Fitness questions and answers for September 25, 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.

I am 21 year old female who has been riding for 8 years now, my max heart rate over the last 4 years decreased from 196 to 193bpm (last November), however over last few months I’m lucky if I see my heart rate reach 180 bpm. I have experienced varying levels of fatigue over this time. Prior to when this started I spent 3 months (November to January) training more seriously reaching up to 500km per week and doing some hard racing at which point my period also stopped (due to a low calorie intake at the time) for six months. I have now been menstruating regularly for 4 months however my energy levels have not returned to normal, my concentration at times is poor and I am usually unable to ride more then 250km per week without a struggle, normally riding 150-200km/wk, apart from the occasional week where I can ride up to 300 km no problem (still with max heart rate of 180). At the end of January I took two weeks completely off my bike and I have just started riding again after another two week break. My iron levels are on the lower side of normal for me but not serious, my calorie intake is now sufficient also, having increased from 56kg when my period stopped to 62kg (at 174cm tall). What I’m asking is, is it possible that my decrease in energy levels and decreased max heart rate are due to my body still recovering from when my calorie intake was low?

Your initial decrease of maximum heart rate by three beats as you began to train seriously was 100% normal. The further decrease by 13 more beats was unusually large (typical total decrease is more like 6-10 beats). Yes, it is possible that you are still suffering the after effects of your time spent with inadequate calorie intake. However it would not be a case of you did something bad so you are now being punished by God. It would be more like you didn't eat enough and now the physiological effects are with you. You probably lost muscle mass and you may well still have hormone levels quite different than before you starved. If you simply eat normally and exercise the amount that your body can currently handle without fatigue, you'll probably recover over six more months or so. If you are concerned though, I'd suggest a visit to an athlete-friendly doctor to get sent to the laboratory for an extensive panel of blood tests for the hormones that might affect energy levels.

I am a 43 year old CAT 3 racer from Virginia Beach Virginia who was recently hit from behind by a drunk driver while on an early 6:30 AM training ride. It was found that I had a fractured t-12 vertebrae with torn ligament damage which required fusion surgery. I now have 6 screws and 2 rods in my back. I am a little bit worried about getting back on my bike and returning to my original aggressive bike position that I am used to. I begin Physical therapy this week and am a little worried about a full recovery. Any suggestions or testimonials that could help my optimistic outlook on the recovery process.

I don't have specific experience with the particular injury or fix that you've experienced, but I have seen riders race successfully after a wide variety of hip, knee, back and shoulder surgeries. The keys are to do your rehab therapy and to keep after the doctors and yourself to continue the process until you have the mobility you need. The danger is that discouragement early on makes you less aggressive about demanding support for adequate recovery and pushing yourself to follow through on your part.

I am 5' 8" with a 76.5cm inseam, and have a 10.5 shoe size. My local bike shop fitted me for a 52cm frame and said it was because I have a larger than average shoe size for my height. I was just wondering if I should be on the 52cm or a 50cm frame because I read an article that said your frame size should be equal to 65% of your inseam, which would be the 50cm. I was just wondering what your take on it was and if there are any physical implications to riding the wrong frame size in regards to this?

Hi, I have a question about a knee injury. Every time I ride my bike I get a large swelling of fluid behind my left knee. It makes it very difficult to squat and the fluid causes pain by pushing on the hamstring, calf muscle and sometimes the vein through the knee. The fluid does not go away on its own. I have tried having the fluid sucked out but it came back the next time I rode (about 6-8 weeks later). Unfortunately they didn't bother to analyse the fluid. I'd tried standard physio with no benefit previously. This time I've had low level laser treatment and the swelling disappeared within two weeks but I'm scared to get back on the bike!

The fluid in the back of your leg is the end result of an inflammatory process. Simply having the fluid removed or having a laser treatment (which is a questionable therapy at best) does not address the actual source of inflammation. I would be very suspicious of a meniscal or joint surface injury to generate the frequent and consistent posterior swelling that you describe. Rarely, we also see rheumatologic conditions that will generate similar symptoms.