Hi i’am 22 years old and i do road cycling. I used to spend a lot of time sitting in front of the computer and that ruined my posture and also caused some muscle imbalances.
One big problem i have is that the glutes don’t fire at all when i’am pedalling which is a big issue to me because it’s making other muscle do the work and as a result i have overdeveloped quads. Not that i mind having big quads, but i miss a lot of power from the glutes. They’re supposed to be the biggest muscles we have…
I’ve tried some exercises like the glute bridge but they don’t seem to be be having an effect. While i do feel them work it doesn’t translate to the bike so i think i need some functional exercises or something. I really want to fix this problem because i know this a big limiting factor in my performance, it even makes my pedalling technique look weird…
Also i would like to know what other exercises i should do to correct posture which is another issue as you can see from picture below.
So yeah that’s it, do you think there’s still hope for me?
As far as glutes firing, work on kettlebell or dumbbell swings with a flat lower back. Use a hip thrust to get the bell moving, don’t just swing your arm. Refer to Pavel’s videos/writings. Just progressively work heavier on these. Also bird dogs seem to help.
As far as the rounded posture, I’ll be honest, my posture is improving significantly due to an athletic based chiropractor and massage therapist. Mostly what they’ve been working on is soft tissue work in my upper chest and subscapularis. I’ve done a a fair amount of upper back strenghtening work in the past though, so the combination of upper back strength + no longer tight chest muscles is a allowing things to balance out. An option to consider.
Otherwise, upper back work (pullaparts, face pulls, rows to the chest) and pullups. Stretch the front of your neck to loosen up those muscles. Do some thoracic stretches over a foam roller. Refer to youtube for examples.
There’s also the “neatherthal no more” series of articles on this site. I have no experience with it though.
Take a photo from the side completely relaxed, not with your arms crossed in front of you. That’s artificially making it look like you may have kyphosis when you may actually not.
Regarding your glutes, probably better to get this kind of thing assessed in person by a pro, not on the internet. This issue is probably not as big as you think it is, I remember “being quad dominant” based off what I’d read online.
[quote]MaazerSmiit wrote:
Regarding your glutes, probably better to get this kind of thing assessed in person by a pro, not on the internet. This issue is probably not as big as you think it is, I remember “being quad dominant” based off what I’d read online.[/quote]
That’s a good point.
It kind of sounds like you’ve been researching with the mindset of “what’s wrong with me”, rather than “how do I improve my cycling”.
[quote]MaazerSmiit wrote:
Take a photo from the side completely relaxed, not with your arms crossed in front of you. That’s artificially making it look like you may have kyphosis when you may actually not.
Regarding your glutes, probably better to get this kind of thing assessed in person by a pro, not on the internet. This issue is probably not as big as you think it is, I remember “being quad dominant” based off what I’d read online.[/quote]
kyphosis what’s that? I think it’s pelvic tilt. On the photo the glutes look bigger than they are it’s most fat, if i try to contract them they are really small.
I can’t use the glutes on the bike so my body used the quads instead. I’ve had this problem for a while, but only recently did i notice the realize the impact it was having. And from that arises the problem that body is used for a very very long time to ride without glutes. Might take a while to get the neurological connections i suppose.
I rarely cycle, so I’m hesitant to give advice on it, but generally my quads are what end up feeling sore. I can shift focus slightly if I adjust the seat position up or down, but generally if I’m feeling a muscle work I assume that THAT muscle is the weak one, which is why I’m feeling the fatigue there.
How are you noticing your technique being off? Has a colleague mentioned it, or are you noticing it from the seat? That may not be the best position to judge technique from.
If you really think it’s the glutes holding you back… give the KB/DB swing idea a shot. You can also experiment with some squat form and RDL form to see which you feel mostly in your glutes. (For me, ATG squats involve more glutes than parallel, and RDLs with bent knees involve more glutes than keeping my legs straight).
Once you find something you feel in the right place, work that regularly to groove in the muscle patterns. Ultimately it comes down to… find what works your glutes, do more of that and get stronger doing that. This stuff varies a bit person to person. Some mix of the above should help.
Also, I could be wrong, but I don’t really think APT is at all your issue. Your lumbar spine actually looks pretty flat to me.
Do core work and glute activation (bodyweight hip thrusts are good for this - squeeze your glutes like fuck throughout the movement and stop if you feel your hamstrings fatigue) twice a day EVERY DAY. Do it as part of your warm up in the gym.
Strengthen your upper back with plenty upward rotation (prone Ys, face pulls) and serratus work (scap push ups).
Shit like this takes a long time to fix so be patient and dilligent.
[quote]Yogi wrote:
your posture imbalances are very typical.
Do core work and glute activation (bodyweight hip thrusts are good for this - squeeze your glutes like fuck throughout the movement and stop if you feel your hamstrings fatigue) twice a day EVERY DAY. Do it as part of your warm up in the gym.
Strengthen your upper back with plenty upward rotation (prone Ys, face pulls) and serratus work (scap push ups).
Shit like this takes a long time to fix so be patient and dilligent.[/quote]
I will do that. Just read the article dispelling the glute myth on this website and it gave me hope. I tried some exercises before, no luck, but as the article says it’s no so easy and with the full spectrum of exercises there i believe it will work.
Thanks for the tip with regard to the hamstring fatigue. I just did some single leg bridge and the hamstring fatigued a lot toward the end and i kept pushing for a while… I will pay attention to that next time.
[quote]Yogi wrote:
your posture imbalances are very typical.
Do core work and glute activation (bodyweight hip thrusts are good for this - squeeze your glutes like fuck throughout the movement and stop if you feel your hamstrings fatigue) twice a day EVERY DAY. Do it as part of your warm up in the gym.
Strengthen your upper back with plenty upward rotation (prone Ys, face pulls) and serratus work (scap push ups).
Shit like this takes a long time to fix so be patient and dilligent.[/quote]
I will do that. Just read the article dispelling the glute myth on this website and it gave me hope. I tried some exercises before, no luck, but as the article says it’s no so easy and with the full spectrum of exercises there i believe it will work.
Thanks for the tip with regard to the hamstring fatigue. I just did some single leg bridge and the hamstring fatigued a lot toward the end and i kept pushing for a while… I will pay attention to that next time.
[/quote]
good lad, best of luck with it. Don’t neglect core work either. Bird dogs, siss ball jacknives and stir-the-pot are great choices for that.
Re: the hastring fatigue thing - if your hamstrings are fatiguing it means your glutes have given up. If you keep going with the fatigued hamstrings you’re essentially teaching your hams to do your glutes’ job, which is bad. So when the hamstrings start to tire, stop, rest, and try again making sure to really squeeze them glutes. You might not get many reps at first but persevere.
If you’re interested in investing some serious time into fixing this problem, read this: Neanderthal No More - Part 1
It’s a 4 part series that is easily google-able. Part 4 features the actual program which I’ve run with great success.
If you’re not looking to invest that much time, try this:
Lower body:
Stretch hip flexors, quads, IT bands, calves, hip adductors daily. Google “couch stretch” and do it every day, for a total of several minutes each side.
Foam roll quads and IT bands, use a lacrosse ball for self myofascial work on your glutes.
Strengthen your glutes with the exercises mentioned in the posts above. It sounds like you have a good handle on this so I’d just pick the ones you feel the most and do them consistently.
Upper body:
Stretch: pecs, lats, sternocleidomastoid, levator scapulae. “Doorway stretch” and “sleeper stretch” are worth trying out.
Foam roll/ lacrosse ball pecs, upper back (under scapulas in particular), and upper traps.
Strengthen your upper back. Seated/ bent over rows, band pull aparts, “no money” pull aparts, YTWs (performed correctly), and basically anything Joe Defranco says to do.
The caveat to all of this is that I’m not a physical therapist or doctor; just a guy who has had success in correcting his own posture and has helped several others do the same. This is a pretty “catch all” list of things, so its going to take some experimenting on your part to figure out what helps you and what doesn’t. Just be patient and pay attention to how your body responds to things. If you have ANY medical issues, figure out if self-myofascial release is safe for you to perform before diving into it. Be smart about it if you can do it safely. Good luck.
Forgot face pulls and scap pushups for upper back. Also, include some core work. Anti-extension work, anti-rotation work, and anti-lateral flexion work will be good for you in particular. Eric Cressey and Tony Gentilcore have written about this kind of work and you should be able to find several good exercises that fall under those categories with a simple google search.
OP - your questions are regarding efficient cycling, so why are you asking here? If you have a problem with your car engine, do you go to a plumber?
Also, we need to know:
Do you ride clipless pedals
Is your bike professionally fitted to you
A lot of your issues are due to how you are fitted on your bike (LBS can really help with this) or you aren’t pedaling optimally. Look on bike forums, there are lots of threads detailing answers to all the questions you posed. To get you started, here’s a good post: http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/05/pedalling-technique-what-is-best/
