Longer Legs

Cycling is nutorius for shortening the hamstrings because of the limited range of movement of the cycling action.

Your legs are unlikly to get longer as that would require bone growth/ligament stretch. Please keep an eye on your saddle raises, don't go too high as that will cause damage to your knees.

The straight leg stretch that you describe is not the best type of stretch to do for your hamstrings as it can damage your back. Look at doing 'bent leg stretches'. Your increase in range of movement could have occured because of increased flaxability in your back or hamstrings, because your stretch does not isolate either of thses components.

Well done on your improved flexibility, do you do additional stretching as its unlikly to be due to the cycling!

Hi,

You are almost definitely getting longer legs. I went through a phase when I thought like you - considering that I am already almost I do not need the extra height - as I frequently had to raise my saddle height. Some very nice detective work on my part then turned out the real culprit. I drive a small car and my bike barely fits into the boot/trunk. Everytime I raised the saddle height I nudged the bike beyond the capacity of the car. Slamming the trunk shut then forced the saddle height to contract again. Needless to say I had to replace my seat post and find an alternative way of moving my bike. All is well now.

My bit

Quoted post said:

Cycling is nutorius for shortening the hamstrings because of the limited range of movement of the cycling action.

I wonder if that is the reason I can't run very well,back about 4 years ago I used to regulary go on 10 mile runs, since I stopped running and taken up cycling I think my fitness has stayed the same but I cannot run to save my life.

Quoted post said:

your legs are unlikly to get longer as that would require bone growth/ligament stretch.  Please keep an eye on your saddle raises, don't go too high as that will cause damage to your knees.

You've answered a question that has been nagging in the back of my head, I know that my leg should be fractionally bent when the pedal is all the way down, which it is when I start,but because I feels easier after a ride I've been raising the saddle (i'll leave it alone )

Quoted post said:

The straight leg stretch that you describe is not the best type of stretch to do for your hamstrings as it can damage your back.  Look at doing 'bent leg stretches'.  Your increase in range of movement could have occured because of increased flaxability in your back or hamstrings, because your stretch does not isolate either of thses components.

Well done on your improved flexibility, do you do additional stretching as its unlikly to be due to the cycling!

It's probably is the the effect of bending over on the bike that has increased my flexiblity, I'd never thought of that, and no I don't do any other stretching exercises despite everybody telling that I should :-[

Black knight, Whilst I've been riding for a few years it's been on a mountain bike and it was a very common occurance to raise my seat for the uphill slog, then lower it for the blast downhill, so my saddle was always a different height, but it's only now that I moved up to road riding that I noticed the effect.

One last thing, 2lap aren't you around Manchester ? if you are hoped you cheered on a Welsh win in the cycling for me.

and Vo2 won't you boys let us Welsh even win a sevens rugby match. 😄

Quoted post said:

Cycling is nutorius for shortening the hamstrings because of the limited range of movement of the cycling action.

I find that to be so true. I feel the hamstrings a lot when i walk a lot , and i dont think i had that before. It shows how you can be great at one thing (Cycling) and [censored] at another (Running) Thats why i would not want to be a tri athlete. It would be to hard to balance the three. Besides bicycling is the only way to go ;D

I can ride 6 hours in the mountains and back it up again the next day without a problem........but a 45 minute brisk walk with the dogs leaves me stuffed for days after :🙂

Lazarus-g, what a fortunate ride by Nicole! I am also Welsh (but will shout for England if there is no Welsh talent) lets hope Nicole lives up to all she promises.

Guest said:

Cycling is nutorius for shortening the hamstrings because of the limited range of movement of the cycling action.

Your legs are unlikly to get longer as that would require bone growth/ligament stretch. Please keep an eye on your saddle raises, don't go too high as that will cause damage to your knees.

The straight leg stretch that you describe is not the best type of stretch to do for your hamstrings as it can damage your back. Look at doing 'bent leg stretches'. Your increase in range of movement could have occured because of increased flaxability in your back or hamstrings, because your stretch does not isolate either of thses components.

Well done on your improved flexibility, do you do additional stretching as its unlikly to be due to the cycling!

I frequently cycle with a raised seat as I am in the triathlon club at my college (Arizona State University). I do this to have an edge on my cycling speed by increasing range of motion.
I didnt experiment with the running but I would say its like sleeping. When you sleep your muscles are practically not moving AT ALL. When you wake up your spine recompresses to its normal length but you dont SHRINK, that includes hamstrings. Another example is when doing the flex arm hang exercise, the biceps dont compress and get shorter. I dont see how its much different from cycling, and its an isometric exercise where your muscles dont grow or shrink in length.
My idea is that somehow a part of the leg becomes longer, making the length of the hamstrings disproportional to that new length. If you still think hamstrings become shorter after reading this, PLEASE TELL ME HOW AND ILL STOP RAISING MY SEAT! LOL (no really im being serious)