Ride Strong
Page 8
Movement
From this start position, slowly extend your leg directly upwards, keeping your foot relaxed and maintaining a curve in the small of your back. As you move into the stretch, feel for the point where if you go any higher you will be unable to maintain this curve, at which point pull firmly on the strap to increase the stretch sensation, and hold for 1–2 seconds. Using your knuckles against your knee as a solid anchor point can help you find and hold the effective position repeatedly. Then, release your lower leg back down to the start position, relaxing the hamstrings but maintaining the knee-over-hip position.
If you are performing the stretch well, you will feel the focal point at the back of the knee. It can take some time to learn to maintain a curve in your lower back while at the same time extending your leg, but if you persist your control in this exercise will improve, as will its effectiveness. It’s important that you focus on the ‘feel’ of the stretch rather than trying to get your leg higher than is optimal for you at any time.
When and how often?
Pre-exercise: If you have any lower back problems that are provoked by riding, I highly recommend you include this or any of the other dynamic hamstring stretches before you get on the bike as well as before any strengthening or core-focused work from Chapters 3 and 4. Perform 8–10 repetitions on each side, or more if you feel you need a little longer to start to loosen up in the stretch. You should find that your range increases slightly as the muscles warm up but then will plateau, at which point you will probably not get any further benefit from the stretch.
If you are tighter on one side (which will be evident if one leg does not extend as easily as the other), perform further repetitions on the tighter side until you feel more even.
Post-exercise: This stretch can be used in this same way post-exercise but for more repetitions – for example, 16–20 on each leg. Following up with the doorframe stretch will be most effective if you are particularly tight in this area.
Activated isolated stretching (AIS) style – strap assisted
This hamstring stretch together with its variations can help you access the different muscles that make up the hamstrings group, and can be particularly helpful if you tend to have neurological symptoms associated with tight hamstrings, such as sciatica or tingly, niggling problems in the hips and legs. The repetitive elevation of the straight leg involved in this stretch can have a nerve-gliding effect, helping to relieve any tethering and tension that can be implicated in these problems.
Preparation
Hook a strap around the instep of your foot. The strap needs to be solid (not elastic) and long enough to work with comfortably. Lie flat on your back with both legs straight, holding on to the leg to be stretched through tension on the strap.
Movement
Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out begin to raise your leg, actively using your hip flexors and simultaneously pulling on the strap with your arms. Press the straight leg down at the back of the knee to anchor your hips. At the same time try to release your lower back into its natural curve. Try not to allow your back to flatten completely or your hips to lift as you go into the stretch, or the most effective stretch position will be lost.
Raise your leg to the point where you feel a stretch at the back of the knee, using your quads to keep your leg straight and pulling on the strap with your arms to intensify the stretch. The stretch feeling should be intense and uncomfortable momentarily, but held only for 1–2 seconds (shown left). Then allow your leg to release to the floor, slowly sliding the strap through your fingers.
Repeat this stretch in time with your breathing, breathing out as you raise your leg into the stretch, and breathing in as you lower it. With progressive rhythmical pulls on the strap, you should find that you achieve greater range of movement as the muscle warms up.
Strap wrap variations – medial hamstrings
This variation uses a wrapping technique at the ankle and a lateral pull on the strap to help target the stretch to the medial (or inner thigh) part of the hamstrings.
Preparation
Having hooked the strap around the instep of your foot, take both ends of the strap and wrap them from the outside of your calf to the inside, as shown.
Movement
As you go into the stretch movement, raise the leg upwards but also outwards in the direction that your foot is pointing, towards your shoulder, using your lateral glutes as well as your hip flexors. Try to keep your shoulders square and your other hip firmly on the floor by pressing the straight leg downwards behind the knee.
Raise your leg to the point where you feel a stretch at the back of the knee, and/or on the inside of the back of your thigh, using your quads to keep your leg straight and pulling on the strap with your arms to intensify the stretch. The stretch feeling should be quite intense and uncomfortable momentarily, but held only for 1–2 seconds. Then allow your leg to release to the floor, slowly sliding the strap through your fingers.
Repeat this stretch in time with your breathing, breathing out as you raise the leg upwards and outwards into the stretch, and breathing in as you lower it to release the stretch. With progressive rhythmical pulls on the strap, you should find that you achieve greater range of movement as the muscle warms up.
Strap wrap variations – lateral hamstrings
This variation uses a wrapping technique at the ankle and a medial pull (across your body) to help target the stretch to the lateral (outer) part of the hamstrings.
Preparation
Having hooked the strap around the instep of your foot, take both ends of the strap and wrap them from the inside of your calf to the outside as shown in the picture below.
Movement
Then as you go into the stretch movement, raise the leg upwards but also inwards in the direction that your foot is pointing, towards your opposite shoulder and across your body, actively using your inner thigh as well as your hip flexors. Try to keep your shoulders square and your other hip firmly on the floor by pressing the leg on the floor down behind the knee.
Raise your leg to the point where you feel a stretch at the back of the knee, and/or on the outside of the back of your thigh, using your quads to keep your leg straight and pulling on the strap with your arms to intensify the stretch. The stretch feeling should be quite intense and uncomfortable momentarily, but held only for 1–2 seconds, before releasing the stretch and letting your leg drop to the floor as you allow the strap to slide through your fingers.
Repeat this stretch in time with your breathing, breathing out as you raise the leg upwards and inwards into the stretch, and breathing in as you lower it to release the stretch. With progressive rhythmical pulls on the strap you should find that you achieve greater range of movement as the muscle warms up.
Working into the tightest areas
The beauty of this technique is that you can find your way into the tightest spots and compare different angles to target the stretch to where you need it the most.
In this sequence of pictures here you can see Nichola performing the neutral and then medial and lateral stretch variations seen from behind, and with better range of movement than Paul. You can slightly vary the angle of pull to try to find the spot where you feel any restriction and then work into it with progressive pulls on the strap. If you notice that you are not able to raise your leg as high on any particular angle, it is worth performing more repetitions in that plane of movement until you start to loosen up. Balancing the muscles from the inside to the outside, as well as from left to right, can help prevent problems developing.
When and how often?
Pre-exercise: If you have any lower back problems that are provoked by riding I highly recommend you include this or any of the other dynamic hamstring stretches before you get on the bike, as well as before any strengthening or core work from Chapters 3 and 4. Perform at least 8–10 repetitions on each side, or more if you feel you need a little longer to start to loosen up in the stretch. You can include at least 8–
10 repetitions on all the wrap variations, or just include the angles that you know affect you the most. You should find that your range increases slightly as the muscles warm up but then will plateau, at which point you will probably not get any further benefit from the stretch.
If you are tighter on one side (which will be evident if one leg does not extend as easily as the other), perform further repetitions on the tighter side until you feel more even.
Post-exercise: This exercise can be used in this same way post-exercise but for more repetitions, for example 16–20 on each leg and with each wrap. If you have persistent hamstring tightness and associated problems this dynamic stretch variation can be particularly effective if you spend a bit of time learning the technique and identifying the areas where you are most restricted. Then, you can spend more time post-exercise targeting the angles where you need the stretch the most.
Passive doorframe hamstring stretch – post-exercise only
This hamstring stretch is completely different to those featured so far, as it is entirely passive. That is to say you are trying to relax your leg completely to let the position itself progressively lengthen the muscles. For that reason, it is one of the easiest to do, especially if you are particularly tight. It also works as a good follow up to any of the other more dynamic stretches, and can work particularly well as a relaxation stretch post-exercise, or in the evening.
Preparation
Lie in an open doorway with one leg lying straight through the opening and the other resting on the doorframe or wall.
Position yourself so that the lifted leg is straight and you are able to gently arch your lower back and keep the other leg resting heavily on the floor. You can check you are able to maintain a slight curve under your lower back as shown here by sliding your hand under your lower back.
If you move your hips closer to the wall you will intensify the stretch, move further away and you will ease it. Find the perfect distance for you to be able to let go of your leg but at the same time release your lower back.
Movement
There is no movement with this exercise. You literally just lie there and relax. Focus on taking deep breaths into your abdomen and ‘letting go’ of the leg resting on the wall or doorframe. The more you attend to letting go of your hamstrings, the more you will release into the stretch.
When and how often?
Post-exercise only: This exercise is an effective post-exercise stretch for developing the length and flexibility of the hamstrings, and also to aid recovery and reduce muscle soreness between longer, harder rides.
The tighter you are, the longer you can hold the stretch position, but a minute at a time before changing sides is a good place to start. You might progress up to 5 minutes on each leg before changing sides, or do five lots of 1 minute on each side, alternating as you go.
It can be tempting to put both legs up the wall to save time, but for most people this position makes it very difficult to keep your hips on the floor and maintain a gentle curve in the lower back, so working on one leg at a time is a lot more effective. If you notice that you are much tighter on one side than the other, then spend longer with the tighter leg elevated to try and bring about balance.
Stretches for neck and upper back
Most riders will report upper back and neck fatigue and aching after a long weekend ride, and for some this can be quite problematic and painful. The postural load of the cycling position on the joints and muscles of the neck is significant, and it’s well worth taking care of this area to prevent problems developing, and to make you more comfortable on and off the bike in general. Together with riding a bike, sitting at a desk and working at a computer is very stressful on the neck and upper back, as is using a mobile device, so it’s hardly surprising that most people will at the very least suffer a little tension and discomfort here.
Before introducing some simple stretches that help relieve neck tension, it’s worth mentioning again that neck problems are often linked to poor posture through the thoracic spine, so I would recommend you look closely at the mobilizations for that area at the beginning of this chapter first. The more mobile your upper back in particular, the less stress will be transferred to the shoulders and neck.
Keeping your upper back (thoracic spine) mobile can offset some of the tension that can develop in these muscles Tight sub-occipital muscles (at the base of the skull)
Janda’s upper cross syndrome
Tight neck muscles and poor biomechanics in the neck and upper back can be implicated in recurrent headaches, some neurological problems down the arms, and even dizziness when looking overhead or holding your head in one position for too long. For most cyclists, these problems won’t necessarily come to light on the bike at first, but if left unaddressed longer term they can lead to permanent changes in the bony structure of the neck that can have an impact on bike fit and day-to-day movement in general.
The postural ‘syndrome’ associated with some of these muscle imbalances is known as ‘upper-cross syndrome’ (Page et al., 2010) where the shoulders are rounded and the head is forwards of the body. Muscles crossing the neck and shoulders front to back are out of balance, with some muscles being over-tight and others being relatively weak. This syndrome is common in cyclists and, as always, stretching and mobilizing the stiff and tight areas before strengthening the weaker areas is a good way to start tackling the problem. Some of the essential core exercises in Chapter 4 will work on the muscles that tend to weaken in this equation.
If you have persistent headaches, neck pain and problems with your shoulders, I recommend you seek out a good physiotherapist or osteopath for assessment and treatment. If you have little movement in your neck but are not in pain, it would be well worth finding a sports or remedial masseur who can do some deep tissue massage in the area. Trigger points (‘knots’ in the muscle) are very common in the upper back and neck muscles and these won’t always respond to the stretches here. However, if you combine them with massage work you will make good progress.
Most people find neck stretches quite uncomfortable, often because the area is so tight; so a little caution in moving into and out of position is worthwhile to ensure you don’t aggravate the area in an attempt to improve it.
Upper trapezius neck stretch
The upper trapezius is the top part of the diamond-shaped muscle of your upper back. Although it is one large continuous muscle, in terms of its function the trapezius has three portions: upper, middle and lower. The upper portion elevates the shoulder, and for cyclists supports the upper body when gripping at the handlebars. This upper trapezius makes a coat-hanger-shaped muscle where your neck meets your back, and probably feels tight and tense if you squeeze it with your finger and thumbs.
Most cyclists are tight in the upper trapezius and relatively weak in the mid and lower portions of the muscle. You can very easily see if your upper trapezii are tight by looking at the silhouette of your shoulders in the mirror. If your clavicles (collarbones) are horizontal and level, you are not too tight. If they slope down in the middle your upper trapezius muscles are pulling your shoulders up towards your ears.
Most people will be familiar with the sensation of tension associated with stress here. In situations when you are under pressure, your shoulders may creep progressively upwards around your neck and your breathing may be shallow, moving up towards the chest and neck. Regular, moderate intensity stretching to this area can be the best way to make a start on gently releasing the tension. I have included a stretch seated on the ball here, but you can equally do it sat on a chair, and ideally might repeat it several times a day when at your work desk.
Preparation
Sit up tall on a chair or ball, lifting your chest and ensuring your lower back is in its natural curve. This will be easier on a ball or chair that is high enough to allow your thigh to slope downwards slightly. Make sure you are not slumping to ensure that your head doesn’t fall forwards and is positioned squarely over your shoulders. Your head
should be lengthened at the end of your spine so that your ear is directly above your shoulder, if viewed from the side.
Movement
Resting one arm against the side of the chair or ball for reference, keep facing forwards and tilt your head sideways so that your ear drops towards your shoulder. It’s important that the opposite shoulder stays down away from your ear as you do this. Lightly gripping the ball or chair on the side that you are trying to keep down can help you get a sense of this.
Next, drop your chin slightly and look down towards your armpit. Keeping your chin tucked close to your chest, lightly grasp the top of your head, and gently pull downwards to increase the stretch. Again, focus on keeping the opposite shoulder down away from your ear to ensure you don’t lose the effective stretch position. You should feel the stretch in the upper back and neck on the opposite side.
Hold the stretch position for 1–2 seconds only before gently pushing backwards and upwards into your arm. This should be an isometric contraction, meaning that there is no actual movement. Hold the contraction for 1–2 seconds only, before letting go and easing into the stretch a little further, gently pulling downwards and across as you tuck your chin in and keep the opposite shoulder depressed.
Repeat this ‘contract-relax’ process 4–6 times on each side before changing over. Take your time to feel your way into this stretch, ‘pushing’ with perhaps only 20–30 per cent effort and then seeking out the tight spots as you gently ease into the stretch position.
How much and when?
Pre-exercise: Use the ‘contract-relax’ method described here for 4–6 repetitions on each side before riding, as well as before any core or strength exercises from Chapters 3 and 4, or at your desk to relieve neck/shoulder tension.