‘Get in Shape’ #7: Strength & Flexibility - Don’t shirk your core muscles.

http://davidadewumi.com/2008/10/17/get-in-shape-7-strength-flexibility-dont-shirk-your-core-muscles/

by wumi • 18 years ago

5 8 18 years ago

I'm having core issues now that my legs are stronger from biking. I bike faster and harder but now it's my abs and lats (oddly enough, not my lower back) that feel it at the end of a ride.

scott_s• 18 years ago

Doing regular pullups will probably help.

wumi• 18 years ago

Peter,

Out of curiosity, what kind of biking?

Bikers (myself including when I was riding pretty religiously) are notorious for getting great workouts, but never hitting the core muscles (something about being hunched over, I guess, doesn't improve core muscles. :) )

While I'm not why your Lats are feeling it (honestly that sounds more like a bike fit issue) -- perhaps you've been doing a lot of climbing and pull hard?

Anyways, try the 8min ab workout or some variation. Easy way to pack in core fairly quickly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWjTnBmCHTY

pchristensen2• 18 years ago

It feels like my abs get a good workout, but for my lats it's mainly a tweak I keep getting between my left shoulder blade and spine. Also, my core muscles get a lot tighter after riding than my legs do. I don't have great bike posture because my big ol' belly pulls my back straight instead of properly arched up.

I bike 3.25 miles on city streets to my commuter train stop. There's one hill that's short and steep on the way up and long and gradual on the way down, with the rest being mostly flat. I usually bike pretty hard because I'm running late.

gaius2• 18 years ago

Powerlifters are probably not the best people to go to for form, especially not as a newbie, they tend to have a "whatever works" philosophy. You do what they do, you'll get hurt. Some will have great form of course, but as as newbie, how would you know? Also powerlifters tend to have very unbalanced physiques. You might see some dude who can bench 500lbs but can't do chin-ups. He's well-adapted for his sport, he's not an all-round athlete (nor does he want to be).

Bodybuilders do tend to have good form, but probably aren't doing the exercises that you want to do. A lot of gym equipment is specifically for bodybuilders. They use leg extensions and cable crossovers specifically to build symmetry and definition, for example. Bodybuilders typically aren't interested in "functional strength" (e.g. they are training for bodybuilding, not to be better at some other sport). Again they are not, nor are they interested in being, all-round athletes.

Basically, what I'm saying is, if you want gym advice, first you have to find people with the same goals as you. If it's just "get fit" you'll need to be more specific in order to ask the right people the right questions.

yummyfajitas• 18 years ago

This is very good advice, but mainly for people who are already in shape.

However, this set of articles seems targeted at couch potatoes. You can't get started doing much of anything until you can do the basics: a 4 mile run, 20 pushups, 60 situps, 5 pullups and 50% bodyweight squats (less upper body for girls, I guess). Once you get to that point, optimize for bodybuilding, powerlifting, etc. But reaching that basic level of fitness will be the same for any sport.

By the way, here is a very good document on reaching that basic level of fitness:

http://sill-www.army.mil/bolc2/FM%2021-20%20(PT).pdf

lemonysnicket• 18 years ago

Powerlifters do 'whatever works'...

huh?

In order to do olympic lifts, makes sense to go to a powerlifter -- who do have good form.

gaius2• 18 years ago

Powerlifting and Olympic lifting are different sports.

‘Get in Shape’ #7: Strength & Flexibility - Don’t shirk your core muscles.

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