How to do it: preparation

This type of exercise can be difficult to get a grip of for cyclists who prefer to do everything at speed, or don’t see the training benefit unless something ‘hurts’. It’s important to take your time to get to understand what you are trying to do and how your body should feel if you want to really see the benefits. Start with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders so that you are making a rectangular shape with all for points on the floor underneath you.

Then soften your elbows, tucking them in and make sure that your back is neither ‘rounded’ like a ‘cat’ or excessively ‘dipped’ in the back like a ‘cow’.  Ideally you should have a shallow dip in your lower back and to practice correct alignment you can use a stick or pole balanced along your spine to check for three points of contact – at the pelvis, between the shoulder blades, and on the back of your head.  Your gaze should fall between your hands with your chin tucked in.