Cycling imbalances and corrective exercises?
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Cycling imbalances and corrective exercises?
Hey everyone, I haven't been on a bike for a long while but after 2 years of cycling without a week off the burnout effect has seem to have taken its toll.. I am now completely riddled with a slu of imbalances which seem to line up with the cycling I've done in the past. I'm been going to the gym and am now 3 weeks into it, already I have seen how messed up my body is.
This blog post seems to sum up the imbalances really well : https://www.socaltrailriders.org/foru...scle-Imbalance
A couple things have stood out to me :
(1) when I bend my hip in such ways as bringing my leg up to put my socks on, bending over at the hip to reach down and dry my legs after a shower (happens everyday!) and when laying down with one leg up as if doing a sit up and moving it side to side, it makes my hip click. It's a weird sound, *not a pop like cracking knuckles, and no grinding*, best way I can explain it is like a hollow sounding crack.
(2) my clavicle clicks out and back in when raising my arm straight above 90 degrees sometimes straight up in line with my body (while standing up). I've done some research and have found out that it's most likely anterior sternoclavicular subluxation. (I broke my collarbone when I was ~5-7 years old but havnt had a single problem until now, I'm 17)
I believe this has something to do with my shoulders though. I cannot do bench press (flat BB or DB), dips, push-ups, flyes, basically anything to do with chest/shoulders heavy or lightweight without pain stopping me from doing so. I believe it's a rotator cuff problem but nothing I've tried seems to help.
Does anyone know how to fix these problems? I will probably see a doctor sometime soon but am wondering if there's something I'm missing here. Sorry for long post, I've always struggled to explain things efficiently, but all help is appreciated, thanks!
This blog post seems to sum up the imbalances really well : https://www.socaltrailriders.org/foru...scle-Imbalance
A couple things have stood out to me :
(1) when I bend my hip in such ways as bringing my leg up to put my socks on, bending over at the hip to reach down and dry my legs after a shower (happens everyday!) and when laying down with one leg up as if doing a sit up and moving it side to side, it makes my hip click. It's a weird sound, *not a pop like cracking knuckles, and no grinding*, best way I can explain it is like a hollow sounding crack.
(2) my clavicle clicks out and back in when raising my arm straight above 90 degrees sometimes straight up in line with my body (while standing up). I've done some research and have found out that it's most likely anterior sternoclavicular subluxation. (I broke my collarbone when I was ~5-7 years old but havnt had a single problem until now, I'm 17)
I believe this has something to do with my shoulders though. I cannot do bench press (flat BB or DB), dips, push-ups, flyes, basically anything to do with chest/shoulders heavy or lightweight without pain stopping me from doing so. I believe it's a rotator cuff problem but nothing I've tried seems to help.
Does anyone know how to fix these problems? I will probably see a doctor sometime soon but am wondering if there's something I'm missing here. Sorry for long post, I've always struggled to explain things efficiently, but all help is appreciated, thanks!
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Naw, you need a good PT person. Hard to find, but gold. IME you're not really seeing burnout. You are seeing the result of just doing one thing. I've kept going by mixing it up: bike, run, hike, weights, ski, core, etc. I mostly bike, but I also do an average of maybe 4 hours/week of something else. That's an average. Winter I do more, summer less. I'm constantly repairing something; I'm very proactive about it.
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Naw, you need a good PT person. Hard to find, but gold. IME you're not really seeing burnout. You are seeing the result of just doing one thing. I've kept going by mixing it up: bike, run, hike, weights, ski, core, etc. I mostly bike, but I also do an average of maybe 4 hours/week of something else. That's an average. Winter I do more, summer less. I'm constantly repairing something; I'm very proactive about it.
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+1
PT's are trained and licensed to follow the doctor's orders, fix the problem and discharge. So, rather than work to make things better, many just follow a script. But a few use their knowledge and skills to make things better... But, yes, they are hard to find.
That is, like in any of the medical professions. It's easy to find a professional. It's hard to find one who will take care of YOU!
PT's are trained and licensed to follow the doctor's orders, fix the problem and discharge. So, rather than work to make things better, many just follow a script. But a few use their knowledge and skills to make things better... But, yes, they are hard to find.
That is, like in any of the medical professions. It's easy to find a professional. It's hard to find one who will take care of YOU!
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Thanks for the input guys, I don't go to a commercial gym with trainers in it, I go to the one at my high school but I'll ask some trustworthy friends/teachers to aid my form, I think I have good form as it is but I guess something must be wrong that I don't know of myself. Plus my mind-muscle connection right now is not very good at all, mostly in the back, I've got to work on that. Thanks!
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Thanks for the input guys, I don't go to a commercial gym with trainers in it, I go to the one at my high school but I'll ask some trustworthy friends/teachers to aid my form, I think I have good form as it is but I guess something must be wrong that I don't know of myself. Plus my mind-muscle connection right now is not very good at all, mostly in the back, I've got to work on that. Thanks!
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#8
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Read an old book, "The 7 Minute Rotator Cuff Solution" by Joseph Horrigan. I think you may even find it online free, it might be out of print. It will give you some very good exercises specific to rotator cuff, and some traditional lifts to modify or avoid.
Also look into a foam roller and how it is used for IT Band.
Also look into a foam roller and how it is used for IT Band.
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Read an old book, "The 7 Minute Rotator Cuff Solution" by Joseph Horrigan. I think you may even find it online free, it might be out of print. It will give you some very good exercises specific to rotator cuff, and some traditional lifts to modify or avoid.
Also look into a foam roller and how it is used for IT Band.
Also look into a foam roller and how it is used for IT Band.
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Here's what I am doing right now. I go to the gym, but I am doing almost nothing
in the way of pushing. I am doing deadlifts, single leg RDLs, and Hyperextensions for the lower half,
and a variety of pulling exercises for the upper half.
When you stand with your hands at your side, if your palms face each other, that's a good sign.
Mine don't, and I am guessing yours don't, either. They don't because the strength imbalance
pulls the shoulders out of line.One thing about rows, you want to do them so that your arms go
all the way back, to activate the shoulder muscles as much as possible.
Some cycling problems come from the same thing, a strength imbalance. One way to deal with
that is to strengthen the weak muscles to balance things out.
in the way of pushing. I am doing deadlifts, single leg RDLs, and Hyperextensions for the lower half,
and a variety of pulling exercises for the upper half.
When you stand with your hands at your side, if your palms face each other, that's a good sign.
Mine don't, and I am guessing yours don't, either. They don't because the strength imbalance
pulls the shoulders out of line.One thing about rows, you want to do them so that your arms go
all the way back, to activate the shoulder muscles as much as possible.
Some cycling problems come from the same thing, a strength imbalance. One way to deal with
that is to strengthen the weak muscles to balance things out.
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Doing only one thing for a long period of time is not good for the body. The best prevention is doing some very basic compound exercises regularly such as pullups, deadlifts, squats, leg lifts and yoga. In addition to physical therapists, a good chiropractor or personal trainer may be of help. Physical therapists are better at executing prescribed treatment plans, but for any of these it's really a matter of finding a good one.
#12
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The reason too much strength "Pushing" creates problems is that the muscles most programs tend to develop are also Internal rotators. This leads to the real shoulder health issue, poor balance between internal and external rotation. The Horrigan book gives some very good practical explanations, and some routines for strengthening external rotation.
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I believe this has something to do with my shoulders though. I cannot do bench press (flat BB or DB), dips, push-ups, flyes, basically anything to do with chest/shoulders heavy or lightweight without pain stopping me from doing so.
Does anyone know how to fix these problems? I will probably see a doctor sometime soon but am wondering if there's something I'm missing here. Sorry for long post, I've always struggled to explain things efficiently, but all help is appreciated, thanks!
Does anyone know how to fix these problems? I will probably see a doctor sometime soon but am wondering if there's something I'm missing here. Sorry for long post, I've always struggled to explain things efficiently, but all help is appreciated, thanks!
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Here's what I am doing right now. I go to the gym, but I am doing almost nothing
in the way of pushing. I am doing deadlifts, single leg RDLs, and Hyperextensions for the lower half,
and a variety of pulling exercises for the upper half.
When you stand with your hands at your side, if your palms face each other, that's a good sign.
Mine don't, and I am guessing yours don't, either. They don't because the strength imbalance
pulls the shoulders out of line.One thing about rows, you want to do them so that your arms go
all the way back, to activate the shoulder muscles as much as possible.
Some cycling problems come from the same thing, a strength imbalance. One way to deal with
that is to strengthen the weak muscles to balance things out.
in the way of pushing. I am doing deadlifts, single leg RDLs, and Hyperextensions for the lower half,
and a variety of pulling exercises for the upper half.
When you stand with your hands at your side, if your palms face each other, that's a good sign.
Mine don't, and I am guessing yours don't, either. They don't because the strength imbalance
pulls the shoulders out of line.One thing about rows, you want to do them so that your arms go
all the way back, to activate the shoulder muscles as much as possible.
Some cycling problems come from the same thing, a strength imbalance. One way to deal with
that is to strengthen the weak muscles to balance things out.
One thing that may be linked to this is a muscle in the back of my arm/armpit region, some of you might know what I'm talking about. I can't do any heavy pull downs or pull ups, even just jumping up and hanging on the bar, not even for a split second. I believe though that this is due to a lack of back strength and over compensation of the arms.
Also, when standing straight with my hands at my sides, its seems like my hands are turned it a bit (maybe like 10 degrees or so).
The reason too much strength "Pushing" creates problems is that the muscles most programs tend to develop are also Internal rotators. This leads to the real shoulder health issue, poor balance between internal and external rotation. The Horrigan book gives some very good practical explanations, and some routines for strengthening external rotation.
Ps. I'm not trying to complain, I hate doing that, it's probably the reason why I get myself into so many bad situations for myself but I'm just trying to make sure I do the right thing before I really f up my body. Thanks for the responses everyone, it's helping!
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Another exercise you could try instead of bench press is floor press. The ROM on floor press is much less then a bench press so it's much less likely to screw up your rotator cuff.
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