Biking, a closer look
Cycling form starts with a good-for-your-current-you bike fit (molding the bicycle to you)… See Equipment Guide for Fitting info.
Now that the bicycle is molded to your body training can begin. Of the five functional training exercises above, three of them really cross into off-bike training for Cycling (The Plank/Side-Plank, Glute Bridge, and Single Leg Stand up/Kneel)
Sessions on the bike… Depending on your training needs, goals, and current focus you may find the following sessions:
- Aerobic Build (Threshold)
- Leg Work (Force)
- Steady (Form Endurance)
- Recovery (Active Recovery)
Molding the bike to you, a closer look
Cycling form starts with a good-for-your-current-you bike fit (molding the bicycle to you)
Going Faster. There are a lot of forces that fight against this. It’s a drag… on the ground and in the air. To go faster we have to break through this. The more drag we encounter the more force we have to produce to keep the speed. Both the bicycle and the individual have an effect on this. Getting the right bicycle is one part. After consideration of how long the ride is (short and sweet or going the distance), what format the ride takes (Draft/non-Draft; road/off-road; climbs/flat), and understanding one’s fitness level (flexibility, power, endurance)…bicycle build (components) and fitting (molding the bicycle to you) sets an individual up in the right direction. We would like to assist individuals in this with the consideration of where they are now and where they want to be.
The second part is the training and working with what you have, training that will help with reducing drag and improving force. Training is so individual that it can take on many different focus points (individuals may or may not have to work on Healthier body composition to reduce rolling resistance; Flexibility to keep the power while reducing air drag; Power to cut through these forces; Endurance…). Or cycling can just be fun. Enjoy the ride. Stay safe.
The bicycle fitting should be considered part of your training… it is like a flexibility, stability, endurance, strength… test after creating the ideal fit for your body mechanics we use this as a baseline measurement to develop training goals of stability, flexibility, strength with understanding that the body adapts to training…
Take a seat
Have a seat on your sit bones… when I talk about your sit bones it is pretty much the bony parts (two points next to each other) you sit on when you are on the saddle… and with the pelvic tilt the width between the two points may change.
So, depending on your primary position on your bike you may decide on a different saddle (width of the padding on the saddle).
We want to remain stable on both of these two points, not pivoting back and forth on them, nor simply staying on one side.
Given this you should try out different saddles in succession… finding your saddle for when you are sitting upright or deep into your aerobars.
Dial in your Cockpit
With everyone having a unique structure, your equipment should resemble your needs.
Your cockpit should be dialed in for this… to help with this there is a variety of extension shapes and lengths, plus armrest shapes… From there, fore/aft/width adjustment on the armrests plus risers/angled wedges for perfection.
And if you use a drop bar… there are bars for your shoulder width and hand size.
Find your Stance
Hips over knees over toes… keeping everything in line.
In cycling pushing the pedal reminds me of the Single Leg Press, but the position of your foot is locked in with your pedal.
Similar to adjusting the rest of the bike to your body, the pedals should be shifted according to your needs.