Cycling Muscles Used: How to Unlock Greater Strength, Endurance & Power Part 1
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- Many cyclist focus on their quadricep muscles for power, however they could be missing a trick by neglecting their glutei. These muscles are located at the back of the hip and should dominate their hip extension in the downward phase of the pedal stroke. They aren't easy muscles to get working as most people (not just cyclists) have what is called "gluteal amnesia", which basically means their gluteal muscles don't activate at the right time.
Activating your gluteal muscles can give you an extra engine and add to your power output, this doesn't mean trying to do it on your bike but rather activating them in a controlled environment like a gym. Training them like this helps them activate as you're cycling with less conscious effort.
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I came back looking for this diagram after seeing it a few years back. My back ground is that I've been a gym instructor for 20 years, a cyclist (average to reasonable) for 15 years and a Phys Ed teacher for 12 years. So here's my take on this:
Muscles work in antagonistic pairs because they can only pull, not push. So the gluteus maximus (bum) is the prime mover for hip extension (pushing your femur/thigh-bone) down. It's a big muscle due to evolution and use (it is your main running, walking and jumping driver). It gets sore after racing as you've asked it to contract from an elongated/stretched position on the bike, as opposed to the position it's grown up with when you're running and walking. The glute essentially needs to re-learn it's preferred length if you're gonna be a cyclist of any note, thus you won't see many top cyclists running as part of their training as the extension of the hip would be counter-productive to cycling.
The antagonist of the gluteus maximus is the hip flexor (shown green in the diagram). While the glute's job is to pull the femur down, the hip-flexor's job is to pull it up ( if you're a lazy peddler, the peddle will push your femur up anyway, but at the expense of wasted power from the other leg). So the glutes and hip flexors are an antagonistic pair, with the glute being far stronger.
Quadraceps (4-muscle group) and hamstrings (3 or 4 muscle group?) are also an antagonistic pair, with the quads far stronger. The quads extend the knee (which is the 'kick forward' feeling over the top of your pedal stroke and the extension when you're out of the saddle, esp medialis when the knee is almost straight.) and the hammies flex the knee (which is the dragging backwards feeling at the bottom of your pedal stroke) IF you are pedaling reasonable circles.
I'm going to leave out Tibialis (shin) and gastrocnemius/soleus (calf) for now as I mainly want to comment on what I believe to be some valuable training.
So . . .
The glutes are strong. You've been walking and running with them since you were 1, and you've been training them to operate at a longer length by riding and stretching. The quads are also strong for similar reasons. By all means, train these two groups to be stronger, as is is proposed by the narrator of this video, but realise that the marginal gains will be small as these groups are already strong.
I want you to unlock some untapped power by developing the hamstrings and hip-flexors. Improve the contribution of the green and yellow phases (which are assisting the red and purple phases on the opposite leg) to overall power. Because you probably haven't trained these groups specifically you should get large marginal gains within weeks/months, and if you pedal good circles instead of stomping you'll see performance gains.
What do these phases feel like?
Find a 2-3% section and clip one foot out. Using the remaining leg focus on 'winding' the pedal by kicking forwards, pushing down, dragging back and lifting up, keeping the revolution as smooth and regular as possible. Feel the hamstring pull back. Feel the hip flexor lift up, pulling your knee towards your armpit.
That's all the time I have ATM.
If you're interested in exercises to develop these, chuck me a reply.
Excellent interpretation.
Hеllо guуs hеrе’s hоw yоu cаn trаin musсlе fаst => twitter.com/692e39fffe2a3db05/status/742668391975096320 Cуcling Fitnеss Hоw tо Unloсk Grеatеr Streееength Еndurаnсe Роwer mооv
hamstrings for cycling??? You do not know the biomechanics if you write such nonsense.
Focusing on hamstring improvement would be helpful in high cadence scenarios, to Dima's Ad hominem. But to others meh.
Thanks. Good writing
Hamstrings and hip flexors are often underdeveloped for cycling. . Also when your main muscles stop working and you don't have the back up of those 2 you're screwed. I became a much better cyclist after i developed those. Without you knowing you spread the work between many more muscles, which is helpful.
I only trained mine simply by concentrating on those muscles during high intensity hill training.
Training your standing up is always a great idea, even for a recreational cyclist. It will help you use different muscle groups on longer runs to avoid fatigue, as well as ease off the saddle soreness on bad tarmac.
This is a great informative video. Oddly enough, I feel like my quads are used more than any other group. My glutes feel non existent in throughout the pedal stroke. But after watching this video I realized I do not actually tense or engage my glutes. I will try this in my future rides. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for sharing...
Chart of cycle stroke & related / corresponding muscles used was excellent...
The schematic is excellent for identifying what muscle(s) activate at which degree of revolution, but it would be nice if each muscle is graded with respect to relative contribution to total force generation or output. Yes the glutes contribute a bigger relative 'slice of the pie' vs the quads, but does the quadriceps slice or glute slice contribute greater force output once taking moment arm lengths into consideration.
Fascinating schematic indeed. Do you have a reference source available for it?
I 2nd your comment (years later). I’d be interested in the source, hoping it has more explanation and background.
FYI: The link in the description to the ebook on glute activation is broken (yes, it is 10’ish years later, but mentioning in case you can easily fix the link). Thanks.
Do kettlebell swings and push ups/dips. Just that will give you lots of strength for cycling.
actually this is really true. if you pay attention to your pedal stroke and look at the chart makes sense. my legs used to burn out and have strong legs then I started focusing on using my glutes more and saving my quads for more of quick powerful sprinits and short hill sprinits. follow the chart next time you bike and you'll see
Where did he find this chart? is it an experts anecdote? or did this come from a research lab where they measured electromuscular firing for all of these muscle groups while a subject was on a bike? It would be nice if Mr. Hole could describe the validity of this chart prior to prescribing any advice that is based on the presented model.
www.bikejames.com/strength/which-muscles-are-really-used-during-the-pedal-stroke/
2 - You should train your legs to produce a powerful downstroke using the hips as the primary power source, not the knee joint. This means that leg curls and leg extensions are bad exercise choices since they reinforce this “knee powered” pedal stroke. Exercises like single leg deadlifts and single leg squats are much more effective since they train the legs to drive from the hips, not the knees.
obviously this is just focusing on the lower muscles but the bode dose not work like that ,the human body is not chopped in half .
would sir Chris Hoy still hit 2,500 watts if he was riding along with his hands in the air ?
seated climbing , seated sprint ,TT position, standing climbing , standing sprint all going to change which muscles are being used to different levels .
I'm fully aware of the role of the Quadratus Lumborum, Trapezius, Latissimus Dorsi and Tricep muscles, among others that are working on the Ipsilateral side of the upper body during cycling. I'm also aware of the changing nature of these muscles due to the specific demands of each discipline. This however wasn't the aim of the tutorial, its aim was to highlight the involvement of the Gluteus Maximus to produce power and try to help them balance the muscles of the leg rather than focus on the Quad dominant technique that most people use.
Christopher I am just stating the obvious really . `I appreciate the knowledge you are sharing in the video. @@ChristopherHoleTraining
The hip flexor in green is a fraction of the size of the glute & quads and when that engages on the up stroke the glute & quad are engaged on the down stroke and will no way produce anywhere near the same power as the largest muscles in the legs.
really, really interesting mate if looking to build certain muscle groups
Do you reckon one can use their glutes too much during the pedal stroke and not activate their quads at all.
I never feel my quads. They’re never sore. They never even seem to tense when I cycle.
I've never seen this in a cyclist, they will be working, they could have high mitochondria but it'll depend on your training
But is that graphic an accurate portrayal of amount of the power output from the different muscle groups? What I gathered from it was merely which muscles get activated in different regions in the pedal stroke. It may be that the quads, even though they are 'activated' for only 30%, they may generate 70% of the power.
I agree. Have you found any information on this?
This was my first observation as well. The graphic does not take into account power (watts) percentage at each phase of the stroke. To say that the glutes provide more power than the quads or are more important in the cycling stroke is just simply wrong. I understand the OP is making a case to strengthen the glutes for some marginal gains and that may well be, however the implication that the quads play a lesser part is flawed.
I agree with what you are saying, but sadly for most cyclist the Glutes are inhibited and do not engage very well if any at all, because the quads are so dominant and the hamstrings will work as a hip extensor the Glutes just go for the ride!
Learning to activate and isolate the glute in a hip extension movement is the key. It has taken me 10 plus years to learn to do this to a degree that I am now actually using my glutes. I wouldn't say I am going much quicker but my quads are definitely a lot more fresher towards the end of road races where it really counts!
`Thanks, yes i do realize that strength/bodybuilding is the opposite from endurance training, regarding you suggestion to train the hip flexors more can't that be done by standing up while climbing? I was reading that standing up while climbing will build the hips and give the quads a rest
the degrees of the circle where a muscle is active says nothing of the actual power and speed produced by that muscle over that period. a muscle active over a shorter amount of degrees might produce much more power, over a shorter number of degrees than one active much longer. so the red muscles might be active longer, but still very weak and not worth much compared to the purple ones. unless their output is measured i dont think you can say the red ones are more important. the purple ones have much more leverage advantage so my intuition tells me their power would be far greater
i agree. the purple is more tender after a hard bike ride.
well, in theory that could be the case, but in practice it is not. Any cycling aficionado would be aware of several trends in cycle sport that illuminate how import the larger muscle groups such as the glutes are. Cast a look at Greg lemond from the 80's and 90's and his bicycle geometry and seating position which brought the glutes more into play precisely because it afforded more sustainable power in a more aero tuck...cast your mind to the slack angled frames of yesteryear upon which Tommy Godwin rode the endurance record athwart. Notice the fact that a time trial machine has a seat position less aggressive than a triathletes 78 degree or 80 degree seat angle ( which bring the smaller leg muscles into action in order to save the others for the run )...etc etc etc
Very bad picture resolution, 240p!!!720p,please.
Thanks for this vid. Great info
Glad it was helpful!
weight training does not always work fast twitch muscle fibre, it all depends on the rep range; if you're working on low weights high reps you'll be working more slow twitch, just try single leg presses alternating with half your body weight, 3 sets of 60 and watch your power on the hills improve!
Wow, very interesting, i am a recreational rider as 60-80 miles on a weekend day and also pump iron, i have had knee tightness lately, do you feel pumping iron is not a good idea for cycling? i do treadmill 2-4 times per week 20--30 mins. and train legs once a week doing leg exten. supersetted with leg curls 4-5 sets then squats and calves-- seems like the slowness or weight lifting to build muscle and the leg speed of cycling are DIRECT opposites
I am watching this video today, which is 30 Jan 2021.
And this video was uploaded on 10 Jan 2011.
so after 10 years, I have come searching for this treasure.
thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Glad it was helpful
Too quad dominant is obviously the nature of the peddel stroke which is linked to bike design. Are you suggesting bike design be changed so that we could naturally incorporate the glutes equally or possible more than the quads?
Very helpful!! thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Can you make the video once again in geater resolution ?
Good suggestion, I'll look into this
to me, the quads are not only activated at 3 o'clock, as the knee extension starts at around 12 o'clock, while there is one head of the quads are involved in hip flexion, you somehow have the quad involved for the whole cycle, same as the hamstrings, they involves both knee flexion and hip extension. But one thing is for sure, glutes are very important in downstrokes.
I keep hearing that cycling works your glutes . I commute by bicycle daily and if I ever feel any burn it’s in my front thigh, especially on hill climbs. I feel like maybe I am cycling all wrong or maybe my saddle height is not correctly adjusted.
I am six foot or 2 meters tall. I ride a road bicycle and my saddle height is extended as far as it can go without popping out of the frame. On the downstroke my leg extends as far as it can go. Any further and I think my knee would lock up.
I feel like I need to work with a trainer to fully understand the correct technique because I have never felt a burn in my glutes or hips even though everyone says that’s the primary muscle used
Cycling is definitely a quad dominant activity so what you’re experiencing is normal but it’s advantageous to have your Glutes working as they can act like another engine. Regarding saddle height, if you’ve got a slight bend in your knee at 6 O’clock you’re at the right height but if it’s nearly popping out of the frame, the bike is probably too small.
Set your saddle as high as possible.
Go for a 1 min ride to feel how awful your legs chop like pistons.
Lower it 1 cm and check again.
This amplifies awareness of the wrong thing.
Lower it 0.5 cm and check again.
From this point on you go down 0.5 cm or less at each iteration until your legs "draw" perfect circles.
Once you found that level, lower 2-5 mm (0.2-0.5 cm). This way you avoid messing up your patellar tendon.
It's always better to have it a little lower than higher.
I learned this the hard way.
How are you saying hips when it’s quite clearly an arse?
Great info! Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Do you know why cyclists have the largest hearts of all athletes in spire of less upper body involvement than running?
I don't know, I can only suggest it's due to the frequency and duration of their training and races
if this is true then why don't people get nearly the burning sensation in their glutes like they very much do in their quads.
It depends on the position and bikefit on your bike
Because you fail at muscle activation
@gregorymorris4693Of course you're not gonna train shit if you're cycling at the lowest speed parameters 😂
Great grafic. Thanks
Glad you like it!
M. Gluteus - where is m. Psoas, antagonist of glu...?
awesome
is there a part 2? also do i have to have a separate session for the glute or just riding the bike will take care of it?
There is a part 2, it should come up at the end of the video.
First, I'd recommend a separate session for improving the conscious activation of Glutei max and conscious relaxation of hamstrings. As you get on top of that start to include strength exercises like hip thrusts and steps to name just a couple. Then as you get on the bike you'll have a much easier time using the glutei
@@ChristopherHoleTraining thanks!
No problem
There is no way my butt muscles work that hard. Been cycling 7k's to work and back and the only muscles that hurt are those above the knee, and maybe even the joint itself. I reckon the seat is probably to low
I am looking for information saying what muscles are worked out while standing on a bicycle if possible while riding bmx and standing. I'm sure I engage my core a whole bunch but not sure what muscles.
My quick answer would be Quadratus Lumborum, Latissimus Dorsi, Glute Medius and Minimus. The abdominal wall will be working but more so the obliques.
Due to the side to side nature of cycling as you push down the above muscles will activate to stabilise your body to generate force
Here are some extra videos
More on cycling muscles used
ua-cam.com/video/VohbexT8YSw/v-deo.html
Quadratus Lumborum
ua-cam.com/video/vUgoGnmYVjI/v-deo.html
@@ChristopherHoleTraining thank you for the answer, I wonder if someone has done a study comparing standing cycling vs sitting. I do feel my forearms, back and abs working when pedaling while standing so I am still a little confused about how much of each muscle I'm actually working
Weight lifting builds fast twitch muscle fibers while 60mile rides require slow twitch fibers so they are opposite.
Why is he mentioning hips so often in the video but the diagram never mentions hips... kind of reduces any value of the video. Never had sore hips during any ride
Do 40 degree incline leg presses - keep your back flat against the machine and dont go so low as to allow the weight to be rested on your diaphragm and abdominal cavity. This is a totally perfect weight training movement for cycling. My endurance AND speed have been increased exponentially due to this movement - I work out with over 1200 lbs which seems like a lot, but I started with a little over 300lbs 2+ years ago and had little bird legs but now they are speed machines. Thanks youtube!
That’s great info. How did your power output or speed, sprint speed, change on the bike?
I have a power meter, so I’d relate to any before / after power meter numbers you may have. Interesting points.
So low resistance or no resistance still works muscles
Which part of the tutorial are you referring to? (I'm trying to get so context for your comment so I can answer it correctly)
@@ChristopherHoleTraining well I for instance go to the gym every couple of days and ride for about 45 mins,, I do this without changing gears or adding resistance, I cycle at about 80-90 rpm .. so is this still working my legs or should I add resistance
@@valheather5180 It depends what your goals are? The muscles will still be working but to a lesser degree. Adding resistance will activate more of the muscles and challenge them more
@@ChristopherHoleTraining I just want to mix up cardio and keep it simple so no resistance :) I cycle 3 times a week and walk the rest it feels great
That sounds good, the main things are you're happy doing it and achieving what you want.
the day after a race my arse feels it been kicked. It's that sore.
Don't believe it, you are looking at it from a one sided pedal rotation!
This is due to the cyclist being to quad dominant
You are talking physiology and anatomy, at least get the basic names right
Don’t confuse the leg with the thigh
LEG is ONLY from ankle to knee.
Very common mistake...
Can you send me a reference for this?
Hmmm. Then when someone talks about lower and upper leg muscles …. they are talking about below the knee, only? Or below and above the knee, up to the hip?
💖💪
Rabbit pie.
Yeah decided I’d rather read about this instead of listening to you. Are you chewing a protein bar?
Please do read about it, if you have the time and attention look up Gluteal amnesia, Gluteal activation & hip extension, hamstring dominance, biomechanics of the hip & hip dysplasia. No protein bars were eaten, they're a waste of time and money.