After working with cyclists for over a decade, Yoga Guru, Clare Holland has introduced a Yoga program designed specifically for Cyclists.
Appropriate and correct yoga postures executed in a proper manner will eliminate many cycling related injuries, correct muscle imbalance, accelerate your performance levels and generally feel good about your whole body.
The correct Yoga postures can refresh your legs allowing you to be able to bounce back for training the next day or even just balance your other muscles that often get neglected while cycling. Guru Clare shares her knowledge with you on how to achieve this.
Clare has had an amazing career as a professional dancer. Much of her success came purely from the strict training she received in Yoga and Pilates.
The knowledge she gained in Yoga and Pilates allowed Clare to heal injuries, perform at her level best under pressure and rebalance her body after subjecting herself to extremely imbalanced, dynamic choreography.
Whilst cycling provides numerous benefits for the heart, lungs and leg muscles, experts recommend yoga for cyclists, to help repair and condition muscle wear and tear. While cyclists do get out of the saddle, it remains primarily a seated sport with forward bending and legs failing to reach their full extension.
“Therefore,” Clare explains, “this results in hamstrings and quadriceps bunching up in the middle of the muscle, causing weakness in the full range”. Clare has worked with everyone from amateurs through to elite cyclists and has identified this as a common pattern among them all.
“The cycling action contracts the Hip Flexors, which are forced to overwork. With increased efforts such as sprints and climbs, knees tend to inwardly rotate which results in the ITB getting beaten, and the inner thigh muscles getting contracted.
Further, the muscles tend to remain shortened and tight if not corrected. Other issues may also arise in some cases because of sitting on the Piriformis muscle which can lead to lower back pain”.
The approach of specific targeted strength exercises and traditional yoga postures (if followed correctly on a regular basis), will reshape this pattern. After working with cyclists for over a decade, Clare has refined what works for them and introduced Yoga for Cyclists.
“Appropriate and correct yoga postures executed in a proper manner will eliminate these issues,” says Clare.
Depending on your current level and intensity of training, you can balance it with Elite Yoga for Cyclists. Clare suggests making time during the week, to correct muscle imbalance, through the Elite Yoga Strength Program. This will help you to accelerate individual performance levels and feel good about your whole body.
If you have a history of a serious injury, you may need specific advice and attention. In this case, private sessions are possible with Clare. The detail in the basic programs will remain central to all advanced programs.”
ABOUT CLARE
Clare commenced Ashtanga Yoga practice at age 14 to develop skills to become a better dancer, and to provide her with an edge in the highly competitive world of modern and classical dance.
After 14 years of training and preparation Clare began her professional dancing career. Clare danced extensively over a 15-year period in the U.S.A, Europe and Australia.
After returning fulltime to Australia after being based in New York, Clare created Elite Yoga.
“Elite Yoga” is about teaching elite athletes how to improve their sporting performance, heal their injuries to be as free as possible, and speed recovery.
eliteyoga.com.au