04 Aug The Routine I still follow to stay ride fit
Posted at 14:23h
in Mobility for Riders, Rider Health, Rider Motivation, Rider Muscles, Riding Position, Uncategorized
I thought it would be helpful to share how I personally use these programs every day to keep myself riding fit. These programs have made a huge difference to the way I move, ride and feel. My body actually moves better now than it did in my twenties, and I can do things today that I couldn’t do ten years ago. That’s down to consistently using these programs.
Some of you may remember just how crooked my seat used to be. As a teenager, I had a serious fall when a horse reared over backwards and landed on top of me. Later, I had three children, including one traumatic birth, one very large baby, and during my third pregnancy I developed symphysis pubis dysfunction. My pelvis became so unstable and misaligned that I had to use a wheelchair for any distance because the pain was so severe.
The effects carried on for years. The skin over my right seat bone would actually bleed after dressage lessons, and my right stirrup always felt shorter. I knew something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t find anything that truly addressed the underlying problem.
I’ve always loved fitness and worked as a gym instructor in my twenties, but traditional exercise classes and gym programmes weren’t designed to correct asymmetries. In fact, they often made things worse because my stronger side simply compensated for my weaker side, reinforcing the imbalance instead of fixing it.
That experience led me to qualify as a Corrective Exercise Specialist and Personal Trainer. I wanted to create programmes that would solve the kinds of problems I had experienced, specifically for riders.
I thought it might be interesting to share how I still use these programmes today to keep asymmetries under control while continuing to improve my mobility, strength, balance and coordination.
I started with the Corrective Exercise Programme – Crooked Seat. These exercises are slow, controlled and very targeted. Their purpose is to reduce discomfort, improve movement patterns and correct dysfunction. They can feel repetitive, but that’s because repetition is what creates lasting change. This is where the real work happens. I actually continued with these exercises for around a year!
As my seat improved, I gradually worked through the other Corrective Exercise Programmes as well. Although they weren’t my main issue, most riders have at least a small element of the common imbalances they address. My routine was usually to complete the Crooked Seat Programme three or four times a week and then alternate with one of the other corrective programmes on the remaining days.
Once my original crookedness had improved significantly, I moved on to the Shorts programmes. These are much easier to fit into everyday life because they’re shorter, but they still include many of the same corrective principles.
These days, I use the Fit 2 Ride programmes around four times a week. I also complete the interval-style fitness classes twice a week to maintain my fitness levels and support bone health. Alongside that, I do one of the Core Connection, Reconnect With Your Core, or Core Shorts sessions each week to make sure I’m looking after my deep core muscles, breathing mechanics and pelvic floor.
Mixing the programmes up keeps things interesting, but more importantly it ensures I’m covering everything my body needs for riding (and ageing!).
If I ever start to feel a little wonky again, which does happen depending on what else I’ve been doing in everyday life, I go back to the Stretches & Releases section of the Crooked Seat Programme. It’s a great way to identify what’s become tight or restricted. As I always say, if a muscle feels particularly tight or sore when you’re releasing it, that’s usually a sign it needs regular attention. But it’s equally important to strengthen the opposing muscles that haven’t been doing their share of the work. Stretching and releasing alone won’t fix anything without strengthening work also.
The biggest thing I learned in my own rehab journey was consistency. Spending just 15–20 minutes a day on the right exercises, every single day, until it became a habit, has completely changed how I move, how I ride and how I feel. I am so much more capable and confident in what my body can do, and I want to share that feeling with you.
