I’ve decided to talk about biking today because it is one of the outdoors sport that I enjoy the most. Firstly, because it allows me to spend the day outdoors and secondly because it is an intense sport that can help improve general physical condition efficiently. 
However, if you practice it as a means of training method or to prepare yourself competitively, you’ll benefit by combining it with a specific training program. The specific training will help you to prevent injuries and optimize drastically your performance. In this article, I’ll share with you a biking sample workout routine that will help you to optimize your performance.
Before starting a specific training program, it is a must to understand the biomechanics of biking. The muscles which are recruited most when you bike are quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and glutes. The two power muscles are the quadriceps that allows extension of the leg as you are pushing and the hamstrings that does the flexion of the knee to pull back the pedals. The workout routine below is designed to increase both stability of the knee and the hip. This will allow you to use less energy to perform the same effort, which will improve your endurance.
A1 – Piriformis superficial fibers, 2 sets of 100 repetitions,
lift in 1 sec. and go down in 1 sec. (1010 tempo)
A2 – Gluteus Medius medial fibers, 2 sets of 100 repetitions,
lift in 1 sec. and go down in 1 sec. (1010 tempo)
B1 – Front barbell step-ups, 4 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions 2010 60 sec rest.
B2 – Biceps femoris Kneeling leg-curls, plantar flexion of the ankle, feet neutral, 4 sets of 8-10 repetitions 4010 60 sec rest.
C1 – Dumbbell Split squat, 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions 3020 60 sec rest.
C2 – Lying leg-curls, dorsiflexion of the ankle, feet neutral, 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions 5010 60 sec rest.
C3 – Seated calf raises, 4 sets of 15-20 repetitions 2020 60 sec rest.
To get optimal results, I recommend that you do this routine twice a week for 4 to 5 weeks. After completed this routine 8 to 10 times, you might hit a training plateau. Therefore, you will need to change the exercises, number of repetitions as well as the rest time to overcome that plateau and further keep up with your progression. This routine is as effective for beginners as it is for advanced people.
You would like to further optimize your performance ? Contact us, so we can make you a specific training program for your sport !
Good training!
Jean-Francois Thibault
Axellite – global health