Cycling is an extremely famous sport and also a great form of exercise. Cycling is a form of cardio workout which promotes lower body strength. During cycling, most of us stay bent forward for a long period of time, especially individuals training for the Triathlon. This may result in serious lower back pain; almost every cyclist suffers from this problem every now and then. Luckily, there are ways through which you can avoid lower back pain! Here are a few simple tips that would aid in avoiding back pain.

Avoiding Lower Back Pain Tip # 1 – Positioning

Positioning is a very important factor as far as cycling is concerned; not positioning yourself on the bike properly increases the chances of suffering from back pain. Hence, whenever you ride a bike, make sure that your spine is in a neutral position. To bring your spine to this position all you have to do is rotate your pelvis forwards. Lower back pain is usually caused by rotating your pelvic backwards for a long time this may also result in a back injury.

Avoiding Lower Back Pain Tip # 2 – Adjusting Handlebars

Most people ride their bikes with their handles adjusted too low, which means you have to bend forward to properly cycle, this results in increased occurrence of back pain. Hence, try and adjust your handlebars - raise them a little! This simple act can greatly decrease the occurrence of lower back pain without increasing wind interference.

Avoiding Lower Back Pain Tip # 3 – Warming Up

This is another reason why experts place so much importance on warming up. Simple stretches that focus on your lower back can aid in preventing lower back pain. Hence, get involved in different stretches for about 10-15 minutes before you go out to ride. Stretches will help to loosen your body muscles and prepare your body for the exercise as well.

Avoiding Lower Back Pain Tip # 4 – Improving Core Stability

Core stability is very important for every cyclist; it doesn’t matter if you just cycle for exercising or you are an athlete. Your focus should be on improving your core stability, since core stability is important for the flexing of the spine and to absorb force generated by the legs. While cycling you might have come across a common problem - you cannot control the movement at your trunk; this is because the force generated by legs is way too much for the trunk to handle. The only way to solve this problem and to avoid lower back pain is focusing on improving stability. There are many different exercises and stretches especially designed for that purpose; you can get engaged in them along with cycling for better results.

Avoiding Lower Back Pain Tip # 5 – Bracer

You can always opt to wear a back brace, which is attached to your lower back and is fairly inexpensive. This elastic bracer gives your spine extra supports which aids in avoiding lower back pain. Best of all, wearing a back brace does not negatively affect your performance or flexibility.