Spring is here and the weather is finally getting nicer! It’s the time of the year that people start getting their sneakers on and looking for outdoor activities to enjoy. Cycling is a great exercise and is tons of fun. While cycling is fun and a great exercise, it is also an easy way to hurt yourself.  There are many parts of your body that is used when cycling that you may not realize such as your back and neck. When cycling you want to make sure that you are doing all the right exercises before and after cycling to avoid any injuries.

Before partaking in any exercise you need to warm up your body and stretch. Remember that you should never feel pain when you are stretching, start with dynamic stretching for about 10-15 minutes. This warm up should consist of a slow ride outside or on a stationary bike. You also want to make sure to include lunges, jumping jacks, and torso twists into your stretching warm up. These exercises target the areas that you will be using most in your ride.

After you are done with your ride, make sure to cool down.  This is when you begin your static stretching. You can do this by doing a 5-minute slow and low intensity ride.  This allows your heart rate to slow down and for your body to return to its resting state. By doing this you will decrease the chances of becoming fatigued. After you are done, make sure to stretch before your muscles are completely back to its resting state. Again, you should not feel any pain during any stretch. Be sure to hold the stretches for 15-20 seconds each and repeat the exercises 4 times.

So now that you have all the tips that you need for cycling, grab your helmet and start riding in this spring weather!

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