goldfinch

Back in my working years I spent hours leaned over a desk and had a high stress job. I frequently would get a knotted muscle below my left shoulder near the shoulder blade and a "tight" neck. I also would get tension headaches frequently. I would do light neck "exercises" (slowly turn head to right, then to left, then look down. Very slowly) to try to keep my neck and shoulders relaxed but it often was a losing battle.

Then I retired and the problem about disappeared. Now I am finding that the same area knots up in my upper back and my shoulder s get hard as rock when I ride by bke. Not always, but sometimes. It can be extremely painful and keep me awake at night. I have been fitted to the bike and I am trying to watch my bike posture. I think that I have two issues. One is inadvertently tensing up. The other is lack of core strength, given that I am coming from a place of no fitness only months ago. Any suggestions for relaxing and strengthening? I live mostly in a motorhome on the road a lot so I can't join a gym or carry around any significant equipment.