One of the questions I am asked frequently is, “What are the best stretches after bike riding?”

Stretching after you ride will help keep your muscles loose, which can help you to move without pain after exercising. Here’s why:

• When we contract our muscles (bike riding for example), the muscles being used contract. This means they become shorter.

• To lengthen the muscles, we hold a static stretch once we are done exercising*. This allows the tight, shortened muscles to return to their natural position.

I highly recommend stretching the following 5 muscles groups after you ride:

1. Quads - big muscles in the front top of your legs

2. Calfs - small muscles in the bottom back of your legs

3. Hamstrings - big muscles in the back top of the legs

4. Piriformis - deep muscles in your glutes

5. Psoas - long muscles that starts in lower back and connects to your thigh bone

The short video below shows how to do each of these stretches.

If you are super tight, you could also benefit from some foam rolling or additional stretching.

If a stretch feels uncomfortable, your body probably needs it, however, stretching should not feel painful.

*It’s recommended that you hold static stretches for a minimum of 30 seconds to benefit from the stretch.