Fitness questions and answers for April 11, 2005

Form & Fitness Q & A

Got a question about fitness, training, recovery from injury or a related subject? Drop us a line at fitness@cyclingnews.com. Please include as much information about yourself as possible, including your age, sex, and type of racing or riding. Due to the volume of questions we receive, we regret that we are unable to answer them all.

Carrie Cheadle, MA (www.carriecheadle.com) is a Sports Psychology consultant who has dedicated her career to helping athletes of all ages and abilities perform to their potential. Carrie specialises in working with cyclists, in disciplines ranging from track racing to mountain biking. She holds a bachelors degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University as well as a masters degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.

Kelby Bethards, MD received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University (1994) before obtaining an M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 2000. Has been a racing cyclist 'on and off' for 20 years, and when time allows, he races Cat 3 and 35+. He is a team physician for two local Ft Collins, CO, teams, and currently works Family Practice in multiple settings: rural, urgent care, inpatient and the like.

Fiona Lockhart (www.trainright.com) is a USA Cycling Expert Coach, and holds certifications from USA Weightlifting (Sports Performance Coach), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach), and the National Academy for Sports Nutrition (Primary Sports Nutritionist). She is the Sports Science Editor for Carmichael Training Systems, and has been working in the strength and conditioning and endurance sports fields for over 10 years; she's also a competitive mountain biker.

David Fleckenstein, MPT (www.physiopt.com) is a physical therapist practicing in Boise, ID. His clients have included World and U.S. champions, Olympic athletes and numerous professional athletes. He received his B.S. in Biology/Genetics from Penn State and his Master's degree in Physical Therapy from Emory University. He specializes in manual medicine treatment and specific retraining of spine and joint stabilization musculature. He is a former Cat I road racer and Expert mountain biker.

Since 1986 Steve Hogg (www.cyclefitcentre.com) has owned and operated Pedal Pushers, a cycle shop specialising in rider positioning and custom bicycles. In that time he has positioned riders from all cycling disciplines and of all levels of ability with every concievable cycling problem.They include World and National champions at one end of the performance spectrum to amputees and people with disabilities at the other end.

Pamela Hinton has a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and a doctoral degree in Nutritional Sciences, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She did postdoctoral training at Cornell University and is now an assistant professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she studies the effects of iron deficiency on adaptations to endurance training and the consequences of exercise-associated changes in menstrual function on bone health.

Steve Owens (www.coloradopremiertraining.com) is a USA Cycling certified coach, exercise physiologist and owner of Colorado Premier Training. Steve has worked with both the United States Olympic Committee and Guatemalan Olympic Committee as an Exercise Physiologist. He holds a B.S. in Exercise & Sports Science and currently works with multiple national champions, professionals and World Cup level cyclists.

Richard Stern (www.cyclecoach.com) is Head Coach of Richard Stern Training, a Level 3 Coach with the Association of British Cycling Coaches, a Sports Scientist, and a writer. He has been professionally coaching cyclists and triathletes since 1998 at all levels from professional to recreational. He is a leading expert in coaching with power output and all power meters. Richard has been a competitive cyclist for 20 years

Andy Bloomer (www.cyclecoach.com) is an Associate Coach and sport scientist with Richard Stern Training. He is a member of the Association of British Cycling Coaches (ABCC) and a member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). In his role as Exercise Physiologist at Staffordshire University Sports Performance Centre, he has conducted physiological testing and offered training and coaching advice to athletes from all sports for the past 4 years. Andy has been a competitive cyclist for many years.

I have been having a problem with the edge of the chamois in my shorts (Pearl Izumi) cutting into my buttock where it contacts the saddle (Selle Italia Prolink Genuine Gel). I enquired at the (reputable) bike store where I bought the shorts and they said they had not heard of this before. Is it a problem you have encountered previously, and if so do you have any suggestions how I could fix it? Many thanks for any advice you can provide.

I've been crazy enough to be roped into the 80km bike leg of a Run-Cycle-Paddle event, and wondered whether setting up the bike for a TT (when you don't have a dedicated TT bike) is as simple as bolting on the aero bars. In club TTs of 25-40km this is all I've ever done. I've also completed a 63km and 57km TT with the same setup. I've done this more through ignorance of a better alternative than anything else, but would like an expert opinion on whether any other elements of the bike setup (eg, seat forward/backward, seat higher/lower) should be changed when going onto aero bars and if this could benefit me.

Unfortunately I'm a bit short (165cm) so my ability to gain an aerodynamic advantage through a more bum-up position is limited by the seat-to-handlebar height relationship. Is it worth investing in a stem offering a lower position? I have excellent flexibility in my hamstrings (take up yoga all you riders with back pain!), so getting lower isn't a problem from that respect, but I also understand that over 80km comfort might be more important than the benefits of a better aero position.

I'm a masters-age cyclist, reasonably fit, been at it fairly seriously for seven years. I've been told I tend to hammer unevenly on the pedals - or make them go round in squares as some would say. I've had some advice from the bunch and tried a few things but my technique is still off the pace. I know this costs me in terms of power and overall efficiency. Can your team suggest appropriate exercises to make the right technique second nature? Many thanks

Presently I train about 12-15 hours/week, and lift weights three days per week off-season, and two light days per week during the season (I am 'in-season' now). I recently had a bone density test during an annual exam. The test consisted of putting my foot in a device that put two probes up against my heel, and took some readings. The results said I had low bone density (BMD = .359, Tscore = -2.0, if those numbers mean anything to you). I have also had blood work done, and found to have low testosterone levels (I don't know if these are related).

I am still in the early stages of turning my body into a lean mean cycling machine and I'm only averaging about 120km (75miles) a week. This is achieved over five days of riding to and from work (20 km a day) with perhaps a club ride on the weekend. I am pleased with the progress in my fitness level but concerned that I regularly feel 'run-down'. I find it difficult to not ride medium/hard and I regularly feel like my immune system is under pressure and dealing with some mild cold or flu like symptoms. It doesn't stop me riding to work but I just wish my body could remain clear and 'powerful' for a prolonged period of time.

When my body is good I go hard. This often seems to result in me succumbing to another bout of feeling 'run-down'. It's like a cycle which keeps recurring. Can you recommend anything to boost my immune system; is my situation common and does the immune system become proportionally stronger as one becomes fitter? I am aware of the impact of sleep, diet, alcohol and daily stress on the immune system. I look forward to your response

I agree with Pam completely - the other thing I have seen, anecdotally, is success with echinacea and zinc when coming down with the URI's...and NEVER underestimate the importance of REST in a training program...not that you are overtraining, but when athletes overtrain, they become sick easier and even have mental health changes. So rest well, we don't want you to be a lean mean, whimpering mentally unstable racer.

In my humble opinion, quadriceps cramps will arise from a couple of possible positional problems…all making the seat height virtually too low. But, the most common would be just plain ol' having the seat too low. There are various websites/etc that have seat height "calculators" etc. The one I have used and seems to be the one for me, is on Leonard Zinn's website. Zinncycles.com…they have a bike fit calculator on there.