Boost your bike control, comfort and stamina: Get fit to ride with Jane Omorogbe

Boost your bike control, comfort and stamina with these simple fitness and flexibility tips from ex-Gladiator and fitness coach Jane Omorogbe…

---

Part 8: Flexibility

The hips don’t lie. Seriously, they don’t. Next time you throw a leg over your bike your hips will tell you
loud and clear whether you’ve been stretching your body… or your luck.

Fight, flight, freeze

Having a really great ride or workout can feel like you’ve just taken a massive glug from the fountain of youth. These are the things that make us feel alive, that activate our sympathetic nervous system (the fight, flight, freeze response) and give us stress, a buzz, or both. Being permanently on high alert won’t do you any good long term though.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the ‘rest and digest’ flip side. It helps you discharge all the energy that your primitive brain dumped on you when it thought you were outrunning a hungry lion. When in reality, you were just out-braking your mate in turn three.

Why stretch?

Stretching isn’t just about improving flexibility so that you can ride (and crash) with more agility. It’s also about training your brain to switch from fighting (sometimes disguised as sheer panic) to resting (exuding a zenlike calmness).

Whether that’s in the middle of a heated discussion, or a particularly hairy bend. Here’s my take on a few basic stretches that could help you increase your flexibility and slow you down so that you can actually be faster.

Hips: 90-90s

Sit on the floor with your spine tall, your core engaged, knees bent and both feet on the floor. Place your hands on the floor behind you and lean back. Now shift your bodyweight to the left, your left buttock will touch down as will your left outer thigh and the inner side of your right knee (depending on how flexible you are).

Check your position and try to maintain a 90 degree bend in both knees. Breathe in deeply for five breaths, filling your lungs and extending your stomach on the in-breath. Feel your stomach fall back towards your spine on the outbreath. Lean to the right to swap sides and repeat for 10 times for three sets.

Hamstrings

The safest way to stretch your hamstrings, (the back of your upper thigh) as a beginner is to lay flat on your back with both legs straight. Bend your right leg and clasp it behind the knee with both hands.

Keep your hips straight as you lengthen and straighten your right leg towards the ceiling as far as is comfortable. You should feel a stretch, not pain in the upper back part of your leg. If you can’t reach your leg with both shoulders flat on the floor, grab a towel or a belt and place it behind your raised leg, either
behind the knee, or higher up on a straighter leg and use that to hold your leg in the stretch.

If you want a deeper stretch, pull your raised straight leg towards your torso with your arms, making sure that your hips stay horizontal. Don’t twist your spine to ‘help’ you. Repeat your five deep breaths with each stretch and switch leg. Try three sets of 10 reps.

Quads stretch

If you’re used to riding on track, you’ll know what burning quads feel like (upper thigh muscles). A standard quadricep stretch is to stand tall and hold onto something for stability. Bend your right leg behind you and grab your ankle with your left hand.

Keep your knee tucked in and your hips slightly forward as you pull your heel gently towards your left buttock. You should feel the stretch down the front of your right thigh. Five deep breaths and repeat on the other side.

If this places too much stress on your knee joint, try using a foam roller. Lay face down on the floor and place the foam roller underneath your right hip. Roll gently towards but not over your right knee. When you hit a painful spot, hold it there for your five deep breaths and continue for up to three pain-points per leg.

Why five breaths?

Holding a stretch for 15 to 30s, or three to five deep diaphragmatic breaths, gives your muscles time they to receive the signal to relax. ‘Use it or lose it’ they say. ‘Losing it’ might mean fewer two wheeled trips to the fountain of youth. So fill your tank today. Then stretch and train so you can pop back for a refill tomorrow.

---

Part 7: Next strength and flexibility

How do you train your neck? We could get all F1 on it and ask our bestie to wrap an elastic band round our head and tug on it as we resist the force.

But this could go either way: alarmingly or amusingly wrong. So here are a few simpler, safer suggestions to strengthen your deep neck flexor muscles.

Isometric neck exercises

You will look silly doing this. So practice in private. Use a small cushion for comfort and I stress it is imperative that this exercise is performed in absolute silence. Stand facing a wall. Or a door. Switch it up a little to add variety. Engage your abs, keep your shoulders down and back. Place your forehead against the wall, and push.

Like a very, very slow motion headbutt. Hold for a slow count to five, release and go again. For your lateral isometric hold, straddle an open doorway, keep your knees soft and your core switched on. Press the side of your head against the doorframe for a slow count to five. Use the cushion if necessary. Release and repeat on the other side for five-10 holds.

Chin tuck

You can practice this one anywhere. As always, even a chintuck offers an opportunity to train your abdominals. Whether you’re sitting or standing, pull yourself up straight as if you’re incredibly proud, shoulders back and down, abs tight.

Look straight ahead and literally tuck your chin in towards your neck to create a lovely double chin. Hold for a slow count to five, release and repeat up to 10 times. The chin tuck is also a great position to adopt whenever you’re about to press or push anything heavy. It helps to protect and strengthen the deep cervical flexor muscles that support the weight of your head and encourages a good body posture. Practising this simple exercise can help reduce the stress and pain in your neck when your head is being buffeted by the wind.

Crunches

For a basic crunch, you’re lying down, face up (supinated), knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Draw-in and crunch (contract) your abdominal muscles to bring your shoulders up and off the floor and the top of your rib cage in towards your navel.

Try not to put your hands behind your neck and pull on your head. Just aim to lift your shoulders. Similarly with oblique (side) crunches. Imagine bringing your shoulder off the floor and in towards your opposite knee. This will increase your range of movement in the contraction phase rather than simply folding your elbow in to ‘cheat’ a touch to your knee, which isn’t necessary. By placing just two fingers
behind your ears for these kinds of exercises, you’ll reduce the temptation to pull on your head when your abs feel like they’re on fire, and you’ll work your deep neck muscles in the process too.

V-Up

Lie down, face up, keep your legs straight and extend both arms above your head. Engage your core and simultaneously bring your head and shoulders, straight arms and legs up off the floor, continue this movement slowly upwards to form a V position.

At this point you’re balancing on your bottom in a V shape. Hold. As you lower with controlled time under tension back towards the floor, stop just before your head, shoulders, arms, legs or feet touch down.

Hover for a beat, come back up to your V and repeat. Keep your spine in a neutral position and don’t use momentum but your core strength.

Stretches

Sit or stand, shoulders back and down, navel pulled in. Turn your head to the left as far as is comfortable. Hold. Repeat to the right. Take three fingers on your left hand and place them just above your right temple. Pull your head gently down to the left as you breathe in, hold for a beat as you breathe out.

Breathe in and tilt your head so you’re looking towards your left armpit. Breathe out. Breathe in and look skywards, breathe out. Straighten your head and swap sides.

Try these five to 10 times, for two or three sets. Strengthening and stretching your neck with exercises like this could literally be a lifesaver.

---

Part 6: Shoulder strength and flexibility

Good all-round body strength can only enrich your life on two wheels. I’ve tried all kinds of exercises over the last 30 years.

Here are three beginner level tips to get you revved up for shoulder strength and flexibility. When most people think about a shoulder workout, the focus is on building the fleshy bits of the front (anterior) or middle (medial) deltoid muscle.

The often overlooked rear (posterior) deltoid, the rhomboid and midlower trapezius muscles all work together to prevent Upper Crossed Syndrome (rounded shoulders) or ‘Tech Neck’.

So this week, let’s work all three sections.

Overhead press targeting the front deltoid

An overhead press is what your arms do when you take your helmet off.

Grab a broom (or a Pugil Stick if you have one laying around…) and stand with slightly bent knees, feet facing forwards, a little wider than shoulder width apart. Your abs and glutes are, as always, switched
on. Raise the broom horizontally to shoulder height with pronated palms (facing away from you).

The joints in your wrists are amongst the smallest in your body, so while you won’t have too many problems with the weight of a broomstick, practice keeping your wrists flat and in-line with your forearms, not with your palms facing the ceiling.

Take a breath in and push the pole upwards on the out breath, extending your arms vertically in line with your ears if possible and straightening your legs. If you’re struggling to get this full range of movement, keep practising with the broomstick to warm up and to increase your flexibility.

If you’re after a tougher challenge, hang a couple of backpacks on each end of the stick. Just make sure they’re securely attached!

Alternatively, press your chosen weights without the pole (two bags, two water bottles… a spare bike tyre). Your Rate of Perceived Exertion should be around seven out of 10, for three sets of 12.

Lateral raise targeting the mid-deltoid

Stand tall, engage those abs and glutes again. To protect your neck (cervical spine) tuck your chin in. You won’t look attractive, but you’ll only have the double chin for a minute or two and no-one’s watching.

Now raise your arms to the side as if you’re flying. Here’s your checklist:

• Focus on raising your elbows instead of your hands, this will help keep your arms horizontal.
• Keep slightly bent arms to protect your elbow joints.
• Don’t exceed shoulder height.
• ‘Fly’ with your palms facing the floor and with flat wrists.

If you don’t have two even weights, just lift just one side at a time, with your spare hand either hanging by your side or resting on your hip.

Really focus on bracing your core to counteract the imbalance your body will feel.

Three sets of 12 repetitions for each arm should do the trick.

Reverse fly targeting the rear deltoid

Only we won’t really ‘fly’ for this exercise.

Think of it more as a shoulder row with the aim of creating a W shape across your arms to work your upper posterior chain.

I’m a big fan of ‘face-pulls’ too, but we’d need cables or bands and way more time to explain the variations.

This is a great alternative. Sit on a bench or chair, feet flat with light weights in each hand. Try bottles of water to begin with.

Here are your check points:

• Engage your core muscles as you lean forward.
• Give yourself a lovely double chin.
• Keep your arms bent.
• Bring your shoulder blades together and down.
• Pull your bent arms back just below shoulder height as if elbowing someone standing either side of you as you also rotate your hands back to punch them in the face. (Brutal but effective.)

You should feel the magic happening right across your upper back and in the back of your shoulders. Aim to pull back with a one count, hold the contraction for one, lower for one and hold at the bottom for one count. Try two sets of eight repetitions to start with and increase to three sets of 12 reps if you can.

These muscles don’t get called to action very much in everyday life. They’re even ordered to stand down every time we hunch over a computer screen, our handlebars or slouch in general. It’s worth waking them up.

---

Part 5: Back

Back pain can be completely debilitating. More than half of us are affected by poor back strength and mobility at some point during our lives.

Healthy backs keep us upright, injury-free and in the saddle for longer with less fatigue. So here are a few
essential exercises that can help you stay fit to ride.

The cobra (pictured above)

Lay face down with your legs straight behind you and your arms outstretched at 45 degrees from your torso, palms on the floor. Lift your upper body gently from the floor on a count of two, pointing
your thumbs towards the ceiling as you do so.

This exo-rotation of your shoulders encourages your shoulder blades to come together, counteracting the hunched position most of us have when riding or working in the office. Take care not to arch and overextend your back too much, just a few inches will do the job. Look down to keep you head in-line with your spine and tuck your chin in. You should feel your lower back muscles contracting. Lower for a
count of two and try three sets of eight to 10 repetitions.

Single-arm row

This is exercise not only works your back, but the way we’ll do it will target your core, too. To get in position, bend over as if you’re about to listen to a small child, hands supporting your bodyweight on slightly bent knees. Step back with the right leg on your right toe.

Your left hand is still leaning on your left knee, your back is flat, and your bottom is favouring the ceiling. Now engage your abdominal muscles and pick up your dumbbell, back-pack or bike pannier with a straight right arm. Imagine there’s a wall beside you preventing your elbow from kicking out.

Keep it tucked in as you bend your arm back to bring the weight up to meet your right hip. You should feel the wings of your back, commonly known as your ‘lats’ contracting. Try filming yourself to check your posture and experiment with the load. If your effort is around seven out of 10 and your form is still good, then so is the weight. Three sets of 12 repetitions on each side.

Pull-ups

As with most exercises where you literally haul your own body weight around, pull-ups are the ultimate back work out. Even if you don’t end up banging out straight sets, you’ll improve your back muscles
and posture by practising.

There are regressions and progressions to suit all levels. Ideally, you’ll need a horizontal bar that’s low enough to hang from and have your bottom almost graze the floor. Place your feet on the floor so that you’re hanging vertically and grip the bar with your palms facing outwards (pronated), slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Engage your abs, squeeze your glutes and pull yourself up on a count of one so that your chin is above the bar. Keep your shoulders back and down, chest out and push yourself up with your legs for extra support. Lower with a four count with little or no help from your legs (to work the eccentric phase). Repeat for three sets of 12 reps.

And remember this: If you’ve ever tried to lift a child when they’re mid tantrum or fast asleep, you’ll know how challenging a dead weight can be. Ask them to ‘play starfish’ and go completely rigid and you can not only lift them but everything else they’ve strewn across the floor too. Make it easier for yourself and tighten your body as much possible by engaging your abs and glutes before you start each pull up. It’s a little trick but it helps. Experience can make pull-ups look far, far easier than they actually are – just keep practising!

Part 4: Warm-up

Raw spaghetti snaps in two. Cooked spaghetti doesn’t. It’s a similar principle with our muscles. A warm muscle is pliable. A cold one less so.

That’s why you’ll see most athletes warm-up before they exercise or participate in their chosen sport. It makes perfect sense for bikers to do it, too.

Especially when we’re about to head out on track or off on a ‘spirited ride’. Exercise also releases various hormones and neurotransmitters in our brains, which could genuinely improve our overall riding experience.

Endorphins are the brain’s natural stress busters. If you feel a bit anxious before a big rideout, this could be the hit you need to calm your nerves.

Dopamine is associated not only with pleasure but reward. Switch this on and you could improve your focus.

Serotonin is the happy hormone. Who doesn’t want to enjoy life on two wheels? Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a mouthful but it’s an important one.

Physical exercise has been proven to increase this brain protein that stimulates neuron growth, improving your physical and mental health.

Here are a few warm-up suggestions. Keep the ones you like. Adapt or ignore the ones you don’t. However, this list addresses all three planes of motion, sagittal (forwards), frontal (sideways) and transverse (rotation) and we need to practise all three.

So, choose wisely and keep those abs switched on.

• Rotational twists Stand upright, arms outstretched and rotate your torso as far is comfortable.
• Bent over rotational twists Bend over with a flat back and outstretched arms, swing your left hand towards your right foot and reverse the action.
• Shoulder rotations Swing your straight arms alternately in big windmill movements and repeat in reverse.
• Stationary lunge to rise Stand tall and step forward with your right leg to a comfortable lunge, bringing your left arm up in a 90 degree angle as you drop down. As you push up on your right leg to stand, lift your left leg to a 90 degree angle at the knee and bend your right arm. Balance for a beat, lower your left leg back behind you to lunge again and repeat 10 times consecutively before switching leg.
• Mountain climbers From a standing position bring your right arm to a full extension above your head as you simultaneously lift your left leg to a 90 degree angle at the hip and knee. Lower and repeat on the other side. Increase the pace with a jolly little hop on the switch.
• Scissor jumps Adopt an athletic stance, transfer your weight to the balls of your feet, arms bent, fists at shoulder height, knees soft. Step forward with the left leg. From here jump to switch legs in a scissor movement and repeat.
• The Ali Shuffle Repeat the scissor movement as above but every time you jump to bring your left foot forward, land slightly to the left so that you start to travel sideways. Try 10 shuffle jumps and repeat in the opposite direction.
• Jumping jacks Stand tall and jump to bring your feet together and back out to shoulder width again. Up your game by bringing your arms up and over your head on the outward jump.
• Lastly, a personal favourite of mine. Stand tall, soften the knees and adopt a fighting stance. Fists up, protect your face. Now picture whatever it was that has really annoyed you lately and punch it. Hard. And repeatedly. Play around with jabs, uppercuts and hooks depending on who or what has riled you and why.

---

Part 3: Legs

Whatever and wherever you’re riding, your legs will feel it. They are literally your body’s suspension system.

So, if you’re looking to improve your riding experience, here’s three tips for getting fitter legs.

Isometric Wall Squats

If you’re new to working out, or perhaps you’re nursing a knee or back injury, isometric (stationary) squats are a great way to start training those powerful thigh muscles, otherwise known as your quadriceps. Stand with your back flat against a wall, draw your navel in towards your spine, engage your glutes (squeeze your butt cheeks) and slide down to a squat in a seated position.

Your thighs should be parallel to the floor or as low as comfortable with your knees in line with your feet. Hold this position for 20 to 60 seconds and repeat 3 to 5 times. To progress, try holding a weight, or a heavy tank bag, or a small child. I’ve done all three.

Lift your heels to incorporate calf raises for an extra kick.

Prisoner Squats

There are so many elements to performing a safe squat, it’s difficult to address them all here. In short, keep your abdominal muscles switched on by drawing-in and bracing. Avoid your knees folding inwards, or splaying out to the sides as you squat, by engaging your glutes. If you feel restricted in your movement or find your torso leaning forwards (assuming you’ve warmed up sufficiently beforehand) try elevating your heels on two books.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, toes pointing forwards or slightly turned out if necessary. Your navel is pulled in towards your spine, glutes are engaged. Place two fingers behind your ears (not your neck) and keep your elbows in-line with your chest. Inhale as you squat slowly with a count of 4 as low as you comfortably can.

Drive your heels into the floor and hold for 2 seconds. Breathe out as you power back up to stand with a 1 count. Repeat 12 times per set, for 3 sets.

For variation, add weight, extend the static hold phase, or increase the tempo to 2 up, 2 down.

Lunges

There is literally a lunge exercise for every day of the week and then some, but we ride bikes, we’ll do
side lunges in the frontal plane, as that’s the direction our body leans to when cornering. In a stance slightly wider than shoulder width, draw your abdominal muscles in and engage your glutes. With your feet facing forwards and hands on your hips, push your bottom backwards and lean to the right by bending your knee to track over your right big toe.

You will feel a stretch in your left inner thigh (adductor complex) and pressure building in your right thigh and butt cheek. Hold the position for a 2 count, rise on a 1 count and begin the lean to your left on a slow 4 count.

Repeat these alternating static lunges, with 12 on each side completing the first of your 3 sets. To progress, carry a weighted backpack. Or the small child.

Know this:

• There are so many benefits to strength training, especially as we age. It’s worth the effort.
• It improves our muscle mass, bone density, metabolic health, joint strength, lifespan and our mood as well.
• Ladies: getting strong is a really, really good thing. And no, you won’t ‘get big’.
• Guys: research shows that doing regular squat exercises will raise your testosterone levels. Just saying.

---

Part 2: Chest

Guy Martin once rode my No Budget Cup race bike. For those 5 minutes, my old boat had an extra 50bhp. At least. Sometimes you don’t need all the fancy stuff, not if you’re super talented, or prepared to work hard with what you’ve got.

Press-ups are a cheap and cheerful way to train your upper body. There are a zillion adaptations, but here’s a check list that applies to most of them: Start in a plank position with your toes (not knees) on the floor.

Place your hands in a neutral position slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Set your feet slightly narrower than hip width apart. Keep your form tight and stable by engaging your stomach muscles and glutes.

Rotate your elbows slightly towards your body so your arms are at a 45-degree angle from your torso, and don’t flare out during the eccentric (lowering) phase. Keep your shoulders away from your ears. They are not friends.

Bring your shoulder blades towards each other. Aim to keep your forearms vertical and your elbows over your wrists as you lower (for horizontal, chest focused press-ups).

Beginners: Lower yourself down to a count of 4, hold for a count of 2, and then push up on a 1 count.

For advanced: Use a 1 count for both eccentric (lowering) and concentric (pushing) phases.

Aim for 3 to 4 sets of 12 repetitions to start off with.

Phase 1 – Elevated press ups

Rest your hands on your kitchen worktop. Step back as though you’re about to shove your counter clean across the floor. Remember the check list. Now bend your arms and lower yourself towards the worksurface so that your chest just grazes it at nipple height and press back up. To progress, find something lower, like a chair or bench. Just make sure it’s something that won’t buckle under your newfound power and if you choose the bottom rung of your staircase, watch your head.

Phase 2 – Eccentric press-ups

These press-ups focus on the lowering phase. The plan is not to succumb to gravity but to enjoy the ‘time under tension’ and control the movement. Start in a horizontal plank on the floor. Lower slowly to the ground, being mindful of your checklist. Once flat on your tummy, keep your knees on the floor, your abdominals tight and push your torso upright so that your arms are straight. From here, lift your knees back up to the starting plank position and go again.

Phase 3 – Full body press-up

Follow the checklist and lower until you’re just about to touch down, push yourself back up to the straight arm plank  position and then repeat the process.

Phase 4 – Plyometric press-ups

A great exercise to improve your bone density, explosive force production, cardiovascular fitness, and your ability to absorb heavy impacts. As a biker (and a Gladiator) I had quite a few of those. Plyometrics are not for the faint hearted. So buckle up. Complete the lowering phase of the standard press-up and just as you’re about to kiss the floor, push up so explosively that your hands break contact with the ground. Land with a soft elbow, lower immediately and power out for another repetition. Don’t try these until you’re an ace at Phase 3!

Jane’s top tips:

• Too easy? Clap your hands together mid-air. Quickly.
• Too hard? More than 30% of Brits are apparently unable to do a single press up. Don’t be one of them – get  pushing!

---

Part 1: Core

The stronger, fitter version of you can ride faster, for longer, and can pick up a fully fuelled bike when our enthusiasm and ability don’t match.

Building a strong internal core is the first essential step as it’s the foundation of your stability and balance, supporting your body weight and protecting you from injury.

Let’s begin by training the muscles that stabilise your spine.

‘Drawing-in and Bracing’

You can do these exercises standing upright, on all fours, or lying on your back. To ‘draw in’ pull your navel in towards your spine and hold it there. To ‘brace’, tense your abdominals as though you’re about to be punched in the stomach. Start off with a 10 second hold while maintaining the natural curvature of your spine.

‘It’s time to plank’

Having the core strength to support your upper body alleviates strain on your wrists and pressure on your handlebars while riding. Start on your knees with your elbows, forearms and hands on the floor, shoulder width apart, palms facing each other. Draw in and brace, squeeze your glutes (bum cheeks) and lift your knees from the floor, balancing on your toes to create a straight line through your body. Build up until you can hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Beyond 30 seconds, you’re no longer focusing primarily on your core but the secondary (synergist) muscles too. Repeat three to five times.

‘Side Bends’

Hold kettlebells or loaded bike panniers in each hand, with a straight arm and your palms facing your body. Stand tall, feet shoulder width apart, shoulders back and down, draw-in and brace. Lean slowly (in lateral flexion) towards your left knee with a slow count of four, as far as is comfortable. Use your abdominal muscles to bring you upright in a count of two, lean down to the right with a four count and repeat for 12 reps each side to complete one set. Aim for three sets in total.

‘Russian Twists’

Here’s an advanced core exercise to try. Sit with bent knees and your heels on the floor. Draw-in and brace, squeeze your glutes and lean backwards so your torso is at 45° from the ground, as if half-way
through a sit up. Lift a weight, or a bottle of water or your crash helmet, to eye level with extended arms and soft elbows. This is your starting position. Watch the weight and twist to the left as far as you comfortably can, return to centre, rotate to the right and repeat. Count slowly to four for each movement, maintain the correct 45° form, shoulders down and back, and keep your abdominal muscles engaged. Repeat for 12 repetitions each side, take a 60 second break and repeat for two more sets.

Top tips for core riding fitness

• Do this three times a week, tops
• If you feel any pain during exercise, stop immediately
• If you muscles ache the next day, that’s a good thing

---