Working at a desk can place added strain on your posture, something identified as a common bike fit problem by British Cycling’s head physio Phil Burt.

Incorporating core fitness into your training, therefore, can be beneficial – but with time at a premium it can be difficult to do so.

For example, a racing client of Downing’s, who boasts victories against a young Dani King and Jo Rowsell on her cycling CV, found replicating the core work she did when riding at that level in 2009 is no longer possible when working full-time and time for training is limited.

Alongside the time it takes, Downing explains that it can also cause fatigue when it comes to training on the bike, with sessions in the saddle ultimately more beneficial.

“There’s definitely a place for core work in anybody’s programme but, again, it’s another time constraint, and that time would be better used on the bike or turbo if your training time is limited,” Downing says.

However, some core work can be incorporated into your day-to-day training and Downing recommends using a Wattbike in order to boost strength on the bike.

“One of the sessions we do, in place [of gym work], is strength on the bike. You will ride zone two at a standard cadence, 90-100rpm, but then you ride zone three at 70rpm. It’s quite hard and you’ll obviously have to ride at a bigger gear for that.

“You are riding at low revs but creating a lot of power and you have to really use your core to get that power down.”

One of the biggest challenges an amateur rider faces is the unpredictability of day-to-day life, with training often adopting a stop-start pattern which means it can be difficult to get into a rhythm – but Downing says you can use this to your advantage.