Fitness questions and answers for September 11

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 heard over the summer that chocolate milk was a good thing to drink for recovery. I've been drinking it this summer mixed with some whey protein and have been pleased with the way my legs feel the next day. I was curious if the same advatanges that chocolate milk had were transfered over to soy chocolate milk. I didn't know what it was in the milk that aided in the recovery process, so I didn't know if soy milk would be any better or worse, but my system can't always take a big dose of lactaid after a hard workout.

A few years ago I read a self-help/philosophy sort of book that suggested the introduction of a new word that would mean something between "yes" and "no" which was definite, not "maybe". The proposed new word was "po". You've asked a po sort of question here. There are no "key stretches every cyclist should do". The goal of stretching, if it is needed, is to develop the functional flexibility to efficiently and comfortably ride the bike. A rider who can already do that does not need to stretch. A rider who cannot pedal smoothly and comfortably should first get a good bike fitting to maximize performance with the current level of flexibility, and should then work on the specific elements of flexibility that continue to interfere with riding, or that seem likely to enhance performance, such as stretches that allow the rider to get lower or narrower, or to bring the knees closer to the top tube.

I would take a slightly different approach to Scott, mainly due to the fact that I deal not as much with the healthy cyclists, but those who have become injured. Anytime that the body is subjected to repetitive activity, there is accumulation of breakdown and postural adaptation. If the body is constantly accumulating a pattern and not consistently perfoming maintenance to offset the repetive activity, than negative changes occur. In the case of cyclists, I tend to see excessive mobility present in the lumbar spine (accelerating the likelihood of degenerative changes) due to prolonged lumbar flexion, weak stabilization musculature, and tight lower extremity musculature (which limits normal motion of the pelvis and lumbar spine). I highly recommend my athletes perform fairly regular hamstring, hip flexor, and hip musculature (particularly piriformis and iliotibial band) stretching.

There are two components to male fertility that could be of concern: sperm quality and ability to deliver. If the bike fits correctly and you are not experiencing numbness of equipment while riding, there should be no negative impact on ability to deliver. Sperm quality can be decreased by overheating of the testicles during cycling or any other sport. This effect is temporary, so I've had a few clients who have been advised by their doctors to ride or run at cooler times of day when they and their wives had decided to have babies.

There are plenty of reasons why a rider might faint. Some of them are totally benign and can be fixed by changing the diet or hydration behaviors. Others are more serious medical conditions. The possibilities will be distinguished by tests that a coach can't do over the internet and can't order for you. The important thing is to get to a doctor and let that doctor help you figure out what happened and what treatment is needed. You may now feel totally normal, but I'd suggest not riding again outdoors until you get a diagnosis. Think what would happen if you fainted again on a fast descent or in front of a large truck.

I've been experiencing localized foot pain around the area of the 5th metatarsal/cuboid on my left foot. The pain is worst after a ride when I put weight on it to walk. Also, I've noticed that my left thigh is slightly numb to the touch and larger then the right side? I use DMT RSX shoes w/ speedplay zero cleats and 1 wedge under the cleat. Another related item is that I've pulled the fixing bolt out of the speedplay adapter plate a few times, but only on the left side?

I read with interest Steve Hogg's comments regarding the lack of power while positioned in a forward seat position. I am only commenting based upon a layman's personal observations. It seems to me that more power is generated while forward of the bottom bracket as characterized by track racers and road racers who move forward to stand during their biggest power outputs. Even though the a rider doesn't enter the power stroke on the chainring as early as while sitting, it appears that the actual wattage generated is much greater. That is why all sprints require the rider to stand if he/she has any chance of winning a sprint. I know that sprints do not equate to a 4 hour road race but it seems that the body could adapt to a forward position for long periods of time and thus be generating more average power during that same duration of time.

I used to ride in a forward position for racing and found that I could accelerate quicker and sustain a higher power output for long races. My body adapted to the forward positon and I did not feel much discomfort. Now I ride more upright and back from the bottom bracket. I do feel more power climbing while sitting back and more upright. While in the forward positon I used a higher cadence to climb at the power outputs that I now climb while seated further back. However, I feel that my racing ability has diminished. I broke my back while mtn biking which forced me to change my body position upright and back of the bottom bracket. I agree with Steve in that eveyone's body is different and need to be positioned on the bike accordingly. One size does not fit all. Therefore, I would argue that for some people a more forward position is beneficial while for other individuals a more relaxed position is better.

You recently commented on correcting this problem with someone else. I have the same problem. You told him that Speedplays were very good for this but there were some traps with them. I have Frogs and have tried to shim but in doing so, they will not click into the pedal. Could you tell me how to overcome this problem? I am having a problem with my right hip and an abrasion where the seat rubs my inner thigh. Thanks for taking the time.

I should have been more specific. I was talking about Speedplay road pedals, not the offroad Frogs. Frogs can be shimmed if you wish to go to the trouble. The Frog pedal body is in two halves bolted together. You will need a 2.5mm allen key and a knife blade to pull them apart and reveal the axle and bearing assembly. A shim can be machined up from aluminium or plastic to separate the two halves of the pedal body by the desired amount but you will need to be or know a good toolmaker or machinist to do this. Also you will need longer than standard screws to bolt the body and shims back together.

I am a 6'0' 188 male and I am having problems when I mountain bike long distances. At around 2000 feet of vertical climb my quads and hamstrings seize up in both legs with excruciating pain. It is to the point where I have to dismount and massage the pain out. It will be good for a mile or two and then it repeats itself. I makes long rides very difficult. People tell me to eat more bananas because it is a build up of lactic acid but I tried that and it didn't help. Please help me with any advise.

There is however one obstacle stopping me at the moment and that is obtaining the cleat position that you recommend. I’m using Time equipe pro pedals and Carnac quartz shoes and I just cannot get the cleats far enough back behind the pedal axle to achieve your recommendations. I tried Speedplay pedals for a month or so but I have a recurring injury with both medial meniscuses in my knees, an old ski injury, and I found that clipping out of Speedplay’s really aggravated the injury so I switched back to my old Time pedals.