In this Episode:
- Introduction
- Micromovements
- Corrective Exercise
- Myths for Cyclists
- Strength Training Approaches for Cyclists and Triathletes
- Coaching
- Key Points for Cyclists and Triathletes to Express Athleticism
- Conclusion
Show Notes:
0:43 –
Introduction
- Video on HV Training YouTube channel
- You can see Dr. McGill’s models there
- Book recommendation for coaches: “How to Lie With Statistics”
- Importance of reading research articles
- Most advanced and up to date programming on TrainingPeaks University
- Cycling version: Strength Training for Cycling Success
- Triathlon version: Strength Training for Triathlon Success
- Two very different programs
4:34 –
Micromovements
- Typical issue with cyclists
- As soon as you damage an endplate or get a little bit of a disc bulge it changes the mechanics of the joint
- Very rarely do you find a cyclist whose primary concern and first injury is to the facet joints
- It almost always starts out as a bad disc and then later on the facet joints ;22become the primary – which forms the cascade
- We try to stiffen the laxity – not mobilize it – and once it’s stiffened it responds to the joints above and below
7:34 –
Corrective Exercise
- Recreational cyclists typically have a kyphotic head position where they lose range of motion and the shoulder joint is out of position
- Cyclists need healthy range of motion and strength endurance for the upper back too
- “Corrective exercise is to combat chronic stresses caused by the sport”- Dr. McGill
- It would be beneficial to do some thoracic extension work for cyclists to restack the spine and fix posture
9:22 –
Myths for Cyclists
- Dr. McGill them the clipboard to write down what they need (in terms of athletic variables) to be the very best in their sport
- After he asks what the weakest part of their athletic game is
- “I think they’d be very wise to spend more time in self-analysis – what is the weakest part of my game?” – Dr. McGill
- “If an athlete struggles to answer that – they have nothing to guide their training – you have to know what you’re training!” – Dr. McGill
- Cyclist culture doesn’t help with finding this answer
- Graded exposure – not in a crude way
- Practice good spine hygiene throughout the day and get you back on the bike
- Set up the bike to fit the athlete and minimize stress concentrations
- Audit body response from limited bi-daily exposure
- “Don’t get greedy” – Dr. McGill
- Let your body adapt
16:50 –
Strength Training Approaches for Cyclists and Triathletes
- It depends!
- Stiffer core for cyclists
- Program in cycles – don’t overtrain
- Train the body to be a tuned machine
- You want an interplay between strength, stiffness, mobility, elasticity, endurance, etc.
- Be an athlete 24/7
- Eat well
- Treat your body well and practice movement hygiene throughout the day
- It will lead to a bigger training capacity
- Good technique in the weight room
- Limit the volume
19:59 –
Coaching
- So much misinformation and people speaking in definites
- Decide what suits your personality (as a coach)
- “Coaches are innately very perceptive and they know how to treat athlete A differently from athlete B” – Dr. McGill
- They also recognize the uniqueness and differences in anatomy, mechanics, architecture, physiology, etc. of each athlete
- Understand your strengths and weaknesses
- It’s very much an art and a science
- Look at the variance within a research paper, not just the average results
- Variance = key
- “People choose science to make a point that is convenient rather than truthful – it always comes back to it depends and some people are uncomfortable with that answer” – Dr. McGill
- Nothing else matters except if the athlete can produce the force, tension, and stiffness at the right time to be able to execute the sport
- Combines
- The record holder very rarely even make the teams
- What’s the content validity of some of those tests?
- The record holder very rarely even make the teams
30:37 –
Key Points for Cyclists and Triathletes to Express Athleticism
- Keep working on developing knowledge of how the body works
- “You must have proximal stability to unleash distal mobility” – Dr. McGill
- You must generate force and transmit it through the linkage
32:58 –
Conclusion
- It depends!
- Formulate an idea of what’s going on and then slowly move in that direction
- Micro-adjusting
- Where can you find Dr. McGill?
- Backfitpro.com
- Back Fit Pro on social media
- Seminars