Fitness questions and answers for August 1, 2008

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.

Jon Heidemann (www.peaktopeaktraining.com) is a USAC Elite Certified cycling coach with a BA in Health Sciences from the University of Wyoming. The 2001 Masters National Road Champion has competed at the Elite level nationally and internationally for over 14 years. As co-owner of Peak to Peak Training Systems, Jon has helped athletes of all ages earn over 84 podium medals at National & World Championship events during the past 8 years.

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.

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.

Michael Smartt (www.wholeathlete.com) is an Associate Coach with Whole Athlete™. He holds a Masters degree in exercise physiology, is a USA Cycling Level I (Elite) Coach and is certified by the NSCA (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist). Michael has more than 10 years competitive experience, primarily on the road, but also in cross and mountain biking. He is currently focused on coaching road cyclists from Jr. to elite levels, but also advises triathletes and Paralympians. Michael is a strong advocate of training with power and has over 5 years experience with the use and analysis of power meters. Michael also spent the 2007 season as the Team Coach for the Value Act Capital Women's Cycling Team.

I had a problem arise a couple of months ago where I would get a pain on my right leg, toward the right side of the inside of my knee, right above my calf. My hamstring would also feel tight while riding, so I wasn't sure what was going on. I invested in the Stick as other people recommended it, and when using it, under the right knee was noticeably more tender and rough/chunky than the left knee. I said that I would take time off the bike, but I only half-heartedly did and continued with track racing for a bit.

I did a track practice where it ended up really sore at the end, so I decided I really needed to take some time off. The most concentrated pain was under the knee, right above the calf. The hamstring pain was more of a general tightness while riding then sore the next day, along the whole length of my thigh. Both of these would get worse from overextension, like walking down stairs or walking/standing around in my cleats (with my toes elevated). They would not hurt if I just spun, but anytime I tried to push (which is basically all the time on the track) they would come on, not immediately but after a while. They would be sore for a couple days after they hurt while riding but were not generally sore in everyday life. I can't pinpoint an event where the pain first started.

I should preface this with the fact that I had a similar but worse pain in my leg last year - but only above the calf and not in the hamstring. I can pinpoint this injury: I did a 2-hour track practice on cranks borrowed from a guy who was over 6'. I'm 5'4" and didn't bother to lower the saddle to account for the stretching. I really damaged my right calf muscle and was out of commission for a couple weeks. This did spur me to finally get a real bike fit from a PT who also is a racer (I would see her normally but my insurance doesn't cover her practice). This was probably late April or early May of last year. I applied the fit to my road, cross, and track bikes, got cranks that actually fit and didn't have any problems until about April of this year.

I've been seeing the PT for the past 3-4 weeks. The PT proceeded to tell me that the pain was probably because I had relatively weak hips and core; he barely looked at the areas of pain at all, which made me skeptical. I'm sure strengthening my hips and core is never a bad thing, but I was expecting slightly more focus on the legs. I decided to stick with it for a while, as maybe the approach would get somewhere.

One thing he told me was that I should try to change my riding position so that I'm in more of a "neutral spine" by "sticking my butt out" while I'm in the saddle. I wasn't quite sure what he meant, as that seems like it would just rotate the pressure forward and away from my sit bones. Today, my final meeting with him, he told me he was watching the tour, and it drove him crazy because all of the cyclists weren't in the position he suggested!

I brought up my point of how having your butt out would mean putting pressure forward which isn't pleasant. He then went on to say that saddles are made for being on your sit bones, which is what I would assume. I tried to figure out more how he meant for people to sit because it seems the more I "stick my butt out" the less I am on my sit bones. He got pretty defensive when I just started asking for a clearer idea of what he meant saying that he just gives me the tools and the ideas but I need to apply it to my riding, which didn't answer my questions at all.

I'm going to be going more easy for a while, but I do want to get back out on the track before season ends. I've recently re-checked the fit of my bikes, just in case I somehow changed something without paying attention, and they should be okay. I just did my first ride in a couple weeks on this past Saturday: 24 miles on a smooth, paved trail. I didn't have any problems, though my legs felt kind of "weird" at first (probably because I haven't used them in that way for a while), but by the end everything felt fine.

The short story is that you are overextending your right leg. You may have a shorter right leg; you may drop your left hip causing you to reach further with your right leg; you may just be tighter as a result of your previous injury, though I don't think that is the full story. You originally injured this area riding cranks that were too long without adjusting seat height but only injured one leg. Why?

Or will my structural body slowly adapt to this wider Q-factor, again which must be causing the problem mainly because I tested my theory: I put the old pedals back on, rode for 10 days, and the pain disappeared. My shoes are the same, my cleats are the same (Ritchey pros accept red/balck Look style cleats). I am a regular pilates and core-muscle/flexibilty exerciser, so there isn't much left in that avenue to fight this pain. Thus the question remains, should I ignore the pain that is coming from this increased total of 10mm to my Q-factor, and hope my body breaks into after another 3-4 months or longer? Or is there some adjustment I can do to account for the wider Q-factor (i.e. lower my seat 1 or 2 or 3mm, or something else?) Thank you for any help and/or tips.

During my weekly club sponsored race of about 30 miles on a two mile loop my effort on a small 400ft climb ranges from 170 to 180bpm. During solo training rides I usually maintain a 145 to 170bpm rate. Should I still be doing intervals with heart rates in the 170s & 180s at this point to continue to increase my lactate threshold level or should I be holding my heart rate at something else for longer training rides?

If you are racing or doing hard club rides once or twice per week, you are getting all the intensity you need from those rides. The rest of your rides should be dedicated to recovering from the last hard ride and building base. The exact upper limit of base-developing intensity is open to argument, but in general keeping your heart rate below 80% of maximum (153 in your case) should work fine. So, if you are tired from previous rides, go easy for 45-60 minutes. If you are feeling good, go as long as you have time for with your heart rate below 153. If you do that consistently for 3 weeks, you'll note a near miraculous improvement in your ability to go hard and fast in your races.

I'm 20 years old and I ride about 200 miles a week. About 2 weeks ago after 3 days of really hot and humid riding I came down with a rash on my genitals and inner thighs. It was splotchy red, itchy, and after the 3rd day, my skin was raw and cracking. Since then I have been applying Lotrimin AF anti fungal cream and Monkey Butt powder (talcum with some calamine) over the cream to keep the moisture down.

I have stopped riding since then, except for 2 test rides and continued the cream and powder application, and though my condition has improved over the 2 weeks, the rash is still lingering. My inner thighs have small welts or bumps that were very easy chafed on my test rides or if I go for a run, even with lots of "Sport Stick" lube or Chamois Butt'r Any tips how to kick this? I really want to get training again but fear it would make the rash last forever if I do not wait until it is completely healed.

First, I've had the same situation so you have my sympathy. One of the other panellists may have more recommendations, but it sounds to me like you are doing most of the right things already. You don't say how often you are applying the Lotrimin, but err on the side of too frequently rather than not frequently enough. Every few hours would be great. Then, letting the area really dry is key since the fungus lives only on moist skin. That could mean sitting with your pants off and a fan blowing over that area to remove moisture as well as the drying powder you are already using. There is a slim but real chance that the something in Monkey Butt is causing an allergic reaction that is helping to maintain your problem, so I'd suggest switching to plain, unscented talc if you can find it.