Looking after your HPV engine - Stretching
One of the aspects of riding recumbents, or any bicycle for that matter, is that the activity of pedalling is not performed over the full range of motion of the joints involved. For example, as you already know, when you ride you have a slight bend in your knee, if you locked your leg you would damage your knee – not something any of us want. So this means that your knee joint is never fully extended (a full range of motion). Various articles also support this idea, for example one web site on cycling 1 stated,
Cycling is described as a "mid-range" activity, involving a limited and repeated motion. During each revolution of the pedals, the leg is never fully straightened or bent to its fullest, so the muscles are never fully contracted or extended.
So what does this mean as far as your HPV engine goes? Well it can mean that you end up with less movement in your engine, or stiffness. For example, the same website as above describes what can happen to muscles after long term use on an HPV:
The muscles used to pedal the bike strengthen but also become tighter and therefore shorter. This tightness can contribute to any number of overuse injuries including pain in the lower back, hamstrings and knees.1.
However, the news is not all bad, as you know there are benefits to riding such as improved cardiovascular performance and the burning of calories 4. Also, someone who rides an HPV may well have more flexibility than a completely sedentary person 4. However, if you are seeking good long-term performance, maintenance is essential. For example, if you owned a car with an engine you might appreciate the benefit of personal transport, but if you never tuned the engine a reduction in performance will occur after repeated use.
Try this short test.
Q: Can you sit down with your back and bottom against a wall, legs together out in front and touch your toes?
A quick survey of Victorian HPV riders revealed that over half could not reach their toes, which suggests that HPV-ers have less than ideal flexibility. Poor flexibility impacts negatively upon performance, not to mention that we all ride slower when we are stiff and sore.
So what can you do about this and why should you bother? The answer is stretching, and the reasons to bother are to reduce pain, discomfort, a decreased risk of injury and a potential increase in the power output of your engine. Stretching is helpful because it increases the range of motion across the joints involved in pedalling.
For a long time stretching before activity was recommended as a good way to warm up, similarly stretching as a cool down is also often recommended.However, these methods of stretching are not necessarily as good as many of us believe. Stretching before exercise is not really an effective warm up, because muscles are cold and in fact are not as flexible as when they are warm 5. Stretching as a cool down can be effective however if the aim is to increase range of motion across joints some time needs to be dedicated to stretching, and this is often neglected in stretching.
Ideally stretching should be done as an activity in itself 2.What does this mean? It means stretching as often as possible and for as long as possible.Holding a stretch for ten seconds, like most of us do in our cool down routine, is not really long enough.Depending on how tight a muscle is it can take 10 to 20 seconds for the fibres in a muscle begin to lengthen. As you hold a muscle in stretch, the longer it is held the further it will lengthen and this will improve long-term flexibility. So try holding a stretch for a minute or two. How often should one stretch to obtain a benefit? Ideally every day, because you are trying to reset the length of your muscles to counteract the impact of short-range of motion activities.
A recent article in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, September/October 2004 and quoted by Reuters News Agency 2, 6, 7 supports these ideas.
A Technical Explanation for How to Tweak Your HPV Engine - based on well-established theory3
As a muscle contracts it has a natural tendency to slow the momentum of the joint as it moves toward the end of its range of motion, in order to protect the joint from damage. Just imagine that you have been pedalling your HPV in the same way for years and never quite extending the knee, your muscles 'learn' that the full range of motion for your joint is less than full extension. Yes, I know you are going to say, but when I stand up and walk my knees are much more extended.This is true, however there is also less force generated in standing and walking and other factors are involved. So with your leg now 'thinking' that the range of motion for the joint is somewhere short of completely extended, as you pedal you might not be able to apply as much force through the entire range of pedalling. This is because the muscles are slowing the momentum of the joint to protect it. Thus stretching your muscles helps by teaching them that the range of motion for a joint is more than what you do pedalling – this allows for more force to be generated. Thus in theory you should be pedalling more efficiently and faster! This should also reduce your experience of stiffness and soreness once you dismount.
The how to bit...and the disclaimer bit...you do these at your own risk I take no responsibility...
The stretches pictured throughout this article can easily be done in front of the TV...Grab yourself a timer and try holding them for two minutes each...Pay plenty of attention to technique, poor technique is as good as not doing a stretch. If you are not sure ask a physiotherapist, massage therapist, good personal trainer, or good yoga teacher. These are just a few stretches for the major muscle groups used when riding; there are a lot more stretches that would also benefit HPV riders.
The pictures throughout this article are for relaxed stretching, performed while holding the muscle in a stretched position, without feeling any pain. Your breathing should be relaxed and you should be able to hold the position for a few minutes.See a medical professional if you do have any pain.
About the Author
I am not an expert in anatomy or physiology, however I do have a degree in Human Movement and a certificate in massage therapy. I have tried to write this article to appeal to HPVers who might be interested in general health.
Some online resources
A good picture of a number of muscles worked when riding can be found at meinnovations.com-Strength – but this picture does not include all the muscles that are used. Suggestions about muscles that need to be strengthened on this site may not be applicable to individuals. It is best to discuss exercise choices with trained professional. For example, if you have been riding for years or have been involved in running, you may already have very strong and over tight hip flexors, which is one group of muscles this site recommends you train.
Good general information available at this sight cycling performance tips – this site also supports what I have said in this article.
More detailed information and some theory behind stretching can be found at this site, by Bradford D. Appleton - this site is very long however detail appears to be good and he uses a number of well regarded references.
A good website with easy conservative stretches and good pictures can be found at A guide from the national institute on aging and NASA
Happy motor maintenance!
References used in compiling this article.
2. yahoo news (article no longer on line)
3. Elanine N. Marieb, Human Anatomy and Physiology, 3rd ed 1995
5. Thomas Kurz M.Sc., Stretching Scientifically a guide to flexibility training 1987
6. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
7. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine: Volume 14(5) September 2004 pp 267-273