Not a cyclist

but do a fair bit of - well, ambling rather than running, really - but you can get lower back pain from that too.

What helped me was taking core exercises seriously. Needn't take long, 3-4 times a week is ample though I do a plank before every run to wake those muscles up as well.

To start out just do:

Plank x1, for 20-30s if you can, less if you can't do 20s - then build up by adding 5s or so each week to where you can do about 90s.

Side plank 2x, one each side, same duration as plank

Superman: lie flat on your front, raise your right arm and left leg keeping tummy flat to floor, hold 30s, swap to left arm and right leg. When this becomes easy do both arms and legs at the same time.

Wax on, wax off: lie flat on your back, legs straight, lift legs about 60 degrees or so and move your feet round in a clockwise motion ten times, keeping your back firmly pressed to the floor and your ankles together. Then ten anti-clockwise.

Wipers: lie flat on your back, legs straight, lift legs about 80 degrees, keeping back firmly on floor and ankles together lower legs to left side, up to centre (slowly), lower to right side, up to centre. That's one rep - do about ten (build up to it if ten is too much at first).

In all that's about five minutes' worth. It helps build strength in the lower back and core and I've had no issues with lower back from running since I started doing that lot.

If your bike isn't set up right, I'm sure that will help; but I can't imagine a short and simple core set like that one above will hurt and it will almost certainly help.

If you want you can do much, much more - just google core/lower back exercises - but I've found the above quite sufficient for a fat bloke of 103 wanting to wobble down the road a bit.

Posted By: Old Man, Feb 23, 11:03:29