Fitness questions and answers for February 12, 2004

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.

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 am a 29 year old male, 5' 10", 155 lbs. I have been riding regularly and racing cat 5 for almost exactly one year. I rode just over 5,000 miles last year and competed in seven races. During my most intense training periods last summer I was riding in two to three high intensity group rides a week and doing about 150-200 miles. My solo rides tend to be about 30-40 miles of flat road at about 20-22 mph. I do not plan to advance past cat 4 and I am not interested in making my rides super structured, mainly I am out to have a pleasant ride and get a killer workout. It is an absolute blast.

I have one question. After very intense efforts I get a bunch of mucus build up at the back of my throat. The stuff is extremely viscous and takes a good deal of hacking to get out. This affects me during the latter half of races and training rides. Is this just a symptom of not being trained enough for the effort or some kind of allergic/food reaction? (I do not have allergies that I know of but my father does.) I seem to be the only one out there hacking up a lung.

The first point is that the mucous membrane of the lungs and upper respiratory system is designed to protect the lungs from damage. The mucous membrane consists of a lot of water. It is important to ensure that you maintain adequate hydration to maintain a thin mucous functioning membrane. There are a number of possibilities of the cause of the mucous, these include a residual throat infection or residual lung infection. The colour of the mucous will be a green / yellow colour.

I am a 36 year old 170 pound male recreational cyclist who enjoys centuries with an eye toward cross-state rides (I live in FL). I do my long ride on Saturdays and a recovery on Sunday. On two other days during the week I work through the "Suffer-O-Rama" spinerval CD for power/strength training. Twice a week I work upper body on a home gym.
I am preparing for my second century in Feb. and wanted to get some basic guidelines for nutrition and hydration during the event. Last year I completed my first century but feel like my nutrition probably let me down in the last 30 miles. My avg. speed dropped from 18 to 10 or 12 and it was all I could do to keep turning over. T

he last minute advice I received from some bike shop buds was to simply pack 6-9 gels, eat one just before starting, then one every 45 minutes or so with half a bottle of water. This seemed to work well until 75 miles or so. It probably did not help that I somehow missed 1, possibly 2 of the water stops and ran out twice pedaling about 10 miles to the next water. In any case I'd like to get some basic, dependable guidelines for nutrition and hydration during the event. I'm an ex competitive swimmer and know what works there but cycling seems to place a different set of demands on the body. Thanks for any reply.

There are so many factors that you have to take into consideration when trying to figure this out. Rolling resistance, wind resistance, acceleration, air density... the list goes on and on! I believe this is a good way to objectively train for the 500M time trial. If you have a power meter, you'll be able to come up with a fairly accurate answer of what your average power and acceleration will need to be to achieve a 36.15 second time for the 500M TT. Assuming the following information, I've come up with an answer for you: You're at sea level. You and your bike collectively weigh 75kg. Your effective frontal area is 0.5 square meters (normal). A normal drag coefficient of 0.5. Standing start. A flat, concrete track (coefficient of rolling resistance = 0.002). You'll have to average 785 Watts over the 36.15 seconds.

I am 62, retired and have been cycling seriously for 15 years , previously a runner. 16 months ago I was diagnosed as having chronic prostatitis and have spent the time since trying to find a cure enough to let me get back on my bike. I have been proscribed lengthy anti biotic courses, alpha blockers, cystoscopy, prostate massage, by the urology consultant I was referred to by my GP all of which had reduced the symptoms substantially but not enough to ride my bike without stirring things up again. I asked for a second opinion and have been referred to a consultant at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge who is particularly specialising in prostate and allied problems.

After many blood and urine tests and an ultrasound scan of the prostate the good news seems to be that it is very unlikely to be cancer. Subject to the final tests becoming available, shortly ,I have been told that in the consultant's opinion it is more than likely to be pelvic myoneuropathy. This is where as a result of trauma (cycling?) of some kind, the bundle of fibres within the pelvic floor area muscles have become super sensitised leading to the nerve endings overproducing neuropeptides leading to pathology. Powerful immune defense cells are stimulated which then produce a range of chemicals which cause similar symptoms to prostatitis.

I am likely , if this diagnosis is confirmed, to be referred to another specialist who is looking into ways of using new generation drugs to calm down the immune defense cells. I have been told with regard to cycling that in his opinion, he sees a lot of cyclists, the problem is not, as one would expect ,necessarily caused directly by cycling. further that riding my bike is very much up to me on a suck it and see basis. I have been doing 45 minutes three times a week on my static trainer together with running three times a week. I have also done the odd ride for an hour on both my road and mountain bikes. I get the odd twinge while riding and for up to a day afterwards some discomfort in the urethra area. I have experimented with different saddles, at present a Selle Italia SLK, very expensive anatomically designed Assos shorts and even a suspension seatpost on my road bike to cut down the shocks and vibration of riding on our appalling roads.

This is pretty obvious and I hope you've already tried it, but have you tilted the nose of the saddle down to relieve pressure in the sensitive area? Some cyclists seem to have a bias in favor of a level saddle, no matter how much pain it causes. I like to have the majority of the saddle contact pressure on the sit bones (Ischial tuberosities) with just a little near the pubic bone. For some riders this means keeping the saddle level, but for the majority it means tilting the nose down a few degrees. If you feel weight increasing on your hands, you've gone too far. If you are in an extreme, low-handlebar racing position, you might also consider raising the bars a bit.

I have been an avid cyclist since 1978. I am now forty years of age and have been forced by a hip injury to stay off of the bike. I have been plagued with an unbelievable soreness/pain on the upper outside of my hip. If I were to ride, I would be lucky to walk the next day. I ignored the problem for about 45 days, and I recently broke down and went to the doctor. My family doctor in turn sent me to an orthopedic doctor last week. After running an MRI, he diagnosed me with bursitis. He shot the area with cortisone, prescribed celebrex, and rehab. I will return to see him in 30 days. The hip is now feeling better. The question that I have is what can I do to get myself back on the bike? I know whatever it is, it will be a slow process. Any advice would be appreciated.

From your report, it sounds like you have trochanteric bursitis, certainly not an usual problem for cyclists. The bursa (and we have many in our bodies) are fluid filled sacs, typically located near joints, that serve as buffers between two moving surfaces. In the case of the hip, the trochanteric bursa functions to prevent the tendons and muscles of the hip (including the hip abductors and iliotibial band) from rubbing on the greater trochanter (that knob at the top of your femur). The bursa typically becomes irritated in one of two ways, contusion or overuse (excessive friction). It is common for cyclists to experience both injuries. When cyclists crash, they frequently fall on their hips and injure the bursa through direct trauma or contusion. I have seen cyclists go weeks and months requiring intermittent draining of this injury. Rest, ice, ultrasound, and massage are appropriate ways of dealing with this type of injury.

I'm a 57 year old male 6'2", 209 lbs. I did my last Iron Man Triathlon 20 years ago and last season decided to get back into shape. I enjoyed some success in local bike races, triathlons and duathlons in the old guys' divisions. This year I'm starting out a little further ahead and need/want to drop some more weight because I've caught the competitive bug again. I know some of you do not believe in weight training but as a chief of police I need to set an example, not just aerobically, so I can't turn myself into a stick man.

Here's my dilemma and I'm sure it's one many struggle with. How much weight can you expect to lose and still maintain the energy to train? I intend to have my body fat tested hydrostatically in order to set a more realistic goal but when I'm able to exercise some will power and diet, I don't have the energy to do much more than just go through the motions (heart rate 130 compared to 150 with a measured max of 182). If I eat a balanced diet, I can do more volume and quality but don't drop very fast.

I try to bike (or spin if it's too icy) and run 4 times/week each, lift weights with high reps and do body weight exercises (pushups, pull-ups etc.) twice/week and swim 2 or 3 times/week. Closer to the season I will do longer rides and just one workout/day some days. By losing a pound a week I could be down twenty pounds by June 1 and be 10 pounds lighter than last year which I'm sure would make a difference. I was about 180 and about 10% body fat 15-20 years ago when I last competed.

I've had several dozen clients lose weight as an important element of their preparation for bike racing. My experience is that most but not all riders can lose one pound per week consistently while maintaining training energy. I've yet to have a client who couldn't lose 1/2 pound per week and maintain energy. There seems to be a connection between available weight to lose and the safe loss rate. That is, the more weight you have to lose, the more rapidly you can lose. Of course as you approach your target weight you have to slow down. At your current height and weight, I'd guess that you can probably lose 1-2 pounds per week for the first 10 pounds or so, and then one pound per week after that.

I am a collegiate cycling racer getting ready for the upcoming seaon. I planned my training using the Joe Friel Book and am now in Build 1. The problem I have run into is that i based my plan on last years schedule and now the conference championships, hopefully my first peak and A race, is a week later than scheduled. I had scheduled after build 2 period to do two weeks of peak and then a race week before conference chamionships. Any suggestions on what I should do with my extra week. Thanks,

Without knowing a lot more about you, you might consider inserting an additional Build week before your taper. You could do this by repeating Week 1, 2 or 3) to create a five week Build 1 or Build 2 (eg, Build 1...Wk1, Wk2, Wk2, Wk3, Wk4), provided you've previously handled four week builds without being too overreached. If you're unsure, I'd add it to Build 1 because if you become too overreached you have time to address it before your A event. Either way, it's probably a good idea to insert a few extra rest days between the "doubled up" weeks.

If you are otherwise eating a reasonably healthy diet and exercising at typical levels for a competitive cyclist, I doubt dietary measures will help your cholesterol levels much, if at all. Fortunately, for people like you and me, there are cholesterol lowering medicines which readily help us. While you might try some of the dietary approaches, you should certainly follow the advice of your doctor.

In trained riders strength (the maximal force or tension generated by a muscle or group of muscles) is not a limiting factor in endurance cycling performance (ECP), except in a few specific cases (e.g., very old people, you suffer from a functional disability). The force that can be generated on the pedals is generally quite low (it's highest doing an all-out standing start), and most people can generate the force that an elite Tour de France rider could produce (however, i would add that you should really only compare age, gender, and mass matched individuals). For example, it's known that when climbing an (e.g.) Alpine pass top (male) riders will produce ~ 400 W (~ 6 W/kg) - most males (and many females) will be able to produce this power -- however, the difference is that at that power non-elite riders will only be able to sustain that power for a short period of time (e.g. from seconds to several plus minutes), whereas the pro's are doing this for about an hour.

As (virtually) everyone can produce the required forces for ECP, we need to train the ability to sustain efforts for longer periods of time, which can only be trained on the bike. As we can meet or exceed the power and force required in ECP, increasing strength through gym work, will generally not be beneficial. Strength training will often cause an increase in muscle cross sectional area, and this will lead to a relative decrease in mitochondrial and capillary density which will cause a decrease in aerobic power, furthermore, as hypertrophy occurs there will be a mass gain, which will slow you uphill.