Fitness questions and answers for November 18, 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.

Previously I'd been using Specialized Body Geometry mountain bike shoes and had ridden pain-free for three seasons of mountain bike and cyclo-cross racing. Short of going back to the Specialized shoes (which I can't ride for sponsorship commitments) is there a good way to build in some forefoot versus to standard shoes? Perhaps another pedal with more surface area like the Shimano XTR would allow the angled cleat to be more supported without the shoe itself contacting the pedal body?

I am a 52-year-old rider currently not racing. About two months ago I undertook a fund raising ride involving eight days at 200km per day with the first days a bit longer. I pulled out on the fourth day with an Achilles problem that was fixed and due to a positioning mistake. However on the ride, I experienced burning in the soles of my feet as the days wore on and progressively a numbness in my toes, which remains today. I understand this may be a Morton's neuroma, but am unclear as to the long-term prospects of it going completely with little or no intervention.

We disagreed, however, that training at low intensity under restricted calorie diet is a good idea. My friend argued that limiting sugar intake would not only train your body to make use of other full sources but your cells build more 'channels' into their membranes for the transport of glycogen. That argument quickly surpassed my knowledge and thus, I turn to you. So, is there merit to the argument?

I have dabbled in competitive cycling on and off for the last 15 years. Two riding buddies of mine just went to a shop and got 'fittings.' When it was all said and done with the new parts and new shoes that were purchased the total bill was upwards of $1000. The fitting itself was $375. One was extremely pleased with the outcome the other no so much. I am still considering doing a 'fitting' but I feel perfectly comfortable on my bike on a four-hour ride.

You raise a good point. I don't know much about bike fitting certification but I do know a few people who have been 'certified' with proprietary fit systems and who were a bit under whelmed by what they were taught. The best advice I can give you when deciding who to have do the job, if and when you proceed, is to ask what sort of guarantee they give. High level bike fitting is more about how competent the fitter is rather than what system, if any, they subscribe to. If the fitter is confident in their level of professional competence, they should be able to offer a money back if not happy guarantee. That should sort the wheat from the chaff.

I will add to Steve's comments by saying that there are plenty of people offering bike fits with no real training at all. And the various systems out there have wildly varying requirements to become certified. Paul Swift's BikeFit (www.bikefit.com), the inventor of the Cleat Wedge (formerly known as Big Meat Wedge or LeMond Wedge) is working on a certification with different levels to help distinguish one's competency. In the spirit of full disclosure, Paul is my fitting mentor and a friend.

I have worked with many cyclists over the years, and as you might expect, many of them have had sore knees from time to time. The majority of them of course related to bike fit or pushing too-large gears, but a fair fraction only have trouble when the weather turns cold, and that trouble disappears when they keep their knees warm. I don't know the mechanism, but I do know that keeping knees warm in many cases keeps them from getting sore.