PaulE
05-09-2008, 11:22 AM
I've been doing Pilates once a week with a certified instructor to get a core and some core strength. We use a reformer, cadillac, barrel, chair, foam roller, BOSU ball, large exercise ball and other equipment in the various exercises, as well doing planks and some yoga stretches like the cobra and pidgeon and I just tried the lizard for the first time this week. There are also homework assignments of exercises and stretches to do each week that I'm pretty good about completing.
Flexibility has never been a problem for me but core strength has. From Pilates I also know that my back is all over the place and I don't easily recognize when I have a neutral spine position or when my hips are tucked in and I'm working on that.
A really new concept for me is engaging my belly in all these exercises, something I have never really done all my life. But I'm learning to do this and to stop instinctively using my back and shoulders in a lot of things where I do that out of habit.
So, here are my questions:
What do I do with my core when I'm riding my bike? Do I engage my abdomen muscles or just let my belly hang there, supported by my butt on the saddle and my hands on the bars? I have a tendency to tense up my shoulders when riding but I am working on consciously avoiding that and also to belly breathe while riding. But I still need to know what I should be doing with the rest of my core. My instructor, who isn't a cyclist, tells me I need to engage my belly while riding.
How do I find and keep what is a neutral back position for me on the bike?
Flexibility has never been a problem for me but core strength has. From Pilates I also know that my back is all over the place and I don't easily recognize when I have a neutral spine position or when my hips are tucked in and I'm working on that.
A really new concept for me is engaging my belly in all these exercises, something I have never really done all my life. But I'm learning to do this and to stop instinctively using my back and shoulders in a lot of things where I do that out of habit.
So, here are my questions:
What do I do with my core when I'm riding my bike? Do I engage my abdomen muscles or just let my belly hang there, supported by my butt on the saddle and my hands on the bars? I have a tendency to tense up my shoulders when riding but I am working on consciously avoiding that and also to belly breathe while riding. But I still need to know what I should be doing with the rest of my core. My instructor, who isn't a cyclist, tells me I need to engage my belly while riding.
How do I find and keep what is a neutral back position for me on the bike?