Nick Clayton of TMI Sports Med answers your questions:
Jed from Fort Worth:
I have had this off injury where it hurts in my calf or thigh muscle like a knife. It’s not a cramp. I can ride in the seat and be fine but if I run or stand in the saddle it hurts. What is it and how can I avoid it from happening? I have had this injury three times now?
It sounds like you need to “retrain” the muscles that work on knee extension and ankle plantar flexion. In simple terms, it sounds like there is a compensation pattern going on in your lower leg. This is commonly associated with an overuse injury, bike setup, or poor mechanics. This is a really hard question to answer via the web. Do you have low back, hamstring, or knee pain? What is your typical weekly mileage?
1. Purchase a foam roller. Whether it is the answer to your question or not every endurance athlete should be religious about using it. The FR serves as a generic deep tissue massage. Perform a search on foam roll for the following areas; calves, hamstrings, inner thighs (adductors), and IT Band. This will help to increase the length of the muscle.
2. If you workout at the gym and use machines; stop. Machines aren’t bad for individuals wanting to get in shape but they do not incorporate nervous system training in addition to strength training. Stop from getting out of the saddle and any strength training for 2 weeks. Research “glute activation exercises,” you should find a variety of deep core and hip bridge-type exercises.
3. In essence, it sounds like you need to retrain your body how to “triple-extend.” Triple-extension is extension of the hip, knee, and ankle, as occurs in sprinting, jumping, or getting up in your saddle.
Hope this helps. Nick
Bike Jesus asks:
As you know, the higher the red blood cell count the better for a cyclist. This is one of the reasons why so much doping is done to increase the amount of red blood cells which in turn increases the amount of oxygen to the cells. The question is: Is there a legal way to increase the number of red blood cells in a persons system?
Hi Bike Jesus,
There are a number of supplements that claim to increase RBC count. However at this point I’m not aware of anything that has quality research supporting those claims. When it comes to RBC count you can look at training, genetics, and altitude. Assuming you’re following an ideal training program the one other area you can affect is altitude. While it’s probably not likely that you can move to Colorado anytime soon, you can look into purchasing a VO2 max/altitude tent.
Chances are there are ways to peak your VO2 through your training plan – I would recommend that avenue first.
Nick
Do you have questions for the trainer? Then send them to us and we’ll post Nick’s answer!
Nick is the Director of Performance at TMI Sports Performance in Arlington and is an avid off-road triathlete. Contact him with your injury prevention and run specific strength training questions at nick.clayton@tmisportsperformance.com – put Wheelbrothers in the subject line.
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