Fitness questions and answers for November 15, 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.

The latest evidence so far as I can tell says that a well conceived weight training will not improve your VO2-max or your power at lactate threshold but will probably enhance your ability to produce power near your VO2-max for a longer time. It might also increase peak power. A routine of high repetition, low-weight weight lifting will not cause appreciable hypertrophy but will make it harder to lose muscle mass, which might be good or bad depending on your current weight.

I am now finally interested in "getting back into shape" and have started a walking and casual biking program. Do you have any recommendations in regard to the long term effects of prednisone medication and how to train while taking this drug? Apparently, it will be necessary for me to continue on this steroid the rest of my life. I have tried to stop taking prednisone three times but each time the sarcoid flares up again as chronic fatigue, atria fibrillation (I am taking a drug called rythmol for this), and other systemic aggravations. A stress test shows my heart is in good shape to train but that when I am unmediated the sarcoid can somehow affect the heart's electric controls.

I have been trying to work into a good winter training program after having a full season of road racing. My last race was in August, and following extremely consistent riding all season I hit a period of really sporadic riding. As a result, I now seem to have tendonitis in my right knee (hurts on the inside of the right kneecap). I have had this before, a few years ago, but didn’t know what it was at the time, and was very cautious. Over time, the problem just disappeared. This time, I really don’t want to spend as much time off the bike as I did last time. I think I can manage the pain, but don’t want to do any real damage. What is the best way to deal with tendonitis and still get good base mileage? I appreciate your time! FYI, I am a 26 year old male and participated in 12 races this year. Right now my style of riding is base mileage, but I tend to go harder than I am supposed to. I get around 150 to 200 miles per week during the racing season and maybe 100 to 125 per week in the off season, weather depending.

Most knee problems are caused by shoe or bike fit or pedaling style issues. They can also be caused or exacerbated by increasing distances too quickly, pushing hard gears before adequate conditioning, or not covering the knees on cold days. So, assuming you have begun to gradually build up base miles, that you are spinning for your first month or so of rides and that you are smart enough to wear tights if it is chilly and double tights or tights plus leg warmers if it is cold, it sounds like you probably have a biomechanical problem.

I'm going through the "pause" at age 50, can't lose weight with high miles and a very healthy diet. I eat: veggies, fruit, whole grains as a general diet and fuel up for my long rides, 80 miles, with gels so I don't bonk. No mater what I do or eat, I stay 140-145 lbs. I want to be at least 130. I'm a medium frame and 5' 6". I recently started running again - 2 miles walk/run and am on the bike 4 to 9 hrs a week. I am Gaining fat not losing it! Also I am having more fatigue on the climbs. Can you suggest a good diet for me?

The “pause,” as you refer to it, is defined as the absence of regular menstrual cycles for 12 consecutive months. Typically, women experience menstrual cycle irregularity before cycles stop completely. Changes in cycle length and frequency are common. During this perimenopausal period, estrogen level may also be highly variable and after 3 months of missed periods, estrogen declines significantly. Menopause, like puberty, is a time of hormonally-driven changes in body shape and composition. During middle age, women gain an average of 0.5kg (~1 lb.) per year and menopause does not seem to increase this rate of weight gain. Some studies have found that women lose muscle mass and increase fat during menopause, but these changes seem to be due to a decrease in physical activity as women get older, rather than an inevitable consequence of menopause. Even if total body fat does not increase after menopause, there is a shift in body fat distribution from the hips and thighs to the abdomen. In other words, the “pears” start to look more and more like “apples.” It is the accumulation of fat around the internal organs located in the abdomen that probably causes changes in fat and glucose metabolism. Postmenopausal women have higher total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides (fat) and lower HDL (good) concentrations in blood than premenopausal women. These changes explain why the risk of cardiovascular disease increases in women after menopause. Women, especially those who gain abdominal fat, after menopause may become insulin-resistant. In other words, the body becomes less responsive to insulin, the pancreatic hormone that is needed for glucose uptake into fat and muscle. As a result, glucose levels become elevated and the pancreas secretes more and more insulin to compensate.

hello, im a 20 yr old cat3, 142 lbs (off season weight...137 lbs race weight), 5ft8in. i have a question regarding my cleat positioning. i want to buy a new pair of shoes (those silver shimano ones) but want to have the same cleat positioning that i have now on my current shoes (carnac quartz). is there a correct way of making the transfer so as to not cause an injuires further down the road? thanks in advance.

Have a look at the post entitled 'Ball of Foot' for October 11, 2004 on this forum. Follow that method and ascertain where the centre of the first metatarsal joint is in relation to the pedal axle now in your Carnac Quartz's. Once you have done this you can repeat the process on the new shoes to make sure that you maintain the same relationship between foot in shoe and pedal axle. There is one potential trap. The Carnacs you are coming from have a moderately high heel lift last. The Shimanos you are considering have a lower heel lift last which in my view is preferable. This means that under load you will not need to drop your heel as much coming off top dead centre of the pedal stroke so as to get behind the pedal axle to push forward and down as early as possible in the pedal stroke.

I'm a 37 year old male who broke his pelvis several years ago. I had an open book fracture (broke at the pubic bone and the right sacroiliac joint) that healed a little crooked. You are right if you say I'm twisted. I have found through trial and error that if the nose of my saddle is turned to the left a little, I feel straighter. When I ride, I feel like both legs are performing about equally, although at times I felt like my right leg might be doing more work.

My back mucles are not symmetrical. The muscle that runs down the right side of my back to my sacrum is very large, but the left side is not nearly as developed. If I exert heavily in a ride, I almost always get back pain, presumably from uneven forces in the lumbar area. Is the difference in my back muscles due to depending on one leg more than the other, or to riding twisted? Should I try to even the back muscles out through weight lifting or by making a change on the bike? What are appropriate exercises to strengthen the back evenly?

The enlarged muscle you speak of is the right spinal erector. This over development on one side is typical where the pedalling forces cause uneven stresses between right and left sides. It would be a good idea to find someone knowledgeable to position you who takes a structural approach. It is probably worth you while experimenting with a packer under the right foot if this is not possible. Try 3mm for starters and if that feels better, try 5mm and possibly more if necessary. For every 5mm you pack up under the cleat move the cleat back another mm on the shoe relative to foot to negate the rocking torque effect.

I have had extensive treatment for tendinopathy of a hamstring insertion in the lateral aspect of my right knee - inc physio, massage, chiro and injections. It has eased over the last 6 months but recurs at extreme efforts and at the end of long rides - effectively stopping me from racing. The other end of the same muscle (ischial insertion) had tendonitis 18 months ago (resolved with injection) so is clearly under duress.

From the information you have given me it is a safe bet that your hamstring problems on the right side is a consequence of your tendency to hang to the left while riding. By so doing you are increasing the distance the right leg has to travel to the pedals and probably putting your knee under a lateral load as well. This pattern of motion is unfortunately more common than is generally realised. The best you can hope for with a positioning solution to this problem is to lessen the impact of it. Over the last 5 months I have posted a lot of stuff about the general solutions to problems like yours on this site. However, how effective an on bike fix can be depends on the extent of the problem. A good bike position cannot change you, only how you relate to your bike. The only person I know of in Perth who may be able to help to some degree is Rick Churchill of Rick Churchill Cycles. I have met him once about 7 years ago and don't claim to know him but in the limited time we spent together, his views about position were sensible. Give him a call.

I just read Pam Hinton's advice to Vincent Desmarais re: supplements and I have to ask, upon what empirical evidence to you base your conclusions? My personal experiences (i.e., anecdotal) with over 30 years (I'm 45 years of age) of combined high school/college wrestling, powerlifting (coaching and competing), bodybuilding coaching and biking (leisure and competitive) experience, has taught me supplements can be a terrific benefit to meeting fitness goals and overall health. And, the empirical evidence appears to support these assertions also.

Let me amend my answer to the following, “The rest of the time, you are just throwing your money away--unless, you firmly believe that your supplement of choice works. Then by all means, continue to spend money on the placebo effect whether it be in pill, powder, or capsule form.” The power of the mind cannot be underestimated, if an athlete believes that a supplement is going to help their performance, it probably will. However, if the ergogenic effects of that supplement were studied in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (meaning subjects randomly receive the supplement or an identical looking placebo treatment and neither the subjects nor the investigators knows who gets what), you may or may not find a significant difference between the supplement and placebo. Dietary supplements range from the conventional (multivitamins) to the everyday (caffeine), exotic (chinese herbs), weird (caterpillar fungus), disgusting (pituitary extract), and dangerous (ephedra). As I stated in my reply to the question about supplement use in general, supplements that are taken to correct a nutrient deficiency will certainly be beneficial. With a few exceptions, there is little evidence from double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to support the use of dietary supplements to enhance athletic performance. A search of PubMed, a data base of peer-reviewed journal articles for the phrase, “supplements and sports” returned over 500 entries, so “empirical evidence” exists and most of it finds no effect of supplements on performance.