Bike benefits

Many exercise professionals would call the squat the mother of all strength exercises.  Working the legs, hips, back and trunk it is a favourite for cyclists too, hitting all the prime movers involved in cycling whilst at the same time also strengthening the ‘core’ in the process.

The squat movement loads the extensors of the hips and knee – the gluts, hamstrings and quads – all muscles that are active on the down stroke that provides the most power on the bike. By strengthening and developing these muscles off the bike you can have more power potential when you get back on it.  As a free weight exercise the squat also trains the postural muscles, core and stabilisers in controlling your body in three dimensions, a valuable training benefit that can also be transferred to the bike, helping maintain optimal knee alignment and bio-mechanics.

One often overlooked strength element for many cyclists is generating power and force out of the saddle.  The squat is particularly relevant to conditioning the body for standing climbing, sprints and accelerations, and in movement terms these aspects relate to ‘jumping’ movements of which the squat is the original source movement. When you stand up and go to step on the pedal, there is an instantaneous moment when the foot is fixed and your body is moving over it.  This is what’s known as ‘closed’ chain movement. Seated cycling is an open chain movement – with the pelvis fixed in the saddle and the legs moving away from the body, making it quite different.  As a functional exercise with your feet on the ground squatting is a closed chain exercise, teaching the body to engage and work in a way that translates well to your ability to stand up and stamp on the pedals.