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Cycling is a great sport to participate in no matter if your goal is to lose weight, improve endurance, or seeking adventure. Whether you are new to cycling or have been at it for decades one thing you will become familiar with rather quickly is getting a flat tire. This is a common occurrence both when road biking and on a mountain bike. You will often see used inner tubes on the road side as they usually mark the spot where someone flatted and changed out their old inner tube. This is unfortunate for many reasons. As a cyclist we all hate to see this type of behavior since it clutters our minds as we ride by thinking how lazy could someone be. After all, being lazy in the sport of cycling doesn't pay. Among all the reasons for not throwing away you used inner tube on the side of the road I hope to present one more reason to shove that old inner tube in your back jersey pocket and keep it because it will become more valuable as you read this article. Cycling helps develop many muscles in the lower body. However, there are many muscles that go neglected due to the repetitive motion of cycling as well as the fact that for the most part your body weight is being supported by the seat. This doesn't do much in terms of building functional strength or fitness. Sure, your cardiovascular system is great and your quads and calves are in perfect condition and look great, but what about those muscles used to support your body when you move laterally? Even if you are a triathlete you will do very little if any lateral movement while training. This poses a significant problem in terms of maintaining those support muscles in the back, stomach, and glutes. Now back to the old inner tube. When you get home from your ride take the inner tube and a pair of scissors cut out the valve stem. Then, simply loop the inner tube around on itself to create two loops. Step inside the loops with 2 feet and position the inner tube so that it is slightly above the knee and almost midway up the thigh. From here you will perform what is called a lateral side-step. Anchor one foot and step laterally to the side with the other. As you step to the side you will feel the resistance of your inner tube. At the end of the step plant the foot you just stepped with and lift the previously planted foot. Continue in one direction until you complete 10-15 steps depending on your type of inner tube. Mountain bike inner tubes are going to provide a great more resistance. If you have any race light inner tubes these are good ones to start with to get a feel for the movement and level of resistance. As you progress you can try regular 700c tubes and ultimately mountain bike tubes. I like to position the lighter tubes around my ankles and the heavier mountain bike tubes around my thighs when doing the lateral side step. Complete this exercise as part of your warm-up in order to activate your lower body muscles immediately after you foam roll and stretch. This not only provides a great warm-up but will gradually build strength in those muscles used to stabilize your torso while on the bike. I have also found that this exercise really works the glutes and knee stabilizers. It is important to work this into your warm-up routine and over time you will begin to notice your entire body feels more stable while on and off the bike. Mark Lander is experienced internet marketing consultant and writes articles on Bike Shop Worcester Park, Cycle Shop, Cycle Shop Worcester Park, Cycle shop Kingston Upon Thames, Cycle Shop Ewell, Cycle Scheme, Cycle To Work, Bike accessories, Bike helmet etc.
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