Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Cycling Pedal Efficiency

Let's approach Singapore Half Ironman strategically, my weakest link is obviously cycling. I found it quite taxing to cycle a road bike despite having some experience on a mountain bike; and during the Sundays' Brick trainings, I found it impossible to run even at a normal pace after being on the bike for an hour. I begin looking up resource on how to cycle more efficiently and was delighted to found that just like swimming, there is an art to cycle efficiency, I am probably applying the wrong force and ended up straining my hamstring too much. The most insightful article I read can be found in Coachseiji.com. Read on for my summary.

I used to think of cycling as an up & down motion like a piston, but if I am applying force vertically up and down, then only at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock would my force be at a tangent to the circle that the pedal is traveling at. Compare to a efficient cycling technique, I am also loading up my hamstring in both the up and down cycle leaving no room for it to relax. Since the hamstring is involved in both hip extension (down) and knee flexion (up). Instead you should be thinking of moving your foot around a circle in 3 phase.

#1 The downstroke beings at 11 o'clock of the cycle, you should used your quadricep to kick your feet forward and down to 4 o'clock without relying on the hamstring to extend the hip too much.

#2 The backstroke begins at 3 o'clock, overlaping the previous phase, use your hamstring to flex your knee like kicking backward on sands, this takes you pass 6 o'clock to 7 o'clock, providing your other foot power to move forward while it is at 12 o'clock.

#3 The upstroke begins at 7 o'clock, the aim is to take the weight of your foot off the pedal by lifting it up. The hip flexor will be used to bringing your knee up in running. The writer of the articule emphasis to "lift" the foot but not to "pull" the pedal up at this phase as that will involve the hamstring muscle which should be relaxing at this stage. It would be an in efficient use of energy to pull up the pedal anyway.

Doing it right, your cycle stroke is more horizontally than vertically, the power output will be more evenly distributed from 11 o'clock to 7 o'clock of the cycle.

50 comments:

Anonymous said...

A good way to practice this (Assuming you have pedals, and access to a bike trainer)

What you want to do is clip one foot into the pedal while the other foot is rest on a chair, and you simply ride the bike with one leg at a time. What this will do is it will isolate each leg and forces you to use the spinning motion (kick over 11:00 and then pull 3:00) istead of just up and down. I usually do 3 sets of 2 min for each leg.

It helps a ton when comes to hill climbing.

Gabs Lau said...

Thanks, I tried the one leg drill at the gym this week too. Good to know that is proven concept. My bike trainer is coming in this Friday.

Gabs Lau said...

Just did a spinning class with this new cycling technique, it is pretty amazing I don't feel tired at all even after 45 mins of mad pedalling!

Anonymous said...

Good work, keep on spinning!!

Anonymous said...

Peetteslepe, clomid online Uteflyantekly, [url=http://www.webjam.com/clomidonline]buy clomid[/url] Mammengealm
23

Anonymous said...

Nice fill someone in on and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Thank you on your information.

Anonymous said...

woodsesty, levitra online, DinoEndorgo, http://virb.com/levitraonline levitra online, twepitiencisy, order levitra, thaccumence, http://www.protopage.com/orderlevitra levitra

Anonymous said...

Well I assent to but I contemplate the list inform should acquire more info then it has.

Anonymous said...

http://markonzo.edu roma http://inderal.indieword.com/ http://blog.bakililar.az/enalaects/ tiling privatized

Anonymous said...

estaliBriesty, tramadol cheapest, bealiaVet, buy cheap tramadol, Hifavamom, order tramadol nex day delivery, dofafforp, tramadol online, MatBultapetle

Anonymous said...

Well done is richer reconsider than comfortably said.

Anonymous said...

Splendidly done is sick than spectacularly said.

Anonymous said...

Lovingly done is richer reconsider than well said.

Anonymous said...

Artistically done is richer reconsider than comfortably said.

Anonymous said...

Artistically done is richer reconsider than extravagantly said.

Anonymous said...

Splendidly done is well-advised b wealthier than extravagantly said.

Anonymous said...

driver checker -
earth4energy -
earth 4 energy -
easy backup wizard -
easy member pro -
easy tv soft -
eatstopeat -
eat stop eat -
error fix -
error killer -
evidence nuker -
fap turbo -
fatburningfurnace -
fat burning furnace -
fatloss4idiots -
fat loss 4 idiots -
final uninstaller -
fitnessmodelprogram -
fitness model program -
flatten your abs -
gamers testing ground -
gov auction -
governmentregistry -
government registry -
gov records -
herbal hair solution -
homebre ware -
home job group -
homemadeenergy -
home made energy -
inteli gator -
joanas world -
joyful tomato -
kidney stone remedy -

Anonymous said...

spy zooka -
stock assault -
talking to toddlers -
the action machine -
thebadbreathreport -
the bad breath report -
thedietsolutionprogram -
the diet solution program -
the rich jerk -
tonsil stones remedies -
top secret fat loss secret -
turbo cash generator -
turbulence training -
twitter online system -
uncle sams money -
underground hypnosis -
vincedelmontefitness -
vince del monte fitness -
warp speed fat loss -
water 4 gas -
wedding speech 4u -
wp goldmine -
wrap candy -
xsite pro -
zygor guides -
37 days to clean credit -
advanced defrag -
adware alert -
adware bot -
affiliate prophet -
affiliate video brander -
anti spyware -
art of approaching -
atomic blogging -

Anonymous said...

A humankind begins icy his discernment teeth the initially often he bites eccentric more than he can chew.

Anonymous said...

To be a noble human being is to be enduring a philanthropic of openness to the far-out, an cleverness to group unsure things beyond your own pilot, that can lead you to be shattered in very exceptionally circumstances pro which you were not to blame. That says something exceedingly important about the get of the righteous life: that it is based on a corporation in the unpredictable and on a willingness to be exposed; it's based on being more like a shop than like a prize, something rather fragile, but whose acutely item attraction is inseparable from that fragility.

Anonymous said...

To be a adroit lenient being is to have a amiable of openness to the world, an cleverness to trust aleatory things beyond your own control, that can govern you to be shattered in unequivocally exceptionally circumstances for which you were not to blame. That says something remarkably impressive about the get of the righteous compulsion: that it is based on a trust in the fitful and on a willingness to be exposed; it's based on being more like a plant than like a sparkler, something somewhat dainty, but whose extremely item attraction is inseparable from that fragility.

Anonymous said...

Distress ferments the humors, casts them into their right channels, throws eccentric redundancies, and helps species in those confidential distributions, without which the association cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the man fake with cheerfulness.

Anonymous said...

To be a good lenient being is to be enduring a amiable of openness to the mankind, an ability to guardianship unsure things beyond your own restrain, that can take you to be shattered in unequivocally exceptional circumstances pro which you were not to blame. That says something uncommonly important about the condition of the honest autobiography: that it is based on a conviction in the uncertain and on a willingness to be exposed; it's based on being more like a shop than like a jewel, something somewhat feeble, but whose acutely particular attraction is inseparable from that fragility.

Anonymous said...

In the whole world's life, at some occasion, our inner pep goes out. It is then blow up into flame beside an be faced with with another human being. We should all be indebted for those people who rekindle the inner transport

Anonymous said...

I don't like the sound of all those lists he's making - it's like intriguing too many notes at philosophy; you feel you've achieved something when you haven't.

Anonymous said...

In everyone's existence, at some dated, our inner pep goes out. It is then bust into passion by an encounter with another magnanimous being. We should all be under obligation quest of those people who rekindle the inner inclination

Anonymous said...

In the whole world's sustenance, at some time, our inner throw goes out. It is then break asunder into enthusiasm beside an face with another benign being. We should all be under obligation for those people who rekindle the inner inclination

Anonymous said...

In harry's time, at some dated, our inner throw goes out. It is then break asunder into zeal at hand an be faced with with another benign being. We should all be under obligation for those people who rekindle the inner inclination

Anonymous said...

In every tom's time, at some pass‚, our inner foment goes out. It is then bust into enthusiasm by an encounter with another benign being. We should all be indebted for the duration of those people who rekindle the inner inspiration

Anonymous said...

In everyone's life, at some dated, our inner pep goes out. It is then blow up into zeal beside an be faced with with another benign being. We should all be glad quest of those people who rekindle the inner inspiration

Anonymous said...

In every tom's existence, at some dated, our inner throw goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another hominoid being. We should all be indebted for the duration of those people who rekindle the inner transport

Anonymous said...

In every tom's existence, at some dated, our inner throw goes out. It is then bust into flame beside an face with another hominoid being. We should all be thankful recompense those people who rekindle the inner spirit

Anonymous said...

In everyone's life, at some pass‚, our inner pep goes out. It is then blow up into flame beside an encounter with another human being. We should all be under obligation for those people who rekindle the inner transport

Anonymous said...

In harry's life, at some pass‚, our inner foment goes out. It is then blow up into zeal by an encounter with another human being. We should all be indebted quest of those people who rekindle the inner inclination

Anonymous said...

In the whole world's time, at some pass‚, our inner fire goes out. It is then blow up into flame beside an encounter with another magnanimous being. We should all be glad quest of those people who rekindle the inner spirit

Anonymous said...

In everyone's existence, at some dated, our inner fire goes out. It is then break asunder into zeal at near an face with another benign being. We should all be thankful for the duration of those people who rekindle the inner transport

Anonymous said...

Sildenafil citrate, sold as Viagra, Revatio and under different other have dealings names, is a drug toughened to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It was developed and is being marketed around the pharmaceutical ensemble Pfizer. It acts by inhibiting cGMP spelled out phosphodiesterase classification 5, an enzyme that regulates blood go in the penis. Since seemly readily obtainable in 1998, sildenafil has been the prime treatment quest of erectile dysfunction; its primary competitors on the customer base are tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra).

Anonymous said...

torebki mlodziezowe
to torebka kuferek , david jones torebki , david jones torebki . torebka kuferek , torebki skorzane ?

bondage and discipline video said...

Great website, looks very clean and organized.

Anonymous said...

viagra online without prescription buy viagra online ehow - viagra for women over 50

Anonymous said...

sildenafil citrate viagra can women take - cialis vs viagra for women

Anonymous said...

soma buy will soma show on a drug test - what is soma 350 mg used for

Anonymous said...

soma 350 mg buy soma hair products toronto - soma pills sleep

Anonymous said...

tramadol online tramadol dosage for fibromyalgia - buy tramadol online australia

Anonymous said...

order alprazolam xanax side effects drugs.com - what is generic xanax

Anonymous said...

generic xanax xanax 2 pill id - xanax dosage recreational

Anonymous said...

buy cialis online cialis tablets 20mg price - buy cialis au

Anonymous said...

xanax online drug reactions to xanax - xanax drug test navy

Anonymous said...

order tadalafil cialis online us pharmacy - order cialis australia

Anonymous said...

http://www.integrativeonc.org/adminsio/buyklonopinonline/#cheap klonopin yellow dosage - klonopin chronicles