Fitness exercises at home: 10 exercises to get fitter for the cycling season

Cycling itself is considered to be one of the most health-orientated and gentle sports of all. And in times of high-tech bikes and pedelecs, even the entry level in terms of fitness has become pleasantly easy. Nevertheless, the range, journey time and, above all, the fun of travelling by bike are much greater if your body doesn't give in after a short time.

In order not only to be able to cover the distance to the bakery or swimming lake around the corner, but also to be able to pedal for one, two, three, four or five hours in a relaxed manner, it is usually not pure endurance that is decisive, but rather individual muscle groups and joints that either keep us upright in the saddle or that are needed to overcome higher resistance in the short term. Be it when starting off, over bridges or over heavy ground, a little extra power can lead to your knee, for example, giving out early, to a slight cramp in your neck, to even the smallest bumps from the front wheel going through your marrow and legs or to you having to switch on the turbo mode of your pedelec every metre uphill.

Fitness exercises: Assets & Liabilities

The following selection of ten fitness exercises for a relaxed tour is made up of precisely those muscle and joint groups that can help to relieve such aches and pains. We don't just focus on pedalling, but also on posture and flexibility. In order to remain specifically health-orientated, we enlisted the help of the "recovery experts" from Physio & Sport in Cologne, who used their rehabilitation expertise to keep an eye on general compatibility and the health aspect.

Of course, the mini workout is very leg-heavy, which simply depends on the type of sport, but only those who don't kick with their last ounce of strength can kick anatomically correctly and cleanly! However, these are all combination fitness exercises that do not always serve just one purpose. A standard tip for all strengthening exercises: Muscle burning can be ignored; however, if you experience stabbing pain in muscles and especially joints, the intensity was a little high. However, there is no such thing as "too often"; in theory, you could just go through the set every evening. You don't need much space or equipment either: an old inner tube, a plastic bag, a PET bottle, a stone and a broom handle are theoretically enough.

The 10 fitness exercises

Strengthening exercise: Slipping

Strengthens the supporting muscles of the supporting leg as well as the back of the thigh and buttocks of the "gliding leg" and all parts of the ankle and trunk involved in balancing.

We use a special sliding track and shoe covers here, but it works just as well with a bag on tiles or laminate. Important: The back leg, i.e. the supporting leg, must have grip and the front leg must be able to slide. The weight is on the back leg, both knees are and remain minimally bent. Now slide forwards slowly and in a controlled manner on your heel, keeping your upper body upright. "Physio & Sport" trainer Elisa shows you how far you should go: A maximum of one third of the body should rest on the sliding leg, please approach slowly! Slowly slide back to the starting position with your leg slightly bent and without momentum. Posture and movement control are very important here.
10-15 passes per side, then change sides, up to three passes.

Fitness exercises: Squat in step position

Classic leg strengthening exercise with an extra component for the long back extensor and shoulder blade muscles, very easy on the knees.

These are two variations of the squat in a stepping position; the broomstick is used less as a weight and more to correct posture. From the light stepping position, the centre of gravity is slowly lowered vertically and the weight is distributed over both feet. The pole, which is deliberately held behind and above the head, helps with this. When you reach a 90° bend in one knee, push yourself up vertically again; this should take about eight seconds in total. If you have strong thighs, you can also perform the exercise more towards the front foot; it is still important to keep the torso upright and the front knee should not protrude beyond the toes.
Very slow 15 repetitions per side - rather slower than more frequent, 4-6 times until muscle fatigue.

Strengthening exercise: Toe grip

Strengthens the toe flexor muscles and most ankle stabilisation assemblies, prevents premature fatigue, falling asleep or misalignment of the feet on the pedals.

Basically, the aim is to reach with the toes and move the foot with the small additional load in the ankle joint; the spoon and the toilet roll are more for motivation and playfulness. The task is to pick up the roll of paper or a similar object with your style and put it down again in another place. Depending on the mobility and strength of the foot, this can be anything from a carpet to a stacking or even pair task. The main thing is that you grip with your toes for longer and have to stabilise the "load" sitting on the side of your foot. Keep pulling the gripping stick out and putting it down between passes to avoid cramps.
Very different starting conditions - simply play with the roller until your feet and calves are tired, as this is where the toe flexors are mainly located.

Fitness exercises: Squeezes

Strengthens the shoulder muscles, especially those of the chest and the triceps on the arm; this not only makes it easier to support yourself on the handlebars, it also protects the shoulder joints in case they take a hard knock.

Instead of push-ups, we have found an entertaining and, for many, less frustrating method. This involves kneeling or standing and holding a PET bottle half full of water open in front of your chest; it should be one of the more stable 0.7 litre versions. If you like, you can draw several horizontal lines on the top half. By pressing with the palms of your hands, the water level is now raised and held there. The lines now serve as a target height that must be maintained. Select the bottle and height so that you cannot hold the maximum height for longer than 60 seconds. As an alternative to the bottle, we recommend the "Activ5" training tool, which works in a similar way, but can be used in a much more playful and holistic way. Don't forget to breathe and vary the position of your hands, i.e. squeeze them in front of your stomach or over your head.
Exercise your chest muscles 5 times until they burn, with at least 2 minutes rest in between.

Training tool: Active5

Tip: If you want to do even more for your body tension and strength endurance, but find dumbbells too bulky and gyms too cumbersome, you should take a look at the "Activ5". Basically, it is a pressure sensor in a sturdy housing that transmits the force applied to your mobile phone via Bluetooth. There, the value is graphically processed into entertaining displays and small games, similar to the lines on the water bottle in exercise 5, only digital and much more exciting.

And the app provides dozens of other exercises with detailed descriptions. The resistance is provided by your weight and physical strength, while the intensity and duration are controlled by the sensor. And it even fits in every trouser pocket. We think the muscle gains promised by the manufacturer are a little optimistic, but it's a great device for healthy pre-season preparation and stability on the bike, albeit for 150 euros including the app.

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Stabilisation exercise: Sliding

Combination exercise for thigh extensors and buttocks, but mainly for the stabilising muscles on the outer and inner side of the thigh and lower leg. Stronger muscles here keep the legs in a more optimal pedalling motion, which prevents knee and hip problems and often helps against numb feet.

Looks very similar to the fitness exercise with the broomstick, but is a holding exercise. Instead of the professional wobble board in the picture, you can also stand on a thick pack of handkerchiefs or a tennis ball under a chopping board. Depending on your fitness level, choose a narrower or wider stride position than in the picture, place your front foot in the centre of the board and bend your knees slowly; the aim is to keep your balance on the "wobbly foot", as when sledding on ice, rather than to go as low as possible. The hands can be stretched out to the side for stabilisation, but the balancing movements should come from the ankle! Tip: Look for the centre of gravity at chest height, but focus on the front ankle joint. Slowly return to the starting position and take breaks between each round.
Balance three times for 60 to 120 seconds on each side.

Fitness exercises: Invisible chair / wall sitting

Isometric strength endurance exercise for leg extensors and buttocks. Such holding exercises are good for the muscle tension itself, but also for nerve control and blood circulation.

Find a position against a wall, feet should be shoulder-width apart, press your bottom against the wall and lower your centre of gravity; your upper body should not touch the wall, but should not rest on your thighs either. The lower your bum, the harder it is to hold the position; do not bend your knees more than 90 degrees! Hold the position for as long as possible. Fit cyclists can also adopt a moderate freestanding position, keeping their heels on the ground. As a little extra, slowly raise and lower your feet slightly and keep your eyes on the horizon during both exercises.
Select exercise and knee angle so that you can hold for at least 60 seconds; maximum four minutes, three rounds.

Balance exercise: standing balance

Very effective posture exercise that involves the entire back extensor muscles, the rear shoulders, the buttocks and the hip rotators, as well as balance. Makes long periods of sitting in the saddle easier.

In a slimmed-down version, form a straight line from the outstretched arms to the foot while standing on one leg. The forward lean only comes from the hip joint of the supporting leg. Your back, shoulders and bottom will start to burn as you hold. The flatter the body, the greater the holding force; the raised leg serves as a counterweight. Trainer Elisa helps you to keep your chest and hips parallel to the floor and not to twist sideways. The version with the elasticated band under the foot significantly increases the strength stimulus on the shoulders and back, the torso and leg remain static, but the arms are stretched and slowly pull the band up to forehead height and back.
Perform the exercise until the long back extensor burns; pause for a few minutes, change legs, 2-3 times on each side.

Fitness exercises: Drawbridge

Strengthening the core muscles and especially the large gluteus maximus, more pressure on the pedals and fewer evasive movements in the hips.

The positioning is important here: place your shoulder blades (not your neck) on the edge of a chair, stool, etc. so that your body is roughly horizontal with your feet up, knees should be bent at 90 degrees, feet should be placed in a non-slip position. Now slowly lower your buttocks to just before the floor and slowly return to the "bridge", hold there briefly. Caution: Do not pull your heels towards your buttocks, but press them into the floor. If you don't feel tired after 15 repetitions, you can hold a weight on your hips with one hand.
Run through about 20 cycles three times, increasing or omitting weight if necessary.

Strengthening exercise: neck pull

Strengthens and stretches the postural muscles in the neck at the same time, making it easier to sit for long periods on the bike, even in more sporty positions.

You can either use a Thera elastic band or an old bicycle inner tube as shown in the picture. Find the attachment point at head height or just above it and pull the tube slightly between the pulling point and the back of the head. Depending on your age and fitness level, slowly take a step back. This causes the band to pull the head forwards into the stretch. Hold for 15 seconds, then slowly pull your head back ten to 15 times, if possible together with a small step backwards so that the muscles really have to work against the tension. Build up tension slowly and release it even more slowly. Stop immediately if you feel pain!
A total of 8-10 alternating strength and stretching exercises including a break.

Fitness exercises: Butt stretching

Only pure stretching exercise, helps against shortened pomuscles, which among other things rotate the leg outwards, good for relaxed sitting and good pedalling mechanics.

Find a horizontal surface just below hip height, step as close as possible and place one leg on it at an angle. Use the opposite hand to hold your ankle on the support close to your hips. Slowly lower your upper body straight forwards. If there is enough pain to stretch the buttocks, reach forwards and carefully pull back a little and/or rotate the upper body slightly towards the knee on the table, do not rock. Hold the stretch for about 15 seconds, lower yourself slightly again and slowly straighten up again.
Hold each side alternately five times for 15 seconds - especially important for men!