“Best Bang for Your Buck” – Physio Bike Fit Exercises
This stretch illustrated here is a great stretch for road cyclists to do prior to getting on the bike.
It stretches out the ‘things at the back of the leg’ like the hammies, calves and their surrounding fascial connections and nerve coverings, that all get tight and prevent us getting into a good ergonomic position on the bike.
The essence of sitting on a bike (unlike the running posture) is to anteriorly tilt the pelvis. This flattens out the lumbar spine (hence putting it in a neutral/unstressed position) and gives us the forward reach we need to contact the handlebars comfortably.
As our hamstrings, insert onto our sitting bones of our pelvis, if they are tight (ditto for the other things that run at the back of the leg) it can affect our ability to obtain this desired position.
Hence getting into this position, then winding up the knees (pushing them towards straight) as a final elongation, will help us ‘free up’ prior to riding.
Please note stretching should be to ‘discomfort’ and NOT pain, there should not be any ‘latent’ ie post stretching soreness. IE stretching should only feel uncomfortable until the stretch is released.
Another Best Bang for Your Buck Exercise
Emma Colson, Bike Fit Physio
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