Strengthen the Hips to Build a Better Ride
I’ll be guiding a Gray & Co. cycling trip in Texas Hill Country and on to Santa Ynez, California for 3 weeks in May. Maximizing my peddle stroke will be key to my endurance, not only on each ride but for the duration of the trip.
In the past I’ve felt like my butt disappeared in size compared to the girth of my quads after a lot of biking – an indication that my quads were the most dominant muscles. I take a lot of pride in being a lean white girl who actually has a butt, so I don’t like when I lose my backside! Suddenly my hot jeans don’t hang right and I kind of lose my swagger – not cool for a bad-ass fitness trainer/adventure guide like myself.
This year I spent a lot more time strengthening my hips. My training rides so far feel pretty balanced. I occasionally still have to think about activating my hips more during the extension phase of my peddle stroke, but I do feel a difference in my rides.
I’ll look forward to testing this theory to the ‘max’ in a few weeks. With all that fantastic Texas BBQ I’ll be eating, I’ll need all the muscle burn I can get!