Equalising Muscle groups

BOGEY

As many of you probably know, cycling is a great workout for your quads and other leg muscles (duh!).

However, the downside is that many other muscles and tendons become under used and tight, predominantly hamstrings. Therefore I have horrendously tight hamstrings. (touch my toes?....no chance, try 6inches below my knees!)

I would like to know which exercises are ideally suited to balancing out cycling muscles in order to avoid injury and under development.

I am planning on doing a Triathlon ([xx(]) in November and I am wondering whether just doing the Cycling, Running and Swimming will be enough to help stabilise the different muscle groups. I plan to take it easy with the other sports at first so as not to over-stress the under developed muscles etc. Will this be enough?

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guilliano

A lot of stretches both before and after exercise to prevent them "healing" short. Yoga, Tai Chi, Thai boxing are also great exercise for all muscle groups.

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Anonymous

Having just had a back op and MTB being my main sport for the past ten years, in addition to my job, where I am either driving or sitting in the office, I know all to well the feeling of tight hamstrings. Am now on the road to recovery and have been given reams of exercises to first of all get my legs back to proper use and ultimatly my back.

Obviously each case is different but I have to work on streching my hamstrings as much as poss, to the point where the is a pull I can feel, my exercises involve various streches, in all probably about 60 deliberate streches of my hamstring per day per leg.

Having had long discussions with my physio and consultant, my tight hamstrings are mainly through the position I have been sat in for 10 years doing my job, sitting in an office/car shortens the hamstring and over time your body gets used to it being in this position and therefore streching beyond this or to where a person in a differnt job could do will feel tight. I may never get them as I would wish but if I keep up these exercises long term it will help and ultimatly retrain if you like my hamstring.

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Unknown

Bogey you wont get tight hamstrings by not using them,you are more likely to get weak or stretched hamstrings.Your pelvis has a gravitational pull by quads (front) and hamstrings (back).In cycling you use hamstrings (extensor muscles) and quads, tensor, and psoas (hip flexor muscles).Unfortunately hip flexor muscles have a tendency to tilt your pelvis forwards and down at the front,and upwards and in at the back which will contract the lower back muscles.This will put a lordosis in the spine and be reflected in the neck area.if the hamstrings are tight also the pull on the pelvis downwards will put undue pressure in the lower extremities.Short hamstrings need to be stretched and abdominals strenthened to counter any anterior tilted pelvis.A rough guide to hamstrings,Lay so that your lower back and sacrum are flat on the floor,if there is an arch in your back put a cushion or towels etc under the knees so they bend putting your pelvis in a slight posterior position.Raise one leg and it should be roughly 80 degrees from the horizontal(laying down position).PS- One important rule ALWAYS stretch the contracted muscle before you try strenthening its opposite[:)]

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Unknown

What's your take on this page Ninja, it sounds like great advice, but I thought I'd ask the experts opinions first...

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Unknown

That is very good advice cazz,i spend more time showing people flexability exercises than anything else.Never try to hard,muscles can be stubborn so gently does it.The biggest problem is people dont really like to bother so they rush it by forcing the stretch as far as they can and more often than not recruit other muscles at the same time (defeating the object).Stretching should be done in a slow calming way. and use the deep breathing to stretch the muscle.Dont forget the same with neck muscles also.Always work slightly more on the tighter side.Its all about getting the body to work in balance.

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Anonymous

so worth bookmarking then?

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Unknown

Yes if it helps towards your health.What i like is how he says stretch for 5mins several times a day.Its not about how hard but how often.Muscles are like naughty boys,the longer you leave it the harder it bacomes.Little gently and often and the results will be startling unless of course your health doesnt allow you to stretch.I find it hard to understand at times how some people who never stretch dont suffer.

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guilliano

I'll be honest and say I never really stretch, but thankfully never suffer. Whether this is because I always used to be fit in the past or because I am always getting up and walking around the house just cos I can't sit still I don't know. Or maybe I'm always just too drunk to notice the suffering....

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Unknown

Perhaps but its never to late for a problem.Remember one thing as you get older you slowly lose the elasticity in the muscles,be warned.

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guilliano

Now I'm scared..... getting old very quickly these days

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Unknown

Dont say i didnt tell yer.By the way i should know shortly if im going on the ride friday.I so want to go NOW.

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guilliano

Fingers crossed I'll see you there. And hopefully at Epping early next month too

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Unknown

I don't stretch either, but I can tell that my legs are crying out for it so it's something I'm going to endeavour to do far more of from now. I've always suffered from stiff legs so I'm gonna try a combo of stretching, cod liver oil caps and glucosamine sulphate caps to keep my legs in tip top shape.

There's times when the day after a ride I feel like my shins are gonna pop out my legs, it's a weird feeling...

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guilliano

Cod liver oil will help all your joints, but as knees and ankles take a battering when riding you should definately get some benefit from it

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BOGEY

thanks for the answers guys.

seeing as i am predominantly a desk jockey these days, is there anything i could do to my seating position in order to gently stretch my hamstrings? or at least a neutral position that won't make them worse.

i am guessing that having my legs straight out in front of me is best? i.e. possibly resting on a raised bar - this way i can feel a slight stretch.

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GYP

I suffered from tight hamstrings for a while and problems with other muscle groups...Agony. I bought a stretching handbook and it solved the problems. Stretching encourages blood flow to the area and elastistittiiitty

Get someone to help stretch your muscle/s *cough*.[8D]


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BOGEY

I have been running a lot more recently, and I am finding that running alone seems to be helping things out.

I reckon just mixing up the exercises stretches your muscles on a regular enough basis to stop me getting too tight. At the moment I am doing cycling, running and I'm getting back into swimming.

I make a point of stretching when I'm on the bike, and even more so before, during and after I run. I don't over do it though as I have bad experience of over-stretching. I just need to touch half way down my shins to stretch my hamstrings anyway [;)] I am the opposite of stretch armstong [:)]

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