Bicycle road riding and racing require a great deal of both muscular and cardiovascular endurance. A good combination of speed, and strength, along with flexibility and range of motion, are also essential for cycling success.
The major muscles involved in road cycling include:
- The muscles of the legs and hips; the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus muscles, and the lower leg, anterior tibialis, gastrocnemius and soleus.
- The core muscles are important for maintaining balance and power; the tranverse abdominis, obliques (internal and external), hip flexors, and the spinal erectors.
= The muscles of the arms and shoulders are important to maintain a support position on the bike when leaning forward; the deltoids, biceps and triceps, and the muscles of the hand, wrist and forearm.
Weaknesses, or imbalances, in any of these muscles can lead to lowered performance or injuries for all cyclists. Correcting the weaknesses and imbalances can ensure improved performance, lowered injury rate and greater enjoyment. Special attention must be paid to proper strengthening and stretching techniques for the commonly over-used muscles to ensure continued flexibility in the muscles and range of motion in the joints.
The major muscles involved in road cycling include:
- The muscles of the legs and hips; the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus muscles, and the lower leg, anterior tibialis, gastrocnemius and soleus.
- The core muscles are important for maintaining balance and power; the tranverse abdominis, obliques (internal and external), hip flexors, and the spinal erectors.
= The muscles of the arms and shoulders are important to maintain a support position on the bike when leaning forward; the deltoids, biceps and triceps, and the muscles of the hand, wrist and forearm.
Weaknesses, or imbalances, in any of these muscles can lead to lowered performance or injuries for all cyclists. Correcting the weaknesses and imbalances can ensure improved performance, lowered injury rate and greater enjoyment. Special attention must be paid to proper strengthening and stretching techniques for the commonly over-used muscles to ensure continued flexibility in the muscles and range of motion in the joints.
A good strengthening and flexibility/conditioning program for these muscles will help ensure success on the bike. But, does flexibility training really improve performance? There is a good deal of research into the effects of flexibility in “working muscles” that suggests that making muscle tissue more pliable can have a positive effect on performance. Under similar conditions, pliable muscle is more mechanically efficient and will fatigue at a slower rate than stiff muscle. Muscle that is tight tends to be more susceptible to cramping and muscle pulls. Tight muscle can also expose an athlete to tendonitis and other overuse injuries. While it has not been clinically proven that more flexible muscle has the capacity to produce more power it has been shown to hold up better under the stresses of exercise and is less susceptible to common soft tissue injuries that disrupt the training process and delay positive training effect.
When speaking of flexibility and cycling performance, the focus should be placed on the opposing forces of muscle contraction and relaxation and their effects on the relationship between passive (static) and active (dynamic) range of motion (ROM) during the pedaling movement. As muscles fatigue they become less flexible and present resistance to the movement of the hip, knee and ankle joints as the pedals rotate. This causes one muscle group to work harder to move the joint because the less flexible, opposing muscle group is resisting the movement (i.e. tight hamstrings will provide resistance in flexing the hip to lift the knee to the top of the pedal stroke). Muscles that are more pliable will offer up less resistance as they fatigue on the bike. Static stretching can be used effectively on the bike, in the midst of a ride or race, to help to dissipate the tension and allow the muscles to relax and work more efficiently.
However, holding a static stretch is a completely different motion than that caused by sports specific muscle contractions and repetitive joint movements. This makes static ROM training a less reliable measure for attaining flexibility relative to athletic performance. Dynamic ROM training relates to the force of an opposing muscle that is required to stretch a previously contracted (resting) muscle back to the ready position in a sports-specific movement. For example; in cycling the ease with which the hamstrings and glutes can relax and allow the contraction of the hip and knee flexors to lift pedal has a greater impact on performance than the static flexibility of these muscles off the bike. While increased static ROM training does improve mechanical efficiency and reduce the risk of injury, increasing dynamic ROM training, not static ROM training, has a greater impact on cycling performance due to the fact that it increases power, flexibility and ROM (Reynolds 2008).
GYROTONIC® exercises offer simultaneous strength and flexibility training. This ROM training activates all of the joints and connective tissue that will be needed for optimum cycling performance. The Gyrotonic Expansion System® is comprised of a series of weights, pulleys, and a handle unit which acts to support the body while inviting movement of all of the muscles and joints to their greatest ROM. The system offers a full-body exercise program, with workouts tapered to the individual athlete’s needs. GYROTONIC exercises are offered in Olympia at Motion in Balance Studio (www.motioninbalance.biz 360-556-2619).
Flexibility is important to every cyclist’s health and athletic development. Choosing the proper methods and movements for a flexibility program is very important. It is not wise to pattern you’re stretching and flexibility training after what you see other riders doing. You will need to do some personal assessment of your own flexibility and determine what areas need work and which exercises are most appropriate. Consulting the Certified GYROTONIC trainer at Motion in Balance Studio is a good place to start. I will take you through a flexibility assessment session and can identify an appropriate strength and flexion program based on your goals. If you approach flexibility training with a good plan you will be able to improve your performance and prevent unnecessary injury.
REFERENCES:
Reynolds, G. 2008. Stretching: The Truth. The New York Times. November 2, 2008.
The Effects of Flexibility Training on Performance and Development –
http://www.professionalcycling.info/the-effects-of-flexibility-training-on-performance-and-development/
When speaking of flexibility and cycling performance, the focus should be placed on the opposing forces of muscle contraction and relaxation and their effects on the relationship between passive (static) and active (dynamic) range of motion (ROM) during the pedaling movement. As muscles fatigue they become less flexible and present resistance to the movement of the hip, knee and ankle joints as the pedals rotate. This causes one muscle group to work harder to move the joint because the less flexible, opposing muscle group is resisting the movement (i.e. tight hamstrings will provide resistance in flexing the hip to lift the knee to the top of the pedal stroke). Muscles that are more pliable will offer up less resistance as they fatigue on the bike. Static stretching can be used effectively on the bike, in the midst of a ride or race, to help to dissipate the tension and allow the muscles to relax and work more efficiently.
However, holding a static stretch is a completely different motion than that caused by sports specific muscle contractions and repetitive joint movements. This makes static ROM training a less reliable measure for attaining flexibility relative to athletic performance. Dynamic ROM training relates to the force of an opposing muscle that is required to stretch a previously contracted (resting) muscle back to the ready position in a sports-specific movement. For example; in cycling the ease with which the hamstrings and glutes can relax and allow the contraction of the hip and knee flexors to lift pedal has a greater impact on performance than the static flexibility of these muscles off the bike. While increased static ROM training does improve mechanical efficiency and reduce the risk of injury, increasing dynamic ROM training, not static ROM training, has a greater impact on cycling performance due to the fact that it increases power, flexibility and ROM (Reynolds 2008).
GYROTONIC® exercises offer simultaneous strength and flexibility training. This ROM training activates all of the joints and connective tissue that will be needed for optimum cycling performance. The Gyrotonic Expansion System® is comprised of a series of weights, pulleys, and a handle unit which acts to support the body while inviting movement of all of the muscles and joints to their greatest ROM. The system offers a full-body exercise program, with workouts tapered to the individual athlete’s needs. GYROTONIC exercises are offered in Olympia at Motion in Balance Studio (www.motioninbalance.biz 360-556-2619).
Flexibility is important to every cyclist’s health and athletic development. Choosing the proper methods and movements for a flexibility program is very important. It is not wise to pattern you’re stretching and flexibility training after what you see other riders doing. You will need to do some personal assessment of your own flexibility and determine what areas need work and which exercises are most appropriate. Consulting the Certified GYROTONIC trainer at Motion in Balance Studio is a good place to start. I will take you through a flexibility assessment session and can identify an appropriate strength and flexion program based on your goals. If you approach flexibility training with a good plan you will be able to improve your performance and prevent unnecessary injury.
REFERENCES:
Reynolds, G. 2008. Stretching: The Truth. The New York Times. November 2, 2008.
The Effects of Flexibility Training on Performance and Development –
http://www.professionalcycling.info/the-effects-of-flexibility-training-on-performance-and-development/
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