Gary is a 40 year-old active cyclist who has been cycling for 5 years. He increased miles recently to train for a Double Century (200 miles) coming up in 4 months, but has noticed that the increased miles have also increased the tension in his back and shoulders. He is worried about whether he can complete the Double Century, so he decided to cross-train with yoga to see if he can address some of his shoulder issues.
I started working privately with Gary to stretch the pectoralis minor muscles in the upper chest, and had him lie on a foam roller with his arms in a T to stretch these muscles before and after riding. I asked him to take a break several times during his rides, getting off his bike to practice Standing Bridge Arms using his jacket like a strap between his hands to support and hold the stretch.
After riding, Gary practices Shoulder Circles which I have posted below and is included in the 5 Minute Yoga Tune Up® Quickfix Shoulder video here. By strengthening the overstretched trapezius muscle in his back, Gary has the opportunity to make more room through the tight chest muscles that limit the movement. I also suggested that he begin the Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Ball Program for Upper Back and Neck.
Gary is continuing to train for the Double Century, and he and I both think that his yoga practice will allow him to continue to play in the wonderful world of cycling and protect himself from injury and pain at the same time.
This is so helpful as I have a client who has recently begun cycling very seriously and is asking for specific things she can do to undo her rides.
Thanks for this. I’m sending it my cyclist friends who are too “hard core” for yoga.
Looks like I can use the bike a bit more if I try this.
While I’m not training for a double century, I’ll use this before and after my 20 mile Thanksgiving ride. I’ll plan to share this with my brother and uncle as well, who ride much more than I do.
Another big one for cyclist is the neck! Ouch.
I’ve been riding a lot in this gorgeous weather–What a pain in my neck?! I am using the Yoga Tune up balls right now on the right side of my neck to palpitate the sternocleidomastoid and the scalene muscles (using a block)–I find the groove of the cervical spinal processes and able able to scale the ridge with the ball/releasing fascia and pain along the way. I can also find the perfect place on a wall–using my “modern dancer move” to reach/roll up the trapezius muscle to the base on my skull and just hold…it’s like i am hanging onto the wall by one point. between my C-4-5 and my occiput (oh I get to that later on back the block)… and just lean into the wall. gravity + one point/closed chain position=i am able to really let the ball penetrate the layers of my neck muscles. wow. and then back on the block, I place the two balls on either side of the occiput (the fleshy/bulbish part on top of the spine/base of the skull) and again, just hold– i let gravity weight my head without force but with awareness, I give my head over to the balls (on the block) and I sink deeper into a state of total back-of-the-head bliss.
I have done this exercise of squeezing the trapezius muscles and felt relief in my pectorialis muscles at the same time. Definitely a great way of relieving soreness in the upper back and chest area after long bike rides or car rides or any other activity that keeps you hunched back for long periods of time.
Oh joy – yogi’s that don’t ‘poo poo’ cyclists! I love bike riding and going to spin class! The other day my husband jumped on my bike and said oh gosh I like how you have your handle bars set a bit higher it feels so much better! That’s the yoga and the YTU mentality of tubularizing my core and finding space in my joints and spine. Specificaly like that shoulder roll sequence – in spin class the instructor always tells us to roll our shoulders back but i think adding this tention and finding all the sweet spots of the traps to freshen up the ‘dark places’ should be a mind blower for her – I am going to re read your article give it some more attention and pass on this info to my bike riding buddies! I’ll be sure to repost with feed back I can’t get over how contracting muscles that are tight, tighter to get them to loosen up – this is the biggest revelation for me in YTU.
Awareness is the beginning of transformation. I did not realize how cycling (one of my joys) has contributed to my already rounded shoulders. I will add the bridge arms with cloth to my repertoire before and after my ride. Thanks!
What about rolling the pec minor with the balls, also!
That will give more openness in the chest.
For me, I had a breakthrough during our YTU training when we did the rolling in the tissues underneath our clavicle and also on our pectoralis minor.
The Bracchial plexis, which is a bundle of nerves that run from the cervical spine and down the arm.
They cross under the clavicle and under the pec minor.
As we roll on these areas we are also messaging the nerves in this case the Bracchial plexis.
I had been having numbness and tingling in both hands and did not know the cause – Now I know and it has dissipated!
Yay for YTU balls!!!!!
I find a lot of cyclists have chronic chest and lower back tightness because the muscles are continuously activated not allowing for hydration and circulation to occur. YTU balls, like Janet mentioned above has helped SO many cyclists get out of their rut thankfully
I will also help them with the activation exercises above! Thank you.