Cycling and flexibility
lost_in_thought
Posts: 10,563
No, this has nothing to do with DDD's thread!
I have had a 'biometric assessment' today, and apparently I am hypermobile. Now, this might explain the surprise of people like physios etc.when I say that I cycle a lot yet am still relatively flexible, or it might not.
So, I wonder if cycling really does affect flexibility, and I have little to do today, so I thought I'd do a poll.
Apparently, the type of flexibility that cyclists are worst at is the touching your toes type, so that's what I've done... and you should presume this is with bare feet.
Vote! I'm curious!
I have had a 'biometric assessment' today, and apparently I am hypermobile. Now, this might explain the surprise of people like physios etc.when I say that I cycle a lot yet am still relatively flexible, or it might not.
So, I wonder if cycling really does affect flexibility, and I have little to do today, so I thought I'd do a poll.
Apparently, the type of flexibility that cyclists are worst at is the touching your toes type, so that's what I've done... and you should presume this is with bare feet.
Vote! I'm curious!
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I'm super flexible but that's cause of years of kickboxing and the like
cycling does tighten the hammys up thoughPurveyor of sonic doom
Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
Fixed Pista- FCN 5
Beared Bromptonite - FCN 140 -
JonGinge wrote:Erm. Somewhere between 'I can touch my toes!' and 'Palms flat on the floor or better', just to be awkward :P
Pick one! You don't get two votes... this is a democracy, damn it! :P0 -
Palms flat on the floor, in shoes, with orthotic insoles. So, really, it's palms flat plus an inch.0
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lost_in_thought wrote:apparently I am hypermobile!
Is that like a Superhero? Or do you eat lots of sweeties?
As for me - years of Yoga (yes, yoga, men do yoga!) Did it while I was racing motorbikes - my wife suggested it as I was getting knackered during a race.....yes, yoga and motorbikes go together.... :oops: They are tough manly things....0 -
lost_in_thought wrote:JonGinge wrote:Erm. Somewhere between 'I can touch my toes!' and 'Palms flat on the floor or better', just to be awkward :P
Pick one! You don't get two votes... this is a democracy, damn it! :P
* can I claim physio charges on expenses?0 -
Shins. I think. I'm going to the staff toilet to try it out....
Edit: Yep, shins.Food Chain number = 4
A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game0 -
gtvlusso wrote:lost_in_thought wrote:apparently I am hypermobile!
Is that like a Superhero? Or do you eat lots of sweeties?
As for me - years of Yoga (yes, yoga, men do yoga!) Did it while I was racing motorbikes - my wife suggested it as I was getting knackered during a race.....yes, yoga and motorbikes go together.... :oops: They are tough manly things....
So, Palms on the floor for me...or hands under my feet.0 -
gtvlusso wrote:lost_in_thought wrote:apparently I am hypermobile!
Is that like a Superhero? Or do you eat lots of sweeties?
According to the nice doctor it means my connective tissue type is different to other people's in that it's looser or more lax. :shock:
But yes, I am also a superhero and eater of sweeties! :P0 -
JonGinge wrote:Erm. Somewhere between 'I can touch my toes!' and 'Palms flat on the floor or better', just to be awkward :P
Ditto.
Its a spurious measure of hamstring and hip flexibility though. A lot of the extension comes from my back. Lying flat on the floor and having someone raise your leg(s) is a better measure.
If you are worried LiT, just hang around for 10 years or so. I can assure you that you will be less flexible then.0 -
DonDaddyD wrote:Shins. I think. I'm going to the staff toilet to try it out....
Edit: Yep, shins.0 -
Always Tyred wrote:JonGinge wrote:Erm. Somewhere between 'I can touch my toes!' and 'Palms flat on the floor or better', just to be awkward :P
Ditto.
Its a spurious measure of hamstring and hip flexibility though. A lot of the extension comes from my back. Lying flat on the floor and having someone raise your leg(s) is a better measure.
If you are worried LiT, just hang around for 10 years or so. I can assure you that you will be less flexible then.
Oh no, not worried, I think it's a good thing.
And yes, you're right re hamstring/hip flexibility tests, but it's a 2-person test and not everyone has a PA as understanding as mine... :P0 -
lost_in_thought wrote:gtvlusso wrote:lost_in_thought wrote:apparently I am hypermobile!
Is that like a Superhero? Or do you eat lots of sweeties?
According to the nice doctor it means my connective tissue type is different to other people's in that it's looser or more lax. :shock:
But yes, I am also a superhero and eater of sweeties! :P
I knew someone once who didn't produce one of the 7 types of collagen found in the body. She was forever dislocating things. Seriously, she had to do stuff at the gym to shorten and tighten muscles.0 -
Always Tyred wrote:lost_in_thought wrote:gtvlusso wrote:lost_in_thought wrote:apparently I am hypermobile!
Is that like a Superhero? Or do you eat lots of sweeties?
According to the nice doctor it means my connective tissue type is different to other people's in that it's looser or more lax. :shock:
But yes, I am also a superhero and eater of sweeties! :P
I knew someone once who didn't produce one of the 7 types of collagen found in the body. She was forever dislocating things. Seriously, she had to do stuff at the gym to shorten and tighten muscles.0 -
Pls post some pics!Scott Scale 20 (for xc racing)
Gary Fisher HKEK (for commuting)0 -
boneyjoe wrote:Pls post some pics!
Of...?0 -
JonGinge wrote:Erm. Somewhere between 'I can touch my toes!' and 'Palms flat on the floor or better', just to be awkward :P
+1, that best describes me. When I'm running 2/3 times a week my hams loosen up, probably due to the extra stretching.pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................
Revised FCN - 20 -
Would be good to see some feats of hypermobility if possible.Scott Scale 20 (for xc racing)
Gary Fisher HKEK (for commuting)0 -
Ankles.
But I've got 36 inch inside leg and, as i was told at a recent bike fitting, short arms [I'm trying to measure them now with a 15cm ruler].
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.0 -
Always Tyred wrote:DonDaddyD wrote:Shins. I think. I'm going to the staff toilet to try it out....
Edit: Yep, shins.
Short hairy legged roadie FCN 4 or 5 in my baggies.
Felt F55 - 2007
Specialized Singlecross - 2008
Marin Rift Zone - 1998
Peugeot Tourmalet - 1983 - taken more hits than Mohammed Ali0 -
boneyjoe wrote:Would be good to see some feats of hypermobility if possible.0
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For the cause of serious scientific discussion, of course! Some people, where are their minds...Scott Scale 20 (for xc racing)
Gary Fisher HKEK (for commuting)0 -
Sort of halfway between touching toes and flat on the floor - I can touch the floor with my knuckles which may mean
a) I am more flexible than I thought
b) I am more closely related to gorillas than I thought
:shock:0 -
I used to be shins for years but since starting to stretch before playing squash I am now ankles. I don't play squash very often so even a little stretching seems to have improved my flexibility.
Is there an evolutionary advantage to being able to touch your toes?No-one wanted to eat Patagonia Toothfish so they renamed it Chilean Sea Bass and now it's in danger of over fishing!0 -
Oh dear 28 years of cycling I can only just get past the knees. Also cannot straighten my leg past 4-5" off the ground. :roll:0
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Palms flat for me. Mind you thats got nothing to do with cycling . I also do Ashtanga Yoga. Before I started doing that I couldn't even touch my toes.
Mike0 -
Finbar Saunders wrote:I used to be shins for years but since starting to stretch before playing squash I am now ankles. I don't play squash very often so even a little stretching seems to have improved my flexibility.
Is there an evolutionary advantage to being able to touch your toes?
Cats can still touch their toes, for example. So can dogs, but its a bit more of a faff.0 -
LiT can you get through a tennis racket? With out the strings in btw.0
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tardie wrote:LiT can you get through a tennis racket? With out the strings in btw.
Definitely not!0