I Love Bicycling

I Love Bicycling is a website that is geared towards cycling for beginners with road cycling tips, training articles, nutrition tips, weight loss, how to’s and bike repair articles.

Injury Prevention

Wide Cycling Shoes: Finding the Best Fit

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If you have wide feet, you know the feeling. A numbing pain and screaming pinky toes that have had enough of being crushed into the side of an ill-fitting cycling shoe. The good news it: you’re not alone. There are specifically made wide cycling shoes to cater to your aching toes.

Clipless pedals are a must when it comes to efficient pedalling on a bike, but their coinciding cycling shoes can be a little unforgiving. Unlike regular shoes, cycling shoes are rigid, most often made from materials that do not stretch out over time. So, if you’re feet measure somewhere in between hobbit feet and flippers, then here are some of the best options out there.

Wide Cycling Shoes

Before You Buy New Shoes

Wide Cycling Shoes

Getting a pair of specific wide cycling shoes, or at least a brand that has a bit more breathing room, is going to be your best option. However, before you make the investment, make sure you’ve tried everything to make your current shoes work.

  • Try ultra-thin socks – Assuming it’s not below freezing where you’re riding, trying a super thin pair of socks could help create enough space in your shoes to make them work. Check out Castelli’s line of thin cycling socks, or Swiftkick Aspire. Even if they don’t fix the shoe problem, they are great cycling socks to have.
  • Get a bike fit – Make sure the problem really is being caused by shoes that are too tight, and not an improper bike fit. If your cleats are not in the right spot, or if your saddle isn’t adjusted properly, it can cause pain in your feet. It’s worth a visit to your local bike shop for a bike anyways if you haven’t had one.

Finding The Right Fit

If you’re buying shoes in a store, you can actually take the insole out and measure it against your foot if you’re not sure how the shoe should feel. Your heel should be right at the back of the insole, and there should be 3-5mm from the end of your toes the top of the insole.

If you’re buying online, you will need to measure your foot. Get a regular piece of paper and put it on the floor, right up against a wall. Place your foot on the paper, with your heel pushed against the wall. Draw a line at the end of your big toe. Measure the length in cm, and add 5mm to the number to establish the length of shoe you need. You will also want to measure the circumference of the widest part of your foot. You can then reference these numbers with sizing charts from the manufacturer you choose to buy your shoes from.

Wide Cycling Shoes

It can be tempting to just go a size bigger when you’re purchasing cycling shoes for some extra room, but this can actually cause even more problems. The extra length may feel good on your toes while you’re in the store, but it will cause your feet to slip within the shoe when you’re clipped in. Not only will this feel awful, but it can cause your cleat to be placed too far forward, taking a toll on your power and efficiency.

That being said, there are shoes made specifically for wide feet that will ensure your toes are nice and comfy, but keep your foot is locked into the correct position. See the following for some of the best options out there.

Shimano Men’s RP3

Wide Cycling Shoes

$109

Shimano has the most options when it comes to the wider fit, offering regular and wide sizes on most of their shoes. The Shimano RP3 cycling shoes are a great entry level shoe, with a fiberglass reinforced nylon sole and three adjustment points for the perfect fit.

Lake CX 237 Wide Road Shoe

Wide Cycling Shoes

$289

Exactly the same as the CX237 shoe, the wide version gives an additional 15mm wiggle room compared to the regular width. With a carbon sole, and two micro-adjustable Boa dials, you have the ability to make adjustments to the fit of the heel and forefoot so you get a secure fit without sacrificing your circulation.

Bont: Riot or Vaypor

Wide Cycling Shoes

Riot: $99

Vaypor: $199+

They may be harder to find, but Bont Cycling has a few heat-molding shoe options that make them popular for those with wide feet. The Riot and Vaypor models both offer a custom fit through heat-molding that can be repeated until you are happy with the result.

Shimano R321

Wide Cycling Shoes

$299

The Shimano R321 was released in 2016 with heat moldable Custom-Fit technology applied through to the upper, insole, and heel cup. This does not, however, allow for a widening of the shoe in general, so they have a wide version available in each size. The sole construction itself gives an extra 11mm of adjustment range, so you can find the ideal shoe-pedal connection.

When You Hit the Wall: Bonking vs. Fatigue vs. Cramping

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Cyclists may not fully understand what’s happening to them when they start slowing down. It’s often a result of cycling limiters. Maladies such as bonking, fatigue, and cramping have similarities, but in actuality are very different. Cycling limiters can be scientific, but cyclist’s have common terminology for that feeling when you just hit the wall. In no specific order they are bonking, fatigue and cramping.  It might be helpful to break them down and know what each of them are.

cycling limiters

Bonking vs. Fatigue vs. Cramping

Three markers for cycling limiters include bonk, fatigue, and cramping. The terms are often applied interchangeably, which sometimes makes it difficult to address the specific problem. Mistakenly trying to address one won’t help with the other, leading to repeated issues with cycling limitations.

Bonking

The term “bonk”, also referred to as “hitting the wall“, is often applied at the end of a race, long distance ride, or steep hill climb. Bonking is not plain old fatigue and cramping is different than fatigue.

The Why

You bonk when you have exhausted your glycogen stores. This happens when you haven’t ingested enough carbs to produce more blood glucose for the intensity of riding and duration you are doing.

The Symptoms

Symptoms of bonking vary from cyclist to cyclist. Most often, a cyclist will experience a significant loss of performance that may include the inability to continue. You will gradually start to feel more and more tired and start to loose motivation. As you keep riding, you will start to become a bit lethargic as your brain isn’t getting enough glucose to continue functioning normally. As the bonk continues, you will be so tired that you have trouble holding yourself up on the bike. Bonking commonly occurs on longer more sustained rides, particularly when a high level of effort is required such as climbing.

The Brain Bonk

Bonking can be deadly for cyclists because muscles aren’t the only things in your body that burn glucose for fuel, your brain burns glucose too.  That means that not having enough glucose in your blood to fuel the system has mental and emotional affects in addition to physical affects. Symptoms might also include nausea, blurred vision, confusion, headaches, poor coordination, shaking, and light-headedness.

If blood glucose levels drop too low, the body acts to protect the brain and begins to shut down the muscles first.  However, the muscles won’t completely shut down before the brain begins to be affected. The mental and emotional consequences of bonking can be more dangerous to the cyclist than the physical consequences. The worst bonks may even induce hallucinations, like you’ve consumed bad mushrooms.

Fatigue

Fatigue is the fist indicator of performance issues on a long or demanding ride. We already know that bonking is caused by the depletion of the body’s glucose and glycogen stores. When your body’s glycogen stores get low during a race, long ride, or hill climb — your brain, which also relies on glucose, begins to get involved.

Brain Signals

Fatigue is different from the actual physical condition of bonking. Fatigue is your brain sending signals that you’re tired so you stop doing what you’re doing to ensure that you survive. It’s the cycling limiter or braking mechanism in the brain that swings into effect that slows you down. It’s a tiredness that originates in the brain and nervous system.

Cramping

Of all the cycling limiters, cramps are probably the single biggest issue that stops you dead in your tracks. Cramping is not so difficult to understand. Most cyclists have been brought down by the burning, searing wrath of the cramp. But even though cramping is different, it’s sometimes grouped with bonking and plain old fatigue, or the result of the two. Using the terms “bonk” and “cramp” to describe the feeling of fatigue — or vice versa — is missing the point, and might be counterproductive to a solution.

The Mystery

The science behind cramping is problematic because it’s difficult to pinpoint a consistent cause-and-effect mechanism directly related to cramping. The most popular theories include fluid loss, electrolyte imbalance, core temperature changes, or a combination of all three, each contributing to varying degrees depending on the conditions and how hard you’re pushing yourself.

Fatigue to Cramping

At least one study suggests that cramps can be the result of bonking or fatigue: “Muscle cramping remains localized to the overloaded and fatigued muscle group sometimes spreading slowly across the involved muscle region, but not jumping or wandering around a muscle.” The study says.

Fatigue to Bonk

Fatigue comes first and the timeline progresses. If your brain doesn’t have the energy it needs to function properly, it goes into self-preservation mode. It doesn’t care about continuing your race. It doesn’t care about completing the next 50 miles or whatever goals you started with. It only cares about survival, and you feel fatigue. If you keep pushing through the fatigue, and continue to deplete your body’s energy source, the body will shut itself down and you’ve suffered a bonk. It’s no longer a case of fatigue or mind over matter. It’s no longer an issue of being tough enough to continue and you may or may not begin to get cramps. Your thinking becomes confused. You can become disoriented. You are in trouble.

Listen to Your Body

As noted earlier, cramps are mysterious and can happen pretty much at any point even though they are more likely to occur after fatigue sets in and/or bonking has been initiated in the body. The whole point of this is basic; take care of your body,  give it what it needs in the way of nutrition, hydration, and don’t abuse it. Don’t try to analyze it too much. The body knows. Just listen to it.

Does Stretching Make You Faster?

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Most cyclists want to be faster and stronger, but there is no one-size-fits-all way to get there. The general rule is to ride more, and ride smarter. Training plans can help you look at every aspect of your riding, and get you tackling those goals in a realistic way. However, time on the bike is not the whole picture of what it takes. Maintaining a healthy range of motion through stretching and strength training needs to be a key aspect of that plan. And no, we don’t mean doing a couple quad stretches before hopping on the bike–there’s more to it then that. So, how does stretching make you faster?

Stretching Make You Faster

Does Stretching Make You Faster?

The cumulative effects of stretching (when done right) add up and in turn, can make you a faster and stronger cyclist. Here’s how:

Improved Flexibility

Each person’s body defines their own range of motion, there is no standard when dealing with a group of individuals. Your muscles are not in charge of your range of motion and flexibility, it is your bone and joint actions. So, when you stretch, it is actually the joint and ligaments being moved across these contact surfaces. Flexibility, or rather inflexibility, can lead to unbalance in the body, causing these structures to move out of alignment. Properly stretching and maintaining flexibility can not only affect you performance, but it is the most effective way to avoid injury.

Comfort on the Bike & AerodynamicsStretching Make You Faster

Comfort on your bike has to do largely with your bike fit, but also your ability to maintain proper cycling posture. If certain muscles are tight, you’ll compensate in other areas of the body, which does nothing but harm. If you’re concerned with aerodynamics, then you should know that 80 percent of your aerodynamic drag is caused by your position on the bike. So, that $10,000 aero bike will only help you 20% of the way. For example, tight or shortened hamstrings will make the aerodynamic position impossible and tight calves can limit the power of your pedal strokes. Routine stretching will slowly improve your position and gift you a handful of free watts.

Injury Prevention

Due to the repetitive nature of the pedal stroke, cycling puts us in a particularly vulnerable situation. We spend hours hunched over the bars, spinning our legs at 100 revolutions per minute. The impact is low, but over time the muscular imbalances take a toll.  Maintaining proper posture on your bike can go a long way to prevent injury. The natural inclination is to round your back as you crane your head to look forward. Not only does this create drag, but it will eventually cause pain in your lower and upper back and neck.

Everything in your body is connected. So, to maintain proper bike posture you have to have adequate flexibility in your lower back, hips, glutes, and hamstrings. The flatter your back can be, the less issues you’ll come up against in your training. Stretching is an easy thing to skip, but most cycling injury is caused by tight muscles. So, you could take ten minutes a day to stretch, or be off you bike for weeks at a time with an injury. Although stretching can be great treatment for certain injuries, it’s effectively too late. Better to avoid the injury in the first place by maintaining flexibility.

Stretching Done Right

Stretching is easy, but when done incorrectly it can actually slow you down. There’s no overnight fix, and it’s not just doing a couple stretches before hopping on your bike. That may have been what they taught you in high school, but it takes time and patience to reap the benefits of stretching.

Types of Stretching

  • Dynamic – Dynamic stretching takes a joint or muscle through a range of motion. It is best done before cycling as a way to prepare the joints for the repetitive movement, get blood flowing and warm up your muscles.
  • Static – Static stretches are designed to be held in one position for at least thirty seconds, and are what most people think of when it comes to stretching. The goal is to relax and lengthen the muscle and deepen the stretch bit by bit. This is best done after exercise, as static stretching before can actually hinder the muscle’s ability to fire.

When to Stretch

Just as you should do a warm up on your bike before hammering up a climb with everything you’ve got, so you need to warm up your muscles before stretching. This doesn’t mean you have to go for a full ride before doing your stretching routine, but it could be doing some jumping jacks, massaging the muscles, or walking around the block. Anything to get blood flowing to your muscles. If you do stretch cold muscles (but please don’t) ensure you are extremely gentle, slowly easing into a stretch.

Yoga and Cycling Speed

Yoga can be a great way to ensure you’re stretching on a regular basis, but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. If you are doing more yoga and stretching then cycling, then you are working more on being pliable then being strong and powerful. Pliable muscles have to do more work to maintain the level of contraction needed for cycling. However, you would have to be doing excessive amounts for it to be any sort of detriment to your muscle power.

Although the understanding of the relation between stretching and athletic performance is still evolving, there are some facts that are standing the test of time. Dynamic stretching before a ride and moderate routine stretching off the bike can create the muscle pliability needed for you to be the strongest cyclist possible.

You don’t need to sign up for daily yoga classes or commit a ton of time to stretching, but even a little bit can go a long way in keeping you injury free and feeling your best. Start with 10 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week and you will start seeing and feeling the results. If you want a more intensive stretching program for cyclists, check out Dynamic Cyclist. They have daily, easy to follow stretching videos designed specifically for and by cyclists. Spend less time thinking about how and what to stretch, and more time in the saddle!

Top 4 Yoga Poses for Cyclists

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After putting miles in on your bike, it’s important to give your body some relief. Not only does this mean adequate rest days to give your body time to recover, but yoga poses for cyclists can help those muscles out a little. Luckily, yoga has your back (and hamstrings and hips).

The key to yoga is to give yourself the adequate amount of time to relax into each pose. Whether you’re a yogi or not, taking time to reach those deep stretch targets and work on your breathing can help you become a more efficient cyclist. Anything less than 30 seconds won’t make a significant difference in lengthening the muscle fibers and tissue, but holding too long too soon can put you at risk of injury.

Ideally you should try to stretch for 5-10 minutes everyday, but start with 5 days a week. Hold each pose for about 30 seconds, working up to longer times as you become more comfortable. Never push your body further than what is comfortable for you.

Yoga Poses for Cyclists

Kneeling Lunge

The kneeling lunge is great for stretching out tight quads and slowly opening up the hips.

Yoga Poses for Cyclists

Start by kneeling down on all floors on a mat. Place a blanket or a pillow under your right knee before moving into the stretch if you find it uncomfortable.

Slowly bring the left leg up, placing your foot flat on the floor. Your right leg should be out behind you, with your foot pointing backwards. Place your hands on your hips as you press the hips forward. You should feel the stretch all down your hip flexor. As your body begins to relax, you can squeeze your glutes to increase the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds before switching sides.

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

This pose will help release tension along the back of your body, stretching the hamstrings and lengthening the spine.

Stand with your feet about hip distance apart and place your hands on your hips. Tuck your chin slightly toward your chest and bend forward at the hips. Relax your head, neck and shoulders and let your arms hang loosely. Place your palms or fingertips on the floor beside or slightly in front of your feet. If you can’t touch the floor, cross your forearms and grab your elbows. Hold for 30 seconds.

Cat-Cow Position

The cat-cow position will increase circulation to the spine, and gently stretch the chest, abdomen, and back.

Get down on all fours on your hands and knees (put a mat or cushion under your knees). Start with a straight back, then slowly lower your head and arch your back up towards the ceiling (cat position). Try to to get the greatest amount of curvature as possible for you. You may not feel the stretch in your spinal muscles, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Next, lift your head and tailbone upwards, curving your spine down towards the floor (cow position). Switch between the two for 1 minute.

Pigeon Pose

Cyclists are known for having tight hips, so no routine would be complete without the ultimate hip opener.

Come onto all fours with your hands shoulder-distance apart. Bring your left leg forward so the left ankle comes to your right hand, then slide your right leg back, keeping your hips square.

Depending on your flexibility, your knee may be inline with your ankle, or tucked closer into your body as shown here. As you relax into the stretch, gently push your body back on that right leg, opening your hips. Hold for 30 seconds before switching sides.

There are a lot of different types of yoga, so you could try different classes until you find on that fits. For those that struggle with having the discipline to stretch at home, it can be a great way to ensure you are giving your body what it needs to recover. Even switching out just one of you rides a week for a yoga session can help your overall strength and power on your bike.

Train Your Core for Better Cycling

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Cycling may seem to be all about the legs, but cyclists also need to have a strong and stable core. The core muscles include the stomach, lower back and trunk muscles. These are the abdominal muscles (your 6 pack ): the Obliques, Quadratus Lumborum, Lattismus Dorsi, the Erector Spinae and the deeper muscles in this area.

These muscles act to stabilize your body and help you control your bike. A strong core allows you to pedal with a smooth and powerful action, and maintain a strong upper body position. A strong core can also help treat or prevent lower back pain from cycling.

Strengthen your Core Muscles in the Pool

The best way I have found to strengthen the core muscles is to head to the swimming pool. Buy or borrow some swim fins and learn how to do a dolphin kick. This technique looks like swimming like a mermaid, keeping your knees and ankles together, pointing your toes and moving forward and back.

Try to keep your legs as long and straight as possible, this will recruit your stomach and lower back muscles. If you are doing it right, you will feel these muscles working. A common mistake is to kick from the knees down, which will not engage the core muscles.

Vertical Dolphin Kick

Start this while standing vertically in the water in the deep end of the pool, as you will need at least 0.5 m or 2′ between your fins and the pool floor-you don’t want to hurt your toes! Kick for 30 seconds, rest and try again.

Horizontal Dolphin Kick

Alternate with swimming a length or two of your new dolphin kick. Keep your arms straight in front of your head, in a streamline position, face in the water, lifting up when you want to breathe. The video below shows how to do this.

I do this kicking on my front, sides and on my back. There is also a cool drill where you rotate in all four positions. I call this a “3d kick.” Try three kicks in each position, rotating every third with a non-stop dolphin kick.

Dryland Core Training

If the pool isn’t for you, there are a ton of dryland exercises that can work to strengthen that core. Check out Strengthening your core-Improving Back Pain or 10 Core Exercises for Cyclists for more information.

Common Stretching Mistakes Most People Make

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Stretching is an important routine for almost everyone to get into, and especially for cyclists. The repetitive motion of cycling, as well as the position on the bike, can cause something called “adaptive muscle shortening” over time. Stretching is the most effective way to combat muscle shortening and maintain a healthy range of motion. However, if you’re stretching wrong, not only are you wasting your time, but you can even cause injury. Here are some of the most common stretching mistakes most people make.

8 Common Stretching Mistakes

Too Much Too Soon

Flexibility training is much like strength training. It’s temping to go all in right from the get-go, but you’re going to want to take it slow. Pushing your muscles and joints too far will do nothing but harm. Stretching should be a relaxing practice, and you should never push your muscles to the point of pain. Pain is the body’s defence mechanism, so listen to it! You should stretch to the point of tension, but you’ll want to stop there.

Stretching an Injury

Although stretching can do wonders to both prevent and treat injury, you don’t want to directly stretch an injured muscle or joint, especially within a few days after the initial injury. Ease into gentle static stretches after resting the area for 2-3 days.

Bouncing

NEVER bounce while holding a stretch. This is known as ballistic stretching, and it can stretch your muscles too far and too fast resulting in a pulled muscle. Slow and steady always wins, and never stretch to the point of feeling pain.

Not Holding the Stretch Long Enough

Perhaps the most common of the stretching mistakes is not holding the stretch long enough. 15 seconds is hardly enough time for the muscle to relax, let alone begin to lengthen. For any real improvement and change in flexibility, each stretch should be held for at least 45-60 seconds.

Doing the Same Stretch Over and Over

Have you been doing the same five stretches since high school? While it’s better than nothing, doing the same limited number of stretches day after day can cause muscle imbalances. If you focus too much on one area, it will loosen and become more flexible over time, but that muscle’s “antagonist” can become shortened as the other lengthens. Practicing a large variety of stretches, and switching through different routines each day will keep you muscles balanced and strong.

Using Stretching as a Warm Up

Research has shown the stretching before exercise can actually decrease the firing power of the muscles. Although for most casual riders this doesn’t necessarily matter, you should never stretch cold muscles. Stretching cold muscles is like trying to stretch old rubber bands. Either stretch after you ride, or do a quick five minute warm up (walk around the block or do some jumping jacks) before you move into your stretching routine.

Forgetting to Breathe

Okay this sounds kind of silly, but many people unconsciously hold their breath when they’re stretching. This is one of the reasons yoga is so great, because it focuses on the breathing almost as much as the stretching. Holding your breath causes tension in the muscles, which is the exact opposite of what you’re trying to do. Taking deep, slow breaths will relax the muscles, promote blood flow, and increase oxygen flow to the muscles.

Expecting Immediate Results

We all know there is no quick way to get rich, lose weight, or become fit– and stretching is no different. If you’re looking for a quick fix with immediate results, then you will most likely stop stretching before you give your body the chance to experience any of the benefits. If you want to see improvement in your flexibility and range of motion, there are no shortcuts.

To make the most of your time stretching, check out Dynamic Cyclist‘s stretching program. Made specifically for cyclists with easy to follow video stretching sequences, you can maintain a healthy range of motion and increase flexibility, so you can feel your best both on and off the bike.

The Ultimate Core Workout for Cyclists

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Strengthening your core is the single most important movement you can do off the bike for injury prevention. The great news is– you don’t have to do crunches on repeat. Strengthening your core can actually be easy and quick. This core workout for cyclists can be done in just 10 minutes, and can improve both your power and endurance on the bike.

Why Core Strength Is Important For Cyclists

Cycling may seem to be all about the legs, but cyclists also need to have a strong and stable core. These muscles act to stabilize your body and help you control your bike. A strong core allows you to pedal with a smooth and powerful action, and maintain a strong upper body position. A weak core could lead to instability in bike handling, negative compensation patterns, and low back pain.

By incorporating core exercises in your strengthening program you can improve riding efficiency. Additionally, it can help avoid overcompensation by the hip and leg muscles that could eventually lead to injuries. All factors when combined with a proper training regimen, could allow for improvements in overall speed and smoother pedal stroke.

The Ultimate Core Workout for Cyclists

This 10 minute routine can be done before or after a ride, or whenever you have time to spare. You can do each exercise one after the other, with 12 reps of each one. Core exercises are a great thing to work into your stretching routine, so it works great if you can set aside half an hour 3-4 days a week to stretch and do your core exercises.

Reach and Rotate Side Plank

This exercise works the muscles on the side of your abdomen and hips so it is about movement and not a static hold. Starting on your left side, move into a side plank position. Prop your upper body up on your left elbow and forearm, tightening your core to stabilize yourself. Place your right foot on top your left, resting on the edges of your feet. Raise your hips until your body is a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Raise your right arm straight out your right side towards the ceiling. Hold for 5 seconds before rolling to centre on both your forearms. Rotate to the right side and repeat the movement, that is one rep.

Cobra Lift

The Cobra pose is a simple maneuver that can help to stretch your abdominal muscles and strengthen your lower back muscles. Start by laying face down, legs extended and arms pointed down towards your hips. With your palms facing down, bring the arms to a 45 degree angle. Contract the glutes, squeezing your shoulder blades together and lifting your torso up off the ground. Rotate your arms off the ground so your thumbs are pointed up at the ceiling. Your neck should be straight and your feet remaining on the ground. Hold for 5 seconds then return to the starting position, that is one rep.

Basic Glute Bridges

Since the glutes are an accessory muscle to the core it is important to strengthen them as well. Lie on your back, with your hands at your sides, digging your heels into the ground , and squeezing your glute muscles (butt) as you pop up. Raise your right leg up, fully extended, holding for 5 seconds. Come back down and repeat the motion while raising the left leg. That is one rep.

Dead Bug

Lie on your back with your arms extended in front of your shoulders. Bend your hips and knees to a 90-degree angle. Tighten your abs and press your lower back into the floor. Slowly extend your left arm and right leg out so they are parallel to the floor. Keep your abs tight and don’t let your lower back come off the floor. Return how arm and leg to the starting position and repeat with your right arm and left leg. That is one rep.

Strong legs will only take you so far, but a strong core will bear you to the finish line and beyond. If you do 12 reps of each of these exercises 3-4 days a week, you’ll notice a difference in the saddle and in keeping proper posture on the bike.

Foot and Ankle Exercises to Improve Cycling Performance

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As you push up a hill, it’s normal to feel some discomfort from exertion. Climbing demands a lot from the body, and sometimes this can show up as pain or a lagging in your feet and ankles. If you’ve ever experienced that sloppy feeling as you pedal, the uncoordination that comes with fatigue, then you know the toll it takes on your power output. It can also disrupt your cycling posture, putting your knees at risk. The best way to prevent this is to do some foot and ankle exercises off the bike to correct form and activate dormant muscles. You are essentially unlocking muscles that will then kick in on your next ride and pick up some of the slack.

Foot and Ankle Exercises for Cyclists

A combination of stretching and compound exercises can help correct imbalances that are created in the cycling motion. They will help strengthen and create stability in the ankle by activating multiple muscles and joints that will in turn step in and help the ankle out.

Single-Leg Balance

Sounds simple, but balancing on one leg works to improve your balance and ankle stability. Simply raise one foot off the ground, bending it at a 90 degree angle at the knee. Hold your arms out for balance if need be. The key here is to focus on activating your ankle to stabilize your body. Hold each side for 30 seconds, doing 5 reps in total.

Ankle Rotation

The ankle rotation will help increase your range of motion in the ankle. Sit with one leg up on your other knee, fingers locking into your toes. Then rotate your foot around with your hand, stretching out the ankle joint and getting the blood flowing. Start with small circles and slowly increase to larger circles.

Calf Raises

Not only do calf raises help strengthen your ankle muscles, but they target your calves as well. Although the calves take a bit of a back seat when you’re on your bike, they are important for the downstroke on the pedal. They are also connected to your ankle and heel bone, so they are important to the overall stability of your ankle. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder distance apart. Slowly raise up onto your toes and the balls of your feet, holding onto the back of a chair or countertop for stability if needed. Hold for 30 seconds then relax back down onto your heels. Repeat 10 times. You can also opt to do one leg at a time to make it more challenging.

Calf Stretches

Everything in the body is connected. So, although most your power comes from your quads, your calf muscles also play a major role. Muscle tightness and strain can be a direct result of keeping your foot and ankle stable while pedaling. Improper bike fit, in particular cleat position, may be a contributing factor, but it is a very normal issue to have. Regular and targeted stretching can not only help keep your calves from tightening up, but also help them keep the foot and ankle stable.

Lunge

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Step your right foot forward, placing your hands on your hips. Gently push your hips forward, bending your right knee. You should feel the stretch in your left calf. Hold for 45 seconds. Repeat with the right leg.

Wall Stretch

Stand facing a wall, about one foot away. Place your hands on the wall and step one foot to the wall, digging your heel into the floor while resting your toes on the wall. Hold for 30 seconds an then alternate calves.

Downward Dog

The downward dog, focused on your shoulders, calves, and hamstrings. From a standing position, kneel down onto all fours on your mat. Plant your toes and straighten your legs, pushing your body up. Slowly drive your heels toward the floor, bringing your head in between your arms. Focus on driving you hips towards the ceiling, planting the heels on the floor.

What is Adaptive Muscle Shortening?

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Have you heard of adaptive muscle shortening? Muscles do not naturally maintain their healthy or ideal range of motion on their own. In fact, it’s just the opposite, especially with the increase of 9-5 desk jobs. Muscles will change their functional resting length to adapt to the length at which they are habitually used or positioned.

Adaptive Muscle Shortening and Cycling

This is bad news for cyclists. Cycling is one of the few activities in which muscles contract concentrically (while shortening), rather than eccentrically (while lengthening). The repetitive motion causes muscle fibres to shorten if action is not taken. Not only will shortened muscles impact your efficiency, comfort, and aerodynamics on the bike, but they will eventually lead to injury.

Do you have tight hamstrings?

An example common to most cyclists is shortened hamstrings. Running down the back of your leg, the hamstrings start at your hips and cross behind the knee joint. Their main job–extend the hip and flex the knee, two of the most important movements in the cycling motion. The upper portion of the hamstring plays a role in the down stroke, and the lower part is active in the up stroke. The muscle is affected in the following ways:

  • The upper section of the hamstring muscles attached at the hip can become loose and weak.
  • The lower section crossing behind the knee remains bent, and never fully extends. This is the portion that will become shortened and tight over time.
  • The combination leads to muscle imbalance between the two ends of the muscles, which leads to problems, stress, strain, and even serious injury, most common in the knee or lower back.

Your body will naturally try to keep muscles balanced on both sides by providing equal, muscular support, but adaptive shortening prevents this from happening. As one end of a muscle loosens, the other end can become more and more shortened.

Muscle Function and Balance

In every movement there are four main functions of the associated muscles, Agonists (primary mover), Antagonists (it’s balancing muscle), stabilizers and assistors.

  • Agonists – the muscle being exercised/worked.
  • Antagonist – the opposing muscle acting in contrast to the agonist.
  • Stabilizer Muscles – hold the joint in place so that the movement can be performed, but are not necessarily moving.
  • Assistors help the Agonist muscle that’s doing the work.

Muscle Balance speaks primarily to the agonist and antagonist muscles in any give movement. It is important to have balance to prevent injury, which is why stretching is so important for cyclists. When one muscle becomes tight, it’s antagonist will also be effected, and can even be injured as a result.

How to Prevent Adaptive Muscle Shortening

Most cycling injuries are caused by tight muscles or a limited range of motion, from knee pain to underdeveloped glutes. By targeting certain muscles and their often neglected counterparts, routine sequence stretching will unlock the full potential of your muscles and joints.

Lengthening the muscles needs to be done in the right order, with balance and intention. Concentrating on one muscle before the other can actually add to the problem, rather than improving it.

This is why so many people give up when they don’t experience results within the first few days. The reality is, lengthening the muscles takes time. To get started and prevent and even reverse adaptive muscle shortening, check out Dynamic Cyclist‘s stretching program. Made specifically for cyclists with easy to follow video stretching sequences, you can maintain a healthy range of motion and increase flexibility, so you can feel your best both on and off the bike. Click here to try 7 days free!

Do Cyclists Need to Stretch?

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How many times have you found yourself saying, “I should really stretch more?” It’s common knowledge that cyclists need to stretch, but many of us fail to do it enough, if at all.

If it’s not broken then don’t fix it right? If you’re putting in the miles and feeling strong, you may not feel like you need to switch up your routine at all. However, if we truly understood the benefits of stretching, perhaps we would be as disciplined to stretch as we are to get out cycling.

Cyclists Need to Stretch

Is stretching important for cyclists?

The most important thing for cyclists, and human beings in general, is to have a healthy range of motion and flexibility to move freely and efficiently. Stretching can aid in aligning the thick and thin muscles back into their ordered state after movement, as well as remove the lactic acid buildup that causes soreness.

Being able to stretch your legs up around your head may not make you a better cyclist, but the more a muscle is able to stretch the better range of motion it will have. For cyclists, the more you can flex your hips, knees, and ankles, the more room for improvement you will have.

Two main types of stretching

  1. Dynamic – Dynamic stretching takes a joint or muscle through a range of motion. It is best done before cycling as a way to prepare the joints for the repetitive movement, get blood flowing and warm up your muscles.
  2. Static – Static stretches are designed to be held in one position for at least thirty seconds, and are what most people think of when it comes to stretching. The goal is to relax the muscle and deepen the stretch bit by bit. This is best done after exercise, as static stretching before can actually hinder the muscle’s ability to fire.

The benefits of stretching

Improves posture – As a society that spends a lot of time at our desks, stretching as a means of correcting poor posture has never been so important. For cyclists, you will want to focus on correcting the hunched over position that comes with cycling and ensuring you are stretching out your lower back. By lengthening tight muscles you keep them from pulling areas of the body out of their intended position.

Reduces risk of injury – By supplying nutrients to the muscles through blood flow, stretching can reduce the risk of muscle and joint injury and help speed up recovery.

Improves performance  – Your cycling performance is largely based on your mechanical efficiency (range of motion) and power output. Stretching before and after a ride gives your muscles time to relax, enabling them to be more available during those long rides.

Provides relief from muscle stiffness – Post-activity stretching has been shown to reduce Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness (DOMS) by increasing blood flow and getting a much needed nutrient supply to your tired muscles.

While there is some debate as to how long you should hold each stretch, anywhere between 30-60 seconds should be enough. Make sure you are only stretching as deep as it feels comfortable. Any signs of pain, pinching or discomfort signals that it is time to back off a tad. Check out some of the best stretches for cyclists for more information to get you stretching.

You don’t need to sign up for daily yoga classes or commit a ton of time to stretching, but even a little bit can go a long way in keeping you injury free and feeling your best. Start with 10 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week and you will start seeing and feeling the results. If you want a more intensive stretching program for cyclists, check out Dynamic Cyclist. They have daily, easy to follow stretching videos designed specifically for and by cyclists. Spend less time thinking about how and what to stretch, and more time in the saddle!

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