Right now most of us are training from home. The lack of daylight means that a quick, convenient, short session works for us right now whilst we fight to get everything packed in within the day before night falls.
Core training is a staple part of all riders training & is the most requested body part that riders wish to work on. Bodyweight workouts can be a really effective way to challenge your core stability & train your muscles from home whilst replicating similar movement patterns you use in the saddle.
You want to focus on functional movements that use the same muscles that riding does & encourage movement patterns you use in the saddle. Crunches & sit-ups are not the one for riders, you don't want to be encouraging excessive spinal flexion as for most riders back pain is already an issue so adding more of that will only make the situation worse & more uncomfortable for you. Those types of exercises are not functional at all as you don't spend your time in the saddle in spinal flexion, you are aiming for the opposite!
Remember your core consists of everything from below your chest to mid-thigh on the front & back of your body, it's not just your six packs! So it's important to make sure you target all of these muscles including your back muscles, erector spinae, lower back muscles, glutes, hamstrings, rectus abdominis & obliques in your session. Training your body as a whole unit as it would be used in the saddle is key.
Try this workout for your next core session & see how you get on!
Aim for 40 seconds of work with 15 seconds rest & aim for 2-3 rounds depending on your fitness levels! Let me know how you find this
1-Elevated Bridges, working your hamstrings & glutes. Slight pause at the top and lower under control. Make sure your ribcage stays down and you bridge through your hips not your back!
2-Shoulder plank taps, focus on resisting any movement through your trunk & torso staying as still as you can as you tap side to side. You want to keep your ribcage and hips aligned throughout.
3-Supermans, working your whole posterior chain. Inhale as you lift squeezing your legs together then exhale as you lower under control.
4-Side Plank with rotation. Focus on maintaining a strong side plank throughout the time as you rotate from your sides, think of threading the needle under. If you need to regress just hold the side plank for the time.
Aim to work up to 3 rounds using really good form & feeling your core muscles work. Hopefully, this will give you a good 10-minute session you can do from anywhere!
Enjoy,
Katie X