# Why Gada Training Became My Secret Weapon for Long-Distance Cycling #Well-Being #Fitness *Last updated: September 2025* Cycling started as a simple commute alternative for me, often faster than sitting in a car on Bangalore’s choked roads. What began as a practical way to get to work soon spilled into weekend mornings, chasing breakfast joints across the city. Before I knew it, those short commutes had stretched into century rides out of the city and back, the kind of rides that test not just legs but the whole body. But the urge to go longer distances made me aware of my limitations with my upper-body strength. My quads could grind, my lungs could expand, but my wrists, shoulders, and back? They were passengers, not drivers. And on a 100-kilometer ride, every disengaged passenger drags the energy down, making the whole journey far more taxing. That’s when I stumbled into [Tagda Raho](http://tagdaraho.com) in HSR, Bangalore. A few trial sessions turned into a small revelation: the ancient training tools built the kind of upper-body endurance I needed to keep riding longer. And after forty-odd at-home sessions, more than a thousand minutes swinging the gada, I can say this without hesitation: it has transformed my cycling. ## The Problem: Cycling Builds and Breaks in Odd Places Cyclists love endurance. We talk about cadence, power output, and VO2 max. But the dirty secret is that cycling overdevelops some muscles while under-training others. - Quads and glutes? Overworked, always. - Core stability? Often undercooked. - Wrists, forearms, shoulders, and upper back? Neglected until they scream. > **The paradox is cruel: you can ride 100 kilometers and still struggle to lift the gas cylinder in the kitchen without shoulder stiffness.** Worse, fatigue doesn’t show up as burning legs; it creeps into the small stabilizers — the wrists that hold the handlebars, the forearms that absorb road shock, the back that stays locked in position for hours. That’s where pain, numbness, and early exhaustion lurk. Here’s the catch: traditional gym routines don’t map neatly to cycling. Bench presses won’t help you on a 6-hour ride. Deadlifts build raw power but don’t teach your upper body to coordinate under repetitive, endurance-like stress. What cycling needed, at least for me, was integrated strength across the chain. That’s where the gada entered. ## Why the Gada Fits Cycling Like a Missing Gear The gada is deceptively simple: a weighted club with most of its mass at the far end. Swinging it feels less like lifting a dumbbell and more like steering a live, shifting force. Here’s what that means technically for a cyclist: 1. **Wrist and Grip Endurance** Every swing demands wrist stability and finger strength. For cyclists, this translates to better control on the bars, especially on rough roads or long descents. 2. **Forearms and Elbows** The eccentric load of the gada, resisting momentum as it arcs, builds endurance in the forearm extensors and flexors. These are the very muscles that fatigue when gripping the bars tightly or braking for hours. 3. **Shoulders and Rotator Cuff** Unlike dumbbells that isolate, the gada forces the rotator cuff to stabilize dynamically. That’s joint insurance for cyclists, who often complain of shoulder impingement after endurance rides. 4. **Thoracic Spine and Upper Back** The circular motion mobilizes the upper back while strengthening it. That mobility keeps your aero position sustainable instead of punishing. 5. **Core Integration** Every swing starts from the ground up. The obliques, transverse abdominis, and spinal stabilizers all fire together. On the bike, this shows up as steadier power transfer and less lower-back fatigue. It’s not just strength. It’s endurance strength. The kind that holds your posture steady for hours during a century ride, not just rep number eight in the gym. ![[G1JGyhGaQAAShRC.jpeg]] ## My Tagda Raho Entry Point I was curious about Tagda Raho the moment I saw what they do in an ad. Hailing from a wrestling town of Kolhapur, I had grown up around training centers (locally known as talims), but never had a chance to train in any. That curiosity only deepened when I walked into the trial session in HSR and saw the instruments lined up, ready to be explored. The sessions included multiple instruments — mudgar, samtol, along the gada. The coaches didn’t just hand me them; they broke down technique, rhythm, and breath. They showed me how the circular swing of the gada wasn’t about brute force but about fluidity and control. My limited upper-body fitness was evident to me within a few minutes of my first session. Of all the tools, I liked the effect the gada had on my back and shoulders the most. This became a natural segue into focusing on gada practice at home. The next day, I noticed something odd: no soreness. Not the punishing DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) of a leg day. Instead, a deep sense of activation. My shoulders felt alive, my back less stiff, more mobile. That convinced me. I picked up a gada of my own from the Tagda Raho online store, pairing it with the training video it ships with. ## Why Training at Home Works for Me I would have loved to keep showing up at the center in person. But life has other plans, too, besides shooting for longer rides. My mornings are wrapped around my kids’ school routine. My evenings are swallowed by work. The narrow gap between leaves just enough time for a short bike ride or some strength work. Having the gada at home meant flexibility. I didn’t need mirrors, machines, or a “session booked in advance.” Just space enough to swing. And here’s the thing: consistency matters more than intensity. Forty sessions stacked up because they were accessible. The gada was always waiting, not a gym membership I had to negotiate with my schedule. ## The Results on the Road The real test wasn’t in my living room. It was on the open road. Century rides, the intimidating 100-kilometer mark, never gave me aches, but they often left me with tight shoulders, a stiff neck, and wrists that buzzed from road vibration. After months of gada training, those complaints vanished, and it now gives me confidence to shoot for rides longer than 100 km. A few months in, I still remember finishing a century ride involving the highest elevation I had attempted so far, 1400 meters for a [one-way 115 km ride](https://www.strava.com/activities/14721947150) from Bangalore to Anchetty in Tamil Nadu. I felt no sore traps, no wrist fatigue, no “cycling hangover” the next day. Just the usual tired legs with the good kind of fatigue. That’s when I knew the gada had rewired my support system. ## The Technical Layer: Endurance Is a Full-Body Contract Endurance cycling isn’t just about legs. It’s a contract between your cardiovascular system, your musculature, and your skeletal support. Break one link, and the chain fails. Think of it this way: - Legs generate - Core transmits - Upper body stabilizes If the stabilizers are weak, your legs waste energy compensating. You ride slower, fatigue earlier, and ache more. Gada training closes that gap by turning the weak links into active partners. Instead of isolated muscles, you’re building a kinetic chain that’s resilient. If you’re already a cyclist, you don’t need another endurance stimulus. Your long rides take care of that. What you need is balance. That’s where the gada shines: it builds what cycling neglects, without overloading what you already hammer. It’s the missing cross-training piece. And unlike a lot of gym gear, it’s scalable. Start light, build technique, increase weight. Every swing is a rep toward better endurance posture. ## Pitfalls I Learned to Avoid Not everything clicked instantly. - Over-swinging: Early on, I tried to muscle through, and it felt clunky. The trick is rhythm, not brute force. - Skipping breath: Holding my breath made my swings stiff. Syncing inhale-exhale to the motion made it fluid. - Inconsistency: Like cycling, gains come from regular practice, not heroic single sessions. Learning these made the practice sustainable. ## Closing Reflection When had I started riding, I began with the assumption that cycling was all about the legs. Now, after months with the gada, I know it’s about the whole chain. The ancient tool and the modern road bike may look worlds apart, but together they solve the same puzzle: how to keep the body moving smoothly for hours. For me, the gada hasn’t just been cross-training. It’s been an insurance. Insurance against the silent fatigue that ends rides early. Insurance that lets me show up for longer practice rides to attempt my first 200 km BRM without worrying which joint will complain afterward. And perhaps the best part? I didn’t need to carve new time out of an already crowded life. With the gada at home, I built strength in the gaps. > **That’s a lesson I carry beyond cycling: sometimes the right tool isn’t the flashiest or most advanced. It’s the one that quietly balances what life leaves uneven.** ![[WhatsApp Image 2025-09-18 at 21.13.51.jpeg]]