7 Ways to Test Your Cycling Fitness

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Test Your: Shoulder Mobility
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Extend your right arm overhead and bend your elbow to lower your right hand behind your upper back. Reach your left hand behind your back and try to touch the fingers of your right hand.

shoulder mobility
Can you get your fingers to within a hand's-length of each other?

Improve It: Lie on your left side, right knee crossed over the left, arms extended at shoulder level on the floor, hands together. Rotate your torso to center and your right arm out to the side. Bring your legs to center. Do 10 reps on each side.

 

Test Your: Rotational Stability
Start on all fours with your knees under hips and hands under shoulders. Slowly extend your right arm and right leg away from each other.

rotational stabilit
Can you stay in a straight line from head to toe, without wobbling?

Improve It: Start on all fours and extend your right arm in front of you. But this time extend your left leg behind you. Bring your right elbow and left knee in toward each other. Return to start. Do 15 reps on each side.

Test Your: Single-Leg Balance and Core Stability
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a broomstick horizontally over your shoulders, and step your right leg over an imaginary hurdle that's just lower than knee-height in front of you. Repeat with your left leg. You should be able to lift your knee straight up and over the imaginary hurdle. Your torso should not lean forward, back, or to either side.

single leg balance

Improve It: Stand in the middle of a resistance tube, feet hip-width apart, elbows bent, holding one end in each hand at shoulder height. Press your arms overhead as you lift right knee to hip level; lower knee then arms to starting position. That's one rep. Do 15 with each leg.

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