Training & Nutrition - Stretching before and after a ride

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gepilling
08-16-09, 05:18 PM
Do you stretch before and/or after a ride? And if so, what kind of stretches work best for riding a bike?

aham23
08-16-09, 06:42 PM
after. never stretch cold muscles in my opinion. i hit the guads, hammys, IT bands, lower back and so on. takes about 20 minutes post ride. i find it helps my recovery. YMMV. later.
cyclehen
08-16-09, 07:25 PM
I stretch after while cooling down-- quads, hip flexors, hamstrings, adductors, low back at minimum. If I have time I'll do more, but those are my problem areas.

fusilierdan
08-17-09, 05:02 AM
I do static stretching after the ride. Befor the ride I do a form of Qigong which warms up and loosens my muscles
rodrigaj
08-17-09, 07:17 AM
During and after a bike ride. Bob Anderson (http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-20th-Anniversary-Revised-Anderson/dp/0936070226/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250514963&sr=8-1) has a whole chapter on bicycling specific stretches.
DataJunkie
08-17-09, 08:06 AM
I stretch while riding and afterward. Lately while riding or during breaks seems to do more good.
GirlAnachronism
08-17-09, 02:31 PM
During and after a bike ride. Bob Anderson (http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-20th-Anniversary-Revised-Anderson/dp/0936070226/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250514963&sr=8-1) has a whole chapter on bicycling specific stretches.

Just don't do it while actually riding your bike, descending at the front of the pack.:twitchy: I wanted to push that guy over just to get the inevitable pile-up over with...
gepilling
08-17-09, 04:28 PM
What about warming up before the ride? I have read that you warm up before exercising, but the thing I read gave cycling as a good example of something to do to warm up... But can you really cycle to warm up for cycling? That doesn't make any sense. So... What do you do to warm up before a ride? (since stretching seems to be mostly an after the ride thing...)

Forgive me if this is a dumb question, I'm still pretty new to bicycling.
bigm141414
08-18-09, 09:05 AM
cycling to warm up is easy, just take it nice and slow to get your muscles moving. Before long rides I usually take a couple miles to get my legs loosened up. After that I up the intensity level to a barely manageable pace, you know get the heart really pumping.
rsyb
08-18-09, 10:46 AM
cycling to warm up is easy, just take it nice and slow to get your muscles moving. Before long rides I usually take a couple miles to get my legs loosened up. After that I up the intensity level to a barely manageable pace, you know get the heart really pumping.

+1 :thumb: I've found after two or three miles my pace/cadence begins to pick up without even thinking about it. Around mile 6 or 7 all systems are go.

Of course, I'm old and deCRAPitated! :lol:
Garfield Cat
08-19-09, 09:49 AM
Early morning is around 5 am or so. Just getting up is difficult enough. I like to stretch my hamstrings while standing in the door jamb or hallway jamb. Leaning against one end, lifting one foot up and resting it on the other end of the jamb. I alternate and afterwards I notice that I am able to do toe touches with ease. I also do 50 repetitions of pilates single knee bends for a quick core workout. Other thing I like is to do a squat, stay in squat position all the way down to stretch the Achilles and calves.

Then when I actually open up the garage door and get outside, I do a quarter mile walk. That gets the heart rate going just enough.