assymetry - balance - muscles

Quoted message said:

Does anyone worry about, suffered from, have compensation schemes,
regarding asymmetrical muscle development from cycling or any activity
that focuses on some areas but not others?

A physio visit recently indicated I had a frozen or 'swimmer's' shoulder -
not from cycling and not serious. I just have to make the effort to work
different muscles as a part of my swim routine. But it got me concerned
about balancing leg muscle development.

Any thoughts, advice, strategies, experiences on balancing cycling induced
leg muscle development?

If riding a bike and virtually nothing else terribly physical was going to
result in a seriously imbalanced body with whatever issues that might
produce, I'd be a mess right now. For the past 35 years (since I was 13),
about the only thing I've done is ride a bike. Raced, toured, recreational,
whatever. Nothing too screwy physically about me, but the mental state may
be open for debate.

I doubt you have to worry too much about any particular exercise unless you
do it to the point where you're actually damaging the muscles such that the
rest of your body has to compensate for it. Not related to exercise, but
when I had a seriously ingrown toe-nail way back when, it caused a *lot* of
leg & hip pain... on the opposite side.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

1oki said:

Does anyone worry about, suffered from, have compensation schemes,
regarding asymmetrical muscle development from cycling or any activity that
focuses on some areas but not others?

A physio visit recently indicated I had a frozen or 'swimmer's' shoulder -
not from cycling and not serious. I just have to make the effort to work
different muscles as a part of my swim routine. But it got me concerned
about balancing leg muscle development.

Any thoughts, advice, strategies, experiences on balancing cycling induced
leg muscle development?

I can add that it is real. You do lose upper body strength if you do not
pay attention to your regime of exercising the whole body. I used to be
able to do 25-30 push ups at one time, now I am down to 15-20. Chin ups
were at about 5 and now I am lucky to do one. My legs are doing just
fine though and I can also run very well, both out speeding and
outlasting the local 10 to 15 year old crowd. This at 56. I need to get
the wieghts out of find some way to keep balanced. Rowing a boat on a
lake is great for the upper body because it gets you outside and you can
change seats to push row or conventional pull row. If a hand powered
bicycle were available I might try that. Gyms you have to pay for and
the scenery never changes, except for the 20 something women that I can
only think about and be distracted.
Bill Baka

"b_baka" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I used to be
able to do 25-30 push ups at one time, now I am down to 15-20. Chin ups
were at about 5 and now I am lucky to do one. My legs are doing just
fine though and I can also run very well, both out speeding and
outlasting the local 10 to 15 year old crowd. This at 56. I need to get
the wieghts out of find some way to keep balanced.

If you have weights, use 'em. But if you're concerned with your
diminished of ability to do pushups & pullups, you could work on those,
and other bodyweight exercises.

I joined a gym a few years ago, but prior to that I did bodyweight exercises at home
(also cycling) for fitness. I had a pretty good balance of bodyweight exercises, it took
very little time, and it let me maintain a reasonable level of fitness. Actually I still do a few
as part of my gym workout.

There's tons of stuff about this on the web to with lots of interesting programs
& exercises. And it doesn't have to take much time...

i don't agree

Quoted message said:

i don't agree

With what?

David said:

"b_baka" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I used to be
able to do 25-30 push ups at one time, now I am down to 15-20. Chin ups
were at about 5 and now I am lucky to do one. My legs are doing just
fine though and I can also run very well, both out speeding and
outlasting the local 10 to 15 year old crowd. This at 56. I need to get
the wieghts out of find some way to keep balanced.

If you have weights, use 'em. But if you're concerned with your
diminished of ability to do pushups & pullups, you could work on those,
and other bodyweight exercises.

I joined a gym a few years ago, but prior to that I did bodyweight exercises at home
(also cycling) for fitness. I had a pretty good balance of bodyweight exercises, it took
very little time, and it let me maintain a reasonable level of fitness. Actually I still do a few
as part of my gym workout.

There's tons of stuff about this on the web to with lots of interesting programs
& exercises. And it doesn't have to take much time...

That last sentence said it, time. Time and finding a place to do it,
since people will look at you wierd if you just drop and do 20. I do it
at home and my wife and daughter both give me a bad time. Pull ups or
chin ups are a bit harder to do, what with having to find a bar and all.
The weights are no bench (fell apart) so really free style.
I need to mark my calendar, "Add more hours to the day".
Bill Baka

"b_baka" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That last sentence said it, time. Time and finding a place to do it,
since people will look at you wierd if you just drop and do 20. I do it
at home and my wife and daughter both give me a bad time.

🙂

Quoted message said:

Pull ups or
chin ups are a bit harder to do, what with having to find a bar and all.

I did pullups from a couple of rock-rings I hung from a garage rafter.
For dips, use two chair backs (or chair fronts, depending on which dip
style you prefer).

If you run out of ideas, in addition to all the bodyweight-exercise
resources on the web, there's also this. Your house as exercise
equipment:
http://www.housegymnastics.com/

Quoted message said:

The weights are no bench (fell apart) so really free style.
I need to mark my calendar, "Add more hours to the day".

How about 20-30 minutes every other day or so?

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

1oki said:

A physio visit recently indicated I had a frozen or 'swimmer's'
shoulder - not from cycling and not serious. I just have to make the
effort to work different muscles as a part of my swim routine. But it got
me concerned about balancing leg muscle development.

Quoted message said:

If riding a bike and virtually nothing else terribly physical was going to
result in a seriously imbalanced body with whatever issues that might
produce, I'd be a mess right now. For the past 35 years (since I was 13),
about the only thing I've done is ride a bike. Raced, toured,
recreational, whatever. Nothing too screwy physically about me, but the
mental state may be open for debate.

You and me both, brother.

Quoted message said:

I doubt you have to worry too much about any particular exercise unless
you do it to the point where you're actually damaging the muscles such
that the rest of your body has to compensate for it. Not related to
exercise, but when I had a seriously ingrown toe-nail way back when, it
caused a *lot* of leg & hip pain... on the opposite side.

Not pain or muscle damage but wrt to the shoulder it was described thus:

The swimming stroke builds certain larger muscles of the shoulder. Certain
smaller muscles which lay underneath these larger ones are, not only not
exercised, but constricted by the development of the larger muscles. It
isn't serious - just some stiffness and soreness. The treatment is to do
certain exercises that do work the smaller muscles.

I'm just wondering if anyone came across anything similar - call it
cyclist's leg - from a lot of leg development.

--
'Silly customer
You cannot hurt a twinkie!'
-apu

1oki said:

The swimming stroke builds certain larger muscles of the shoulder.
Certain smaller muscles which lay underneath these larger ones are,
not only not exercised, but constricted by the development of the
larger muscles. It isn't serious - just some stiffness and soreness.
The treatment is to do certain exercises that do work the smaller
muscles.

I'm just wondering if anyone came across anything similar - call it
cyclist's leg - from a lot of leg development.

I've noticed an imbalance in my legs when doing yoga (only other exercise I
get besides cycling nowadays): my quads are very strong, but my hamstrings
aren't.

Wouldn't kill me to go upstairs where the weights and machines are, but
hasn't bothered me enough yet to get me back up there.

On a side note, I did my first century last Saturday, and felt fairly fine
afterwards. Yesterday, 4 days later, my right (bad) shoulder was in full
spasm mode, which then migrated to my back just in time for last night's mtb
ride. Got home and took a Flexaril that expired in 1997; slept hard and
spasms are gone (so far) today.

As my broken-chain tattoo on that incised right shoulder says, "Shut Up &
Ride" and "No Whining".

Bill "old dude" S.

David said:

"b_baka" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That last sentence said it, time. Time and finding a place to do it,
since people will look at you wierd if you just drop and do 20. I do it
at home and my wife and daughter both give me a bad time.

🙂

Quoted message said:

Pull ups or
chin ups are a bit harder to do, what with having to find a bar and all.

I did pullups from a couple of rock-rings I hung from a garage rafter.
For dips, use two chair backs (or chair fronts, depending on which dip
style you prefer).

If you run out of ideas, in addition to all the bodyweight-exercise
resources on the web, there's also this. Your house as exercise
equipment:
http://www.housegymnastics.com/

Quoted message said:

The weights are no bench (fell apart) so really free style.
I need to mark my calendar, "Add more hours to the day".

How about 20-30 minutes every other day or so?

Well, usually on that 20-30 minutes I am riding, but today I got in some
weight lifting of sorts moving computers and monitors around. Giving
some a tune up and some a toss out. All day messing with computers and
no ride, barely a break even day.
Bill Baka

1oki said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
...
I'm just wondering if anyone came across anything similar - call it
cyclist's leg - from a lot of leg development.

Unlike you and Mike J, I came fairly late to cycling. A road bike of any
description is a lot cheaper mid-life crisis vehicle than a Porsche.
Last year as my fitness level and milage started to ramp up my knee
began to hurt along the kneecap on the inside of my right leg. The
orthopod I saw sent me to a physical therapist who figured out that I
was over developing on the outside quads relative to the inside so they
pulled on the kneecap causing the hurt. So I needed to strengthen the
muscles on the inside to keep things in balance at my knee. He worked
with me for several sessions and set me up with some exercises to
strengthen and stretch the medial quads. I have been doing these pretty
religiously and it seems to be working. I have done 500 miles with quite
a bit of climbing since 1/1/05. I may yet need to get some orthotics as
I do have a bit of alignment issue, but I would never had gotten to that
mileage if I had not got the knee problem under control.

Mike

Mike McGuire said:

1oki said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
...
I'm just wondering if anyone came across anything similar - call it
cyclist's leg - from a lot of leg development.

Unlike you and Mike J, I came fairly late to cycling. A road bike of any
description is a lot cheaper mid-life crisis vehicle than a Porsche.
Last year as my fitness level and milage started to ramp up my knee
began to hurt along the kneecap on the inside of my right leg. The
orthopod I saw sent me to a physical therapist who figured out that I
was over developing on the outside quads relative to the inside so they
pulled on the kneecap causing the hurt. So I needed to strengthen the
muscles on the inside to keep things in balance at my knee. He worked
with me for several sessions and set me up with some exercises to
strengthen and stretch the medial quads. I have been doing these pretty
religiously and it seems to be working. I have done 500 miles with quite
a bit of climbing since 1/1/05. I may yet need to get some orthotics as
I do have a bit of alignment issue, but I would never had gotten to that
mileage if I had not got the knee problem under control.

Mike

Mike,
I have to agree with you about certain aspects of leg pain. In my case
it is a right Femur that was broken so badly going into the knee that I
still have metal pins and a 2" shorter right leg. I was told I would
never walk quite normally again but took up biking and running to
strengthen the weaker leg. Now I am balanced, but it is still me right
leg that wants to quit first. Just go by the motto "Never give up" and
think of it as "No pain, no gain.".

Speaking of assymetry, I was tempted to try a 175mm crank on the left
and a 170mm on the right to save someright leg stress, but I don't even
know if they exist.
All for now,
Bill Baka

b_baka said:

Mike McGuire said:

Speaking of assymetry, I was tempted to try a 175mm crank on the

left

Quoted message said:

and a 170mm on the right to save someright leg stress, but I don't

even

Quoted message said:

know if they exist.
All for now,
Bill Baka

A recipe for disaster!

"Mike McGuire" wrote>

Quoted message said:

Unlike you and Mike J, I came fairly late to cycling. A road bike of any
description is a lot cheaper mid-life crisis vehicle than a Porsche.
Last year as my fitness level and milage started to ramp up my knee
began to hurt along the kneecap on the inside of my right leg. The
orthopod I saw sent me to a physical therapist who figured out that I
was over developing on the outside quads relative to the inside so they
pulled on the kneecap causing the hurt. So I needed to strengthen the
muscles on the inside to keep things in balance at my knee. He worked
with me for several sessions and set me up with some exercises to
strengthen and stretch the medial quads. I have been doing these pretty
religiously and it seems to be working. I have done 500 miles with quite
a bit of climbing since 1/1/05. I may yet need to get some orthotics as
I do have a bit of alignment issue, but I would never had gotten to that
mileage if I had not got the knee problem under control.

Several months ago, I went from cleats with float to cleats with no float.
After several hundred miles, I began to have increasing knee pain just as
you describe yours. I then changed back to cleats with float. And after
several hundred miles of riding with no other exercise, the pain has
completely disappeared. But, as with all things, YMMV.

1oki said:

Does anyone worry about, suffered from, have compensation schemes,
regarding asymmetrical muscle development from cycling or any activity that
focuses on some areas but not others?

A physio visit recently indicated I had a frozen or 'swimmer's' shoulder -
not from cycling and not serious. I just have to make the effort to work
different muscles as a part of my swim routine. But it got me concerned
about balancing leg muscle development.

Any thoughts, advice, strategies, experiences on balancing cycling induced
leg muscle development?

I'm training for a sprint triathlon, and even though I'm having to learn
proper swim form almost from the beginning and increase my running
ridiculously slowly (I'm up to 1 1/2 miles three times a week) I love
the feeling of balance of developing different muscles. The swimming is
at a master's workout so we do different strokes and I also do 5 minutes
of weights several times a week to use the shoulder muscles differently.

I have a kneecap that used to dislocate (until I learned what stretches
to do) and I have to be careful to keep my quads balanced. It seems
like the combination of biking, running and swimming is doing that
fairly well.

I didn't have any joint problems from just biking, but I know I couldn't
just run without having problems.

Pam

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 19:07:34 -0500, pam_in_sc <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

1oki said:

Does anyone worry about, suffered from, have compensation schemes,
regarding asymmetrical muscle development from cycling or any activity that
focuses on some areas but not others?

A physio visit recently indicated I had a frozen or 'swimmer's' shoulder -
not from cycling and not serious. I just have to make the effort to work
different muscles as a part of my swim routine. But it got me concerned
about balancing leg muscle development.

Any thoughts, advice, strategies, experiences on balancing cycling induced
leg muscle development?

I'm training for a sprint triathlon, and even though I'm having to learn
proper swim form almost from the beginning and increase my running
ridiculously slowly (I'm up to 1 1/2 miles three times a week) I love
the feeling of balance of developing different muscles.

Isn't the run in a sprint tri 10K? That's gonna be tough to make by late
spring. Certainly better to take it slowly and avoid injury. Are you biking
a certain distance prior to the run those three days a week? How are the
quads handling that? Good luck and keep us informed.

jj

Quoted message said:

The swimming is
at a master's workout so we do different strokes and I also do 5 minutes
of weights several times a week to use the shoulder muscles differently.

I have a kneecap that used to dislocate (until I learned what stretches
to do) and I have to be careful to keep my quads balanced. It seems
like the combination of biking, running and swimming is doing that
fairly well.

I didn't have any joint problems from just biking, but I know I couldn't
just run without having problems.

Pam

jj said:

Quoted message said:

I'm training for a sprint triathlon, and even though I'm having to learn
proper swim form almost from the beginning and increase my running
ridiculously slowly (I'm up to 1 1/2 miles three times a week) I love
the feeling of balance of developing different muscles.

Isn't the run in a sprint tri 10K? That's gonna be tough to make by late
spring. Certainly better to take it slowly and avoid injury. Are you biking
a certain distance prior to the run those three days a week? How are the
quads handling that? Good luck and keep us informed.

jj

The run is 5 K, not 10 K, so I think I can get there. My bicycling is
usually 15 miles twice a week and a long ride of 30 or 40 miles on the
weekend, I'm hoping to do some centuries this year too. I haven't
started doing combination workouts, but some days I swim or run first
thing in the morning and bike in the late morning or early afternoon.

Pam

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 06:39:11 -0500, pam_in_sc <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

jj said:

Quoted message said:

I'm training for a sprint triathlon, and even though I'm having to learn
proper swim form almost from the beginning and increase my running
ridiculously slowly (I'm up to 1 1/2 miles three times a week) I love
the feeling of balance of developing different muscles.

Isn't the run in a sprint tri 10K? That's gonna be tough to make by late
spring. Certainly better to take it slowly and avoid injury. Are you biking
a certain distance prior to the run those three days a week? How are the
quads handling that? Good luck and keep us informed.

jj

The run is 5 K, not 10 K, so I think I can get there. My bicycling is
usually 15 miles twice a week and a long ride of 30 or 40 miles on the
weekend, I'm hoping to do some centuries this year too. I haven't
started doing combination workouts, but some days I swim or run first
thing in the morning and bike in the late morning or early afternoon.

Pam

Oh, sure, 5K is doable on 1.5miles/3x per week. So swim a mile, run 5K,
bike 25K?

Not to be all suggestion-y, but going from cycling to running can be
daunting. Would be a good idea to start doing some bike to run transitions
as soon as you're up to it. You don't have to run far, nor do you have to
bike hard before you transition. What you're trying to do is get your
muscles used to switching over. What I used to do was bike over to the
track and then run. The advantage of the track is that it's usually a
prepared surface, easy on the feet and joints and soforth, and obviously
easy to get 1/4mile increments. I'd just run until I got rid of the
squirrely feeling and into the rhythm and then cycle home. It's usually no
problem cycling after running - it's the other way around I found
difficult.

jj

jj said:

Oh, sure, 5K is doable on 1.5miles/3x per week. So swim a mile, run 5K,
bike 25K?

Not to be all suggestion-y, but going from cycling to running can be
daunting. Would be a good idea to start doing some bike to run transitions
as soon as you're up to it. You don't have to run far, nor do you have to
bike hard before you transition. What you're trying to do is get your
muscles used to switching over. What I used to do was bike over to the
track and then run. The advantage of the track is that it's usually a
prepared surface, easy on the feet and joints and soforth, and obviously
easy to get 1/4mile increments. I'd just run until I got rid of the
squirrely feeling and into the rhythm and then cycle home. It's usually no
problem cycling after running - it's the other way around I found
difficult.

jj

This one is 750 meter swim, 11 mile bike, 5 k run (
http://www.set-upinc.com/rp5/clemson/clemson.shtml ). I do my running
at about 5:30 am, on a track. It is only a couple of miles from my
house so I would love to bike, but at the moment it is pitch black dark
at that hour and I have a rear flasher for times when I am coming home
at dusk but not a front light. Your suggestion is a good one; I'm just
trying to figure out how to fit it into my routine. I usually bike in
the afternoon and I can't use the track then; it is reserved for the
track team.

Pam