Bike benefits

The benefits of this exercise for cyclists are mostly preventative, in that doing it regularly will restore basic levels of postural strength to your back, and prevent the changes in the curves of the spine that can cause injury. Lower back injuries and shoulder impingement problems can be kept at bay with the prone cobra. Weakness in the lower and upper back muscles can lead to a flat lower back and an excessively rounded upper back in cyclists.

These not only affect the way you look off the bike but can leave you more prone to lower back injury and shoulder problems. The ‘hunched’ upper back posture common in cyclists can cause secondary shoulder and neck problems, often off the bike, but sometimes on it too. Either way, avoiding time off the bike caused by injury should be motivating enough to make the small amount of time needed for this exercise.