Good core strength can help to keep you riding on the bike all day without ending up in a shaking, crumpled mess. The side plank is a perfect exercise to help you build the strength needed to corner more stably at high speed.
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Build high-speed cornering strength with the side plank
Step 1
Lie on one side with your elbow under your shoulder. Keep your body rigid and strong, squeezing your bum and stomach muscles.
Step 2
Try to hold this position for 30-40secs to begin with. You will find that you've got a stronger side and a weaker side, so don't neglect your weaker side — work on it a little more if possible.
Step 3
Once you can get over 60-90secs, you can start making it harder by adding in rotations of the torso. We can't find a world record for the side plank, but the official record for the regular plank (in the press-up position) is 8hrs and 1min, set by China's Mao Weidong earlier this year. Wow.
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