Fitness questions and answers for February 20, 2007

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 find that with the balance test, I sit behind the pedal spindle. Could being farther back cause a cyclist to put strain on the knees, or is this typically something that happens when you are too forward? I can ride in a very low position for rides even in the 5.5 to 6 hour range. My leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke is at the upper limit of the aforementioned 30 degrees. I have toe overlap, but to get rid of it I would either need to be on a frame with a fork that has more rake or more wheelbase, which would put me to using a stem that is very short on a larger wheelbase frame.

Determining factor in seat height? Hamstring flexibility. The hamstrings contract in part on the pedal downstroke even though they are extending as a whole. If the hamstring is overstretched, it usually becomes obvious on a hard hilly ride or a ride where you are forcing the gear. Forget the 30 degree angle. I am not saying it is totally without merit but am saying it is the product of averaging and also hard to measure accurately. The best seat height is one where the rider can reach the bottom of the pedal stroke with power, fluency and control with both legs, while forcing the gear up a steepish hill without ill effects afterwards. These can be a knot high in the hamstrings just under the glutes, niggles at the back of the knee, perineal tenderness from contact with the seat and so on.

Here is a stab in the dark. If your right leg is measurably longer, the greater torque developed over a life time at the right hip can leave you with an anterior iliac crest. When this happens, the right sacro iliac joint will be restricted at some level and the right glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors are likely tighter than the left side as a consequence. It is also a reasonable bet that you favour the longer right leg on the bike. I am betting on nerve compression somewhere lower back and foot as being the culprit.

Over the last 3+ years, as my involvement with cycling increased, the cold feet syndrome has gotten progressively worse, including outright numbness in my feet, and has been accompanied, to a lesser degree, by cold hands. For a time I chalked it up to the colder weather associated with cyclo-cross season. The deeper into the fall and winter the colder my feet and hands got - no combination of socks, booties or gloves made a difference.

I walk outside and my feet and hands are instantly cold. I also experience it when not on the bike, and while just living and working indoors. On the bike the sensation is always present. Off the bike it's intermittent, arising as often while at home sitting on my couch over a carpeted floor, as it does at work sitting at my desk over a bare tile-covered concrete floor; whether I'm wearing wool socks and wool slippers, or wearing two pair of wool socks in thick leather work boots tramping around my property.

Do different crank lengths matter on different bikes? I can't give you a definitive answer. If you are riding both bikes regularly, or riding each bike exclusively for blocks of training; it probably doesn't matter much as you will get used to them. 2.5mm is less than 1.5% difference in crank length. I suspect that there are probably greater differences between your bikes than 2.5mm of crank length.

It is unlikely that the plain water is the cause of the gastrointestinal distress. Studies in humans have demonstrated that fluid absorption from the intestine is equivalent for plain water, 6% carbohydrate solution with sodium, and 6% carbohydrate without sodium (e.g., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 33(6):907-915, June 2001.) Water absorption from the intestine is not dependent on concurrent ingestion of electrolytes. Blood electrolyte concentrations are regulated by the kidneys, not the gut.