Fitness questions and answers for July 18, 2005

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 wanted to thank you for your advice given freely in your columns. You're passionate about your work which shows through in your well thought responses. I have (over the past 5-6 months) adjusted my cleats and position slightly according to your suggestions. It's interesting to note when viewing in a mirror (standing) my hip line is pretty even now, post adjustments. Before, my left hip was noticeably elevated and forward and off the bike I experienced a constant throb in my gluteus medius. Also, my quadriceps was over developed with an underdeveloped gluteus region. Through your adjustment suggestions, stretching and remaining properly hydrated, I am now relatively pain free.

My next question is concerning crankarm length. I have a 74cm inseam and switched to 165 crankarms about 1.5 years ago because I was experiencing difficulty getting on top of the gears on the climbs. I am looking at upgrading to 10 and after four years of cleaning and taking care of my Ultegra and my husband's Chorus 10, there is no comparison in quality. (His Campy, I think, looks better than when he bought it, if that's possible!) The two issues - my little hands on Campy levers may have a problem wrapping around comfortably for thumb reach, and crank arm length. They do not carry 165's. I am thinking with my cleat position corrected I may me ok on the 170's.

My question is how long should I give this to experience if this is a good move and how will my body react if this is a bad move? I may add, my body will react negatively with 1-2cm off any of my measurements so I will initially go through pain, I'm sure. It's after that -what should I be looking for? Perhaps I should wait to try this experiment in winter after racing is done? Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you!

I have thought in the past about what you are saying, but there are a few practical problems in measuring from either malleolus [the bumps on the side of the ankle] or the heel. Firstly, the plantar fascia, which is a flat tendon-type structure, attaches to the rear of the foot and the metatarsal joints. The type of cleat positioning I advocate reduces stress on this as well as having a pronounced effect on the musculature enlisted further up the chain.

Also, I have a tightness in the back of my left knee that usually goes away early in rides. It sometimes bothers my hiking or walking up stairs. When I pedal, or sometimes when I walk up stairs, it feels like a tendon is mildly "snapping over" something. If I feel around behind both bent knees, I can feel a tendon or ligament in the left that is more prominent than the right. When they are extended, the left is slightly tender. Could it be the Biceps Femoris Tendon? Since it connects to the Tibalis anterior, maybe it relates to the tightness in the calves? Thank you for your previous assistance.

Speedplays are generally a good pedal system but are handicapped somewhat by having a lesser ability to adjust the cleat fore and aft than many other systems. You mention that your feet move around more in your Speedplays than in previous Looks. Depending on the model of Look pedals that you had and the model and brand of shoe that you have [had?], the quality of the rotational movement in Looks can vary from quite free to quite stiff. By stiff I mean that rotational movement is possible but if the rubber plug on the cleat bottom protrudes a lot, then it can take a small but noticeable effort for the cleat to move rotationally. Compared to this, Speedplays have a 'free' quality to their rotational movement. Rest assured your feet are moving around because some combination of position, your own morphology and cleat placement dictates this.

I am a 48 year old who has been cycling for 10 years. Over the years I have moved my saddle nose back from 3cm behind BB to 7.5cm (kops for me). I still think I have too much weight on my hands to be comfy on long rides so I tried 9.5cm and adjusted the bars back for proper reach. It was amazing how good it felt! It's relaxed in any bar position and there's no weight on my hands for a good natural spin.

Is the pain occurring on one side only as I suspect? If so, the most common cause is either a short leg or not sitting square on the seat. If there is a measurable leg length discrepancy or, a common compensatory mechanism is to sit with the hip of the longer leg further forward on the seat. This means that the longer leg is actually closer to the pedals than the shorter leg. If the seat height is comfortable for the short leg then the other will under extend and niggles where you have them is not uncommon. If you don't have a measurable leg length discrepancy but sit twisted on the seat for other reasons, the result can be the same as the leg on the side that is twisted further forward reaches less far. Here is a test: . Pedal under reasonable load and look at the gap between inner thigh and seatpost. If the gap is narrower on the side of the knee that is hurting, then what I have described is likely to be correct. If this is the case, find out what you have to do to improve your left/right symmetry and do it. Yoga, Pilates or a visit to a good structural health professional for assessent would be a start. If the gap is even between both inner thighs and seat post is even or the pain is on the knee of the other side than what I have suggested, please get back to me for more advice.

I have a question concerning bike fit that I haven't seen directly addressed yet. I have been riding competitively since 1987. Almost exclusively on a MTB until I moved back to the city a few years ago and switched over to a road bike for obvious reasons. As a MTB rider I noticed how much lower road cyclists seats seemed to be in comparison to my MTB friends. I attributed this to the steep climbing involved with MTB riding, but that is pure speculation. I recently started seeing a Chiropractor, who through x-rays, showed me a slightly twisted pelvis. Treatments have helped considerably and I thought it a good time to get a professional fit. The fitter is well respected in our area and has worked with many cyclists I know.

As I expected, the process showed that I needed to lower my seat considerably. A lower seat seemed to give me a better balance of power all the way around my stroke. The problem is the muscles in my rear-end, along the outside and down to my knees to a lesser extent, hurt and cramp so bad that I can't stand to be in this position. I forced myself to try this position for a month to try and adapt but could not. Stretching doesn't help. If I get off the bike for 5 minutes after a 15 minute warm up it helps temporarily but not completely or permanently. The only thing that alleviates the discomfort is to raise my seat again about 1 ½ inches past what the fitter said was my maximum to stay within the normal fit guidelines. After doing this, all the pain goes away and I feel great.

If you can't ride without the symptoms that you have described at the 'recommended seat height', then the seat height recommendation is wrong, at least in your case. Go back and see the bloke and calmly explain that you paid him money to do a job and that he hasn't done it well. If nothing else he will be forced to look at you as an individual rather than stick you in the appropriate leg length ' recommended seat height' box. This smacks of the ' do it by numbers ' approach to positioning.

Hi, to cut along story short, I got hit by a car in June 2004. I had lots of nasty injuries, which I have recovered pretty well from. My question relates to my hip and leg. As a result of the accident I broke the head of my femur at the hip joint and broke my femur in two in the middle (all in the same leg). I now have a femoral nail down my right thigh, coming in at the top of the hip, going down to just above my knee.

I was keen to start racing in the 2005 season, but my surgeons strongly advised me against it. As apparently another heavy fall and break in the leg with the nail in would result in even more serious damage to my leg and an extended recovery of years, obviously not worth the risk for a weekend warrior for the sake of missing one season. However it's looking like I'm going to be keeping the pin for longer than I'd hoped, probably well into the start of the 2006 season. My question is what's the worst that could happen if I race and crash on this leg/hip. Are the risks really so great?

My son is just 10 and enjoys track cycling, competing with 12 year old kids at Newport Velodrome, Wales. He's only been doing it for a few months now, and I would be interested to know your thoughts; with children, how important are warm up stretches as there seems to be no culture of this in cycling here. It is taken that warming up with a gentle cycle for 10/15mins is sufficient. Also, what about stretching hamstrings etc afterwards, or is children's flexibility not a problem? Thanks in anticipation.

I would appreciate your feedback on diabetes issues. I am a 55 year old male, 5'9", 215lbs., and a BMI of 28. I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes several years ago. I do weight training sporadically and cycling at the gym. My question is I would like to lose weight before I start road cycling. Please give me ideas on diet, how many calories before and after exercising and how long the exercise sessions should be. I would appreciate any tips or help you could offer. I have checked with my family doctor and he stated that he is not up-to-date on latest techniques. However, he is an avid cyclist and recommended your website. Thanks in advance.

I am a 31 year old male, 6'1'', and weigh 185 lbs. Last year I was a weekend rider going for 90-100 miles, but stopped riding once the weather turned cold. Through some convincing of a friend, I have decided to enter a race in Lake Tahoe (http://www.laketahoemarathon.com/Bike.html) and in June started to ride, perhaps, an aggressive training schedule. I rode 25 miles Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning at a medium/hard intensity, and 40-60 miles on weekend days. After several weeks, I started to develop pain in my upper calf, lower hamstring of my left leg.

From what you say, it is very likely that you are overextending on that left leg. If you have a reasonable cleat and seat position, the hamstring and calf work together eccentrically to pull the knee backwards. This aids the quadriceps in extending the knee. However, if you are overextending pain can be the result in any of a number of areas including the one you are experiencing. Which one bites you depends on your own tendencies and proclivities.