Words by Coach Carson McQuarrie

Coach Carson is a dedicated athlete and coach who specializes in ultra-distance cycling and plant-based nutrition. For more information on Carson’s coaching services, or to schedule a coaching consultation with him click HERE. 

It’s the time of year when endurance athletes in the northern hemisphere are beginning to ramp up their primary discipline sport whether that’s cycling, running, swimming, or multisport. Due to COVID-19, most athletes are also forced to become more creative with their choice of strength exercises due to gyms being closed. At that, May has arrived and these two times couldn’t have coincided more appropriately for most endurance athletes. The following exercises are both great at-home alternatives to some typical exercises done at the gym and less intense rehab exercises to prevent injury on low volume days. 

Deadlift/Squat with Band

This is a great alternative to some of the most common two-legged exercises typically performed at the gym such as the Barbell Squat and Deadlift. It’s a great replacement because it works the same primary muscles and even when done at home creates an opportunity to maintain the strength and power you’ve gained from the previously mentioned exercises. A few caveats to performing this exercise at home are because it’s an adaptation of a gym exercise it can feel unnatural so making sure your form is anatomically comfortable allows you to perform the exercise to your maximum exertion. Here are a few tips:

1. Use 1 large loop band to place around your feet and neck and two loose bands around each of your feet held in each hand. 
2. Make sure the band is relatively challenging and short so you exert force all the way from the bottom of the movement but strengths an adequate amount to complete the full range of the exercise.
3. Make sure your feet are placed under your center of gravity to give you maximum stability when pushing up. 
4. Reduce the weekly frequency and number of sets while maintaining the number of reps and intensity to maintain the improvements you’ve earned in the gym. (Eg. 1-3 sets, 6 reps, 1-2x week @ moderate-high intensity)

Archer Pull with Band 

As endurance athletes, particularly cyclists, skiers, and runners it’s common to be in a hunched-over position with pressure applied to the anterior (front of the body) muscles of the shoulders, and when unused is left to atrophy. This can lead to poor posture, poor movement efficiency, and overuse injuries. A few key exercises, whether done at low to moderate difficulty, can greatly decrease the likelihood of these things occurring. One option is the Archer w/ Band exercise. It works all of the posterior shoulder and upper back muscles. Here are a couple of tips to incorporate it into your transition:

1. Focus on isolating your shoulder by rotating your torso as little as possible.
2. Focus on raising the elbow as you pull the band back towards your body. 
3. Perform in a slow controlled fashion. 
4. Perform 10-15 reps 1-2x week @ low-moderate intensity. 

Single-Leg Hamstring Curl with Band

This is another great at-home alternative to the common hamstring curl performed at the gym. It may be difficult to know if performing at-home exercises are making you stronger. The focus of the transition phase is to find easily accessible exercises that simply prevent your strength and power improvements gained in the gym from diminishing. This is why performing these exercises to RPE is adequate and optimal as otherwise, it may take away from your focus on your primary discipline sport. Here are a few tips to do these successfully at home:

1. Find a strong secure foundation to secure the band and find a comfortable non-slip surface to lay on. 
2. Use a short to medium length band.
3. Wrap the foundation with a band and place your ankle through the other end of the loop.
4. Lay on your stomach and complete flexion of your hamstring.
5. Reduce the weekly frequency and number of sets while maintaining the number of reps and intensity to maintain the improvements you’ve earned in the gym. (Eg. 1-3 sets, 6 reps, 1-2x week @ moderate-high intensity)

Lateral Walk with Band

This exercise is important to prevent hip abductor muscles from atrophying too much in cyclists and maintain strength for runners and xc skiers, respectively. It varies in importance depending on how much those muscles are used in the primary sport of the athlete. A few tips for this exercise are:

1. Use a loop band or a band that has the ends tied together.
2. Use a band that is mild in difficulty and work yourself up. 
3. Assume a half-squat position before walking sideways.
4. Complete 10-15 steps in both directions 1-2x week @ mild-moderate intensity.

Split Squat with Band

The quad (Rectus Femoris) is the dominant muscle used most in endurance sports such as cycling, running, and skiing. While two-legged exercises allow for peak maximum force the benefit of isolating body parts and muscles is to promote peak strength and power during sport-specific positions and movements. You’ve likely performed exercises like this at the gym such as Dumbell Lunge, Dumbell Split Squat, or other exercises that isolate other movements of your sport. Here are some tips for performing this exercise:

1. Find a comfortable platform to place one leg behind you that’s ideally at knee height or slightly higher so the leg is activated as little as possible.
2. Position your other leg out in front of you, allowing enough space to squat down while making sure your knee doesn’t go in front of your big toe. 
3. Use a short band that when grasped by your hands offers tension from the very bottom of the movement while still allowing you to complete the full range of the exercise.
4. Reduce the weekly frequency and number of sets while maintaining the number of reps and intensity to maintain the improvements you’ve earned in the gym. (Eg. 1-3 sets, 6 reps, 1-2x week @ moderate-high intensity).

There are many at-home versions of gym exercises that can be used to maintain strength and stability and prevent muscles from going dormant. It may seem overwhelming thinking of at-home exercises and creating a routine. Once you have a system in place you set the stage to be successful in your training whether it’s an endurance exercise day or a strength and rehab day.