Mucha gente me pregunta cuáles son los ejercicios que deberían hacer para mejorar su ciclismo. Mi respuesta es siempre la misma: hay algunos ejercicios fundamentales, seas ciclista o no, que DEBES hacer semanalmente para mantener el cuerpo humano bajo control y maximizar su rendimiento, particularmente en otras actividades como el ciclismo. 

Aunque los beneficios del ciclismo son amplios y variados, hay algunos elementos del ciclismo que pueden causar molestias o incluso dolor a las personas y pueden superarse con un simple régimen de ejercicios y actividades complementarias.

1. The first exercise I have to include is probably the best exercise overall for the human body, irrelevant of what sport or activity you enjoy and that is the weighted deadlift.
   The simple fact that we oppose a gravitational force everyday of our lives means that we become very quad dominant and our reliance very much more on our anterior muscle chain, as opposed to our posterior muscle chain. This leads to imbalance and stress problems within skeletal joint areas such as the hips, knees and ankles.
   An exercise that can rebalance these two opposing muscle chains is always good, as it improves our posture and the balance within the joints, and therefore it give you the weighted deadlift.
   As well as helping our posterior chain to gain power and strength, it also so is a great exercise for the lower back and core and anyone that has spent any decent time riding a bike will know that is one area, that if not looked after, can cause discomfort, especially on long rides.
   The deadlift is fundamental for human physiology but also for riding a bike, so it has to be number one on the list of supplementary exercises.
2. My second exercise on the list is not really an individual exercise, but more a selection of exercises, as it involves any work that we can do to improve our core strength. Transitioning in and out of the saddle and also connecting the strength from our upper body to our lower body means that power has to transition through a strong and stable core.
   I’m a big fan of rotational core exercises such as weighted rotations when seated on the floor and standing rotational low-to-high movements with a weighted object such as a kettlebell or medicine ball.
   I’m also a big fan of one exercise that most people love to hate, and that is the plank. Simple tension building exercises which increase the capacity of your abdominals to hold a single position for an extended period of time is ideal for riding a bike.
3. My third exercise is one that I regularly undertake- the weighted step back lunge. With either dumbbells or barbells from a standing position, taking the leg back to tap the knee almost to the floor before returning to the standing position and then this action is repeated multiple times. This exercise increases the range of motion of the hip flexor and the core stability through the hips and also engages the glutes as an extensor on the rise back to that standing position.
   Fantastic exercise for those who have limited mobility, as you can start with a half lunge and just increase your mobility as and when you can.
4. Another range of exercises I often undertake are plyometric ballistic exercises, such as burpees, kettlebell snatches, swings and power weighted explosive squat jumps.
   These exercises raise the heart rate very quickly due to the amount of muscle mass they engage and the aerobic element is very high.
   The feeling you get when your heart rate rises very quickly will be very familiar to most cyclists who have tried to maintain their speed and cadence up those short hills and climbs.
5. My final exercise that I find absolutely vital to maintaining my physical state is stretching. I make sure that all of my primary leg muscles are stretched thoroughly after all exercises by holding all stretches for at least 15 seconds before release.
   Quad, hamstring, calf and glute stretches are fundamental to maintaining a cyclists performance and health simply down to the improved mobility you will get from performing these stretches whilst your muscles are warm after exercise. 

1. El primer ejercicio que tengo que incluir es probablemente el mejor ejercicio en general para el cuerpo humano, independientemente del deporte o actividad que disfrutes, y ese es el peso muerto.
El simple hecho de que nos opongamos a una fuerza gravitacional todos los días de nuestras vidas significa que nos volvemos muy dominantes en los cuádriceps y que dependemos mucho más de nuestra cadena muscular anterior, a diferencia de nuestra cadena muscular posterior. Esto conduce a problemas de desequilibrio y estrés en áreas de las articulaciones esqueléticas, como las caderas, las rodillas y los tobillos.
Un ejercicio que pueda reequilibrar estas dos cadenas musculares opuestas siempre es bueno, ya que mejora nuestra postura y el equilibrio dentro de las articulaciones, y por tanto te proporciona el peso muerto con peso.
Además de ayudar a nuestra cadena posterior a ganar potencia y fuerza, también es un gran ejercicio para la zona lumbar y el core, y cualquiera que haya pasado un buen tiempo andando en bicicleta sabrá que es un área que, si no se cuida, puede causar molestias, especialmente en recorridos largos.
El peso muerto es fundamental para la fisiología humana pero también para andar en bicicleta, por lo que tiene que ser el número uno en la lista de ejercicios complementarios.