Yoga poses for triathletes, runners and cyclists

The following article shows some basic standing yoga asanas for runners, cyclists and triathletes.

Stiff legs is a very common problem in runners and cyclists. Stiff leg muscles can cause different painful problems, e.g. iliotibial band friction syndrome and back problems. For more information about knee problems, in particular Iliotibial band problems, please visit my blog.

The asanas described in this post are especially for newcomers to yoga. They will help you getting more flexible leg muscles and thereby reduce the risk that you will suffer from overuse injuries like IT band syndrome. The poses are named in english and sanscrit to make it easier for you to find videos or pictures of the poses on the web.

Leg flexibility is important to be able to perform the sport specific motions with as little resistance as possible. This will make your run or cycle efficiency better. Another important aspect is, that these asanas will help you avoiding overuse injuries, as Iliotibial band syndrome. My knee pain is gone since I started doing yoga regularly.

In the beginning it is normal that the muscles are so stiff that you can’t get into the postures. Don’t give up because of that! Just do your yoga regularly and you will gain flexibility. It will take some time, but it’s very rewarding.

The postures (asanas) that I suggest for the beginning are the following seven:

Standing forward bend (Uttanasana): This is an excellent pose to extend your hamstrings. It will stretch your gluteus maximus, medius and minimus as well as your spinal muscles too. Precaution is to be made by people with back injury. These people should approach this bend very cautiously. It is important to let gravity do the work, don’t push your body into the pose. If your hamstrings are very tight, bend your knees. That will make the stretch better.

Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I): Cyclist and runners oft experience stiff hip flexors. By doing the Warrior I, the flexibility in your hips, back and groin can be dramatically improved.

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II): As in Warrior I this posture stretches the hip joints and opens the groins and it also stretches the inner thigh muscles.

Side Angle Pose (Parsvakonasana): This is a good following pose of Warrior II. It stretches the back side of the legs and opens the groin. At the same time it also stretches the upper body.

Triangle Pose (Trikonasana): A follow up of the Warrior I pose. Above all the hips are getting worked on here.

Intense side stretch (Parsvottanasana): This pose work on your hamstrings and gluteus maximus. It gives you a more intense stretch for your hamstrings than you get in the standing forward bend.

Wide stance forward bend (Prasarita Padottanasana): This posture is sometimes also called wide-legged forward fold and is related to the standing forward bend. The difference is that the feet are wide apart in this posture. This posture is also a very good stretch for your hamstring and the gluteus maximus.

To get the most of the poses described above, stay for five deep breaths in position. By doing the poses regularly you will open up your groin and increase the flexibility in your legs and hips. This will reduce the risk of getting problems with overuse injuries. I recommend doing these asanas at least three times a week and when you have done them for 2 months we can go to the next level.

I hope these Yoga asanas will help you enjoying your sport!

Gunnar

May 19 2009 | cycling | No Comments »

Fold Up Bikes – Do you need one?

If you’d like to cycle to work and not have the worry of where to leave your bike securely, or if you want a means of exercise and transport that doesn’t take up lots of space at home, fold up bikes could just be perfect for you.

If you have to use public transport regularly as part of your journey fold up bikes make perfect sense. As train companies reduce the number of bikes allowed on trains a fold up bike gets around the problem. The weight of folding bikes is is being reduced and the folding action is getting simpler all the time. It is also possible to store a fold up bike discreetly under a desk at work.

Fold up bikes aren’t a very good idea for long distances or touring but they are great if your journey is quite short. Many fold up bikes now have gears and they are comfortable and convenient to ride, as well as being easy and quick to fold down when you get to where you’re going. They also deal with the issue of storage in small houses and flats without garages or a shed.

When summer gets nearer and the weather gets warmer most of us start to try and spend more and more time outside. Our thoughts also turn to exercise and fitness as we worry about our bodies being more on display in the summer!

Cycling is an excellent way to exercise outside, as well as a useful mode of environmentally friendly transport. However, plans of cycling everywhere possible are sometimes made difficult by thoughts of where to leave your bike on arrival. This is where fold up bikes have the advantage over ordinary non-folding bikes.

Storing a fold up bike is no problem at all, as you can just fold it up and take it with you. You never have to worry about finding a place to leave it safely, or think about how secure it will be if you leave it outside unwatched. You just have to fold it up into it’s compact form and take it in with you.

Fold up bike manufacturers have recently dealt with the image of fold up bikes being uncool and there are now lots of funky new designs from leading names available.

Since their initial design fold up bikes have come a very long way and now use innovative and funky designs, and trendy colours alongside their original practical usage and storage advantages. Fold up bikes are now a credible alternative to conventional bikes with the benefits of being able to take them anywhere and store them safely.

May 17 2009 | bikes | No Comments »