As far as exercises and stretches that are good for bicyclists, I’ve put together five easy exercises to help keep your muscles loose and posture aligned.

1. Shoulder Bridge: Bicycling uses the hip flexors a lot, so it is important to stretch them out regularly. One exercise that accomplishes this is the Shoulder Bridge. Begin lying on your back with your legs bent and feet hip-width distance apart in parallel. Push down with your feet to lift your hips up as high as you can. Press down with your heels to engage your gluteal muscles, and tuck your tailbone up to feel a stretch in the front of the hips and thighs. Pulse up your hips 20-30 times. Then roll your back down slowly.

2. Supine Double Cross Stretch: Bicycling also really tightens the outside of the hips and thighs. This position effectively stretches these areas. Begin lying on your back with your legs pulled into your chest. Cross your right thigh completely over your left thigh and grab your ankles. Pull your ankles out to the sides to intensify the stretch to your thighs and hips. Hold for 20 seconds. Then repeat with the other leg crossed over.

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3. Upward Facing Dog: Because cycling involves rounding over with your torso, it can tend to make our everyday posture a little rounded forward. To correct this habit, you can practice working the body in the opposite direction, as in Upward Facing Dog pose in yoga. Begin laying face down on the floor with your arms bent and hands flat on the floor at shoulder level. Roll your shoulders back and then slowly press down with your hands to lift up your torso into a swan position. You don’t need to press all the way to where your arms are straight. Just to where the front of your body is arched up a comfortable amount. Hold for one to two breaths, then slowly lower yourself back down.

4. Forearm Plank: Although most of your weight is on your seat, your arms should stay on the handle bars at all times so they will carry some of your weight. To help strengthen your front arm support, do Forearm Plank. From your hands and knees, place your forearms in parallel position on the floor under your chest area. Try to have your arms a little narrower than the width of your shoulders. Draw your shoulders down toward your hips and shift your body over your arms so your chin is over your wrists. Press into the floor with your forearms and contract your chest muscles to keep your torso up so your upper back is not sinking in between your shoulder blades. Next, reach back one foot and place the toes onto the floor. Engage the muscles in that leg to hold it straight, and then reach the other leg back straight and place the toes on the floor so your body is now in a straight line parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 10-20 seconds.

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5. Standing Shoulder Blade Pinch with Extension: Again, because bicycling tends to round our shoulders forward, it important to do exercises that counter this effect. Standing, reach your hands behind you and clasp them together. Roll your shoulder blades together and arch your chest up to the sky. You can lift up your chin, but don’t let your head fall back. Inhale deeply to stretch the chest and front of the shoulders. Exhale and release out of the stretch. Repeat one more time.