Fitness questions and answers for January 29, 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.

Warm wishes from frozen northern Ohio, USA. I recently have been trying out something I read in a popular cycling magazine. They are called T-max intervals. Interesting concept, they make you determine max power through a test of gradual increase of 20 -30 W every minute till exhaustion. I did this and managed around 380W. They then suggest finding the max time you can ride 60% of max and then creating intervals based on these values. It worked out for me that I could handle the 230-240W for the entire 6 minutes the test called for. Then do two workouts a week at the 60% max power for 3 minutes and then 3 minutes rest and repeat until spent.

In Nov 07, I noticed you advised a cyclist to try an Am Classic J seat post with tilt to correct hip drop while other times you emphasize correction with FSA with Data clamp/lateral offset. I was wondering why the difference since I just ordered a FSA to correct my pelvic asymmetry with significant right hip drop and anterior rotation resulting in left knee pain (left knee tracks outwards on upstroke and somewhat towards tube on downstroke). Again thanks for your time and continue with your posts since I've learned so much from your input!

Hello, I am writing because I do not know about how to pick a bike fitting service. I live in Southern California and it seems there are countless choices all purporting to be the best. I have read enough articles suggesting simply using a set formula are not ideal because we are all different. This leads into the issue of someone just winging it because he "feels" it looks good for whatever reason. I am able to travel relatively easily if there is someone offering a sound fitting that addresses my physiological needs (Australia is too far, but Northern California is easy).

My physical issues are two fold. First I have had a chronic lower back pain (manifested on just the right side from deep in the glute to slightly above the buttocks). It is a dull pain that sometimes flairs up leading to significant low back pain after hard training rides with lots of climbing or intervals. Also as a pilot I sit quite a bit and sometimes this can be irritating. I suspect that I have poor flexibility (tight hamstrings) in the pelvis leading to my back flexing forward rather then my pelvis rotating forward. I do lots of stretching with limited relief. I did some bikram yoga, but this seemed to make matters worse.

The other issue is new in the past 6 to 9 months. I had a LeMond and was fitted with the suggestion to go with a no set back seat post and a slightly longer stem. The frame broke prior to my making any changes and was replaced with a newer LeMond under warranty. I made the recommend adjustments to the new bike with the understanding that the dimensions of the new frame are near identical to the old frame. I now am having wrist pain where my wrists bend behind the thumbs when on the brake hoods. It is not bad on the bike (stationary riding is more uncomfortable then on the road), but can be very painful and range of motion limiting off the bike doing everyday things. I am concerned that the new more forward position maybe forcing my arms, wrists and hands to support more of my weight then with the more aft seat position of old.

My question is not so much training technique but more training management. To give a bit of background I've been riding road bikes for 6 years and racing for 5 of those years, after 3 years of racing at a club level I'd progressed to the point of racing major national races/minor international class races and managed a few placings in some big races. During the 2005 season I had a major fall in a race and ended up with a grade 4 AC joint break requiring surgical repair, obviously this ended the 2005 season and required about 6 months off the bike whilst trying to manage work, family and rehab time etc. By mid 2006 I'd managed to get enough fitness back to be doing larger state level races. At the end of 2006 my first child was born, I didn't manage a great deal of riding for the first six months and following that I haven't been able to manage any form of structured training.

In the past I'd trained 6 days a week and now I'm lucky to get a consistent 3 days a week. I'm at the point where I'm getting incredibly frustrated as I'd love to be back racing, even just at a club level but every time I feel as though I'm starting to get some fitness back something happens from a work or family perspective and before I know it I've been off the bike for a week or so and I'm back where I started.

After having put in a lot of hard work after six months off the bike to return to race fitness and then lose it all again in a matter of months was somewhat depressing. The other frustration is that my family and non-cycling friends don't seem to understand the addiction of being a racing cyclist, its something I've greatly enjoyed and had a level of success at, and when I talk to people about this topic most don't seem to understand the big difference between racing and just going for a ride, therefore they don't seem to understand why going for the occasional ride just isn't as satisfying.

But he can't answer all my questions. I want to know as much as I can about how to accommodate this condition and my cycling. I want to keep cycling, even racing a little if possible. I want to know more, so that I can ride without fear. What do athletes like me do in this situation? Are there sports doctors or specific techniques that can help me? My life and my feeling of well-being are very important to me and my loved ones. Please guide me if you can.

Without knowing to much about you, it seems that your blood pressure is fine on the Diovan. I have had more than one cyclist that has needed to take blood pressure meds but still rides competitively. You just want to make sure that when you see your doctor, he/she does not give you something that will decrease your blood pressure by taking blood volume (diuretic) and make sure the medicine you take doesn't limit your heart rate. You should be fine on the Diovan.

I'm 50, a woman, 5'4", 150 lbs. Four years ago I returned to road cycling after a hiatus of 20 years. I've always loved cycling, so enjoyment inspired me to get back into it, but also I had a goal to become a strong rider, get fit, and lose weight. In season (I live in snowy upstate NY) I ride between five and six days a week for at least an hour a time, often for up to three hours. Terrain is hilly, with moderately steep grades, and it's frequently windy. Soon after returning to cycling, I was diagnosed with mild hypertension and my doctor put me on 6.25 mg Coreg (carvadilol) BID, which has a moderating effect on heart rate.

This winter I got a cycle ergometer for off-season fitness and weight control. Because I don't have to worry about traffic etc., I can concentrate on form and work-out in a systematic way. I try to ride the ergometer an hour or one-and-a-half hours a day, four to six days a week. On some days, though, I have a hard time getting my heart rate up into my mid- and upper aerobic range. In fact, I sometimes have a hard time getting it into range at all. Yet on those days it can feel as if I'm pushing with the same effort as on the days when my HR is well up there.

And there's one more question, only tangentially related: To go beyond the level of skill and ability I'm at now, I'll have to push harder, which will mean keeping energy up for longer rides. But I want to lose 20 more pounds, and my weight has plateaued. How can I keep energy up (eg, eating fig bars and energy drinks when riding) AND balance effort with calories so that the pounds come off? There's a limit to how many hours a day I can devote to cycling, so riding more than two hours more than a couple times a week is difficult.

I am a male age 34 road racer. I wrote an annual training plan using Joe Friel's book and train between 8.5 to 18 hours per week. I just completed my Base 3 training period and I came down with the flu. I had fever for two or three days as high as 103 degrees followed up by a deep tight cough and nasal congestion. I sensed the illness coming on and took two days off before it really hit (wife and kids got it first) and I have done nothing but rest since. I know to stay off the bike until my lungs clear and I am up for it, but how do I get back into the Build Phase? I know I will be out for at least a week or even two. Do I need to rewind a bit and do more Base training or can I resume about where I left off? Is this type of illness difficult to overcome for an endurance athlete?