Sprinting technique

AK_jnr

I wasnt planning on creating a topic about sprinting but last night I was searching old threads about how to improve top end power and I came across a comment where someone says to concentrate on firing the glutes.

Well I tried it today and it improved my power by 200 watts! Pretty incredible really. I was getting a bit fed up of my 5 second power being only a few hundred watts higher than my minute power and couldnt work out why. It sort of made me sprint a bit like Degenkolb though I think, so not the prettiest lol.

Just thought id put in on here as a little tip.

Any other tips while im at it as I'm really keen to improve my sprint in races.

Flâneur

Just so everyone can understand, what do you mean by firing your glutes, given you are on the bike and not deadlifting or similar

AK_jnr

Hard to explain but basically making sure they are recruited when sprinting. Not quite tensing but aware of them. Seems strange I know but there is no other explanation for the jump in power. It made the sprint feel different but definitely more powerful.

AK_jnr

http://cyclingtips.com/2012/10/fine-tun ... n-kersten/

A quick google and I came across this. Explains it a bit better than me.

colinsmith123

AK_jnr wrote:

http://cyclingtips.com/2012/10/fine-tuning-your-sprint-with-ben-kersten/

A quick google and I came across this. Explains it a bit better than me.

I do well in sprints either on the road or on the track. But I cannot deliver that killer punch to make the difference. In my case it is due to inhibited glutes. (Doctor Google will show you how to test for this). I tried a season trying to correct this on my own with little success before seeking professional advice. The training programme I am currently on, centres around a mix of gym work and endurance rides. The gym sessions work my glutes of course, but also focuses on the hip stabilsers and core / upper body strength. Bike specific sessions include hateful / spiteful slow cadence work at FTP+, with the aim of re-educating the neural pathways to get those glutes firing correctly and transfer the gym strength work to bike strength. I've been on this for 6-8 weeks now and anecdotely I do feel stronger on the bike and glute testing reveals my glutes are firing better, but still some way to go.

'Cyclist rides bike, gets fitter and finds this surprising'. Trolls don't bother.

AK_jnr

Ah interesting. Thanks. It was not something I was ever aware of until I tried it. And then it was like a light switch going on in my head.

I run at least once a week to try and keep some of the neglected muscles/bones in check otherwise I turn stiff as a board.

EatSleepTrainSmart

Flâneur wrote:

Just so everyone can understand, what do you mean by firing your glutes, given you are on the bike and not deadlifting or similar

This is in the realm of Motor Control Training which is what my training/ coaching business is built upon. Motor control training helps to improve the coordination and activation of the correct muscle groups to improve efficiency and power output. A lot of cyclists (many Pro's too) have a significant amount of glute amnesia. This is a condition where you lose the ability to activate the glutes naturally. It happens when the muscle is chronically supported or when muscle imbalances are ignored or go unoticed for a long time. For example: sitting while watching TV, driving, eating, work, etc. Muscle amnesia also affects a lot of the posterior chain muscles too (upper, mid, lower back, hamstrings, piriformis, gluteus medius just to name a few)

When you achieve fine motor control over the glutes and other 30+ major muscles that contribute to the pedal stroke, you'll become massively stronger. Considering the glutes have the potential to be the biggest, most powerfull muscle of the body, it makes sense. A 200 watt improvement is common and just scratches the surface. There's more power that can be unlocked through motor control training. It can drastically improve power during all effort levels like recovery, submaximal aerobic, anaerobic threshold; you name it!

I'm also a specialist in crank length optimization. Through specific workputs, I can determine whether the current crank length is hurting or is optimal for your performance. In the case of sprinting, I see about 70-100 watt improvements per 2.5mm of increased crank length. Pushing a longer cranks present other big challenges though. I wrote a post about this in my website.

http://www.eatsleeptrainsmart.com/2016/ ... o.html?m=1

DeVlaeminck

Hmm, not convinced by your article, aren't you forgetting that we can just change gear and where is the evidence for anything you argue for ?

AK_jnr

I will read the article now but just an update as this thread has popped back up. I hit a new 5 second PB last night. Thats over 300 watts improvement now without doing anything different training wise. Im still not a sprinter but this is getting me in the ball park now to compete in bunch sprints.

imposter2.0

AK_jnr wrote:

I will read the article now but just an update as this thread has popped back up. I hit a new 5 second PB last night. Thats over 300 watts improvement now without doing anything different training wise. Im still not a sprinter but this is getting me in the ball park now to compete in bunch sprints.

You gotta be still in the bunch at the end of the race, before you can be in the bunch sprint. Let's not lose sight of that...

AK_jnr

Nope and I always(usually) am. Lol. Just gives me options instead of my only chance of winning being from going early and utilising my 1 min power.

dennisn

Some years back a trackie friend of mine said that he used a technique where, at the top of the pedal stroke, you pushed your toe forward. Not up, not down, not around, but forward.

imposter2.0

dennisn wrote:

Some years back a trackie friend of mine said that he used a technique where, at the top of the pedal stroke, you pushed your toe forward. Not up, not down, not around, but forward.

I think that's called 'cycling', or something.....