Boost power in the saddle – with this quick and easy core routine. – By Selene Yeager

If you’re not doing core work, you should be. Research on cyclists shows that when core muscles fatigue, pedalling mechanics break down, paving the way for poor performance and injury. No time, you say? That’s no excuse. You need only four minutes to hone your core, says Allison Westfahl, an exercise physiologist. Here she details the moves she prescribes for pro clients like Garmin-Sharp’s Tom Danielson.

[box]DO IT: Perform one set of each exercise, resting 15 seconds between moves. Aim for three sessions a week. If you can, tack the routine onto the end of a ride. A study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research reported that cyclists who cooled down with a core workout had significantly better lactate clearance (which helps reduce muscle fatigue) than those who did nothing.[/box]

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