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P
CONDITIONING
ERFORMANCE
CYCLING
A NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO IMPROVING CYCLISTS
www.performancecondition.com/cycling
SPECIFIC SHOULDER TRAINING
FOR OBSTACLE CLEARING
Richard Wharton, ACSM/HFI, USA Cycling Elite Coach, L3 SPIN Instructor
Enjoying a successful mountain bike ride or race requires that the participant have a high level of total body fitness. Too
often, cyclists do not adequately train upper body muscle systems that could improve their level of performance in off-road trail
riding. This article will reveal the muscle systems required to overcome obstacles encountered in all-terrain mountain biking and
will describe proper bio-mechanic resistance training movements that can ensure safer riding and injury prevention while increasing
performance.
The mountain bike itself is an inherently unstable object. Movement of the bike at lower speeds requires lots of body motion,
especially in the shoulder and arm region. This socalled body English, when combined with a rapid pedaling motion, can lead to
higher energy output and hence, quicker fatigue. Trails littered with obstacles that require lots of pulling motions on the handlebars
can lead to sore backs, aching shoulders and drooping necks. In order to alleviate this potential for pain and fatigue, it is recommended
that all cyclists, recreational and competitive, practice certain resistance training movements that can increase both muscle power
and muscle endurance, making the rider more accomplished through muscle preparedness.
The primary muscles involved in pulling up on the handlebars are the trapezius, the rhomboids, the teres major, and the posterior deltoids. Biceps and erector spinae (lower back) are also activated. The natural position of the elbows allows for a great amount
of variety in humerus positioning in the ball-and socket joint known as the gleno-humeral process. Cyclists are reminded that taking
an elbows-too-wide position, with the elbows extended to their widest position possible, can result in improper tension and shear
forces on the joint itself. This is the first step in proper instruction on the biomechanically correct position for arm positioning in the
obstacle clearing process. A more subtle, elbows in position will lead to more muscles being involved, hence a better ability to clear
larger obstacles.
As the rider sends commands to the muscles to clear the approaching object, the trapezius and rhomboids both contract to
bring the scapulae closer. This scapular retraction, though limited in range, provides a good percentage of the power necessary to
raise the handlebars, and thus the front wheel. At the same time, the rhomboids contract, further enhancing the motion of the humerus
in the median plane. The smaller muscles, the posterior deltoid and the biceps group, provide the final power to move the humerus,
hence the hands and handlebars, back toward the chest, momentarily overcoming gravity with momentum and raising the bars adequately to overcome the object. The muscles then relax sufficiently to bring the wheel back in to contact with the ground, and the
rider back into control. (Front wheels make for poor rudders, as friction with the ground is much higher than resistance against the
atmosphere that a wheel in the air will experience.)
Now that the action has been described, here is a biomechanically correct method of training these muscles to perform the
duties necessary while decreasing fatigue and increasing necessary power.
The First Motion—Scapular Retraction Motion
The first motion involves one of the most important actions in any resistance-training regimen. This exercise should be practiced regardless of the season or training regimen, as it involves spinal stabilization. It also enhances the proper form necessary to
activate the muscle without adding to the potential for joint or muscle injury. The exercise is a scapular retraction motion that involves
trapezius contraction. The materials needed are a 45 degree bench (normally used for a chest press), two dumbbells, a good beginning
weight is around 20 - 25 lbs., and a wristwatch with a countdown timer. Set the timer for 90 seconds. Move your body until it faces
the bench in a longitudinal plane. Place the dumbbells down on the floor underneath the tallest part of the bench, and then straddle
the bench, placing your chest on the pads. Reach down, one arm at a time, and grasp the dumbbells until both are safely in the hands.
The dumbbells are to be parallel to each other, similar to the hands on the handlebar of a mountain bike. Once this is done, the cyclist
then activates the timer on the stopwatch, and slowly begins to contract just the trapezius. The contraction
should take roughly 2 seconds. It does not resemble a shrug; shrugs tend to involve just the upper trapezius,
not the whole trapezius. The goal is to bring the scapulae together, as close as possible.
Once the scapulae are retracted to their closest position, the position is held for one second,
and then the trapezius is slowly relaxed, extending the distance between the scapulae. However, the muscle itself is never completely relaxed. Never let the weights pull the arm
to the point where the shoulder joint itself is extended. The muscles that stabilize the
joint itself are small and cannot adequately resist repeated shocks to the joint itself.
The goal is to strengthen the muscles around the joint, not to injure the joint as a result
of the exercise. The contraction is then repeated, bringing the scapulae together.
This contractionextension with continued trapezius activation is continued until
the timer indicates that 90 seconds have elapsed. The reason for timing is that the muscle itself will only hypertrophy so much, and the purpose for this resistance exercise is
to increase muscular endurance for the trapezius, not over hypertrophy. Two sets of
slow, steady contractions over 90 seconds, with roughly four minutes of
rest in between sets (to let the ATP and muscle glycogen reset) will be adequate. Posture will improve as well. Use a personal trainer for spotting or
description of the motion.
The Second Motion—Cable Seated Rear Deltoid Row
The second exercise is a Cable Seated Rear Deltoid Row. This resistance exercise will contract the posterior deltoid, the
trapezius, the rhomboids, and the biceps in a secondary motion. The glenohumeral joint will abduct, the scapulae will retract, and
the elbows will extend, roughly mimicking the contraction motion of raising the handlebar. Again, the purpose of this exercise is to
increase power at the moment of contraction, as well as muscular endurance. Ninety seconds is a good starting point, though the
weight required to bring about adequate muscle fatigue depends on the cyclist.
The cyclist begins by finding a machine with cables that will allow him to perform the action either seated or adequately
stable. The bent over position is not recommended for this exercise, as the cables will allow for steady resistance through the entire
range of motion. The proper bar to be held is important as well. W bars, and even nylon rope handles, are better to ensure that the
wrist is protected from improper flexion in the lateral plain.
The exercise begins by bringing the spine into a properly stabilized position. Arch the back so that the erector spinae are
activated and holding the body stable from the trunk up. Retract the scapulae, in a similar motion to the previous exercise, and
hold them. The humerus on each arm should be about 30 degrees from parallel, so that there is a gentle angle from shoulder
to elbow. This will properly align the joint and bring the largest amount of muscles in the back into activation. Once
the back is arched and the trapezius contracted, the elbows move out as the arms abduct, bringing the bar or
handles toward the lower half of the sternum. This will activate the posterior deltoids,
the rhomboids and the biceps. This contraction action should take roughly
four seconds. As the elbows approach their widest separation point from each
other (roughly 180 degrees apart on the median plane), the motion should
stop, and the cyclist should hold the position for roughly 1-second. Then the
muscle extension begins, with about a three or four second motion to move
the bar away from the chest. The trapezius should never relax, keeping the
scapulae as close together as possible throughout the range of motion of the
exercise. Once the elbows are almost fully extended, yet the biceps are not
relaxed, the contraction should begin again.
One repetition should take about 8 seconds, and repetitions should
continue until the muscles fatigue or the timer signals that 90 seconds have
passed. The exercise can continue beyond the 90-second mark, for muscular
endurance purposes, or less than that time, to attempt to hypertrophy the muscles involved. Again, a 4-minute rest between sets is appropriate, and two sets
per training session are adequate to increase performance. There is no appropriate way to mimic the motion involved in clearing obstacles through resistance training. The theme of this article is to train the muscles involved in the
action so that they can be used properly to overcome the obstacle and protect
the rider from injury. Protecting the torso of the body through resistance training is a great way to also increase performance on the bike, and through the two exercises described above, the only continually suspended joint in the human body, the shoulder joint, can follow biomechanically correct form through its range of motion. Increasing
the contractile power and endurance of the muscles of the back can bring about safer riding with enhanced results.