overcoming 'handedness'

GyatsoLa

I'm on an enforced break from the bike and jogging on advice from my physio - after I complained about a sore hip and limp after a jog she said I'd done quite a bit of damage and after some heavy manipulation on Friday, she said to rest for at least a week.

The problem, she said, is probably that I'm very right handed - she said that she suspects that on riding and running I am very right biased, so putting more strain on that side. Its come to the fore because I was running on tarmac (usual trails are a mudbath at the moment) and pushed a little too hard.

A bit of background: I'm 42, did very little sports up to about 10 years ago when I took up cycling more seriously - not competitive riding, just lots of road riding, touring, a bit of mountain biking. Last year I took up jogging as I thought I needed a more 'impact' sport to balance up the cycling, so I've been gradually building up - I now do a 5km run 3times a week to complement my cycling (yes, I know its not much, but I'm a very inexperienced runner, I seem to be built for the bike).

When I asked for solutions she suggested exercise ball work, pilates and yoga for balance - problem is, I've been doing this for about 5 years! I am reasonably supple as a result and I've a decent level of core strength, so thats not the main problem.

So, is there any way to overcome a right-sided bias in cycling/running?

softlad

GyatsoLa wrote:

So, is there any way to overcome a right-sided bias in cycling/running?

brain surgery..?

seriously, it sounds like you need to choose between cycling or jogging unfortunately...

SunWuKong

Weight training may well be able to help 'even' out the relative strength differential but you would have to be selective about what you did and also determine where the differences are.

alex16zx

I favour my right leg, but this is due to previous injury to the left resulting in my right quads being stronger, and my mind naturally favouring it (which only resulting in the gap in strength between legs getting bigger). For me it was just a process of re-learning things, and having to concentrate on doing things we would normally do subconsciously. I relearnt my gait with the physio on a treadmill and the new walk has now become second nature to me. On the bike, it's just a case of trying to stop myself leading with the right, though this is not always possible as when climbing a hill etc the easiest path is just to go with the stronger leg. It just takes a lot more mental concentration than you would normally give it. And obviously, you can do exercises given by a physio to strenthen the unfavoured side.

Brommers76

Sounds suspiciously like a physio that can't pinpoint the actual cause of the injury. If running on roads then it could be the camber you are running on, are your legs the same length? It could be your hips are out of alignment.

Do they actually mean that one side is stronger than the other? How did they measure and come to the diagnosis? I would be asking some probing questions and if answers aren't forthcoming seek another opinion.

mhuk

There are some exercises for gym bikes to work on one-leggedness: only clip in one foot and cycle for 10 minutes. Repeat with the other leg. Do it regularly until they both have a smooth cycling action. I've not done it but heard it mentioned (Chris Carmichael?).

Alex_Simmons/RST

Don't run more than you are ready for.
Get a proper bike fit. Are your shoes/cleats positions appropriately for your body?
One legged riding is a waste of training time.

GyatsoLa

Thanks for the advice - I suspect it is down to hip alignment as well as putting too much stress on one side (its not road camber, I'm very conscious of avoiding any paths with camber on physios advice).

Anyway, I'm back again with her next Friday and I'll see if she can enlighten me a bit more.

chuckcork

mhuk wrote:

There are some exercises for gym bikes to work on one-leggedness: only clip in one foot and cycle for 10 minutes. Repeat with the other leg. Do it regularly until they both have a smooth cycling action. I've not done it but heard it mentioned (Chris Carmichael?).

I bought a trainer recently, some of the routines on the website have you pedal with one foot and the other either on a chair or behind on the trainer. Its rather unbalanced and as a result hard work, doubt it could be done without being clipped in.