Wanna ride fast, strong? Get your core on!

Better muscle flexibility in my legs, arms, back and stomach has done wonders to help me have stronger, faster bike rides.

And there are two big reasons: Regular sessions of Yoga and Pilates.

For many years I had back pain issues from the immobility associated with a 9 to 5 job. I sat in a chair five days a week and wrote news stories on a computer while my back and core muscles hibernated. Another hindrance is that, genetically, I don’t have the most flexible muscles in the human spectrum, and flexibility is definitely genetic.

Put it all together and I was a recipe for the occasional pain crazy lower back spasm. Once I even had the lovely experience of sciatica, where I felt throbbing pain from my butt down my left leg to my big toe, oh, for about an un-fun month or so. Oww. Ack! OwOwOw!

But the back spasms struck with a vengeance here and there and came without warning. They left me feeling instantly 30 years older, stooping around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, in a defensive crouch. That was the only way I knew to avoid pissing off my ever so cranky lower back muscles, that seemed to be saying, “Go ahead, make my day move…just the wrong way… and BAM! I’m giving you another BACK SPASM, funnyboy!” Here’s Clint Eastwood giving a perfect impression of a back spasm ready to fire off:

Nooo, nono, I didn’t want that – my particular back spasms, after providing a jagged bolt of pure, chronic pain, had lingering, nagging muscle ache after them. And that lasted a week or longer before I felt normal enough to move pain-free again.

But eventually, regular Yoga and Pilates sessions, a regular morning routine of hamstring stretches and abdominal exercises, mixed with some weightlifting, have combined to bring me liberation from years of back pain tyranny.

OK, I still get a cranky lower back in the mornings sometimes. But after I do my routine of stretches and ab work, the pain almost always goes away. And I’m oh so very glad about that!

It helps that now I’m a freelancer and no longer on a 9-5 office schedule. I make up my own hours, so I ride my bike a lot more, and rarely sit for hours at a time. By the way, if you can ever swing the freedom to make your own work schedule, do it!

Three years ago, after many years of fully intending to try Yoga, I bit the bullet and started three, hour-long Yoga classes a week, and a once weekly Pilates class. Back then, I was stiff as a board, and could only manage a laughable effort to touch my toes. My muscles and I groaned when I tried to stretch. But as I kept at it, my muscles got more flexible, and the stiff, pain-fests gradually turned into feel-good flexibility sessions.

My hour-long Pilates class, tough as it usually is, has also done a great job building my core strength, through work on abdominals and on the transverse abdominal muscle. A physical therapist told me the transverse abdominal is the band of muscle around the lower stomach and lower back that stabilizes the back. Trouble is, most of us don’t flex the TA regularly enough to make it strong. So in a relatively flabby state, it really doesn’t do much for back or core strength. And oft-tested abs, which sit above the TA, will also make major contributions to a strong mid-section.

I never really had anything to compare my before/after Yoga/Pilates/core work until last summer. That’s when I went kayaking with my buddy Doug down in Southern California. His kayaks have molded interiors, seats with nice back support and footrests. When I’d kayaked with Doug in the past, I felt like I needed stronger abs and lower back muscles. It didn’t take long before I was tired, my lower back hurt, and I slouched to ease the pain.

But this last time was different. My core strength gave me much more leverage while paddling than before. It was easier to sit up straight, and being taller in the seat, I could power down on the paddle strokes much better and with an easier rhythm. I used to feel like I was paddling upstream even when I was on a calm lagoon. But this last time, I paddled with power for a good bit before I got tired.

On the bike, and for most physical activity, a strong core is a huge factor in stamina and performance. I noticed I got faster on climbs with a strong core and also during extended pedaling on flat roads or rollers.

And Yoga relaxation techniques have also helped. Cindy, my instructor, often has us breathe and relax all muscles while a particular muscle group is stretched.

To get us to release muscle tension, she often tells us to relax our face. The face is really the entry point to perceiving the world with our eyes and expressions made with our facial muscles. When your face is free of muscle tension and deep breathing, it sends a body-wide message to relax all your muscles, including those getting stretched. That paves the way to a healthy stretch and is the mind/body coordination that inspires Yoga practice.

Yoga-learned relaxation has improved my cycling, I find, especially when suffering on a climb, or on an extended ride when fatigue starts in. Already breathing deeply, I relax my face and hands on a tough climb, or when I stand on the pedals to build more climbing momentum. Just like in Yoga, the relaxed face and soft hands let the mind and body relax, while pedaling under stress.

This works, uh, at least until you push enough to get lactic acid buildup in your legs and cramps come calling. But seriously, the next time you’re in a tough climb, relax your face and hands. I bet you’ll notice it helps.

And if it works, even just a little, maybe you’ll give regular Yoga and Pilates classes a shot. If you do, pay attention to how over time, the work boosts your power and stamina as a bike rider. When you feel the rewards of stretching and strengthening your riding muscles with stronger, faster rides, it really feels great. If you haven’t done this yet, do it!

Til next time, remember to always put on a helmet before getting on the bike. And after that, don’t forget, it’s your job to keep the rubber side down. Have fun and be safe.

-- Mark Eric Larson

Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit: 
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf
His blog of personal essays is at: http://marksmuzings.blogspot.com/