What your core workout?
 

I've decided enough with the excuses. I'm going to strengthen up this flimsy core of mine. I've got a routine that I'm gonna stick to for as long as it takes, but I wanna hear from you guys what you do as a routine, and what you might recommend for me (weak core)

Here's what I've started doing,

V-Ups: 3 sets of 10, hold for 2 seconds up, with 45 seconds rest between

4-count flutter kicks: 3 sets of 20 with 1 min rest between

Plank: 3 sets of 1 minute with 45 seconds rest between

Done. 2 days on, 1 day off

Something is better than nothing right?? I'm gonna keep at this till I get more creative. You?

pull ups with legs parallel to the floor perfectly straight and toes pointed. or just hang there. this is all i do. i did a sport yoga class for 12 weeks which was pretty good for flexibility and core strength.

I have no idea what you just said.

I have started going to a physical therapist for my issues. One is to strengthen my core and the other is to get my gluts firing (I don't use them when I ride).

Anyway, she has me doing a few things.

1. I lay on my back, have an elastic band around my knees, bridge (legs bent at 90 degrees, straight body, and resting on shoulders) with 35#s of weight on my stomach, put tension on the band, keep body straight, and lift and straight each leg 10 times for 3 sets.

wife just called to go work out...gotta go...more later

Planks and side planks.

Do these every day/every other day. Your core will thank you.

How long do you hold them?

Im doing the P90X workouts. There is a core work out and a ab workout. I do each 2 days a week(every other day I do one).http://www.beachbody.com/text/produc...pn=18004611535

I get in bed. Usually I try to recall when the last time is that I did a few crunches. If it's been more than a couple days I do 2 sets of 25 crunches. I also do them when the back is feeling a little tight. Then I go to sleep.

Something tells me I should be doing more core. I probably will when I get old (40).

Is there a way to work up to this? I can hold a plank just fine for like 3 minutes, and do 1-legged planks for over a minute, but cannot do the straight-leg thing for even 5 seconds.

push ups, 10 reps, 4 sets.
tri dips, 10 reps, 4 sets.
sit ups, 300 reps, various kinds.
plank, 2 reps, 1 minute.
side plank, 1 each side, 1 minute.
pedal planks, 60 reps, 2 sets.
scissor kicks, 30 reps, 2 sets.
bird dog, 1 rep, 30 total.

off season the goal is twice a week. early season once a week. typically by June i am too tired for this crap from all my riding. :) later.

I'm guessing flutter kicks would use some of the same muscles to get you there. Otherwise, bend your knees and let your toes point to the floor, as if mimicking a seated position.

I'm a fan of flags.
http://hardcoreexercises.com/2009/09/dragon-flag/

And asymmetric lifting, especially olympic lifts.

what's a pedal plank?

Stand up paddling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU4d57P5Aks

i do mine with the feet on the floor though and a bit faster. i recall seeing them listed in a bicycling mag issue once. later.

this is a good reminder that I need to get my off-season core workouts figured out and started... thanks :-/

I'm of the opinion that most core workouts make you better at balancing on a giant ball, or pedaling in the air while laying on your back, or....

They just don't have much functional specificity, and aren't going to help your riding. The small caveat to this would be if you're doing injury recovery therapy, or have a specifically identified weakness that is impairing your riding.

I lift for reasons totally apart from cycling, and indeed, I'm already heavy...if I were serious about getting faster I'd quit lifting and get as skinny as possible. If you do heavy, basic, multiple muscle group exercises you will have some "core stability" that means something in the functional world outside cycling..like when you have to pick up a wheelbarrow or move your daughter's furniture (which I'm doing tomorrow).

Burpees - 50 to 80 depending on season.
Jumping Lunges - 50 to 80 "
Tire Flips - 30 (big front loader tire)
Planks - 3 @ 1m (ok I'm weak)
Situps - 100
Back extensions (on a ball) - 3x15 with hold

All coach prescribed. Definitely can feel the difference when I stopped doing it (all) for 2 months.

Once per week in season for maintenance. 2-3 times per week in off season.

Skippy Abs.

http://www.skippypodar.net/Fitness/abs2000.html

I agree. There's getting strong core muscles and then there's improving your functional fitness where core muscles are used.

Doing a lot of situps, crunches, weighted incline situps, etc. back in the day didn't help my posture for horseback riding any more than riding my horse a lot and working on my posture. The benefit was that I could do a ton of situps. I also gained mass on my waistline.

My core workouts now are for physical therapy reasons related to stabilizing my shoulder. They involve things like planks and getting into the pushup position holding onto a Bosu ball. Then I rock the platform side to side and front to back. This helps me with sprinting and other out of the saddle activities on the bike because it means my injured shoulder probably won't spontaneously give out on me when I am positioned this way over the bars. Spending more time out of the saddle and paying attention to my form makes my core stronger for when I'm out of the saddle. So then I can do it longer. Then my core gets stronger. Repeat. Functional fitness.

Strength training gives you kind of a baseline where you can survive doing something unusual (moving a heavy wheelbarrow) with less discomfort, but if you want to do that every day and not be uncomfortable, you're going to have to work on lifting a wheelbarrow regularly. I don't think that just doing some upright rows or something like that will cut it. (I speak about wheelbarrows from experience :p)

speaking of which - it looks like that went well? I hope so, best of luck having "n -1"
(Are you an empty-nester now?)

I do many of these things already mentioned

a couple of variations -

-planks but with feet on a bosu-ball or exercise ball
-leg lifts - but on an exercise ball, grabbing a table edge or a something to balance. also try holding a small weight between feet while doing this

-super sets - 20/30 reps of an exercise then immediately going to another exercise w/o pause

example - planks, then leg lifts, then bicycle crunch, then v-ups, etc (no pause in between each exercise). 1-2 minute rest...then repeat x 3. variation up to you. kinda like intervals....but for you core muscles.

to each his own, but i can go longer and harder since incorporating core workouts into my off season plan. that is right, longer and harder. later.

I've got two daughters, so there's still one at home to criticize my personal hygiene, mess up the kitchen, etc. :)

Off on a tangent related to this thread: my younger daughter is an elite gymnast. If you really, really want core strength, work out like she does. Of course, you'd better start when you're about 5...

Work up to doing each one 3x for as long as you can hold it. Start at 30 secs and work up to 1-1.5 mins for each.

Doing accessory work for your hip flexors is also VERY important so don't neglect that.

I agree with your general sentiment except that you are trying to stretch the topic beyond being a better bike dork. All that matters is that the exercise helps you resist lengthening in a static position. I prefer the ab wheel myself, but I've yet to work up to a standing start.