As we hopefully know by now, some of the success we have in the saddle comes from the hard work we do out of the saddle. I’m a big fan of marrying core stability, mobility, and simple body weight exercises to achieve these goals. Below is a list of simple, economical home equipment and rider-focussed exercises to give you some bang for your out-of-the-saddle buck.

Mats

Yoga and stretching mats are useful for a number of things: they can cushion knees for stretching or provide some traction. If I had to choose, I would opt for a yoga mat. I particularly like the BMat brand for thickness, durability and traction.

Downward Dog – This is standard yoga fare and it’s great for overall mobility, core, lat and glute activation: Start with palms down at the top of the mat; step your feet back until you’re in an inverted “v” position (image #1). You’ll feel a stretch through your posterior chain (a useful stretch as we ride in a knee-flexed position) and you can slowly peddle your heels to gain mobility through hamstrings and gastrocnemius/soleus muscles. Keep shoulders moving down your back away from your ears to activate lats and gain shoulder and thoracic spine mobility. To add some core activation, squeeze your glutes and abdominals and slowly move forward into a high-plank position, then back to Downward Dog.

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