Cyclingnews Fitness Q&A - June 1, 2011

Getting the right seat height is often neglected by recreational and even professional riders. (Image credit: Steve Hogg)

Topics: Piriformis pain, Forward positioning, Cramps guide, Peaking, Adjusting to bike-fits, Improving your sprint

I am currently training for the 2011 Etape in July and doing about 100 - 125 miles per week and I'm now suffering from pretty bad piriformis pain which has crept up over the last 2 months. Just to give you a bit of background. I slipped a couple of discs back in 2003 in L4/L5 and L5/S1 but it happened on the right hand side. I have been on/off with the bike ever since, but I decided to push on through with the pain since I signed up. When my spine is out of alignment, I go and see and Osteopath and he puts me right. What I have found since training from about August last year is that I have the pain mostly in my lower back in the left hand side which used to cause pinching of my hamstring especially going uphill. This has mostly gone to be replaced by this Piriformis syndrome in the last 2 months.

Symptoms are the usual; real tenderness in my left buttock which runs down my leg and numbing, nagging nerve pain that runs down my leg through to my calves and then a tingling in my feet. I'm fine when I'm on the bike, but when I stop to sit at my desk it can be extremely uncomfortable. I've had acupuncture, sports massage, I do the stretches etc, but when it gets bad, the only real relief is taking an anti-inflammatory pill.

After a few outings on my bike, I made some adjustments to the distance between the seat to the stem by shortening the stem and changing the handle bars so now it's 55/68 which is much more comfortable for long distances. I may not get the power that I had as the ideal set up but I can go long distances. All the other measurements are the same except that I have raised the saddle by 0.5cm in the last 2 weeks as I felt it made it easier on my knees/got less lactic burn going up steep hills, but that will obviously have no effect on the problem I've been experiencing over the last 2 months.

The posterior ligaments and annular fibres of the disc are placed on stretch, the deep stabilizing musculature is inhibited, and the circulatory flow through the region is minimal. Thus, the combination of prolonged sitting and the flexed position of cycling is very problematic for the spine as there is significant accumulation of the negative effects of flexed postures. I highly recommend the book 'Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance' by Stewart McGill - it is an excellent resource on how we develop and prevent lumbar pathology.

My first recommendation is to have a more thorough work-up of your spine. Additionally, my general rule in sitting is to stand 15 seconds every 10 minutes, as this reduces the accumulation of creep (time dependent deformation) on the posterior support structures and improves the local circulation. I'm sure that Steve will be able to add in some additional fit information, but my concern is that your cycling position and issues are just magnifying a deeper underlying problem.

They seem to want to be forward on the bike yet their seats/posts are set back. I am amazed by their fluid pedaling, their saddle heights seem to contribute this (none are overextending), and they seem very comfortable in this position. I myself have been in race situations where I have been forced to get "on the rivet" but only for brief period until everything was under control -but it never looked or felt as pretty! What gives?

At the risk of upsetting people who view the pro scene what we should all attempt to imitate, I'd tell you that if a rider crawls forward on the seat under high load, there is something wrong with their position, or the way that they function, or both. The term "on the rivet" comes from a time when leather seats had a rivet at the front and it was common for riders to creep forward on the rivet at full noise efforts. Somehow or other it has become viewed as necessary or normal. It is neither.

It is only necessary if the rider cannot maintain stability on the seat with the position they have and the degree of functionality they have. Any challenge to stability will autonomically cause the rider to attempt to use any stabilisation mechanism they can find. If the position the rider holds doesn't allow them what I call Passive Stability, they will do achieve it with Active Stability which on a bike takes 2 forms. Excessive use of arms, shoulders and upper backs OR shortening effective torso length by arching the back.

I have ridden a bike all my life (now 48) and have always suffered from cramp in my legs toward the end of rides and then often also later on (usually during the night). Not every ride by any stretch - usually just the more arduous ones. I find this very frustrating as some of my riding companions don't even seem to know what cramp is! What I would like someone to do is offer some clear explanation of why cramping occurs and a simple list of the things that you need to do to best avoid it. Whenever I read articles they always seem vague and full of caveats about this and that. Drinking and eating plenty seems to have the best effect - but are there good and bad things to eat/drink?

Cramps have many causes, though fundamentally they are similar. When you move, your brain sends signals to your muscles requesting a contraction. The brain receives feedback on the strength of the contraction that has occurred, from which it can make adjustments to create a controlled movement. If the feedback says that the contraction is harder than expected, the brain can send instructions to contract less. If the feedback says the contraction is weak, the brain can send a signal to contract more. As a muscle fatigues, the brain sends more signals to tell the muscle to contract to get the same strength of contraction. When the muscle becomes too fatigued to do what is asked of it, the brain sends a continuous contraction signal, initiating a cramp.

Scott has provided you an excellent summary of potential causes of cramps and corresponding treatments. I would like to briefly elaborate on the electrolytes. If your cramps affect more than one muscle group, than electrolyte imbalance or dehydration is likely the cause. It is important to recognize that the primary electrolytes lost in sweat are those that are found in the greatest amounts in extra cellular fluid--sodium and chloride. Unfortunately, people who have high concentrations of sodium in their sweat, i.e., "salty sweaters", and/or who have high sweat volumes, lose sodium at a higher rate than it can be replaced. These individuals may lose up to 1500 mg of sodium per hour, while the recommended rate of consumption is 500-700 mg per litre of water per hour, which is based on the rate at which sodium is absorbed from the gut. Not all sports drinks are equal in how much sodium they provide, so read the label!

I am currently in my final year of high school, so my time on the bike is limited to two or three training sessions per week. My question is, what would be the most effective ways to utilise these sessions, so that I will be most ready for next season? I will be competing in many one day road races around 100-140km long, criteriums as well as a few three day stage races next year. My current program consists of Thursday: 1 hour spinning, Saturday: 2 hour, high intensity group ride, and Sunday: 5 hour endurance ride. I am currently not racing or doing any interval or specific hill training. (Looking to peak in mid-April 2012).

The dates when you need to be on form are always key in forming a training plan. To be on form in mid-April 2012, you'll want to set yourself up with a formal, periodized training plan from roughly mid-December 2011 or a bit earlier. To start training you need to be rested, so you'd set up a few weeks of rest or recovery oriented exercise before that. Between now and the rest period, you can do whatever you like more or less so long as you ride a lot. Your current routine is fine, though I would suggest one change, that being to get in at least a 40 minute spin on Tuesday so you don't have that gaping three-day hole in your training every week. Riders who ride at least a little, at least every other day make far more fitness progress than those who routinely take long breaks between sessions.

So finally to my question: how should I attempt to apply in these changes? Have I made a mistake going to hard, too soon? Should I expect a long running in period during which I have to tolerate knee pain until my body gets used to the new position? Should I have gradually applied the changes towards my final new position rather than making them all at once? Is it possible that the nice straight action is actually not right for me and never will be?

Any repetitive action causes us to develop a muscle firing sequence called a motor pattern. We don't learn new ones overnight. So you are in the situation where you have had a significant change to the cant of your feet on the pedals (but not as much as you think; more about this later) Your pre fit motor pattern was dictated by the position you hold in space relative to gravity and relative to your bike as well as force feedback from the feet. All of these relationships then changed at the fit but your motor pattern won't have changed. That takes time. The best way to learn a new motor pattern is to ride at low / moderate intensities because we adapt best when we are not under pressure. When you are under pressure, as in your TT 2 days later, you will have reverted back to the motor patterns that were embedded from the previous bike position. You would have been out of sync with those because of the altered position and altered cant of the foot. What ever part that played in your subsequent injury, you can blame yourself for and you should have been advised accordingly.

In response to other matters you raise. Specialized claim their shoes have compensation built in. My experience is that it is either not there or is ineffective, which amounts to the same thing. So the change in cant was not as pronounced as you were told it was. Next, the wedges you were fitted with. You don't say what brand or type, though as it was a BG fit, I assume Specialized. If they were Bike Fit cleat wedges, Bike Fit ITS (in shoe) wedges, or Specialized cleat wedges (licensed from Bike Fit) the wedges themselves are not the problem, though the number used might be. If the wedges were Specialized in shoe wedges, I would advise taking them out, because they may be part of the problem. This link will explain more.

The question thus becomes: what sort of training should one undertake to increase their peak power. If you are not already, I would recommend doing at least one sprint session weekly during the season. Strike a balance between power development, which can be accomplished through hill sprints, seated sprints and gym work, and top-end speed which is developed through downhill sprints, roller work, lead outs and motor pacing.

I’ll turn now to the tactical component that I mentioned earlier. In terms of developing your confidence, it helps to race a lot (which it sounds as if you are already doing). Another useful approach for developing your confidence is to have a teammate or more experienced rider guide you through the final kilometer or so of a race. Think of this rider as your “pilot fish” who can guide you through the race and show you when and how to best maintain your position, what wheels to follow and where and when to move up. The aim here is not to simply have another rider lead you out but to show you the nuances of moving through the field and positioning yourself.

Scott Saifer (www.wenzelcoaching.com) is head coach, CEO of Wenzel Coaching.com and has been coaching cyclists professionally for 18 years. He combines a master's degree in Exercise Physiology with experience in 20 years of touring and racing and over 300 road, track and MTB races to deliver training plans and advice that are both rigorously scientific and compatible with the real world of bike racing.

Steve Hogg has owned and operated Pedal Pushers since 1986, 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. Clients range from recreational riders and riders with disabilities to World and National champions. He can be reached at: www.stevehoggbikefitting.com

James Hibbard progressed from the junior to the professional ranks as a rider and has over 15 years of competitive cycling experience. He is a former Collegiate All-American track cyclist, trained as a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center, earned international medals as part of the U.S. National Team, and was a member of the powerhouse Shaklee and HealthNet Professional road cycling teams.

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.