Bike to Work Week Reset

It’s bike to work week! And on Friday, May 20, it’s Bike to Work Day, or Bike Everywhere Day! And with the weather warming and the sun up longer it’s the perfect time of year to tune up your bike and get pedaling to work (or play) no matter the week. 

Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or fair weather pedaler, it’s important to #hitreset after your ride to stay in the saddle. 

Here are our top four poses to encourage balance, strength, and flexibility for cyclists:

1. Chest Expansion

  • Bring your hands to your low back and interlace your fingers—if that’s not possible, rest your hands on your low back with your fingers pointing toward the floor.

  • Squeeze your shoulder blades toward each other and move your elbows closer together so you feel your chest broaden.

  • Feel the stretch across the front of your chest and the fronts of your shoulders as your shoulder blades continue to move toward each other.

  • Hold for 5+ deep breaths, using your breathing to deepen the stretch, as if you’re trying to puff up your chest with each inhale.

2. Figure 4

  • Roll down onto the floor, laying on your back, knees bent.

  • Cross your ankle over the opposite knee, keeping the foot flexed.

  • Stay here or pick your legs up, interlacing your fingers around your bottom leg hamstrings or shin. Only pick the legs up if you can still comfortably rest your head and shoulders on the floor.

  • Make sure both sides of your waist are even—if you feel your spine start to side bend, slide the foot that’s on the floor farther away from your body until you can level your hips and maintain a neutral spine.

  • Hold for 5+ deep breaths, then switch sides.

3. Pinwheel

  • Sit down and bend your knees, staggering one leg in front of the other so that it makes a “pinwheel” shape, with a little bit of space between your front foot and back knee.

  • Keep both feet flexed.

  • Sit up tall and turn your torso toward your front thigh, and lie down on top of it.

  • When you think you’ve found your resting point, try to lengthen your spine even more, as if you’re pulling your ribs further away from your hips

  • Hold for 5+ deep breaths, then switch sides.

4. Windshield Wipers

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor wider than hip width apart.

  • Drop your knees to one side and turn your head to look to the opposite side

  • Lift your knees back to center, then drop them to the other side and look in the opposite direction.

  • Continue the movement, just like windshield wipers moving side to side for a minute.

And if you’re looking for key yoga videos after biking, we suggest: 

1.    5-Minute Shoulder Reset
2.    Hip Mobility Maintenance
3.    Quad Reset

Bike on friends, bike on!