Stationary cycling is taking off in the city and for good reason. However, I don’t think it’s true potential is being reached. Odds are you’re reading this in a seated position. Where are your shoulders?
Well now they’re back, but before I asked they were most likely rolled forward. This means the musculature in the front of your body is shortened and the musculature in the back of your body is stretched out and WEAKENED.
To wage war on this common, damaging posture you need to wake up and strengthen those back muscles. Indoor cycling is a great way to do this. Of course you are free to simply grab a seat in the “saddle” and spin your pedals round and round. Or, you can tighten that core, hinge at the hip and get off that seat as if you’re racing LeMond up Grizzly Peak. Straighten out that spine, stay light on your hands to activate the deep muscles of that mid section. This will put a demand on your back muscles that parallel the spine so that you can wake them up and let them know that they need to be ready and available to support that strong healthy you. Fighting to create a strong cylinder around your spine, AKA a strong core, can be done using a multitude of fitness disciplines. However, if done correctly, a stationary bike provides a great platform to create mechanical disadvantages that cause your muscle to wake up and tone up all while your heart rate is elevated and you’re experiencing the added physiological benefits of a cardiovascular workout.
–Written by ProActive Chiropractic’s 2013 Intern of the Year, Nick Cruze.
A little about Nick…
I’m the new Intern here at ProActive Chiropractic. I am a Bay Area native and currently live in the beautiful city of San Francisco. I’ve known Dr. Cohen and Vince for about two years and have been eager to learn from these two rock stars. I plan on opening my own practice one day and couldn’t imagine a better practice and healthy philosophy to emulate than ProActive Chiropractic. After years of sitting and studying my main goal is simple, I don’t want to sit! I now split my time between Interning at ProActive, running group fitness classes, and exploring this city. I look forward to learning the chiropractic ways of Dr. Cohen and the management skills of Vince but I’d also love to meet the patient’s of ProActive so please don’t be a stranger while I’m here. Have an awesome and healthy day.