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Another of my Favorite Exercises – Bicycle
Bicycle is an exercise done on many pieces of equipment. It is an Essential (Beginner) exercise on the Arc Barrel, an Intermediate exercise on the Ladder Barrel & Spine Corrector and an Advanced exercise on the Mat. The level of the exercise has to do with the focus & the difficulty of accomplishing it, along with the coordination of the choreography. For example, on the Arc Barrel, you have your head & shoulder blades in contact with the Mat & less difficulty stabilizing your pelvis since it is on the barrel, which is a small, low arc. With less ROM (range of motion) through the hip flexors, they aren’t worked as much either eccentrically or concentrically. With the Spine Corrector you basically also have your head & scapulae on contact with the mat as well. And even though your pelvis is on the Spine Corrector, it is higher with a greater arc – so therefore more of a stability challenge. And you also have a greater ROM, which means more eccentric & concentirc work in the hip flexors. (If you are unfamiliar with the Spine Corrector, here's a link to Bicycle on the Spine Corrector.
Then on the Ladder Barrel, the only upper body contact is your hands on the top rung, which not only increases the amount of stability required, but also challenges your shoulder flexibility & abdominal strength. And on the Ladder Barrel, again the eccentric as well as the concentric work of the hip flexors increase due to the greater ROM. (The change in the ROM on all these barrels has to do with the curve or size of the barrels.)
And then we have the exercise on the Mat. It is an Advanced exercise in part because it builds off of an Intermediate exercise: Jack Knife. So now you increase the balance challenge because only the head & scapulae are on the Mat, nothing in the lower body. You do get to place your hands at the top of the back of the pelvis, but they are only for balance, not to take your weight. And trust me, I can tell if you’re cheating. Again, you get great ROM & work your hip flexors both eccentrically & concentrically. Watch the video, link below, to get an idea.
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Food That Increases Risk for Stroke
 Here’s another study that explains the risk of stroke with consumption of animal fat. “Food for thought!”
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Newsletter Archive
Remember, you can always find past issues of the newsletter by following this link . You'll never know what stimulating articles you've missed until you do!
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Video Highlight - Bicycle on the Mat
As I stated above, the Mat version of the exercise requires more balance & increases ROM. Once you master Jack Knife & the coordination of Bicycle on one of the barrels, it’s fun!
To see more videos, visit YouTube & subscribe!
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Bicycle on the Mat
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