Make 2022 Your Strongest Year Yet With These 7 At-Home Workouts
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Workout trends from apps like MyFitnessPal and Strava showed that strength training topped the charts for popularity this year. MyFitnessPal users logged 151 percent more HIIT workouts in 2020 than they did in 2019. And our readers loved our strength-training workouts as well, especially those they could do at home.
You know it’s important to build core, arm, and leg strength for more power on the bike. Whether you’re working out in the gym or at home, we had you covered in 2020. Some of these circuits will have you working up a sweat and building muscle in less than 15 minutes.
Despite the fact that COVID-19 cases continue to decrease in the United States, many gyms are closed or operating at limited capacity. So, we’ve compiled a list of the best workouts from this year that you can do to hit every part of your body. These workouts can be done in the gym, if you feel safe returning to one, or at home, so tack them on to the end of a ride or combine a few the next time you need exercise inspiration.
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8 Ab Exercises That Strengthen the Most Important Core Muscles for Cycling
Your bulging quads and razor-cut calves are the envy of your friends, and you start every ride strong. But as the ride progresses, your hips seesaw in the saddle, your lower back aches, and you slow in corners. The problem? Your core cries uncle long before your legs wear out. Although your legs provide the most tangible source of power, the core muscles—the muscles that support your spine—are the vital foundation from which all movement, including the pedal stroke, stems.
How to do it: Perform the core workout below, demonstrated by Charlee Atkins, certified personal trainer in New York City, two to three times a week. This will create a core that lets you ride faster, longer, and more powerfully.
The full workout descriptions for each move can be found here.
7 Knee-Strengthening Exercises That Prevent Pesky Knee Pain
Because cycling isn’t a high-impact sport, you’d be forgiven for thinking your knees are safe. But Tara Parsons, a USAC-certified cycling coach and Rapha Women’s Ambassador says she hears riders complaining about knee pain all the time. In fact, 23 percent of riders experience knee pain, according to a study of 116 professional cyclists—and you can bet that number is higher among amateurs.
[The Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training will teach you all the fundamentals to get the most out of your weight session.]
Whether you’re currently dealing with pain or not, it’s important to build up strength around the joint. Strength training off the bike is crucial to developing those muscles. Plus, “your weekly strengthening routine should involve not just strengthening and activation, but also foam rolling or other type of soft tissue manipulation and mobilization” to keep your muscles in peak condition, says Parsons.
How to do it: Perform 2 to 3 sets of each exercise two times per week. You will need a resistance band loop, a Bosu trainer, and a medium weight. An exercise mat is optional.
The full workout descriptions for each move can be found here.
An At-Home Upper Body Workout You Can Do Without Weights
Let’s be real: Cyclists aren’t exactly known for their jacked arms and shoulders, but it’s crucial that we all have upper body strength. No matter how strong your legs are, you can only pedal as far as you can hold yourself up in the saddle.
“Being strong in the upper body allows cyclists to hold a better position on the bike,” says Brian Levine, a USA Triathlon Level I coach and cyclist. “It means you don’t have to strain and prevents tension from building up in your shoulders and neck.” Plus, solid upper body strength can help make you more aerodynamic when you need to be, he says.
And here’s the kicker, as a cyclist, you don’t necessarily need a ton of weight to increase your upper body strength; your own body weight will do just fine, especially if you’re just starting to focus on upper body training.
How to do it: Perform Circuit 1 two to three times with little to no rest between exercises. Rest for 30 seconds, then move on to Circuit 2, which you’ll also repeat two to three times with little to no rest between exercises. Perform this workout before or after a ride to complement your lower body work.
The full workout descriptions for each move can be found here.
Do This 20-Minute Ab Workout Just Once a Week to Build a Solid Core
Having a strong core will help you power up climbs and rack up miles, but tacking on crunches to the end of your strength training session doesn’t always cut it. Instead, try this 20-minute ab workout created by Dane and Kara Miklaus, certified trainers at WORK Training Studio in Irvine, California, to help you build a solid core. The best part: You only need your own body weight to get it done.
The advantage of doing a 20-minute, concentrated core workout like this rather than mixing in core work with a full-body circuit or doing a shorter abs workout is to fully fatigue the abdominal muscles to the point of muscle failure, which will lead to improved strength, Kara explains.
How to do it: Perform the circuit below as a 20-minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible). Aim to complete 3 to 4 rounds. Perform each move for the recommended number of reps before starting a new round. Perform the circuit 1 to 2 times per week, spread about three days apart to give your core ample rest time.
The full workout descriptions for each move can be found here.
5 Bosu Exercises for a Challenging Total-Body Workout
Powering through long rides and tough climbs takes more than just leg strength. It’s also crucial to have a stable core and shoulders that won’t fatigue. Using just a Bosu (originally an acronym for Both Sides Up), you’ll be able to build all of the above, and find yourself able to sprint faster and charge up hills with less effort.
These five Bosu exercises challenge your entire body and build strength in your glutes and hamstrings—important for cyclists because a big majority of strength comes from those muscles—and builds shoulder stability, also important on the bike, explains Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., CEO and founder of TS Fitness in New York City.
How to do it: Each move is demonstrated by Tamir so you can learn perfect form. Perform each move for the recommended number of reps found in the exercise description. Repeat the circuit 1 to 2 times through or add a few of the exercises to a home or gym strength workout.
The full workout descriptions for each move can be found here.
9 Bodyweight Core Exercises You Can Do In Your Living Room
With limited access to gyms right now, home workout equipment can still be hard to find, and limited space to exercise, it can be frustrating to feel like you can’t get in your usual workout. But you still can improve your strength, muscular endurance, balance, and coordination with just your body weight.
“Bodyweight exercises are a highly-effective way to move your body, especially during this time,” says Lindsey Clayton, senior instructor at Barry’s and cofounder of the Brave Body Project.
[Download the All Out Studio App for more amazing at-home workouts!]
How to do it: Each exercise is demonstrated by Clayton in the video below so you can learn the proper form. Perform each for 1 minute, taking a 30-second rest between each move. Complete the circuit once for a killer 13-minute workout or complete it two times through for a greater challenge in under 30 minutes. You don’t need any equipment. An exercise mat is optional.
The full workout descriptions for each move can be found here.
A Hip Strength and Mobility Workout for Putting More Power in the Pedals
Sure, your quads work hard on every ride, but your legs would be useless without the aid of your hip flexors.
The hip flexors run along the front of your hips, and they allow you to draw your knee up and bend your torso forward at the hip—two very important motions when it comes to cycling. One of your hip flexor muscles, the rectus femoris, is also one of the four quadriceps muscles—meaning that your hip flexor strength is very much connected to your quad strength. In fact, your hip flexors account for about 4 percent of your pedaling power.
To strengthen your hip flexors, Amber Rees, Barry’s Bootcamp instructor and Brave Body Project cofounder, put together a killer circuit workout that you can do in the comfort of your living room, basement, backyard, or anywhere else you can safely work out.
How to do it: Complete the following 5 exercises in the order listed below for 1 minute each on the right leg/side. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds, then repeat the entire circuit on the left leg/side. That’s 1 round. Complete 2 to 3 rounds.
The full workout descriptions for each move can be found here.
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