By : Mike Jones
Cycling is one of the most useful training techniques that will improve your overall physical fitness. Whether you are performing an indoor cycling on a bike trainer or doing it outdoors, you need to employ the right moves for an effective training process. Proper cycling brings a number of key benefits including loss of belly fat, improvement in feeding habits, and shedding off some body weight to improve your power-to-weight ration.
Below are five mistakes you should try to avoid when you are doing both indoor and outdoor cycling.
1. Seat Position
Your seating position is very critical when riding both indoor and outdoor. Are you experiencing pain in the front part of your knee? There is a possibility that your seating position on the bike is lower than expected. A low position of the seat causes your pedal stroke to under extend.
With the correct sitting position, your knee is supposed to only bend slightly at the lower side of your pedal stroke. This should happen when the crank arm system of your bike is parallel to the seat tube, and not perpendicular to the ground position. To confirm this position, ensure that the pedal is unclipped with your heels on both pedals.
As you cycle on the bike, you must ensure to maintain contact with the pedal system at the bottom of the stroke. This should be done without rocking your pelvis. After confirming this position, measure the distance between the top of the seat and the bottom bracket and note it down as your seat height.
2. How Does the Bike Fit?
Don’t just ride on any bike because it is designed for a human being to cycle. The manner in which the bike fits you is one of the most important aspects of cycling. If the fit is painful, you might not probably spend much time in the saddle, no matter how exciting the ride is. In this case, the ride might not be really effective when you don’t get enough time to perform your physical exercise.
Two elements are key in getting the right fit for your physical body. First is the seat height as earlier discussed. Second is the reach. Proper reach on the bike means that your torso and arms make a 45-degree angle over the bike. When the reach distance is bigger, your back will have to stretch harder to reach to the handles. When the reach distance is smaller, the distance between your arms and your knees will be so small, which is quite uncomfortable.
For knowing which is the right bike for you, you may want to check online reviews. You can find them on the retailers’ websites or independent online publications. For example, this Sole fitness bike review outlines the benefits and the downsides of the bike. After narrowing down to a few options, a test ride may be the best choice to secure the correct size that fits perfect when looking for a bike.
3. One Step at a Time!!
Taking in too much too soon is one of the worst mistakes you can ever make in cycling. All physical exercises demand a slow and gradual process until the muscles are able to adapt to the stretch effects. In addition, taking in too much mileage when you are not ready could lead to major injuries in your body system. Learn to build up the ride at a slow pace as you ease in. Your body should also get enough time to adjust to new distances.
You are probably not in a race or a training ride. Avoid starts that are too fast as this may risk fatigue and burnouts in the second half, which may not be effective physically.
4. Improper Use of Gears
Gears should always act like your best friends on a climb. They should also act as your greatest source of speed on long and rolling stretches. It takes patience to learn how to shift into the most efficient gears depending on the situation on the ground. Using a lot of efforts to navigate steep areas may only negatively affect your physical state.
A simple basic guide to shifting gears may be useful in helping you understand what needs to be done. Most bikes may have two to three chain rings in the front. The back may have seven to eleven cogs or gears in the back. Shifting the chain from the smallest rear cog to the largest one reduces the pedaling effort successively.
5. Disrespecting the Pack
Cycling along other riders on a busy pack may not be a simple task. Group rides have their own rules, protocol, and etiquette that must be adhered to all the time. If such rules are not kept into consideration, you may end up causing a serious crash that may even result in serious injuries. When riding for the first time on a busy track or within a new group, it is advisable to hang at the back, observe how others are riding, and ask for help whenever you need it.
Bottom line
Your physical health is very important when it comes to cycling. Make sure you observe all the rules and guidelines when doing this kind of physical exercise as it could harm your body. Pay attention to your gear and your position. Even though your group may have more experience, make sure to listen to your body and don’t overdo it.
