have been ok and you would've gotten a lot of positive props but not anymore, commenters have matured through the years. Look at the comment sections in the PODs and VODs of 2009 or 2010 you will have a good laugh.
Narro2, have matured through the years and become hypocrite, snobs and people who stopped having fun anymore it's to different things. Hope real badass will come back to the discussions...
Now if you'll excuse me, ive got to open this bottle of 1987 Red Zinfandel to breathe, while I reinvest my dividends into healthcare stock options.
I know I am acting like pubescent teen... but I am grown-up enough to forgive me that of my behaviour.
Good luck! And have a good time in your way!
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