Balance for cyclists

What is balance?

Balance in sport can be defined as the ability to maintain the center of mass over our base of support, commonly known as static balance if we aren't moving. Further definition in sport requires the individual to maintain and control the center of mass over the base of support during movement; this is known as dynamic balance.

Although both types of balance are necessary and beneficial for all sports, the training of balance needs to ensure that we train what we need for performance. The ability to shift weight from one foot to the other during a standing climb on the bike in a controlled and precise fashion is essential for energy efficiency. Lack of control in weight shift can lead to extraneous movement in climbing and a waste of energy.

What are balance exercises used for, and why should they be used?

Both static and dynamic balance exercises are beneficial for all athletes and can aid in improving overall balance and muscular control, while potentially helping maintain precise movements. Selecting the right combination of both static and dynamic balance in the training process is important to ensure we gain the best result.

Static balance

Static balance is the ability to maintain and control the center of mass of the body over the base of support when no movement is occurring. We utilize this every day to ensure we don't collapse and fall when doing everything from sitting on a chair to maintaining a standing position. The hallmark of static balance is that minimal to no movement occurs in the body. We make constant changes in our position to ensure that our balance is maintained and to increase our ability to be successful.

Dynamic balance

Dynamic balance is the ability to maintain and control the center of mass of the body over the base of support during movement. This type of balance is also used on a daily basis any time we move or shift positions. Going from sitting in a chair to standing and then walking is a significant amount of dynamic movement that must be balanced in order to be successful.

Who are balance exercises for?

Balance training should be incorporated into every athlete's training program in some capacity. In fact, even if we aren't aware of it as a coach or athlete, we all are already doing some training for balance; sometimes balance training is simply a result of repeated efforts in the skills that we do. Repetition of a skill will result in a trained balance of the skill to some extent.

Cyclists exhibit dynamic balance adjustments constantly throughout a race. This is important to understand, because we have the bike to deal with as well as our own bodies; when riding a bike, the body's center of mass does not have any direct contact with the ground, so we must manipulate the bike as our base of support to maintain our center of mass. An obvious example of this is climbing a hill; we see significant lateral shift of the seat and handles of the bike as we increase force production when we're up off the seat; this side-to-side shift is required to maintain a straight direction and balance when creating high levels of force on the bike. We also see this in the torso/body movement side to side.

All sports that have a change of direction, weight shift, or an implement of any kind require balance to control movements.

Balance exercises

Here are a few examples of exercises you can do to train your balance.

• Single-leg lateral hops: Hop on one leg from side to side, controlling your movement and balance. To increase the effect, make the width of the hop wider or the height of the hop higher.

• Ice-skater shuffles (also known as speed skaters): Click here to view a demonstration of this exercise. Like the hops, our goal is to control weight shift and balance, but here the movement from one leg to the other requires alternating leg activation and control, and changes to the length of the leap and position of the torso can vary the benefit to balance. These can be performed from side to side or by moving forward or backward.

• Single-leg strength exercises like single-leg dead lifts, single-leg squats, Bulgarian split squats, etc.

• Strength movements on a single leg: these can be any strength activities. Even single-leg standing shoulder presses, bicep curls, and cable rows provide weight balance control when weight change occurs.

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At BaseCamp, we believe that every cyclist has the potential to achieve greatness, no matter where they start. Our mission is to create a community-driven training environment where cyclists and triathletes of all levels can train together, support each other, and grow stronger, faster, and more confident in their abilities. Our cycling training programs are expert driven and tailored to your needs. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, BaseCamp is where you belong.