A multi disciplinary performance centre that allows you as a recreational athlete to experience the resources and expertise that had previously only been available to professional athletes.
During 2013, each of the BPL team is going to set themselves some target events that will push us outside of their comfort zones. Each of the staff have different levels of fitness and experience and, just like you, they have to work their training around work and family commitments. This blog series will track their progress and demonstrate how the Bespoke Performance Lab can benefit the recreational athlete.
So I'm now 2 months into my training for the Mallorca 70.3 and Race Across America and things are progressing nicely. I'm starting to feel my fitness coming back and I'm particularly encouraged by how quickly my swimming is coming along.
I have however started to develop a niggle in my ankle while running so it was time to get my running technique checked out in our running lab. The video analysis of my running gait was very interesting and showed a marked difference between my left and right sides. My right knee was not lifting as high as my left and my control of my left hip was very poor. A quick test of the treadmill revealed that my left gluteus medius was a lot weaker than my right. This was leading to poor hip stability on my left side and the hip to pop out to the side on landing. In addition, I was pulling my elbows too far back which was adding to the rotation and striding too long and slow. I've had to back my running down and concentrate on technique (instead of attacking it like a bull in a china shop) working on my glute med. strength and control with single leg exercises and picking up the run speed and distance slowly.
With the weather being so grey and miserable outside, I've been making full use of the BPL altitude system. I've found that this has helped my cardiovascular system a lot and can already feel the benefits when I'm riding out on the road. We set the system at 1800m and train at a consistent heart rate zone to force the body to adapt it's respiratory, cardiovascular and oxygen utilization systems to the hypoxic conditions. I've been mixing this with specific technique work to develop my core control and pedalling technique. This involves single leg pedalling technique activities and single arm exercises that challenge the body's stabilisation.
I've also been back to see Ray at Swim Canary Wharf. I've been amazed at how quickly I've improved in my swimming and I'm now feeling very confident that I'm not going to drawn in Mallorca. My confidence has also improved now that I've found out that my local pool is actually 33m long and not 25m as I originally thought. Below are two videos, the first is how I swam before I saw Ray, the second is the start of my second session. The pictures from the second session aren't quite as clear as the pool was recently cleaned and the water takes time to settle and clear.
Next Ray taught me the basic extension drill. It should look like this:
As you can see, my first attempt wasn't so good:
Ray then taught me a different breathing technique call explosive breathing. Previously I had been breathing out slowly during the stroke but holding my breathe and then forcing it out quickly really helped to aid my buoyancy and it felt much easier.
Finally I did a drill to add strokes to the basic extension drill.
I've been doing these drills for a week now and it's amazing what a difference they are making. I suddenly feel like I'm grabbing piles of water and levering myself forward with every stroke. If you swim, I'd highly recommend see Ray.
During 2013, each of the BPL team is going to set themselves some target events that will push us outside of their comfort zones. Each of the staff have different levels of fitness and experience and, just like you, they have to work their training around work and family commitments. This blog series will track their progress and demonstrate how the Bespoke Performance Lab can benefit the recreational athlete.
Funny how one phone call can change the path of your life. Three weeks ago I was trying to convince myself that I wasn't insane having entered my first half ironman, then the phone rings at work and on the other end was Katie Ford. Katie is a truly inspiring young woman who has lived with epilepsy all her life but has achieved feats that most would only dream of. She completed the 2008 Race Across America (RAAM) in a 4 lady team, carried the Olympic torch to name but a few. Her future targets are much bigger though: she is aiming to break the woman's 24 hour track record and then become the first British woman to complete the RAAM solo. Her goal is to raise awareness for epilepsy and money for Epilepsy Action.
But to qualify for RAAM solo, Katie needs to complete one of the team competitions and has set her sights on breaking one of the more prestigious records: the 4 person mixed category record of 6 days 4 hours 18 minutes.The team relay race across the country from west to east for 3000 miles including over 170,000 vertical feet (51816m) of climbing which basically means averaging over 20 mph..... Average!!!! Including climbing the Rockies and Appalachians. Now this sounds like a proper challenge.
Katie has amassed some serious fire power around her though. First up is Sean Conway who was on pace to break the record for circumnavigating the globe before getting run over by a truck. Still, after a brief stay in hospital (and still injured) he got back on his bike and finished the 160000 mile trip. RAAM is going to be like popping down the shops for this bloke!!!!!
Next up is Andrew Brown. Andrew may not have a long background in cycling but boy does he have an engine. Last year he not only beat, but smashed the solo rowing record across the Atlantic completing the event in 40 days 9 hours and 44 minutes. As I have previously written, rowing is great cross training for cycling so I'm sure he'll fly across the States.
So next to these three, I look like a "sane" member of society!!!! Katie has asked me to be the 4th member and views me as the "speed guy". The current thinking is that we will be to do 3 hour solo stints through the night and then smash through the day doing 15 minutes on and 45 minutes off. While 6 days constant riding sounds daunting, I know that 10km efforts are right down my street. But I've got some training to do if I'm going to have the endurance to make it through the whole event. But that's what I'm so excited about, I've finally got some challenges that scare me enough to force me to do some serious training.
So this exciting journey starts now. Not only on the training front but also on the sponsorship front. We're currently looking for sponsors to help back this project so if you know anyone that might be interested in being a part this great story and supporting a worthy cause, please drop us a line. We're also collecting donations for Epilepsy Action, so anything you can give would be most appreciated (Donations). To follow the progress of the team and it's members, check out the following links: Team Epilepsy Forward: Facebook Twitter
During 2013, each of the BPL team is going
to set themselves some target events that will push us outside of their comfort
zones. Each of the staff have different levels of fitness and experience and,
just like you, they have to work their training around work and family
commitments. This blog series will track their progress and demonstrate how the
Bespoke Performance Lab can benefit the recreational athlete.
There’s
nothing more motivating than putting your goals down in writing and publishing to
the world. So I’ll start: My name is Ben Hallam, and in 2013 I will do my first
triathlon…… the Mallorca Half Ironman.
When I was
racing, 1st November always signaled the end of my “off season” (which
was usually punctuated by copious amounts of pizza and a number of nights out
trying to make up for not drinking through the rest of the year). On 1st
November, that would all change; preparation for the next season started and
any disappointments from the last season were forgotten because “this year is
going to be better”.
After 8
years of racing full time, I spent nearly 4 years off the bike while at
university. This year, I started to get the itch back again so did the first
few rounds of the Rudy Project Time Trial Series as well as a few continental
sportives. While I really enjoyed these, I was finding it hard to motivate
myself to train hard for them because I know I would never have the time to
train enough to get to the same level I was before. I needed something new,
something that I couldn’t just jump up and “fake”. A triathlon sounded like the
perfect answer as it would also allow me to experience what a number of my client’s
experience. So I set my sights on doing an Olympic distance tri…… that was
until I started talking to Sean from AudioFuel (http://www.audiofuel.co.uk). He asked me
which discipline I was most worried about, my answer was the swim. He pointed
out that a half ironman is only 400m longer in the swim but over twice as long
on the bike. I my mind that said: “twice as long to catch up”. Sean did the
70.3 in Mallorca last year and raved about it enough that I bit the bullet and
entered it.
Now come the
difficult parts: A) I haven’t swam more than 50m since I was 14 years old and
B) the furthest I have ever run since I was 14 is 100m for the bus!!! I have a
lot of work ahead of me but that’s what ‘m looking for. I want the feeling of
being scared again, of not knowing if I’ll actually be able to accomplish a
challenge. I want to wake up in the morning and feel like I have to go training
to accomplish a goal. So, my first port of call was to learn to swim all over
again.
Enter Ray at
Swim Canary Wharf (www.swimcanarywharf.com).
Ray is our go to guy for swimming technique and was second in 220 Triathlon
magazines “Triathlon Coach of the Year 2012”. He coaches you swimming technique
using an endless pool and then videoing from multiple angles and is really good
at explaining the intricacies of different parts of the complex world that is
front crawl technique. So this is how I looked at the start of my journey:
This next one is hilarious as I rapidly sink towards the bottom of the pool.
Take 2 on catch up +1:
Now trying catch-up zero:
Catch-up -1 and I'm dropping back into my old habits:
But reaching for something really helped:
The drills
have made a HUGE difference to my swimming; I’m already feeling a lot more
efficient and am able to do 900m without feeling completely shattered. I would
total recommend seeing Ray no matter what level you are at. I’ll be going back at
the end of November to get a check-up and some more drills and will post up the
results. Next up is a session with our running specialist Jarrod to get my
running technique checked out.
So that’s
target number one. I’ll save the excite news about my second target for the
next blog…… but it makes a half ironman look like a walk in the park.
People that are new to cycling
often buy cycling shoes that are a size too big as they are used to having more
room in their training shoes. I have also seen people that have wide feet, but
like the look of narrow Italian shoes, go for a size bigger. This can lead to
issues with correctly positioning the cleat on the shoe.
Cleat placement fore/aft is very
important because it effects which part of the foot is loaded during the power
stroke. If the cleat is too far forward, you will load the toes which can often
lead to reduced power production and increased strain to lower leg muscles. To
gain maximum leverage without loading the toes, I position cleats so that the
pedal axle lies under the first and second metatarsals (balls of the foot).
This is the same part of the foot you would load during a hop.
I am looking for the forces to
run a straight through down through the foot and create a straight line of
force that could be drawn through the middle of the knee, middle of the ankle and
2nd metatarsal (base of the second toe). Concentrating on pushing through the
second ball of the foot and relaxing your toes helps this process. Pushing
through the first ball of the foot causes the line of force to track towards
the inside and can cause pronation (dropping of the arch of the foot).
When shoe manufacturers design
shoes, they drill the cleat holes roughly where the balls of the feet should be
for that size of foot. If you use a pair of shoes that are a size big, the
cleat holes will be further forward, which often makes it harder to correctly
position the cleat.
In the same way that people have
different distribution of length between the legs and the body, people have
differently proportioned feet (long toes and short mets vs. short toes and long
mets). It is especially important for people with long toes and short metatarsals
to not use shoes that are too big as the balls of the feet are already further
back.
Cycling shoes should be snug.
When trying shoes on in the shop, you don’t want to have your toes against the
end of the shoes or the sides uncomfortably squeezing the feet. But visa versa,
you don’t want the shoes to feel roomy. Hold the back of the shoe and check
that your heel doesn't move when you pull up. If you know that you have wide
feet, try something like a Northwave, while Sidi will suit a narrower foot.
Sometimes it’s impossible to
perfectly position the cleat fore and aft due to abnormal distribution of foot
length or strange placement of the cleat holes. If the cleat is within 5mm of
optimal, I would normally leave it where it is. More than this, I’d be looking
to use an adapter plate or drill new cleat bolt holes.
Unfortunately, as much as we’d like to avoid it, crashing is part of
cycling and it will happen to you at one point or another. Anyone that saw Cav
hit the deck in stage 3 of the Giro surely wouldn’t have believed
that he would be able to even start the next stage, let alone win stage 5 and
complete the tour.
I had some decent crashes during my career. After crashing, I would normally
run through a body "reboot” checklist before jumping back up and onto the
bike. The list went:
1) Head
2) Bones and Joints
3) Muscles
4) Skin
Head:
Identifying if you or your riding partner has sustained a concussion is very
important as server cases can cause swelling of the brain or burst capillaries,
both of which can be fatal in the worst case. It is caused by impact or sudden
deceleration of the head. According to the 3rd International Conferenceon concussion in sport
(2008), the signs and symptoms of a concussion are:
(a) Somatic (e.g. headache), Cognitive (e.g. feeling
like in a fog) and/or Emotional symptoms
(b) Physical signs (e.g. loss of consciousness,
amnesia)
Always check the helmet for damage but remember
that lack of impact does not mean that the rider isn’t concussed. Ask the rider
questions like “what is the date?” “how many miles have we done?” “do have any
changes in vision, smell, taste or sensation?” and check their balance with a
simple single leg balance test, first with eyes open and then with them closed.
If they have had a head impact, lost consciousness or you suspect that they may
be concussed; they should not continue the ride and be checked up by a doctor.
Bones and Joints:
Damage to bone or joint ligaments will cause pain
and swelling. If riding causes increased pain, stop and find another way to get
home as aggravating the injury will increase your recovery time. Once home,
your short term priority is to control the swelling and ice is your new best
friend. Ice it will an ice pack or pack of peas for 15 minutes, three times a
day.If you suspect a broken bone (abnormal shape or painful to touch), go to
A&E immediately.Put as little body weight on the joint but keep moving
within a pain free range. If swelling is excessive or continues for more than a
day; see a physical therapist.
Muscles:
Muscle strains and tears are caused by the muscle
being stretched or damaged. These range from mild strains (sore but no swelling),
severe strain/tear (pain and swelling) to complete tear (minimal pain, muscle
deformity and loss of function). With a mild strain, try not to load the muscle
while it’s recovering (small gears and less riding). Severe strains will need
complete rest until the swelling stops (as above ice is you best friend) but
keep it moving through a pain free range. See a physical therapist ASAP to fast
track your recovery. A complete tear however needs to be surgically repaired as
soon as possible so head straight to A&E.
Skin:
Road rash or gravel rash is the most common result
of a crash. It’s normally just skin deep but if there are lacerations that are
deeper, you’ll need to go to hospital to get them seen to. The biggest danger
with all this open flesh is infection. It is very important to get it cleaned
with antiseptic as soon as possible making sure all the bits of grit are out. Then,
if it’s small enough, cover the wounds with a wet-heal plaster. Wet-heal
plasters are just amazing, they create a perfect healing environment and often leave
less scaring. Road rash was one of the main reasons that I shaved my legs as
the hair would get stuck in the wounds, increase the likelihood of infection
and be very uncomfortable.
If in doubt, get any injuries checked out at a
hospital or by a physical therapist.
Traditionally, cyclists do not do much training off
the bike. While there is certainly a time and a place for the “get miles in the
saddle” approach, this is now a bit out dated. Cross training went through a
big boom in the 90’s as people saw how well triathletes were improving in their
better discipline while spending less time specifically training for it. But
why should cyclists consider doing anything other than riding a bike?
First of all there are the all-important performance
advantages. There are studies showing that doing other sports can increase
performance (1) as well as studies that show that weight training
can increase cycling strength and efficiency (2). Doing the same
activity day in day out can also lead to imbalances in the body as the working
muscles become big and strong while the under-worked muscles weaken and atrophy.
These muscle imbalances have been shown to increase the likelihood of injury in
both the lower (3) and upper limb (4).
So it’s important to get these under worked muscles
moving, but sometimes it’s hard to simply contract a muscle if you haven’t been
used to using it. During cycling rehabilitation sessions at Bespoke PerformanceLab, I find it easier to teach people to activate inhibited muscles (like
the glutes) when they’re not doing a familiar motor pattern like cycling. If
you can learn to active your muscles in a range of different activities and
positions, then you can integrate these muscles into your day to day movements and
see better gains in strength and coordination.
So what areas should we be focusing on when cross training? Firstly
there are our muscles that produce power while cycling; the quadriceps and
glutes (butt muscles). With these, we are looking to use the muscles in a new
way and/or through a different range of motion. Next are our core and hip
control muscles which are important for balance, control and directing the
forces during the pedal stroke. Because we spend long periods bent forward on
the bike, cyclists often develop an imbalance between the anterior chain (stomach
muscles, hip flexors etc) which can become strong and tight and the posterior
chain (back muscles, hamstrings etc) which become long and weak. Finally there
are the under worked muscles in the upper body which, while we don’t want to be
overly big and bulky, we do need them to be balanced and strong enough to counteract
the forces being produced by the legs.
Swimming is a good cross training activity for
cyclists as it forces us to use our upper bodies at relatively low loads. It’s
important however to mix up your strokes as just doing front crawl will put
more emphasis on the anterior chain. Back stroke will encourage the posterior
chain to fire up while breast stroke will use the muscles in the hips in a new
range and if you know how to do butterfly, can you please teach me!!!!
Rowing is a great cardiovascular exercise for
cyclists. It puts huge emphasis on quad strength and glute activation from a
very tight hip angle (the same as coming over the top of the pedal stroke). It
also requires strength through your back to transmit the forces generated by
the legs through to the handle in exactly the same way cyclists need to while
climbing.
Personally, I do something a little more unusual for
cross training; I have taken up inline speed skating. There
have been many examples of skaters crossing over to cycling and being very
successful. Eric Heiden (5) won multiple Olympic gold skating medals
and then went onto win the US pro road champs. More recently Clara Hughes (6)
successfully transferred from the bike to skates and won medals at both summer
and winter games. Sheila Young (7) on the other hand was able to
compete and win Olympic and World golds both skating and track
cycling simultaneously. So there is method to my madness. In essence it’s cycling without a pair of handlebars to hold you up. It
uses very similar muscles to produce the power (glutes and quads) but requires
much more core stability and back strength to maintain the position and control
your force and direction. I’ve found it has really helped my climbing technique
as I can get more of my body weight onto the pedal earlier in the pedal stroke.
I skate for the LondonSkaters Speed Team and race
in a number of events such asmarathons (I
recently did the London Inline Marathon in 1 hour 28 minutes) and also a 24
hour relay race at Le Mans.
There is also a hidden danger in only riding a bike.
Cycling is a non-weight bearing sport; meaning there isn’t much impact between
your body weight and the floor. The skeletal system adapts to regular shocks
and compressions caused by impact by increasing bone density. On the other
hand, if this demand is not placed on the body, bone density can drop. There
have been a lot of studies showing lower bone density in competitive cyclist (8),
adolescent cyclists (9) and master cyclists (10). Low
bone density can lead to conditions like osteopenia and osteoporosis where the
bones become weak and brittle. Most famously, this is one of the reasons why
Chris Boardman had to stop racing (11). Alarmingly, a study in 2008
suggests that cyclists can be as much as 7 times more likely to develop
osteopenia than runners (12). Therefore, it would be highly
recommended for cyclists to incorporate weight bearing exercise like running or
plyometrics etc into their training regimes.
I am a big believer that all cyclists should do weight
training (and I’m not just talking about track sprinters here). I know that a
cyclist’s big fear is that they will gain too much body weight by weight
training but this is not the case. By altering reps, sets, rest periods and
weight, you can get big gains in strength and control that you just won’t get
by simply riding a bike. A study in 2010 saw significant gains in cycling
efficiency and aerobic time to exhaustion with maximal strength training (2).
Weight training is also a very quick and efficient way to target weak muscles
and address muscle imbalances.
During a cycling strength and technique session at BespokePerformance Lab we break down the pedal stroke into its key
fundamental movements, train them separately using specific exercises and then
reintegrated into a fluid cycling pattern. This way you can focus on the
specific weaknesses in the pedal stroke and learn to control the movements in a
controlled environment. We progress exercises from simple body weight control,
through maximal strength training to increase nerve activation and then
increase the speed to convert that into power.
Five simple exercises that cyclists should incorporate
are:
Lunge: Simulates the top of the pedal stroke.
Overhead Squat: Simulates the mid-point of the pedal
stroke and requires more thoracic strength than a normal squat.
Single Leg Dead Lift: Requires good core control and
simulates transferring energy through the back and into the bars.
Swiss Ball Hamstring Curls: Simulates the first part
of the recovering stroke.
Bent Over Rows: Works the upper body in the same way
as pulling on the bars.
It’s also important to stretch regularly and specifically the muscles
that you are tight in.
Other things that cyclists might consider are yoga and pilates. I like yoga
as it teaches lengthening and strengthening through whole chains of muscles.
For example, a bridge creates length down the entire anterior chain (stomach,
hip flexors etc) and simultaneously strength through the posterior chain (back,
glutes, hamstrings etc). Pilates is good for teaching core activation and
control. It is important however to do your research when finding yoga and
pilates instructors and make sure you find a good one.
Cross training shouldn't be something that you just do
in the off season as the benefits will be felt throughout the year. It might be that the number or duration of
sessions is reduced during the season as specific training is more effective in
developing performance (1) but it’s important to continue to stress
the body in different ways so that the benefits are not lost. I would aim to do
1 to 2 sessions of 45 mins to an hour during the season while this can be
increased in the early off season to 3 to 4. Target doing cardiovascular
efforts that can be sustained and remember that you will probably tire quicker
doing unfamiliar tasks because you will be using different muscles.
Most importantly, cross training is a great way to
break up the monotony of training. Doing something that is new can be a lot of
fun and a good challenge.
References
1) Foster, C.;Hector, L. L.;Welsh, R.;Schrager, M.; Green, M. A.& Snyder, A. C. (1995) ‘Effects
of specific versus cross-training on running performance’ European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, Vol 70, No. 4(1995), pp 367-37
2) Sunde,
A.; Støren, Ø.; Bjerkaas, M.; Larsen, M. H.; Hoff, J. & Helgerud, J. (2010)
‘Maximal strength training improves cycling economy in competitive
cyclists’ Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol.
24, Iss. 8, pp. 2157-2165
3) Niemuth,
P. E.; Johnson, R. J.; Myers, M. J. & Thieman, T. J. (2005) ‘Hip Muscle Weakness and Overuse Injuries in
Recreational Runners’ Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, Jan
2005, Vol. 15, Iss. 1, pp 14-21
4) Niederbracht,
Y.; Shim, A. L.; Sloniger, M. A.; Paternostro-Bayles, M. & Short, T.(2008) ‘Effects
of a Shoulder Injury Prevention Strength Training Program on Eccentric External
Rotator Muscle Strength and Glenohumeral Joint Imbalance in Female Overhead
Activity Athletes’ Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, Jan
2008, Vol. 22, Iss. 1, pp 140-145
5) Eric Heiden: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Heiden
6) Clara Hughes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Hughes
8) Beatty,
T.; Webner, D. & Collina, S. J. (2010) ‘Bone Density in Competitive Cyclists’ Current Sports Medicine
Reports, Nov /Dec 2010, Vol. 9, Iss. 6, pp 352-355
9) Olmedillas,
H.; González-Agüero, A.; Moreno, L.A.; Casajús, J.A. & Vicente-Rodríguez,
G. (2011) ‘Bone Related Health Status in Adolescent Cyclists’ PLoS ONE
6(9)
10) Nichols,
J. F.; Palmer, J. E. & Levy, S. S. (2003) ‘Low Bone Density in Highly
Trained Male Master Cyclists’ Oesteoporos Int. (2003) Vol. 14;
pp.644-649.
11) Anstead,
M. (2009) ‘Chris Boardman: I had to give up cycling at 32 because I had the
bones of an old woman’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/diets/article-1227777/CHRIS-BOARDMAN-I-cycling-32-I-bones-old-woman.html
12) Rector,
R. S.; Rogers, R.; Ruebel, M. & Hinton, P. S. (2008) ‘Participation in road
cycling vs running is associated with lower bone mineral density in men’ Metabolism
- Clinical and Experimental Vol. 57, Iss. 2 , pp 226-232
An
interesting picture has been doing the rounds comparing the positions of Brad
Wiggins and Andy Schlek. Obviously these comparisons are entirely hypothetical;
the picture of Brad is slightly from in front, both riders are traveling at 30
something mph, we’re assuming they’re the same distance from the camera and we
have to make rough guesses at body landmarks. But to the naked eye, it’s
obvious that Brad is cutting a lot smaller hole through the air compared to
Andy.
To
achieving a fast TT position is a fine balancing act between power and
aerodynamics. Go too low and long: aerodynamic drag may be reduced but power
production is also reduced and you have to work harder to maintain the
position. Sit too high: Power production increases but is negated by increased
aerodynamic drag. All of this while working within the UCI’s restrictive rules
on position.
Both
riders are quite tall (1.9m for Brad plays 1.86m for Andy) and are therefore
both probably running on the maximum reach of 75cm in front of the bottom
bracket. Brad does have longer legs, especially in the calf. But Brad’s upper
arms are only slightly shorter than Andy’s, so how is he able to punch a
significantly smaller hole in the air?
So
what is Brad doing to achieve the more extreme position? Well, even though his
hips (saddle) are higher because of his long legs, the more acute back angle
drops his shoulder almost as low as Andy’s. His shoulder angle is a little more
stretched out by holding the very ends of his shifters. Finally, he is
retracting scapulars (pinching his shoulder blades together), which drops his
head lower out of the airstream and narrowing the gap between the head and the
arms.
So
would Andy be quicker in Brad’s position? No, probably not. Brad has been
riding in extreme aero positions from a very young age. When I rode with him as
a junior, we would spend entire days training at Manchester track down in this
position. Years of riding in this position develops the flexibility and muscle
activation needed to produce power at extreme joint angles. Andy is first and
foremost a road climbing specialist. He has spent his career developing the
muscle activation in a lot more open position. Andy has been Retül fitted and
he would probably go slower in a more extreme position and jeopardise his road
riding by having to try to adapt his body to the TT bike too much.
So
how does this relate to the average racer? To ride an aggressive TT position
involves working on you flexibility and ability to activate muscles at extreme
angles. This can be fast tracked off the bike with specific exercises to target
restriction. To ride a fast TT, you need to train in your TT position. The more
time you spend riding in the position, the more power you’ll be able to produce
in this position.
