'A lot of cyclists find they get a sore lower back on long rides or hard climbs, and when you think about it that’s not really surprising. In this video, Emma shows you some stretches and strengthening exercises for your hips and lower back, with the aim of reducing the risk of lower back pain.  GCN Fan Kit Sale - Up To 40% Off: https://gcn.eu/16j Subscribe to GCN: http://gcn.eu/SubscribeToGCN Register your interest in the GCN Club: https://gcn.eu/16i  Submit your content with our new uploader: http://gcn.eu/upload Join our Facebook community: http://gcn.eu/FBCommunity   On a bike, we hunch over and the pedalling position makes our body work hard while extending the gluteus muscles of your bum, and shortening the hip flexors. It’s far from a “natural” position evolved through years of running through the plains chasing mammoths or whatever. The shortening of your hip flexors, quads, and psoas muscles can limit your range of movement and contribute to injury risk.  So here goes: a series of active stretches and strength exercises to help ease off tight hips, and re-activate lazy bums! The only equipment you’ll need is a band - and even that is optional.  STRENGTH - Bridge with a band around knees: Lie on back with an exercise band around knees, roll spine off the floor while tensing glutes, keep small of back pressed into the floor. Bands like this come in a variety of different stiffnesses depending on how hard you want to work. Start with green and work your way up to blue, red, and then black! STRETCH - Cobra position: toes and hands on the floor, simply allow gravity to pull hips down. Look up, keep small of back straight as though tail tucked under. STRETCH - Active hip flexor and quadriceps stretch: lie on the front, bend legs at knees and reach behind you to grab your ankles - not feet. Pull your ankles towards your shoulders while squeezing shoulder blades but at the same time, tense your quads and work against the stretch. Tense like this for 10 secs then release and pull the stretch further. Tense again for 10 secs, release for 10, and so on 3 times. STRENGTH - Cat/cow position: all fours, arch back both ways then also twist sideways while back flat. Leg raise behind and side, keeping back flat as though tailed tucked under, small efforts to bounce leg by tensing glute.  What exercises do you do to reduce any back pain? Let us know in the comments below.  

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