I recently wrote an article on the Truth About Smooth Pedaling. I was kindly asked by Coachya to expand on that article. As I write these articles I do find it amusing how picky we can get about simply moving our feet in circles. After all, “it’s just like riding a bike” as the saying goes. Nonetheless, it is interesting and somewhat amazing how our bodies work and how we can markedly improve our performance with that knowledge.
For the rest of this article I will refer to sections of the pedal stroke in relation to a traditional clock face. When the foot is at the top of the stroke it is at 12 o’clock, at the bottom it is at 6 o’clock. When it is at 3 o’clock it is in the position furthest forward and 9 o’clock is the position furthest back. For the sake of clarity, when one foot is at 3 o’clock, the other foot has to be at 9 o’clock.
One of the best ways to improve your pedaling technique is to apply force very early in your stroke. The earlier you can start applying force and start activating the muscle, the more forces you can apply in total since they all add up to create movement. Even though the amount of force you apply from 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock will be much smaller than from 3 o’clock to 6 o’clock, they are still significant. That is a lot of additional force taking into consideration that you are doing 85-100 revolutions per minute.
As a coach, I like to plan big gear training into an athlete’s program in order to improve their ability to apply force early. Big gear training (also called over-gear) is when you put your bike in a very big gear and pedal at a relatively slow cadence such as 50-60rpm, (note that novice adults should not do big-gear training for their first 1-2 years of training). Done right, this is noticeably hard on your thighs and hips as it takes considerable efforts to extend your leg each time. Take note that even though it is hard on your legs your heart rate will be lower when compared to the less forceful but faster pedaling at higher cadences. The low cadence and the big gear ensures you apply a very high amount of force each pedal stroke. This combination will allow you to really feel how you apply force to the pedal throughout the stroke.
Pushing through the top is what we are aiming to do. This not only contributes force to the stroke but it also starts creates momentum and starts ramping up muscle activation. Think of it as winding up power gradually, but quickly, versus trying to ramp it right away. Even though we can ramp force up quickly in simple movements, it is more difficult to do so when multiple muscles groups are involved. Take throwing a ball for example: After the follow through, the first part of the throwing motion is much slower than the final part. It takes time to for the muscles to build force and for these forces to accumulate over time. As in baseball, the more time you build and apply force the quicker and/or harder you can push.
After working big gear sets of 3+ minutes into your routine, you will find that you eventually get used to applying force early and that you get in a very comfortable rhythm that feels powerful. Every year I find that it takes a few months of early season training to get this rhythm and power back. But, it is a beautiful thing once it does. Applying force early in the pedal stroke does takes focus. Just doing big gear work is not enough. In fact, it takes considerable time before it comes semi-automatic and I wonder if it can ever become automatic.
In our training sessions, we often visualize the movement of our legs at the top of the stroke like we are kicking a ball. So, when your foot hits 11 o’clock you start thinking of kicking that foot forward, through 12 and down to 1 o’clock. As you do this, you are using your small hip flexor muscles to push through the top and then quickly engaging the powerful hip and knee extensors as your foot starts heading downwards.
Being able to feel these forces is really important. Tune in to what you legs are telling you. Feel the pressure on the pedals and the effort it takes in your thighs and hips. Keep playing around with it till you do feel something. When you do, keep focusing on those feelings and practice the big gear drills. When you get the hang of it then try to get the same feelings at your preferred cadences. I promise it will start to feel really good as your legs and hips get used to it.
Cheers,
Scott McMillan, M.Sc
Coach – Factor9Coaching.com
Human Kinetics Professor – Okanagan College
Pedaling Part 2 – Early Force Application
I recently wrote an article on the Truth About Smooth Pedaling. I was kindly asked by Coachya.com to expand on that article. As I write these articles I do find it amusing how picky we can get about simply moving our feet in circles. After all, “it’s just like riding a bike” as the saying goes. Nonetheless, it is interesting and somewhat amazing how our bodies work and how we can markedly improve our performance with that knowledge.
For the rest of this article I will refer to sections of the pedal stroke in relation to a traditional clock face. When the foot is at the top of the stroke it is at 12 o’clock, at the bottom it is at 6 o’clock. When it is at 3 o’clock it is in the position furthest forward and 9 o’clock is the position furthest back. For the sake of clarity, when one foot is at 3 o’clock, the other foot has to be at 6 o’clock.
One of the best ways to improve your pedaling technique is to apply force very early in your stroke. The earlier you can start applying force and start activating the muscle, the more forces you can apply in total since they all add up to create movement. Even though the amount of force you apply from 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock will be much smaller than from 3 o’clock to 6 o’clock, they are still significant. That is a lot of additional force taking into consideration that you are doing 85-100 revolutions per minute.
As a coach, I like to plan big gear training into an athlete’s program in order to improve their ability to apply force early. Big gear training (also called over-gear) is when you put your bike in a very big gear and pedal at a relatively slow cadence such as 50-60rpm, (note that novice adults should not do big-gear training for their first 1-2 years of training). Done right, this is noticeably hard on your thighs and hips as it takes considerable efforts to extend your leg each time. Take note that even though it is hard on your legs your heart rate will be lower when compared to the less forceful but faster pedaling at higher cadences. The low cadence and the big gear ensures you apply a very high amount of force each pedal stroke. This combination will allow you to really feel how you apply force to the pedal throughout the stroke.
Pushing through the top is what we are aiming to do. This not only contributes force to the stroke but it also starts creates momentum and starts ramping up muscle activation. Think of it as winding up power gradually, but quickly, versus trying to ramp it right away. Even though we can ramp force up quickly in simply movements, it is more difficult to do so when multiple muscles groups are involved. Take throwing a ball for example. After the follow through, the first part of the throwing motion is much slower than the final part. It takes time to for the muscles to build force and for these forces to accumulate over time. As in baseball, the more time you build and apply force the quicker and/or harder you can push.
After working big gear sets of 3+ minutes into your routine, you will find that you eventually get used to applying force early and that you get in a very comfortable rhythm that feels powerful. Every year I find that it takes a few months of early season training to get this rhythm and power back. But, it is a beautiful thing once it does. Applying force early in the pedal stroke does takes focus. Just doing big gear work is not enough. In fact, it takes considerable time before it comes semi-automatic and I wonder if it can ever become automatic.
In our training sessions, we often visualize the movement of our legs at the top of the stroke like we are kicking a ball. So, when your foot hits 11 o’clock you start thinking of kicking that foot forward, through 12 and down to 1 o’clock. As you do this, you are using your small hip flexor muscles to push through the top and then quickly engaging the powerful hip and knee extensors as your foot starts heading downwards.
Being able to feel these forces is really important. Tune in to what you legs are telling you. Feel the pressure on the pedals and the effort it takes in your thighs and hips. Keep playing around with it till you do feel something. When you do, keep focusing on those feelings and practice the big gear drills. When you get the hang of it then try to get the same feelings at your preferred cadences. I promise it will start to feel really good as your legs and hips get used to it.
