Rick Schultz
The Bike Coach’s final installment in “Stretches for Before and After the Ride”. These two gentle lower back stretches will help to warm the body before a ride, or stretch out the muscles after.
We put together a series of stretches that will help warm up the body including the psoas (hip…
Following is a series of stretches that every cyclist should do before and after each ride to improve flexibility, recovery and performance – on and off the bike.
Though many have trusted a static fit for their fit needs, a dynamic fit that includes real-world power conditions provides a more accurate portrait of how your body interacts with your bike while riding. The benefit? Comfort and efficiency.
The Bike Coach, Rick Schultz, answers our most frequently asked questions! Swollen feet, pains, cramps, hoods vs. drops, pain vs. suffering … ready set – GO
The HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout described in this article was my favorite kind of training, and resulted in the most gains for strength (power) and stamina. This total workout, including warmup and cool down is only 51 minutes.
After addressing pedal stance, the cyclist ends up with correct cleat placement, knees that track straighter and no accumulated knee pain after steep climbs or long days in the saddle. Wedges are too often used to align displaced knees at the detriment of long-term pain-free cycling.
For those not familiar with BRP, the program is sanctioned by USA Cycling to provide survival skills to new racers through training disseminated by coaches registered as Category 3 or higher.
If your feet are either valgus or varus, they do not sit flush to your shoes, which can induce muscle fatigue. This can lead to foot pain in the metatarsals, or sesamoids, the delicate tendons that make up the ball and inner area of the foot.
The basic carry for any adventure by bicycle should include a phone, your house keys, a drivers license or state issued ID, and optionally a cash or credit card) depending on the destination and distance). Now consider when out on the road, or on your MTB, the number one problem cyclists encounter is a flat tire.
The Bike Coach Rick Schultz has collected crankarm length data from his years of bike fit clients. During the bike fit interview process, most of his clients volunteer that although they have had prior bike fits, and even been to a physical therapist or chiropractor, they are still in pain. Coach Schultz found a viable solution for knee pain, which includes adding shorter crankarms.
There are several common problems I see when performing a bike fit, some of the most common include; incorrect cleat alignment, saddle positioning, and handlebar height. This article covers these common mistakes and how they are corrected.
If you suffer from hand numbness while cycling, worry not, you are not alone. During the past 4 years of bike fitting, 75% of my clients have expressed that hand numbness is major issue they deal with while riding.
Before you travel, you want to increase your cardio as well as condition your legs. Since most climbs in the France cycling package are 1-3 hours, you want to over train time so that you can easily last the climbing without cramping.
It seems that cycling apparel in the past few years is increasingly featuring sun protection as a standard feature, especially in “warm weather” gear. Ultraviolet Protection Factor, or UPF, indicates what percentage or fraction of UV rays can penetrate the fabric.
Ever wonder why the pros are so fast? They pedal differently than you and me. World Tour professionals start applying power to their pedal stroke much earlier than the rest of us, and they also ‘power off’ much later than the rest of us do too.
Bike Coach Rick Schultz answers one reader question about what the terms BDC, or bottom dead center, and TDC, or top dead center, mean with regards to cycling and pedal stroke. A short answer to that question you never asked, but always wanted to know.
To answer the common question as to why a cyclist may be suffering from lower back pain, I identify four possible common culprits that come to mind, along with a couple of stretching exercises to help with pain and tightness.
I tested Ergon’s TP1 DIY Cleat-Fitting Tool. Having been trained in correct cleat placement and having fit hundreds of cyclists, this review is based on what I have experienced over many years of bike fitting.
LEOMO unveiled their new motion capture device called the TYPE-R, a wearable measurement tool for competitive cyclists, triathletes and their coaches that, for the first time allows them to analyze form on the road where they train and compete versus in a lab or studio.
In order to move upward faster and more efficiently, you will need to build up your spinning to a higher cadence than the average cyclist, which is around 85rpm, the most efficient being 105rpm. It will take about 6 months to be able to pedal at that rate if you’re doing regular training drills.
Your body was used to being in a position in which you sacrificed power, safety and had a higher risk for injury. Since it takes a little time for your body to get used to a new position, give it several weeks of easy cycling after a fit.
Coach Rick Schultz get asked quite often, “what should I do to train for an upcoming XYZ event?” In this article, he discusses preparing for a Gran Fondo type event (GF) in under three weeks.
Ask The Bike Fitter: How Can I Get Better At Climbing Hills? The answer to this question comes in three parts; change your gearing, change your weight, and change your training.
Bike sizing generally refers to the size of the frame and is done first and happens before you purchase your bicycle. While getting fitted the bike shop will take 2 measurements, which are then converted into a range of sizes based on current industry accepted formulas.
Through his years as a bike fit professional and a product tester, Rick Shultz has seen a lot of bad bike fits disguised as “professional”. In beginning to understand how important the cyclist’s synchronization with the bicycle is, we asked Rick about some of the basics regarding bike fits.
Chris Reynolds
The BICYCLIST Adventure Team
John Woodson