Medicine of Cycling: Bike Fit
Performance Conditioning Cycling Newsletter features an article by Revolutions in Fitness owner, Curtis Cramblett. He shares his insights and experience on the numerous health and performance benefits that a great bike fit can provide.
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ALC Rider's stretches
Revolutions in Fitness has helped many cyclists and cycling organizations like ALC (Aids Life Cycle) over the years including providing these very helpful stretches for before and after any strenuous activity. |
Stretching helps to:
• Reduce muscle tension, and make the body feel more relaxed
• Increase the range of motion
• Prevent muscle and joint strains
• Promote circulation
• Reduce muscular soreness
• Increase cycling speed/performance by decreasing the muscle tension fighting your pedaling!
Stretches Document
Pumping Iron: Rules To Lift By
By: Curtis Cramblett, Physical Therapist, Cycling Coach, Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Ask any mechanic, and they will tell you that the best way to increase your car engine’s gas mileage, increase its acceleration and max speed, while decreasing the time it takes the gas to get to the engine -- is with regular maintenance and tune-ups of your car’s engine and components. Well, your muscles (including your heart) are your body’s engine and components, and strength training is one of its forms of maintenance and growth.
Read the full article
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Curtis Cramblett
on Outside Magazine |
Curtis serves on a panel of fitness experts who create workouts, explain the science, and consult on issues for Outside Magazine’s “Pillars of Fitness Series”. The goal of the series is to guide you through the bad habits, myths, and disinformation that permeate much of the wellness community, and replace it with essential truths for the athlete in you.
Step 1: Building a Base
Step 2: Tune Up
Step 3: Know your limits
Step 4: Periodize
Step 5: Get Going
Revolutionizing Your Bike Fit
Introduction
As most avid cyclists already know, riding a bicycle represents fun, fitness, companionship with fellow riders. Unfortunately, most cyclists at some point in their lives have learned their bicycles can also be a source of aches, pains and overuse injuries. There is hope, however. Ongoing developments in bike fit technology, greater biomechanical understanding relative to cyclists’ needs and sophisticated bike fitting techniques have resulted in a comprehensive bike fit solution capable of addressing the underlying causes of physical complaints, and returning the affected rider to comfort on the bike.
What Should a Comprehensive Bike Fit Include?
Since the above suggests the prospect of a bike fit as a source of ‘pain relief,’ it is important to note that not all bike fit providers are created equal. Instead, the achy rider would do well to ensure his bike fit solution of choice marries physical therapy/biomechanics evaluation and treatment, and appropriate technology with traditional evaluation and adjustments to the bike itself. Only then is a bike fit solution truly comprehensive and able to:
• Accurately evaluate the patient’s physical dysfunction/source of pain on the bike, rather than simply guessing at the problem
• Effectively assess translation of on-table evaluation and treatment into on-bike changes in patient biomechanics
• Determine a short-term bike position that accommodates the patient’s dysfunction and facilitates healing by reducing stress on injured/recovering tissues
The above commentary on bike fit solutions may further lead the reader to ask what other ‘basics’ a comprehensive bike fit should include. As a minimum, the following bike fit-related contact point dimensions should be checked (and adjusted, if appropriate):
• Cleat position – Fore/aft, rotation and medial/lateral
• Seat height – Fore/aft, seat angle (NOTE: This dimension is best determined via dynamic measurement using Retül motion capture technology. A goniometer can be substituted if motion capture is not available)
• Handlebar position -- Determined by handlebar stem length/angle
• Handlebar dimensions -- Width, reach and drop (road bike)/brake lever position
The above dimensions have 'neutral/efficient positions' for the average healthy cyclist; however, they can also be altered to reduce tissue stress when disorders such as PFA, hamstring tendonitis, cervical disc injury, and Achilles tendon injury are present. For any given patient, the bike fitter must know which dimension must be adjusted in light of the patient’s biomechanics. In addition, the fitter must understand which components might need to be replaced or added to the patient’s bike as part of the bike fit process, e.g., addition of forefoot or rear foot shims to patient’s clipless pedal system to address foot tilt, changing out improperly sized handlebars to achieve appropriate width. At Revolutions In Fitness, a long-time provider of physical therapy comprehensive bike fits, such adjustments, along with physical therapy evaluation/treatment and advanced biomechanical tools such as Retül (motion capture) and Spin Scan (pedal mechanics), have often eliminated patient pain with a single bike fitting session!
Who We Are
Revolutions In Fitness Inc. is a physical therapist-owned outpatient orthopedic cash practice providing a range of services and products to enhance human performance including comprehensive bike fitting, physical therapy, cycling coaching, personal training, cycling efficiency analysis, power/heart rate zone testing and custom orthotics. Founded by Curtis Cramblett, LPT, CFMT, CSCS in 2003, the Revolutions In Fitness team has since helped people from all walks of life, from mainstream patients seeking recovery from aches, pains and injuries, to the pro-level athlete vying for a podium position at the season’s A-level races. Recent successes include:
• Designated physical therapy/bike fit provider, Garmin Transition Pro Cycling Team (Gerona, Spain) – Provide of on-site team member evaluation on/off bike, implement related bicycle adjustments, and summarize for Garmin Transitions medical staff biomechanical dysfunctions associated with each team member requiring treatment in order to improve rider efficiency.
• Bike fit provider of choice – Chris Lieto (2nd place finisher, Ironman Kona 2009) and 2004/2008 Olympians
How we are different from other comprehensive bike fit providers:
• Comprehensive bike fits incorporating physical therapy evaluation/treatment and use of advanced biomechanical tools such as Retül (motion capture) and Spin Scan (pedal mechanics)
• Highly qualified and educated staff with advanced Manual Therapy Certifications
• In-depth knowledge of athletes and their performance needs and goals
We have two locations in San Jose and Menlo Park. Our staff includes two licensed physical therapists and one ATC, a recent finisher of Revolutions In Fitness’ bike fit fellowship program.
