Fitness questions and answers for July 10

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.

Chances are very good that you could increase sustainable power in such a way as to maintain or slightly increase power to weight ratio for climbing but increase absolute power for flat land riding if you were to gain some mass in your leg and butt muscles. You could also improve your sprint. Based on your current weight and height, I'll guess that if you get to the end of a hilly race with a group, you are not the fastest sprinter, and you have to work harder than the competition on descents.

The popularity of chocolate milk as a recovery drink skyrocketed earlier this year following the publication of a study demonstrating that it is an effective recovery drink (Karp et al., 2006). The researchers had 9 trained young male cyclists perform a glycogen-depleting interval workout, followed by a 4 hour recovery period and then another workout at 70% of VO2max until exhaustion. During the recovery period, the participants consumed ~500mL of recovery drink immediately after exercise and another 500mL 2 hours after exercise. The subjects performed the testing on 3 separate occasions to determine the efficacy of 3 different recovery drinks: low-fat chocolate milk, Endurox R4, and Gatorade. In the chocolate milk and Endurox trials, subjects consumed similar amounts of energy (~400 kcal), carbohydrate (~70 g), and protein (~19 g). Energy (~105 kcal), carbohydrate (30 g) and protein (0g) intakes were significantly lower in the Gatorade trial. The subjects were allowed to consume as much water as they wanted during exercise and recovery.

How do you experts feel about fixed cleats? I'm currently using black Look Keo cleats with no float at the advice of a physical therapist who suggested them to address some lower leg problems. I'm about 2,000 miles into my current season with them and they seem to work for me really well. We obviously paid a great deal of attention to cleat position and dialed them in over the course of several hundred early season miles, with some minor adjustments to seat position as well.

Overall seat height should stay the same with one qualification which I will talk about in a second. If you increase crank length by 5mm for example, drop your seat post 5mm further into the frame. This will leave you with an unchanged seat height as measured from top of seat to pedal axle centre. The qualification that I would put on that is that sometimes, not often, but I have seen it happen; a noticeable change in crank length can cause a change in pedaling technique with the end result being a lower or higher seat height than previously.

When surfing on the web I came across an article suggesting that cyclists are particularly prone to suffering osteoporosis because they practise a low impact sport. Does that refer to all kinds of cycling? One thing is sedately pedalling along so that you barely break into a sweat, and another is the kind that involves pounding up mountains, standing on the pedals and pulling hard on the handlebars. I always thought any kind of exercise that builds up muscle was good for the bones. I would be grateful to know your opinion.

You are not the only rider who has become concerned after reading about the increased risk of low bone density in cyclists. I have heard the argument that you make about sedately pedaling along versus stomping on the pedals before. I think that there's a bit of denial going on in the minds of those who try to make the case--and rightfully so. None of us want to acknowledge that the sport we love has a potential downside along with all of the many health benefits it brings. The latest information, however, is not all bad news, with a little extra effort, there are things that you can do to strengthen your bones.

I'm a 33 year-old Cat 3 roadie and I've recently become intrigued by raw food diets. Although I have not taken the plunge, as I evaluate the foods that I typically eat, I notice that they generally are pretty raw to begin with: lots of vegetables, fruits, and nuts. I don't eat meat for no other reason than I don't really like it. However, I do eat lots of breads and cereals, so my diet is also rich in starches. The evolutionary logic behind a more raw diet makes sense to me, but I'd like to hear your thoughts about it. Note that my goal is not to lose weight, but to try something a bit more natural that would also provide adequate nutrients for cycling.

I have little doubt that you could get adequate nutrition from an all-raw diet, but the argument that living closer to the prehistoric condition is somehow going to be better for you as a general rule is downright silly, evolution or not. Your body is the result a process of evolution, but so is your brain and your society and culture. Your body evolved to survive without shoes, sunscreen, and titanium bike parts, but then someone figured out that life is longer, nicer and less painful when you use these things.

I purchased a new road bike, shoes and pedals approximately two months ago, and I have been experiencing numbness in my feet. I am 33 year old male, weighing about 215 pounds. My pedals are Look-style Nashbar Z11, and my shoes are Louis Garneau Ergo Air Revo with red Look cleats. Numbness sets in after 35-45 minutes of riding, starting in my big toe and spreading quickly through the ball of my foot to my other toes. I have adjusted the cleats several times, most recently to position more of the cleat over the area of numbness in an attempt to better distribute the stress of pedaling on my foot. This has worked for my right foot, but not for the left. My saddle height and fore-aft position seems to be good: I have not experienced any pain or discomfort in my ankles, knees or hips. Is this something that will go away over time, or should I buy new pedals with a larger platform area? If new pedals are the solution, what brands and models of pedlas should I be looking at?

I did some hunting around online for possible causes of numb feet, and I found an article that suggests the saddle might be involved. My current saddle is a Selle Italia XO Trans Am. I find it has more padding than I like, and it has a centre cut-out that really doesn't do anything for me. I tend to wiggle around on the saddle to get comfortable after I stand up. I'd like to replace it with a Selle Italia SLR, which looks quite similar to my old saddle, a Vetta SP Tri Shock. Could the saddle be part of the problem?

Given the "dynamic" approach to fit, I"m wondering what Steve & other contributors think of compact vs. standard road frames. Are compact frames more "user friendly" in terms of fit, ie. offer more flexibility in range of fit within each parameter of sm, med, & large? Or, is this also a drawback vs a traditional if one gets a traditional that "fits" (loaded question given Steve's comment that the only measurement he's concerned about is standover ht). Meaning, stem length & seat setback etc. likely to be "better" on a traditional than on the "wider" range on a compact? Or, if you're in the proper "range" on each, are the differences meaningless? What's the most important size consideration on a compact?

A compact frame and a conventional frame of the same materials, wall thicknesses and dimensions, top tube slopes aside have no real meaningful differences. The compact frame should be stiffer because of the smaller main triangle but have a more flexible seat post because more of it is exposed. The conventional frame should be slightly stiff but have a less flexible seat post. To what degree these qualities are apparent will depend on the relative slope of the top tubes. In saying this, I am assuming that the same seat post is used in both.

I used to use a lot of Vitesses but my experiences were that the approval rating under a large number of female backsides was more like 50/50. I used to stock 7 or 8 different womens seats and am happy to sell seats on a try for a fortnight and bring back if unhappy basis. In the recommendations that I made, I tried to stick to seats that experience has shown me will suit a large majority of women.

Mr. Steve Hogg doesn't mention the new Selle San Marco Aspide "Glamour" women's saddle, which comes both with a cut-out or without one. It's way lighter than anything else women's specific on the market (185 g) and super comfortable. I never would have bought something women's specific before this one came out because they're all so damn heavy. But I gave this one a shot and was totally shocked and amazed at how great it is. I'm completely converted and don't ever want to buy another saddle. Highly recommended to women who want performance as well as comfort.

My best guess is that you should prioritise cycling and weights in alternate weeks. That way your leg doesn't get 'used' to what you are trying to do and is stimulated afresh. If you have 5 days a week to train, why not try the first week with 4 rides and 1 weights session and the second week, 4 weights sessions and 1 ride or something similar. What you don't need to do is over stress the leg, so maybe 3 and 1 week about would be better.