Rounded back

Blonde

Bugger, I am getting rounded upper back. I sit at a compueter/desk all day and cycle to'from work and cycle at weekends and some weekdays on the track. I do chest stretches along with my other stretches after cycling and also do some during the day at work. If I want to avoid a hump in later life what else can I do? Do press ups help? Or should I also be doing some bent-forward back flys or something to work the opposing back/shoulder muscles? I won't be joning a gym (I went to one for ten years but I've no time, money, or inclination for serious weight training any more) so won't have access to chest press or fly machines, but I do have dumbells at home. I am already doing the 'plank' and other core excercise to stabilise my lower back, but wonder if poor core strength could also be to blame for rounded upper back?

Al_38

Could be due to a variety of reasons - how flexible are you? If your hamstrings and glutes are too tight, you will be forced to curve your back to reach the bars.

wouldn't have thought press ups would help much - they mostly act on pecs and the front part of your shoulder - thus pulling your shoulders forward wrt your torso.
Back flys might be a good bet - try and focus on pushing your scapula down while doing so. you should however do opposing work - i.e. if you do back exercises you also need to do chest - could use press-ups here.

Core is good and will definetly help. You will get much more benefit from it if you are recruiting properly - not just using abs / back muscles to hold it.
Other exercises that might be useful:
straight arm press ups (scapula)
dorsals / angels (erector spinae)
back hold
(no name) - lie on your front, with your upper arms perpendicular to torso. Pinch lower end of shoulder blades together to lift arms off the floor. Aiming for forearms parallel to the ground (scapula)
gluteal bridge (also known as little bridge)

Blonde

Thanks very much for these. I used to do Pilates, so will try to replicate that upwards as well as inwards 'collectiing' before holding my abs.

Well, I always thought I was was fairly flexible, but I might be wrong! The London Cycle Fit guys seemed to think I was more flexible than most they had seen there though, esp. in my hamstrings. I have always been able to touch the floor with my hands flat with straiight legs, knees and feet together, so think hamstrings must be OK. My back is quite flexible both ways- can still do the 'crab' and when lying on my front can do those raises where you lift your upper back off the floor with hands behind head - those are quite easy for me. I haven't changed anything on my own bikes recently - the only difference in my riding is the track.sessions. I have started riding at the track recently (in September) and think it might have contributed to the back curvature because that is when my lower back problem (two hard lumps low into hips either side of spine) also started. I think they could be related? I think the lower back lumps are basically an injury caused by the low front end on the hired track bikes. I have a LOT of seat post showing on those, as I have long legs compared to upper body length. On my own bikes I just have an enormous head/ steerer tube length, but I can't do much about the track bikes, unfortunately. I was only riding them for two one hour sessions a week so thought it would be OK though! Of course it might not be related to the upper back curvature at all, but if not then it's a real coincidence that the curvature just started being noticable to me (and commented on by masseur) at the same time I noticed the lumps/pain in the lower back/hips which also seem to have been gradually injured over time.

Anyway, I'll start doing some back and chest strengthening excercises and see if thngs improve! I will also start stretching my glutes every time I do my other stretches, not just in the evenings - it requires lying on floor so I must admit that I've tended not to do them at work, as I usually stretch in the rather hard surfaced and tiled shower area!

bahzob

The Egoscue exercises mentioned here would also be worth checking out.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12592716

Always been a bit of a slouch, doing them for a few weeks now and feel its making a difference

Blonde

Egoscue programme seems to be an individual excercise programme for treating injury that you pay a specialist to devise for you based on your individual needs - a bit like physiotherapy excersies, rather than the more generally accessible Pilates or Alexander technique etc. I can't find anything 'generic' on line anyway.