Bicycle pump workouts have several definitions, all of which deal with improved physical fitness. From building core strength to improving cardiovascular health, your selection of bicycle pump exercises will benefit your body in terms of muscle tone and disease prevention for a healthier, more active lifestyle.
Bicycle Pump Abs Workout
The bicycle pump workout helps build core strength with the abdominal crunch exercise, according to Rediff. To complete one repetition of this bicycle pump, lie your back on a flat surface, with hands behind your head. Bend your legs, with feet resting on the floor. As you lift your shoulder blades off the floor, twist your torso and lift the right knee to meet the left elbow. Returns to a prone position, then repeat the exercise by twisting in the opposite direction, raising the left knee to meet the right elbow.
Pumping the Pedals
When talking about a bicycle pump workout, you may be referring to bicycling itself. Vigorous bicycling outdoors or indoors is an excellent aerobic workout. Pumping the pedals causes your heart rate to accelerate in order to meet your body's added need for oxygen. A moderately strenuous workout can burn as many as 500 calories in less than one hour. You can also build muscle in your legs, hips and butt, according to Bicycling Basics.
Pumping for Arm Strength
"Arm pump" is a weakness or numbing of the forearms experienced by BMX and bicycle racers. According to James Wilson, owner of MTB Strength Training Systems, alleviating the bicycle arm pump problem is a two-pronged approach. Wilson says,"You should incorporate exercises and strategies that attack your pinch grip and wrist stability needs." Wilson recommends a strength and resistance workout incorporating exercises such as the Farmer's Walk with a weight in each hand, chin-ups holding the ends of a towel slung over the bar, and elevated push-ups -- all are designed to improve your grip and alleviate arm pump while bike riding, according to Vital MTB.
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