Fitness questions and answers for November 6, 2007

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.

1) What are my chances of coming back sooner?
2) Is there anything I can do to maintain some type of cardiovascular fitness in the meantime?
3) After taking two months off (assuming I have to go the whole distance), will I still have a fighting chance to ride the early-spring races in March and April, or should I focus more on the summer stuff?
4) Should I go ahead and upgrade anyway, or would it be better to stay Crash 5 (for competitive purposes) for the next season?

To cut a long story, five years ago my right leg began to move slightly from right to left when under pressure this began to get worse, this happened in conjunction with lower back pulling over to the right, after numerous visits to three physios I eventual found by my fourth physio my sacra iliac on my right side was locked. After treatment and physio combined with palates where I found I could not stand on right leg without wobbling. I changed my cleats to Keywin's with 10+ extended shafts to allow a bit clearance between the top bar and my knee wobble. 5 years later my inner core has improved 100%, I can now complete one leg squats on my right leg and now returned to normal pedal shaft length and changed to a pair of Look Keo pedals.

I stretch regularly and do some common palate exercise as well as riding 300-350km a week on a 54cm Look 585. My Lower back still pulls over to the right as if the right buttock is pulling it down but not as regular, but the good news with a few intense stretches it becomes straight again, The problem even with my leg strength improving my right leg still wobbles when under pressure in a fast training bunch, it is not as bad as previous but very noticeable, sometimes it feel like the week spot is the right ankle as it tends to push over to the outside of the foot when the wobble occurs. I have had bike fits completed and both fits have come up with very similar figures. I have tried wedges under right foot on th4e outside to try and compensate for the wobble with no luck. Very complicated but do you have any other suggestions

Hello, I've been riding a bike since I was eleven and now coming up to my 70th birthday. I've got a TREK I use in the summer (such as we get in the UK) and the bike I ride in the winter (from October to March but with the weather we've had here this year I've been using it now and then during our so called Summer) My question is should you ride as light a bike as possible during the winter months weather permitting? My bike is a local build with Reynolds steel tubing, campag etc. and is heavier than my carbon Trek.

Does anyone know whether the beta blocker Atenolol and/or the statin Lipitor will cause stiffness in muscle or joints? I am 55 years old, 209 pounds, 5'7", have ridden about 900 miles a year for 7 years and even though I stretch after every ride my hamstrings, calves, low back, and hip area are so stiff that I can't sit on the floor with my back straight without putting my hands behind me to prop myself up.

I am a 59 year old cyclist who rides approx 120ks a week, (2x60ks on average), for fitness and general enjoyment. I am wondering what, if any, additional leg and knee exercises I should be doing, to balance or offset the strengthening of those parts of my legs gained during my normal cycling. In other words, are there areas of my legs and knees being "neglected" by doing only the cycling movements afforded when actually riding? I do not suffer any noticeable pain or discomfort. Hope this request makes sense and I look forward to your reply.

I'm a 22 year old male competitive cyclist. I wear specialized BG road shoes and use speedplay x-series pedals. Currently I have one leMond wedge under each shoe, with the thick side to the outside of the pedal. Question: My left leg tracks up and down very straight and smooth. My right leg track up straight then kicks inward slightly on the down stroke. If I was to use another shim, which side should the thick side be on?

Has anyone established a definitive distance or relationship between the rotational point of the knee and a plumb line dropped to the centreline of the bottom bracket? I've always felt that the right bike fit started with this measurement. After getting your butt in the right spot the handlebar location can be set. Since the legs, butt and back muscles do the work the most biomechanically advantageous position emits from this first set point. This would be in the context of competitive cycling.

I am relatively new to road cycling, riding ~300km/wk with some lower grade racing. I am returning to cycling after 5 months off the bike following surgery for a herniated lumbar disc which has left me with (temporary) weakness in lower leg, mainly the calf and unable to rise up on my toes. When cycling this results in my heel dropping at the bottom of the down stroke often resulting in my knee locking out. Not only does this make it difficult to use the leg effectively, it may also result in excessive pelvic rocking which is not the best thing for the lower back. Although strapping the ankle (as for an Achilles injury) helps, are there other (temporary) modifications to the bike setup that you would recommend while waiting for nerve function and strength to return.

Hi Steve In your work on Time Trial Positioning you have stated repeatedly if a rider has a tendency to slide forward on the saddle, then his position is off. However, nearly all the top pros nowadays climb way forward on the nose of their saddles. Are they thinking that by rotating further forward around the bottom bracket that they will be able to increase their cadence, leverage and aerodynamics? Surely they must have done wind tunnel and power-output testing to optimize their positions. Some guys, like Dave Zabriske for instance, look absolutely radical with such a far forward position and huge drop from saddle to arm rests.

I bought a TT bike this year and have done quite well following your general guidelines. The bike has a 76 degree seat angle, which rotates me considerably further forward than my 72.5 degree road bike. I have experimented with rotating forward and deepening my drop like the pros but don't feel any particular advantage, not to mention feeling considerably less comfortable. I am eager to know your opinion on this