Maximizing Your Cycling Workout Part 1: Fit & Fuel

ANN ARBOR – I have had the opportunity to help many people discover their true cycling potential over the 20+ years I have been involved with indoor cycling. 

I feel it is one of the safest and most effective ways to enter the sport, and when you have specific goals that you would like to achieve, indoor cycling can provide an excellent means by which to help you achieve those goals in an efficient manner.  

Here are a few tips that will help you improve your indoor cycling experience.

Find the Right Fit
Although you might take this step for granted, your bike fit could be the most important component to creating a successful and enjoyable indoor cycling experience.  

If you are not comfortable on the bike and your positioning leads to aches and pains, you are unlikely to stick with your training, which obviously will rob you of any potential health and fitness benefits indoor cycling can provide.

Here a few simple steps you can take to ensure the bike is set up to work well with your body:

Seat fore/aft: Position your pedals so that they are both parallel to the floor (think clock dial and 3 and 9 o'clock).  Imagine a straight line extending from the front of the forward-placed knee (9 o'clock) down to the foot placed on the pedal.  This imaginary line should bisect the ball of your foot, which should be positioned on the center of the pedal.  

If the knee is positioned in front of the ball of the foot, you will put unnecessary pressure on the front of your knee when pedaling and open yourself up to potential knee pain.  If this is the case, move the seat back so that the knee is in line with the ball of your foot.  If you have had knee pain in the past or you want to bring more power from your glutes, then positioning the seat so the knee is just behind the ball of your foot is recommended.  Once you are satisfied with the seat fore/aft positioning, then check for the proper seat height.

Seat height: Place one pedal at the very bottom of the pedal stroke (think 6 o'clock position) and then place your heel on the center of the pedal.  

If the seat height is at the correct height, your leg will be completely straight and your hips will be level.  If you struggle to touch the pedal with your heel and find yourself sliding off to the side of the seat, then lower the seat until you can touch the pedal with your heel while keeping your hips level.  If you can easily touch your heel with a slight bend in the knee then raise the seat until the leg is straight. 

You will protect yourself from a wide array of injuries to your knees, hips and back by having the correct seat height. You will also be able to produce maximal power through the entire pedaling motion while balancing the effort between your quadriceps and hamstrings.

Handle bar height: In general, most people in cycling classes ride with their handle bars higher, than they should.  The rationale is that with having the bars higher it is more comfortable and it is safer on the back.  

However, bio-mechanically, it forces you to arch your lower back by making you to sit too upright and then you overuse your hip flexors when pedaling.  By adopting a lower profile position on the bike, you will engage your abdominal muscles more, release the lower back and actually generate more power from the entire lower body.

To find your ideal height, start by having the handle bars just a little higher than the seat height. Over time, experiment with lower positions as your body adapts, until you feel you have optimized comfort and performance.  Make sure you are able to maintain a relaxed position as the handle bars are lowered and that the abdominal muscles are strong enough to hold the position without placing extra strain on the lower back. 

Handle bar fore/aft: This setting needs to work for a variety of hand positions on the bars.  Let's target the position when your hands are extended out toward the ends of the bars. If that is correct, then all other hand positions should be comfortable.  

When your hands are extended out to the end of the bars, you should be able to still maintain a very slight bend in your elbows and keep your back straight.  With your head positioned so you are looking forward, an imaginary line from the tip of your nose should  fall within 1-2 inches behind the top of the handle bars.  If you are extended too far out, you will notice that you are forced to round your upper back.  When you have the right reach out to the ends of the bars your body will be positioned to produce some of your strongest efforts.

Fuel Your Ride and Recover Fast

When riding for performance, you need to have the proper fuel in the body to deliver the results you desire.  

Timing of your nutrients and food is key to feeling your best when riding, recovering well from workouts and managing your weight.

There are a number of popular eating strategies in circulation these days, and they all serve a purpose towards one goal or another, but when it comes to performing well on the bike, the following is recommended:

2-3 hours before ride: Eat a meal consisting primarily of complex carbohydrates (e.g. oatmeal, potatoes, whole grains) along with a small amount of protein.  

Try to select foods that have fiber in them. These types of carbohydrates, in combination with a little protein will help you store energy in your muscles to provide you good staying power in the saddle. 

30-45 minutes before ride: You may have a small snack if you are hungry consisting of something very easily digestible.  You could try a piece of fruit, like an orange or banana, both of which would  give you a quick jolt of energy, as these types of foods are broken down by the body quickly.  

Another option is having a drink that supplies the same quick-burning fuel like the fruit and is easily accessible to the muscles; one great option is coconut water because it also supplies valuable electrolytes in addition to the carbohydrates for energy.

During the ride: If you have fueled the body correctly leading up to your ride, you shouldn't need much fuel on the bike for rides lasting under one hour; however, if the ride is pushing your limits, a carbohydrate drink can help you sustain your energy.

0- 30 minutes after ride: This begins your recovery process, and the focus of this period is to replace the muscle glycogen (sugar) that was used up during your ride.  It is best to ingest these carbohydrates in a liquid form, as it will be more quickly absorbed by the muscles and serves to help re-hydrate the body as a bonus.  

A little protein included with the carbohydrates has been shown to transport the carbohydrates more efficiently, and the best ratio is 3-4 parts carbohydrates to 1 part protein.  Conveniently, chocolate milk has such a ratio and is an easy and delicious way to fill the recovery requirement after a ride.  You will also find carbohydrate mixes that have this same preferred carbohydrate-to-protein ratio offered by numerous manufacturers.  

This is an important step not only in the recovery process, but also in a weight management sense, particularly if you are attempting to limit your overall carbohydrate intake.  

If you skip this recovery step, your body will let you know somewhere later on in the day with intense cravings for those sugars that you burned up and failed to replace immediately after your ride.  This usually puts you on a runaway train of making poor eating choices the rest of your day, which puts at risk any weight management goals you may have.

1-2 hours after ride: This meal should be very similar in nutrient composition as the meal you had two to three hours before your ride, which was made up of complex carbohydrates and a small portion of protein.  You will be able to make healthy choices here if you had your recovery drink following the ride.
Be on the lookout for Part 2 of my article in a couple of weeks on how to monitor your cycling progress and performance through measuring power.

Marc Mueller is the owner of PowerCycling, an Ann Arbor-based indoor cycling studio that specializes in a science-based approach to indoor cycling. For more information on PowerCycling, visit www.powercyclingusa.com. Mueller can be contacted at powercyclingusa@gmail.com.  

This story is sponsored by Applied Fitness Solutions. AFS provides group fitness classes and personal wellness coaching at their three area locations: Ann Arbor, Rochester Hills, and Plymouth. Learn more about AFS.