Ride Strong

by Jo McRae

  Why should cyclists stretch?

  There has been a lot of confusion about whether stretching is beneficial for cyclists and which stretches are the most suitable, as well as how and when to stretch to maximize the performance benefits and minimize the risk of injury. There are many reasons why you might stretch and each kind of stretching requires a different approach depending on its goal.

  The approach I am taking in this book is to illustrate some essential stretches that will help prevent progressive tightness and stiffness in areas that can become a tendency in cyclists. When cyclists get stiff and tight, injury issues can develop and performance can be limited. The goal of the stretches in this book is to restore and maintain normal mobility and length-tension relationships in the muscles and joints to maximize cycling performance and reduce risk of injury.

  The stretches are designed to balance the tightening and immobility that can result from hours spent on the bike, as well as for cycling muscles that can tend to shorten. They also take into account the fact that many cyclists are also office workers, who sit at a desk for most of the day.

  Many forms of exercise incorporate elements of flexibility work, but if you are chronically stiff in specific areas, the easiest way to have a tangible impact on your flexibility is to tackle each area one at a time, with isolated, targeted stretches.

  The cross-training options that might enhance your flexibility further if you find that you are stiff will be discussed later in Chapter 5, but the best way to have an impact is using the isolated stretches here.

  Combination stretches that stretch multiple chains of muscles can miss the target area, and the stiffer you are the harder it is to get these more complex positions right. Where muscles in a chain are short and tight, there may be no impact on muscle balance as a whole, and at worst the ‘longer’ muscles may lengthen further, exacerbating the imbalance and leading to a worsening of symptoms and poorer performance.

  For example, many commonly performed hamstring stretches are combination stretches for the hamstrings at the knee and hip, together with the lower back. A typical example might be the ‘toe touch’ stretch from standing. Cyclists need to be more specific in targeting the lower hamstrings at the knee to have a big impact: the ‘supine’ stretches where you lie on your back and raise your leg are usually a better choice. This is why all the hamstring stretches included in this chapter are performed from a supine position.

  In practice, learning to extend or arch the lower back throughout the hamstring stretch is the key to hitting the area behind the knee. This technique can be difficult to start with and requires practice maintaining this lumbar curve. Later in this chapter there will be four examples of hamstring stretches that will hit the tightest parts of the muscle group without overstretching the lower back.

  The essential stretches in this chapter target one muscle or specific area at a time in a focused way. These focused isolations should form the foundation of your stretching programme until you find that you are flexible in all the areas we are working through here.

  Problems associated with stiffness and the benefits of stretching

  Feeling stiff and tight is quite common, but don’t presume that this is ‘normal’ or something you just need to accept and get used to as a cyclist. In fact you might not even be aware that you have symptoms of tightness, so here are some clues that you may need to work on your flexibility, and some of the benefits you should expect from consistent, intelligent stretching.

  Symptoms of stiffness and tightness

  •Discomfort and a feeling of inflexibility

  •Muscle cramping on and off the bike

  •Muscle injury on and off the bike (strains)

  •Joint and connective tissue injuries (sprains)

  •Joint degeneration (in the spine, knees and neck in particular)

  •Poor posture off the bike

  •Poor bike fit (posture on the bike) and power associated with limited range of movement

  Benefits associated with stretching

  •An improved feeling of body ‘balance’ on and off the bike

  •Reduced risk of injury of any kind on and off the bike

  •Improved potential for optimal bike fit

  •Improved power and pedalling efficiency as a result

  •Improved posture and performance on and off the bike

  If you find the stretches in this section relatively easy to perform or feel little real ‘stretch’ in the more flexible examples given, you may be better off going straight to the essential strength and core sections of this book in Chapters 3 and 4. For some of the female readership in particular this may be the case as I have found women to be generally more flexible than men.

  The more difficult you find the stretches in this section, the more you should persist with them until you improve, and the more emphasis you should place on stretching in your overall programme.

  The success formula dictates that you prioritize each stage progressively in order to maximize your progress, so if you are very stiff you will do well to focus on these essential stretches before introducing some core stability exercises from Chapter 4. Only then would you move on to the more integrated strength elements in Chapter 3 of this book.

  Remember the success formula:

  FLEXIBILITY + CORE STABILITY + STRENGTH = POWER POTENTIAL

  Positional problem areas for cyclists

  Some of the stiffness and tightness associated with cycling is a result of the cycling position, or baseline ‘posture’. In addition, the repetitive movements of the cycling action cause some classically short and tight areas too, and it is these two elements – the fundamental position and the repetitive movements – that can lead to tightness.

  Any posture is the position from which movement begins and ends, and for cyclists the bike position can contribute to problems if no balancing movements are included in a conditioning programme. Some of the essential mobilizations and stretches in this section focus on restoring the normal range of motion in the muscles and joints that is restricted or limited by the cycling position.

  As human beings we have a ‘physiological norm’ for movement, which is our standing posture. This is the position we are biomechanically designed to move from and to, and so the seated position we move from on a bicycle represents a significant deviation that can lead to issues developing, reducing our movement potential or efficiency.

  The cyclist’s spine

  Lower back (lumbar spine)

  Seated in the saddle, the lower back suffers from prolonged flexion and flattening. Stiffness is the least of the problems that can start here, and because the alignment of the lower back is the furthest from its physiological upright ‘norm’ when cycling, it is often the area that cyclists are aware of the most. Ensuring that your ‘bike fit’ is balanced can reduce the postural stress in this area, but over time, even on a well-balanced bike, this relatively ‘unnatural’ position can take its toll.

  Prolonged flexion can flatten the lumbar curve

  As the lumbar spine becomes progressively flattened from riding (and sitting), the lower back muscles tend to weaken. A weak back (and core) will ache even more when standing or climbing for long periods, leading to fatigue, instability and loss of power.

  Over time, where the lumbar spine has become flattened the lumbar discs can begin to migrate backwards, which together with weakened abdominal muscles leads to a dull ache across the lower back and sometimes weakness or referred pain down one or both legs. At worst, a disc ‘bulge’ or injury can occur when lifting or moving suddenly, particularly when bending forwards. These back issues can often become quite serious and lead to long periods of rehabilitation and treatment, meaning enforced time spent off the bike.

  A disc ‘bulge’ is a common term for a more properly named disc herniation. Cyclists are at an increased risk of this kind of injury in the lower back because of their postural tendencies and lack of conditioning in lifting and carrying movements. If you imagi
ne the discs of your lower back as being like Jaffa cakes with a soft supportive jelly centre, a disc ‘bulge’ occurs when the jelly centre is squeezed backwards or to one side and begins to push out into the space where the nerves run along the spine and out to the limbs. This unexpected obstruction can cause pain in the lower back and sometimes (when the bulge is sideways) into the hips and legs. Disc injuries at their worst can have a long-term impact on your ability to ride a bike pain free. Maintaining normal curves in the spine, good length in the hamstrings and a functional core when lifting can prevent these problems from developing.

  Prolonged flexion in the upper back can lead to an excessively rounded posture

  The stiffer the upper back, the more extension is needed in the neck to look forwards at the road ahead. Prolonged stress in this area can lead to bony changes in the neck, and longer term issues

  Upper back (thoracic spine)

  The mid back between the shoulder blades also suffers from prolonged immobility on the bike. Normally moving and rotating when walking or running, when seated on a bike the thoracic spine becomes a stationary bridge connecting the upper body with the driving force of the legs and hips.

  This can result in poor posture in the upper back as the spine becomes ‘fixed’ and ‘rounded’, even when the cyclist stands upright. This poor posture can also lead to knock-on shoulder problems, most often experienced off the bike in situations where you reach or carry loads overhead.

  Neck (cervical spine)

  Naturally the eyes need to be looking to the horizon if you want to see where you are going, as well as what’s coming. Coupled with the forwards bend through the upper back to reach the bars, the neck curves inwards to look forwards at the road ahead. Often the neck can cope well with this extension provided the rest of the spine is moving well, but if the spine becomes stiff lower down there can be excessive load ‘referred’ up towards the neck that can lead to more serious problems.

  Where there is prolonged postural stress at the junction between the upper back and neck, the bones of the spine can change shape as the body attempts to stabilize the area. This can lead to arthritic symptoms such as pain in the neck and down the arms, as well as occasional headaches and dizziness when looking up. Although these changes take many years to develop, they can be prevented with a proactive approach to mobilizing the spine and stretching the muscles around the shoulders and neck.

  My essential mobilizations for the spine focus on extension (backwards bending) of the lumbar spine (lower back), rotation and extension of the thoracic spine (upper back), and flexion (forwards bending) of the cervical spine (neck). These movements need to be emphasized by cyclists who spend unnatural amounts of time in a flexed position.

  ‘Flexion dominance’ is a term used to describe the tendency of many people (cyclists included) to have many more forward-bending (flexion, picture left) movements in their day-to-day lives than backward-bending (extension, picture right) ones. Lack of extension in your movement vocabulary can cause problems, so introducing some extension exercises can help to balance the body.

  Muscles of the upper body and neck

  Although not a prime mover when seated in the saddle, the upper body can get tight and tense through resting a fair amount of your body weight on the handlebars as you ride. Holding the bars for prolonged periods can create tension and postural load up the arms to the upper back and neck. Consequently, even when practising good form by keeping the elbows bent and the arms somewhat ‘active’, the muscles of the chest and upper back can get short and tight.

  Over time, ‘trigger points’ can develop in the upper trapezius muscles of the upper back in particular, which will be felt as hard, uncomfortable ‘knots’ in the muscle that can cause pain. While stretching the chest can be achieved to some degree as you mobilize the spine, the neck and upper back muscles can be more difficult to effectively stretch in some cases without the addition of deep tissue massage.

  ‘Trigger points’ are so called because they can be felt as a localized ‘lump’ of muscle or tissue that is at the centre of, or the source of, discomfort or pain in a muscle. The discomfort or pain may be on the spot itself, or may radiate out from the trouble spot when it is pressed or irritated. ‘Trigger point therapy’ is a term given to treatment of these trouble spots either by a therapist or by self-massage techniques and tools.

  My essential stretches for the muscles of the upper body and neck focus on the areas that tighten from holding the handlebars for prolonged periods. If you regularly suffer from neck discomfort, including some remedial or ‘sports’ massage as part of your training plan, together with the stretches here, will maximize your progress.

  Tightness caused by the cycling action

  As well as mobilizing and stretching areas that get tight because of the cycling position, the working muscles will need regular stretching too to enhance and improve recovery between sessions.

  My essential stretches for the hip and leg muscles focus on the areas that work the hardest or within a shortened range at various stages in the cycling pedal stroke. Isolating these specific areas is important for you to avoid muscle imbalances developing that lead to inefficiencies and increased risk of injury.

  Where some muscles tend to shorten others tend to lengthen/weaken (highlighted here in green). The essential core exercises in Chapter 4 focus on strengthening these areas

  While the quadriceps (at the front of the thigh) is one of the prime movers for cyclists, one of the worst problem areas for tightness is often the hamstrings at the back of the knee. Though the hamstrings assist in the downstroke at the hip, and are prime movers in the upstroke at the knee, they are far less dominant at most intensities than the quads. At moderate intensities the downstroke is the major contributor to power production on flat roads. The upstroke only really becomes a major player when the ground goes up, or when you start to really go hard. However, because the knees rarely straighten completely (except for when a cyclist stands out of the saddle), the hamstrings can be one of the most problematic areas for cyclists, and even more so for those who sit at a desk for work. Stretching the hamstrings effectively is therefore very important for cyclists, even though as a muscle group they do not contribute to the action as much as the quads.

  Of the quads at the front of the thigh, the lateral portion (the outer thigh) can become dominant and tight together with the iliotibial band (ITB) of connective tissue that runs from the outer hip to the outside of the knee joint. This ‘fascia’ has a poor blood supply and is made of tougher stuff than muscles, and therefore responds best to self-massage techniques together with stretches that target the tightest parts of the quads.

  ‘Fascia’ is the term given to a band of connective tissue that attaches, stabilizes, encloses and connects muscles or organs of the body. Collectively these fascial layers form a complex, layered web of tissue throughout the whole body. Maintaining the pliability of these tissues is as important as maintaining muscle length. ‘Myofascial’ is a collective term given to a muscle and the connective tissue surrounding and relating to it. Foam rolling the lateral thigh can be called a myofascial release technique because it impacts both the iliotibial band and lateral quadriceps muscle.

  Throughout this chapter I refer to ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ or ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ portions of muscle groups. This is in reference to how the muscles work during the cycling action or to which area is the tightest or weakest. Anatomically, there is no upper or lower hamstring, for example, but in describing the different parts in this way I hope to help you understand their function and target each exercise more effectively to the most relevant part of the muscle.

  The Essential Stretches

  Mobilizations and stretches for the spine and back

  Before stretching any muscles around the back it’s important to mobilize the joints and structures of the spine itself. Stretches for the back muscles can be helpful, but direct and specific mobilizations for the vertebrae of the spine are als
o needed in order to keep each segment moving and to avoid the stiffness and rigidity developing.

  With 24 bones or ‘vertebrae’ in the spine, there are a lot of joints to consider and where stiffness develops in any one joint, the movement of the joints above and below will be affected and tightness in the surrounding muscles is likely to follow. The spine really is the ‘deep core’ of your body, not only providing it with physical structure, but also protecting the spinal cord that runs through the vertebrae. All movement is neuro muscular, and maintaining a healthy support structure for your nervous system as well as your muscles is absolutely critical in achieving and maintaining your physical potential.

  Between each vertebra is a supportive cartilaginous ‘disc’ that allows for some movement but also cushions against load, particularly in the lumbar spine, which is designed to support the most weight. Healthy discs maintain a healthy nervous system by ensuring enough space between the joints, which in turn allows room for the nerves to exit the spine to the limbs.

  Ligaments run the length of the spine too, bridging all the vertebrae and linking the bones together, and these need to be stretched and maintained to stay healthy and flexible. If these ligaments become less pliable and more rigid they can buckle and begin to encroach on the space where the nerves need to ‘run’.

  As a functional whole, maintaining the structural integrity of the spine in terms of its postural curves and movement potential is essential to avoid any irreversible degenerative changes to the bones, discs or ligaments that can limit your cycling performance. Maintaining range of movement in the joints and keeping muscles flexible is also the first step in maintaining good posture. Establishing core control and normal movement patterns are the second and third key elements.