With summer time right around the corner, there’s an endless number of outdoor activities to keep even the slowest metabolism busy. Roller bladding, kayaking, tennis, softball, volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer, swimming, hiking, jogging, walking, ( sorry I refuse to include golf ) and last but not least, biking.

Biking has become very popular especially after Lance Armstrong became so dominant but looking at the mechanics of biking, what is it that works the legs more vs. the buttocks or glutes? It’s simple, two things determine what muscle group is going to be doing most of the work.

1) When you pedal in the coasting or upright position you work primarily the quadriceps muscles; however, the minute you lean over to pedal uphill or generate more speed, the glutes are engaged far more, which brings me to the second thing.

2) A small adjustment to make biking work your Booty beyond any other sport or cardio activity is to move your foot forward more on the pedals (so you’re pushing with your heels). This adds another dimension to working the glutes and hamstrings by changing the angle of the motion. The foot is more forward instead of backward and forces the glutes and hamstrings to get more involved.

Another way to ride your bike is to do interval sprints. Ride fast for 20 seconds and easy for 40 seconds. Do that on and off for 20-30 minutes in the position I stated above and your butt will be screaming

Remember to always wear a helmet and use caution when riding in crowded areas like the city or bike path. Wearing a heart rate monitor is also a good idea to make sure you are working within your target heart rate. Check with your doctor before exercising if you have not exercised in a long time or have any shortness of breathe, pain in chest or dizziness.
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