Beaucoup de gens me demandent quels exercices pourraient-ils faire pour améliorer leur pratique du cyclisme. Ma réponse est toujours la même : il y a certains exercices fondamentaux, que vous soyez cycliste ou non, que vous DEVRIEZ faire chaque semaine pour garder le corps humain sous contrôle et maximiser ses performances, en particulier dans d’autres activités comme le cyclisme. 

Bien que les avantages du cyclisme soient nombreux et variés, certains éléments du cyclisme peuvent causer de l’inconfort, voire de la douleur, et ceux-ci peuvent être surmontés par un simple programme d’exercices et d’activités supplémentaires.

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. Le premier exercice que je dois inclure est probablement le meilleur exercice global pour le corps humain, quel que soit le sport ou l’activité que vous aimez : il s’agit du soulevé de terre lesté.
Le simple fait que nous nous opposons à une force gravitationnelle tous les jours de notre vie signifie que nous devenons très quad dominants et que nous dépendons beaucoup plus de notre chaîne musculaire antérieure, par opposition à notre chaîne musculaire postérieure. Cela entraîne des problèmes de déséquilibre et de stress au niveau des zones articulaires squelettiques telles que les hanches, les genoux et les chevilles.
Un exercice qui peut rééquilibrer ces deux chaînes musculaires opposées est toujours bon, car il améliore notre posture et l’équilibre au sein des articulations, et donc il vous donne le soulevé de terre lesté.
En plus d’aider notre chaîne postérieure à gagner en puissance et en force, c’est également un excellent exercice pour le bas du dos et le tronc et quiconque a passé du temps à faire du vélo saura qu’il s’agit d’un domaine qui, s’il n’est pas pris en charge, peut causer de l’inconfort, en particulier lors de longs trajets.
Le soulevé de terre est fondamental pour la physiologie humaine mais aussi pour faire du vélo, il doit donc être le numéro un sur la liste des exercices complémentaires.