How Can Intrinsic Biomechanics Help Me With My Cycling?
Whether Cycling for Fun or Competition
Let Intrinsic Biomechanics Up Your
Level of Performance
EXTERNAL biomechanics applied to cycling, is to improve the cyclist's interaction with the bicycle, with the aim of ensuring comfortable position (posture), efficiency and power.
As healthy as cycling is, there are many health hazards associated with this sport. Being biomechanically positioned correctly on the bike is of paramount importance to reduce the risk of injury and enhance cycling performance, for both competitive and recreational cyclists.
Many factors can influence the biomechanics of cycling. These factors include seat height, crank arm length, foot position, cadence and workload. This is where your professional
Bike Fitter or Cycling Coach is the expert and will help you.
Finding the perfect Bike Fitter is time consuming, but hugely critical for your cycling success. Choosing the right frame, most aerodynamic tyres and equipment can also be expensive. Do you ever consider your investment in the “engine” of your bike? Yes - YOU!!
Time spent in the saddle is always a good idea, but you may not be seeing the results of the effort you are putting in, not because you are not giving 100% - but there may be an unknown dysfunction in your kinetic chain.
It doesn’t matter how many times you adjust your Bike Fit, if there is a kink in your muscular-skeletal system, your performance could be hindered.
For example, the Bike Fit, will find the “optimum” EXTERNALLY aerodynamic biomechanical position for you on the bike, but if you have an over-pronated foot, it will affect the muscle activation in your ankle and lower leg, which will affect your knee, making adjustments all the way up the kinetic chain.
Every time you rotate your legs on the bike, you would be causing other muscles to compensate for the dysfunction in the foot. As this movement is constantly repeated, stressing the muscles and/or joints along the kinetic chain. Your body usually has a way of telling you about it, normally through pain, muscle fatigue or injury. So, without knowing what is causing the problem, you refit your bike positioning again.
Having the knowledge of how your body is stacked AND how to repair it (if it needs it) will only enhance the accuracy of your Bike Fit.
Are you following all the rules regarding bike setup and still experiencing . . .
Cycling recruits many myofascial lines within the body. Forward flexion of the body plays a large part of cycling, this needs to be balanced out by having strong ‘extensors”.
Don’t stress. Your Intrinsic Biomechanics Coach can help you.
How are you stacked up on the inside? Perhaps it’s time to consider your Intrinsic Biomechanics and see how it's affecting your cycling performance and risk to injury.
Imagine . . . upping your average km/h because your glutes are firing as they should be? Or being able to ride longer because you have less muscle fatigue?