Fitness questions and answers for April 11, 2005
Got a question about fitness, training, recovery from injury or a related subject? Drop us a line at...
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.
Dave Palese (www.davepalese.com) is a USA Cycling licensed coach and masters' class road racer with 16 years' race experience. He coaches racers and riders of all abilities from his home in southern Maine, USA, where he lives with his wife Sheryl, daughter Molly, and two cats, Miranda and Mu-Mu.
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.
Eddie Monnier (www.velo-fit.com) is a USA Cycling certified Elite Coach and a Category II racer. He holds undergraduate degrees in anthropology (with departmental honors) and philosophy from Emory University and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business.
Eddie is a proponent of training with power. He coaches cyclists (track, road and mountain bike) of all abilities and with wide ranging goals (with and without power meters). He uses internet tools to coach riders from any geography.
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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.
Current riders that Steve has positioned include Davitamon-Lotto's Nick Gates, Discovery's Hayden Roulston, National Road Series champion, Jessica Ridder and National and State Time Trial champion, Peter Milostic.
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.
Pam was an All-American in track while at the UW. She started cycling competitively in 2003 and is the defending Missouri State Road Champion. Pam writes a nutrition column for Giana Roberge's Team Speed Queen Newsletter.
Dario Fredrick (www.wholeathlete.com) is an exercise physiologist and head coach for Whole Athlete™. He is a former category 1 & semi-pro MTB racer. Dario holds a masters degree in exercise science and a bachelors in sport psychology.
Scott Saifer (www.wenzelcoaching.com) has a Masters Degree in exercise physiology and sports psychology and has personally coached over 300 athletes of all levels in his 10 years of coaching with Wenzel Coaching.
Kendra Wenzel (www.wenzelcoaching.com) is a head coach with Wenzel Coaching with 17 years of racing and coaching experience and is coauthor of the book Bike Racing 101.
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.
Through his highly customized online training format, Steve and his handpicked team of coaches at Colorado Premier Training work with cyclists and multisport athletes around the world.
Brett Aitken (www.cycle2max.com) is a Sydney Olympic gold medalist. Born in Adelaide, Australia in 1971, Brett got into cycling through the cult sport of cycle speedway before crossing over into road and track racing. Since winning Olympic gold in the Madison with Scott McGrory, Brett has been working on his coaching business and his www.cycle2max.com website.
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.cyclecoach.com) is an Associate Coach with Richard Stern Training. He holds a Masters degree in exercise physiology and is USA Cycling Expert Coach. Michael has been a competitive cyclist for over 10 years and has experience coaching road and off-road cyclists, triathletes and Paralympians.
Kim Morrow (www.elitefitcoach.com) has competed as a Professional Cyclist and Triathlete, is a certified USA Cycling Elite Coach, a 4-time U.S. Masters National Road Race Champion, and a Fitness Professional.
Her coaching group, eliteFITcoach, is based out of the Southeastern United States, although they coach athletes across North America. Kim also owns MyEnduranceCoach.com, a resource for cyclists, multisport athletes & endurance coaches around the globe, specializing in helping cycling and multisport athletes find a coach.
Sore rear end question
More Upper Calf Pain...
Converting road bike fit to MTB fit
Position for Long TTs
Pedalling efficiency
Bone Density
Immune System
Cramp
Exercise Induced Asthma
Sore rear end question
I have been having a problem with the edge of the chamois in my shorts (Pearl Izumi) cutting into my buttock where it contacts the saddle (Selle Italia Prolink Genuine Gel). I enquired at the (reputable) bike store where I bought the shorts and they said they had not heard of this before. Is it a problem you have encountered previously, and if so do you have any suggestions how I could fix it? Many thanks for any advice you can provide.
Rob Bishop
More Upper Calf Pain...
My pelvis is tilted, functionally making my right leg shorter. If you stand infront of me looking at me the right side of my pelvis is higher than my left. I hope that clears things up. Thanks.
Timothy Applegate
Converting road bike fit to MTB fit
Thanks for leading an extremely useful discussion of bike fit in recent months. After much tweaking, the moment when I made the final adjustment and felt my midsection relax was inspirational!
A final question (apologies if you have addressed this already and I missed it): if you have your road bike dialed, what modifications do you make to set up a mountain bike? Thanks for your thoughts.
Nathan
Denver, Colorado (where MTB season is upon us!)
Position for Long TTs
I've been crazy enough to be roped into the 80km bike leg of a Run-Cycle-Paddle event, and wondered whether setting up the bike for a TT (when you don't have a dedicated TT bike) is as simple as bolting on the aero bars. In club TTs of 25-40km this is all I've ever done. I've also completed a 63km and 57km TT with the same setup. I've done this more through ignorance of a better alternative than anything else, but would like an expert opinion on whether any other elements of the bike setup (eg, seat forward/backward, seat higher/lower) should be changed when going onto aero bars and if this could benefit me.
Unfortunately I'm a bit short (165cm) so my ability to gain an aerodynamic advantage through a more bum-up position is limited by the seat-to-handlebar height relationship. Is it worth investing in a stem offering a lower position? I have excellent flexibility in my hamstrings (take up yoga all you riders with back pain!), so getting lower isn't a problem from that respect, but I also understand that over 80km comfort might be more important than the benefits of a better aero position.
Quentin
Melbourne, Australia
Pedalling efficiency
I'm a masters-age cyclist, reasonably fit, been at it fairly seriously for seven years. I've been told I tend to hammer unevenly on the pedals - or make them go round in squares as some would say. I've had some advice from the bunch and tried a few things but my technique is still off the pace. I know this costs me in terms of power and overall efficiency. Can your team suggest appropriate exercises to make the right technique second nature? Many thanks
Mike V
Melbourne, Australia
Bone Density
I am a 44 year old Cat 3 racer. I'm 6 feet tall and weigh about 155 lbs, bodyfat ~ 5%. I've been cycling for about 15 years now, but only racing for the last four years (lots of miles, commuting, touring in the previous 10 years, but no high intensity training/racing).
Presently I train about 12-15 hours/week, and lift weights three days per week off-season, and two light days per week during the season (I am 'in-season' now). I recently had a bone density test during an annual exam. The test consisted of putting my foot in a device that put two probes up against my heel, and took some readings. The results said I had low bone density (BMD = .359, Tscore = -2.0, if those numbers mean anything to you). I have also had blood work done, and found to have low testosterone levels (I don't know if these are related).
Can you tell me anything about low bone density, why it occurs, and what I can do about increasing bone density? Thanks.
Craig Long
Mesa, Arizona
Immune System
I am a 38-year-old recreational cyclist (5'9" - 76kg). I have been cycling on and off for over 26 years but apart from a criterium and a couple of TTs in my teens I have not raced competitively. I am hoping that this year will see me compete in my first road race. My question centres around the issue of the effect of hard riding on the body's immune system.
I am still in the early stages of turning my body into a lean mean cycling machine and I'm only averaging about 120km (75miles) a week. This is achieved over five days of riding to and from work (20 km a day) with perhaps a club ride on the weekend. I am pleased with the progress in my fitness level but concerned that I regularly feel 'run-down'. I find it difficult to not ride medium/hard and I regularly feel like my immune system is under pressure and dealing with some mild cold or flu like symptoms. It doesn't stop me riding to work but I just wish my body could remain clear and 'powerful' for a prolonged period of time.
When my body is good I go hard. This often seems to result in me succumbing to another bout of feeling 'run-down'. It's like a cycle which keeps recurring. Can you recommend anything to boost my immune system; is my situation common and does the immune system become proportionally stronger as one becomes fitter? I am aware of the impact of sleep, diet, alcohol and daily stress on the immune system. I look forward to your response
Jason
Perth, Western Australia
Cramp
I'm a 30 year old male - 5'6 and 140 pounds, I train 2-3 times a week for 2-4 hours at a time.
I am a heavy sweater and I often experience sever cramp when racing. I have been using Horleys Carbo drink powder as it contains 221mg of sodium and 196mg of potassium and this has helped to some extent.
Is there something I should be doing before the race besides stretching and drinking (and how much should I be drinking before a big race)
Does diet have an effect on cramp and can my position on the bike also have an effect (I usually cramp while sitting). Nine times out of ten I only cramp in my thighs, usually after about 1 1/2 to 2 hours into a hard ride/race. Could this be a seat height problem, and if so what's the best way to determine the correct height? Thanks!
Adam
Exercise Induced Asthma
I am a 61 year old male who has been riding and racing for many years. Some time ago I found it difficult to breathe during extreme exercise. This manifested itself in my inability to ride hard either on hills or (my version of) fast for prolonged periods. My nickname became "Puffing Billy".
On investigation, I was diagnosed with Exercise Induced Asthma. This was determined after an exercise ECG to exhaustion breathing through a mouthpiece. Oxis, Vicron and Tilade were prescribed. The Oxis and Vicron are taken (two puffs each) 30 minutes before exercise and two puffs of Tilade immediately before.
Whilst this has provided some relief, it has never been 100% and recently it has seemed to be less effective. My riding is mainly fun-rides in summer and short handicap and massed-starts in winter. I liken the effect to the end of a kilo or a pursuit.
I have varied my warm up techniques. Last week I did a short turbo session at home before going out to race. These have helped in TTs but not otherwise. Of course, it could simply be lack of fitness. With the fun rides and TTs that I have ridden recently, I don't think that is it. In the TTs and fun rides, one can back off before the heart rate gets too high but that is not an option racing.
I understand that this condition is quite prevalent in the pro peloton and hopefully your panel may have some helpful comments
Colin Evans
Auckland, New Zealand
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