Core Muscles Spare Cycling Pain

Serious cyclists have known for years that core muscles–strength of the abdominal, oblique and back muscles– are the key to endurance. Now a study suggests that core strength is also the key to fewer injuries. The study, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Sports Medicine, ran 15 competitive cyclists ages 23 to 45 through a series of cycling exercises, then had them return a week later for a regimen of core-fatiguing exercises followed by
another cycling workout. As the Los Angeles Times reports, researchers found that core fatigue resulted in the kind of altered
cycling mechanics– such as adjustments in knee and ankle position — that could cause some serious hurt..
John Abt, the study’s lead researcher, suggests that cyclists pump up their core muscles with crunches, back extensions, and lat pull-downs. Want more? Mens’ Health gives us four core-building exercises (drawing-in progression, wall sprint, box blast and box jump) that can allegedly be done in two minutes.