Date: February 1st 2026
Place: back off piste bowl in Flaine ski resort, France
Time: 10:24am
Situation: very out of depth skier struggling horribly to control his descent in 40cm of fresh powder
Outcome: a number of falls and a twinge in the lower back
Prognosis: stiff and slightly painful back
Yep, my name is Paul, I am 50, and I have a bad back.
But really, it isn’t my back that is the problem, it is my glutes, my hips, my hamstrings and my core that are really the issue.
As cyclists we spend so much time hunched over on our bikes. It can be hours and hours per week. Plus we’re then spending much of the rest of our time either in a car, or sitting at a desk, or lounging on a sofa.
And that can lead to a lack of flexibility in certain ranges of motion, as well as maybe not spending enough time strengthening our core muscles. And these core muscles are important in holding us in position on our bike, and can take the pressure off our shoulders, upper back and hands.
So what to do about it?
Getting moving early is key. The old adage that you need to rest and lie down to help your back has been debunked. Simply going for a walk is going to help in the first phases, getting your muscles moving again and helping to loosen off some of the tightness. I was walking like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz on Monday and Tuesday but after 10 minutes or so things got easier.
I also did some simple stretching every morning. Very controlled movements to stretch all those muscles that can affect the lower back:
Yoga poses to help your lower back
Wind relieving pose – Lie on your back, exhale, and draw your right knee toward your chest, clasping your hands around it. Keep the left leg extended or bent with the foot on the floor. Hold for up to one minute, then switch legs before bringing both knees to the chest.
Windscreen wipers – Lie down on your back with knees bent and feet as wide as the mat, allowing knees to fall to one side, alternating slowly.
Dead pigeon pose – Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Cross your right ankle over your left knee. Thread your right hand through the triangle formed by your legs, clasping your hands behind your left thigh or over the shin. Gently pull your legs toward your chest while keeping your back on the mat, and hold for 5–10 breaths, then switch sides.
Hand to big toe pose (with strap or a long towel)
- Lie on your back, extending both legs on a mat.
- Loop Strap: Bend your right knee into your chest, place the strap around the ball of your foot, and straighten your leg toward the ceiling.
- Hold: Hold both ends of the strap in your right hand, or both hands, while your left leg stays active on the mat.
- Extend: Gently pull the strap, drawing the foot toward your head.
- Open (Optional): Take both ends of the strap into your right hand, and slowly lower your right leg to the right side, keeping the left hip down.
- Switch: Return the leg to the center and switch sides.
Cat Cow
- Starting Position: Begin on hands and knees (tabletop position), with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Cow Pose (Inhale): Drop your belly towards the floor, lift your chest and tailbone toward the ceiling, and look slightly upward.
- Cat Pose (Exhale): Round your spine up toward the ceiling, gently tuck your chin toward your chest, and pull your belly button in.
- Flow: Move slowly between these two positions, coordinating with your breath.
Reclining Spinal Twist
- Set-up: Lie on your back, hug both knees into your chest, and extend your arms out to the sides in a “T” shape, keeping both shoulder blades flat on the mat.
- The Twist: Exhale and lower both knees to the right side, aiming to keep them together.
- Refine the Pose: To intensify, use the bottom hand to gently pull the top knee down. To protect the neck, turn your head to the left, away from your knees, or keep it neutral.
- Hold: Relax and hold for 5–10 deep breaths, allowing gravity to deepen the stretch.
- Release: Inhale, bring knees back to the center, and repeat on the other side.
Don’t forget the best pose of all, Final Resting Pose – lie down with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands resting by your sides, close your eyes, relax all the muscles in your body and breathe slowly in and out, focusing on the rhythm of your breath. When you feel ready, come up to seating and move back into your day.
I learnt all these poses from many yoga sessions on the Wahoo SYSTM app, and these are designed and led by Abi Carver from Yoga15 (she has a great app too)
I’ll move onto some simple exercises you can do to strengthen your core in the next blog.
What I’ve been listening to while writing
Tyler Ballgame – For the first time, again
https://open.spotify.com/album/4vS7m3LfEKnQgcIAjvHVqy?si=G-l39e7dSn62G1GDZ7au7A
Lovely acoustic guitar led songs from an atypical rock star. Take a coffee, sit back, enjoy the brilliant timeless tunes and his wonderful voice.
