5 of the Biggest Cycling Myths, DEBUNKED!
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- Опубликовано: 28 ноя 2024
- Here are 5 of the biggest cycling training and nutrition myths that I see continually being perpetuated. As always we go into the science to get to the bottom of each myth.
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Studies I used in this video:
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bjsm.bmj.com/c...
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www.asep.org/a...
journals.human...
jissn.biomedce...
www.physiology...
europepmc.org/...
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onlinelibrary....
journals.lww.c...
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After watching your videos for at least year now, I'm unable to watch gcn anymore. Your presenting is cleaner, no stupid music, fresher, funnier, less bull, and down to the point. And less shilling of course (besides of hypergain beast mode)
We are on the same page my mate 😃
I agree
Bro, I ordered HyperGainBeastMode and now the watts are leaking out of my ears.
yes!Agree
I think the channels achieve different purposes, and both doing their thing quite well. Let's face it, GCN's reach is lightyears beyond Dylans and to achieve that they had to get much more casual that Dylan would ever want. This also means that GCN can reel people into the cycling world (as was the case for me, GCN played a huge role there) which Dylan for sure can't with his narrow field. And now that i gained more experience i can enjoy his content for what it is. Neither are better or worse than the other in my book.
That “I would” was absolutely perfect. Thanks for all the great content and congrats on the big win at Shen.
Yes, I was going to comment on the 'I Would' as well! I would vote for putting in more of these quick, snappy little comments/interjections from BHD
I was going to post this, thanks for doing so already 😉. 4:28, that‘s meme-material right there!
Thanks, Dylan. Thanks to 'evidence', I now have even less friends than before.
We need a study to tell us what number of friends optimises performance. The evidence will be surprising, in any case. 😂
@@fkhan98 It seems to have an inverse proportion
@@fkhan98 "Less friends", is an always-optimal life-cadence.
Everyone else is a stretchy protein-basher, anyway.
hmmm....I read a few months ago that the more intelligent people tend to have fewer friends...maybe this is why lol
@@tonysadler5290 technically correct, the best kind of correct
Perfect, never have electrolyte drinks, hate the trainer, never have post ride protein drinks, hate spinning, never stretch. Been doing right all along
@Paul Wieringa I don't know, 330 ftp at 45 for a 140lbs guy ain't bad
👍😂😂😂😂🏴☠️
How does this guy not have 10 million subscribers? Easily the most informative channel I've come across on RUclips!
Just a point about streching - most cyclists start streching (in combination with strenght exercises) because they have shortened muscles and muscle imbalances - hunched backs etc., if you have lower back pain in you daily life then cycling pain free, because you corrected your posture, will improve your performance - I am not sure it will cure cancer though :-). I also remember it was a nice feeling when I could look back if there is a car behind me without letting my left hand off the handlebars. When doing strenght exercises, like squats, you need to do it in a decent form. If you cannot stand straight in your daily life, there is not much point in loading your shoulders with heavy weights to squat to improve your cycling power. You can get injured. This does not make your claims false, I just felt some people might overgeneralize what you claim and get wrong impression that streching cannot prevent pain and injury.
Totally agree with you! 👍
I've mentioned it before on one of his videos, but stretching has HUGE implications for my performance. I'm quite young (24), but I never really took stretching seriously when I got into exercising as an adult, as a result, I always struggled to put out peak performance because my legs consistently felt like rocks, equally, I started getting lower back pain after long rides, which while I didn't have constant pain, just lingering stiffness, it was amazing how much it saps my functional leg strength.
Since I incorporated stretching into my routine (mostly focusing on stretching after rides as I find stretching before doesn't help as much, and its more about keeping generally loose and improving flexibility). While stretching itself didn't result in the gains, it enabled me to consistently train harder. What I used to think was muscle fatigue was quite often just tightness. I was amazing once I was able to tell the difference, doing back to back harder sessions and races, longer rides etc;
My FTP went from 270w (4.0W/kg) to 308w (4.7W/kg) because I was actually able to train properly, with reduced tightness and pain. I still get bouts where my muscles get very tight, I guess i'm just more predisposed to it, but I certainly hate this culture of dismissing stretching. It's a rubbish feeling when you go out for a ride, try riding at threshold or up a hill, and the legs just turn to rocks and say no, despite your heart rate being fine, and otherwise being recovered.
I also want to add that stretching is different to warming up. Static stretching is also a myth and a hot topic in bro science. Warming up (like 10 minutes low intensity ride on a roller or before race, or lifting at lower weights on weight lifting) is beneficial for the muscle.
Correcting posture is more about strength training than stretching. Incorrect posture is the result of some muscles getting over utilized while the corresponding muscle is underutilized. So, strengthening the muscles that are underutilized should fix posture.
Though, from your description, I think you may be talking more about mobility. I wouldn't mind seeing some studies on the effects of stretching on mobility. Intuitively, I think that's the real benefit of stretching.
@@LockeLeviathan Thanks for your input. I am talking about mobility insofar as it results from correcting bad posture and is not a goal per se (like in gymnastics or swimming) - e.g. hunched back means that you need to turn most of your trunk if you want to look behind you (limited mobility) - and streching is basically trying to move to positions that your body will not want you to go easily (extending mobility in certain positions). But it is true that strenght training is just as important. Doing only one without the other can make the whole situation worse - streching can result in an injury since shortened muscles usually overcompensate for weakened muscle groups while strengthening shortened muscles might result in making the ovrcompensation worse. But I hope I am not misunderstood. I agree with the fact that static stretching to warm up can actually negatively affect your performance in the following training session. I remember all that streching before our running sessions when I was a kid. But even back than there was some intuition that doing a shorter dynamic streching before a session is ok while doing a longer static streching before running is a dubious activity. It also depends on the problem. While you might loosen you hip flexors by strenghtening your belly, and I would be worried about strenching them without strenghtening the abdominal msucles first, it would be very hard to fix hunched back just by strenghtening the muscles that keep your shoulder blades from being in a loosened position. The shortened muscle groups are just too big and too strong for that. Usually you get some mixture of streching and strengtening, that mixture might be different for different problems.
I don't need cadence studies, i just put the easiest gear and die throughout the ascend regretting my life choices
SAME
LOL
I like people who care about facts. You care about facts. I like you.
My scientific experiements have conclusively found that having a nice laydown, instead of a hard or long ride, will solved the cramping problem 100%.
I've been stretching my entire life. My entire life is a lie. At least I can reach my own heels.
Which likely is only helpful or relevant when you're in the prison shower.
@@hobbs2005 dude calm down 😂
@@hobbs2005I'm glad I don't understand the joke
Thank you for taking a science-based approach to cycling training!! I have one word of caution, and I believe you often do seem to mention conflicting results, which I believe comes from experiments with low number of participants and little-to-no number of repeated experiments. I am not calling out this video in particular, but I think a lot of these scientific studies you mention should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, a P value = .05 with low population in a study can produce 30-50% false positives.
All that said, I still appreciate that you are thinking critically about how to train and improve fitness.
“...why we need to look at the evidence of our beliefs....for life in general” 🙌🏼👊🏼🤘🏼
After almost 35 years of trying all these 5 myths I have pretty much came to same conclusions.
“I would!” Almost fell off my bike laughing
me to :D
Brilliant
I almost needed to pause the video from laughing too hard.
hahahah me too
Dylan is missing the point on this myth. He should say "if you went for a 1.5 ride and you only rode for 1 hour without coasting, and the other 30 minutes where spend sitting in traffic hardly raising your heart rate. Would you count that as 1 hour?"
If I ride on the trainer for 1 hour I got 1 hour of focused work done. If I go outside for 1 hour, I loose at least 10 minutes both ways getting out of the city. And for many people its even more.
" I would ".
Hey Dylan, great piece of comedic editing! On a serious note, I am a coach based in Sydney, Australia and often refer my riders and club mates to your videos. Thanks for sharing the information. A great mix of valuable information and entertainment. It must be a lot of work doing these so thanks for all your effort. Really appreciate it.
Thank you!
That almost made me spit out my coffee 🤣
@jcsrstsame here 🤣 bhd is a real gem, isn't he?
@@DylanJohnsonCycling You're using a paper that uses indoors 0m/s windspeed basing your videos. You're charlatan. Use real paper pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5553&context=open_access_etds
I ride my trainer with a cadence of 95 while drinking protein.
with a heavy stretching session before and after?
And wearing your hat backwards 😂
You guys don't stretch during the session? Pff. Amateurs.
I occasionally suffer from foot and toe cramps in bed at night.. a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of salt under my toungue which is then gargled with a mouthful of warm water for 20-30 secs... and the cramps go almost immediately.
Surprised if it does not also apply to marathon runners cramps..
Paul Hope I’ve read articles that support what you’ve said. Soy sauce is another easy hack. Apparently ‘just the taste of salt’ gets rid of the cramp, as this is faster than the body can process the intake of salt.
As a Sports med PT, I really like your approach, Dylan. I’d like to offer up there is a difference in the literature in general when it comes to performance impact of static stretching versus dynamic or neuromuscular stretching. Research shows static stretching before an athletic event generally provides no performance benefit. But dynamic stretching before an athletic event ,however, has shown to improve peak force production. I agree that static stretching should not be obsessed over when searching for performance benefits, but dynamic stretching has merit.
Thank you for this! I remember learning tons about dynamic stretching and static stretching and the differences, but I started doubting myself after this video lmao.
When I first started watching this channel, I thought "Who is this punk-ass kid? He looks and sounds like one of my smart-aleck grad students." Well, I have grown to love this channel. I appreciate how it is research-based, and I like how the relevant sources/quotes/graphs are presented. Kudos to Dylan Johnson. --J. Menickelli, Ph.D. in Kinesiology
its flawed research based. for example the indoor vs outdoor study is conducted with 0m/s airflow indoor vs 35kph full body ventilation outdoors. its just bad science.
It's youtube comment, you don't need to flex your status, or whatever.
--Hanif Faris, PhD FHD 4K in Computer Monitor.
Plus it has backwards hat Dylan!
I hope one of the smart-aleck grad students reads that! ;)
How could you dis Backwards Hat Dylan without a mention? Not only are Dylan's coaching and overall cycling knowledge top-notch defying his years, he's got the smart-ass kung-fu covered strong with BHD. :)
On that last point you made, Id like to see some videos on non cycling stuff where you dive into the studies that have surprising results.
As a runner who played alot of football (soccer) when I was younger, I have always stretched pre and post exercise. However I stopped stretching after seeing your first video on the topic and my life has been so much better since, thank you!
Great video but I think you missed the point slightly on myth #2 - I think all the “rule” refers to is that for a given hour of elapsed time riding inside gives you more time “working”. This is both because (a) there’s less setup/teardown time such as cleaning your bike, pumping up tyres etc so you can spend more time cycling and (b) there are no road junctions and traffic lights etc so you spend a greater percentage of a given hour actually pedalling.
not only traffic, teh study itself is flawed - the participans couldn't use fan indoors vs outdoors 35kph full body ventilation. its just bad science.
If that study truly included setup time, washing etc. then the myth isn’t actually a myth at all. Nothing is exact but interval training for 90 minutes is tougher for me than outdoors at 90 minutes unless the heat is super high and it’s matching the interval exactly, which is really tough to do outside with all the interferences.
The cramping/electolyte myth is very resilient. And don't even get me started with the vitamin/supplement industrial complex ...
Someone is ALWAYS trying to sell you something, that's all you need to know.
Don't forget protein shakes!
THANK YOU! I am also glad to see the Army did a study on stretching. When I was in the Marines, a lot of the officers and senior staff NCOs were obsessed with stretching before running. I hated it! It always made my legs feel "off" as I ran and it slowed my PFT time. (I typically ran the 3 miles in just under 17 minutes.) I thought maybe I was weird or something.
Could you perhaps make a video on the effects of percussion therapy via the use of massage guns? i.e., hypervolt, theragun, etc.
Great job, as always. As a self-aware trainer junkie, I held my breath while you went through Myth #2. hahaha! Of course, you are correct. Duration and intensity are what matter. I will throw in that you may be able to better target desired intensities at specific durations to achieve desired adaptations better on a trainer (especially if you don't have good access to roads that work well for interval work) -- that's my only additional point for folks to consider. As we approach Standard Time, and lose afternoon daylight, #trainerseasoniscoming. :)
Your videos deserve millions of views. Objectiveness is the main thing of why I watch your videos. Keep the good work Dylan. Greetings from Colombia (South America)
Stretching has never helped any of my muscles at all, but I had a persistent IT band injury that wouldn't go away, even after consulting with a physiotherapist and being in treatment for weeks. On a cycling trip, I did a yoga for cyclists class and my IT band problems went away, and now my (new) physiotherapist recommends exactly the same stretch. (It's worth noting that she has a PhD in physiotherapy, she's not merely a practitioner, so I'm sure she's up to date on the research.) The initial root cause of the problem was a bent saddle rail-so bad fit on the bike. Every subsequent re-injury has been a fit problem. That's the real issue to take care of.
All that said, I don't think it's the 'stretching' per se-the tendon isn't really being stretched that much. But doing the prescribed stretch forces my hips and posture to align in a certain way. Combined with ibuprofen for the inflammation of the tendon (the real mechanism of pain relief), I would hazard that all I'm doing is fixing a persistent posture problem that won't abate quickly through rest alone. I think if I could figure out how to do that without the stretching part-or even just get enough rest to let the problem subside on its own-it would have the same effect.
I figure as long as I do what the physiotherapist says and the pain goes away, that's the right thing to do. :)
I've wondered about this too -- stretching not for performance, but as therapy for bad posture or stress-based muscle tension.
Hi Jan,
I never stretched and had a major IT band issue, worst thing ever, i'm ok now but still not stretching Can you maybe post a link to the stretch /yoga you are doing?
Stretching helps with pain. in particular if you are older and have stiff joints, it has also reduced cramping for me. I get lazy and skip the stretch before running in my case and the amount of pain in the first mile is a lot higher and the chance of a night calf cramp goes up if I skip the stretch.
ExMachina it’s called Pigeon Pose. The wikihow article is surprisingly good! www.wikihow.fitness/Do-the-Yoga-Pigeon-Pose
You need to work on your gluteus medius. It is the cause of ITBS.
I've always felt weeker from static stretching before riding , feeling great now after switching to dynamic stretching, great advise from a bodybuilder friend
Great videos! You have a sober and neutral perspective on your topics and you're a good lecturer who doesn't need any distractions to make it easier listening. Keep up the good work!
based on my experience, cramping happens because of over-exertion of the leg muscles .. like when you are used to riding only 50km, and in your next trip you went double or triple (100 or 150km) right away ..
as for spinning (high cadence) vs grinding (low cadence), my experience again tells me that you don't stress much your leg muscles when you spin .. thus reducing the chances of cramping ..
Everyone's different!!(key words)
The more one trains and learns their avatar, the better they'll be able to FLOW like Water.
I prefer 90rpm+ and if the HR or breathing gets too high, I'll hit a lower rpm until I'm ready to rip again.
Just yesterday I was actually thinking this during my Vo2.
Just sharing what works 4 me.
great format. so much better than listening for 2 hours on other training vids to hear 10-15 mins of info of use.
Wow. The Bro is harsh this week.
" he looks like he came from puberty three days ago" 🤣
...ADROPISADROP! (drops mic)
So all this time, stretching after a ride... I should have been eating ice cream?!?
I always do a cool down after my rides. I never stretch. I never have issues with sore muscles. In fact, now that I never stretch, my muscles are less sore than they've ever been.
This information is golden. I don't stretch before rides, but I do stretch in the gym. Knowing that it doesn't help performance that much and it can even potentially lead to injuries due to relaxed muscles is very helpful.
I agree that the “indoor=1.5x outdoor” is an unsupported myth, but I get the shorthand it’s suggesting. I hear it to mean that there is the *possibility* that time spent indoors has the potential to more predictably produce more TSS in the same block of time. Yes, time=time. I tend to express it that time spent indoors can provide a more regular and predictable environment in which TSS can be ensured. Of course, good and bad quality is possible anywhere. Thanks, as usual, for the vid.
great video Dylan, the overall cadence part still gets me.
I was able to get through IT Band issues by stretching. But that's different from the performance and injury studies he is discussing.
I think the stretching comments are very misleading. I've personally found huge benefits from stretching, but if I were to just stretch arbitrarily before a ride in an isolated case, it wouldn't make a difference. And I guess it also wouldn't make a difference or perhaps hinder if you are otherwise fine, though if you've been sat at a desk all day for months on end and do hard cycling, I find I become stiff as a board, and its not something that just resolves itself magically in a warm-up, or goes away with recovery..
Marco Pantani - even a 1 second photo reference gets my "like".
Hi Dylan. The studies on stretching are interesting and surprising. From my own experience poor flexibility leads to less optimal positions on the bike and fatigue (e.g. in hamstrings when spending a lot of time in the drops).
Especially tight muscles also seem to make it harder to maintain a high level of effort (or even reach it).
I would think the benefits of stretching would be around flexibility and mobility (especially in individuals where these are poor) rather than simply improving performance.
In my younger days I stretched to improve flexibility. Seems weird people not using stretching for this when, to me, it's the primary reason TO stretch.
I would have thought this also - I am a triathlete and running can leave me super stiff. If I don't stretch I'm like a hobble lady the next day and the biking is definitely impacted. I used to never stretch when I was younger but now I'm well into my 40s I find it makes a big difference to whether I am shuffling or not the next day.
Primoz Roglic in the TJV documentary for Vuelta 2019 can be seen standing straight and bending forward, keeping the legs straight, and getting his head essentially to the knees.
as I age I find that going for a short (15 minute) walk works for me to aid my recovery....
This video will save a lot of people a whole lot of time, effort, and money. Well done Dylan Johnson! It would be great if you could do a video on those leg compression things that people use for recovery...
Thank god for backwards hat Dylan! Without his insight, these segments would totally fall apart.
There's a lot of cycling content on YT, but I have to say, these are really good. I know of not other source which crams in this many factual bits supported by studies, and uses them to build a clip. Each one if genuinely interesting and relevant.
Hey Dylan, I used to not stretch and started getting uncomfortable pain in my lower back, and stiffness in my mid back and glutes and hamstrings. I used my insurance and went through physical therapy to improve my mobility through stretching and strength conditioning for my core and hips and I promise that it feels like magic and I feel no discomfort now, since then I stretch everyday and am significantly more flexible. Disclaimer, I ride a lot in drops and I dropped my stem. Your thoughts? I figured it depends from person to person but I always recommend stretching to people when they complain about being in an aero position too long
Yeah, the studies are very specific and are not considering long term stretching, especially in the hips and lower back, you can effectively change what muscles are firing and how much when you become flexible enough to change position to a certain extent along with the aero gains, test a bunch of pro riders already there and you will see no gains, test a bunch of riders who are not there and haven't dedicated months or years to gain real flexibility and you wont see a gain either. Pretty sure there are studies showing benefits of stretching in other athletics and goals, but the consensus seems to be not to stretch before an event, the referenced stretching studies are all during and before activities which has been debunked for some 20 years.
Coincidentally I was melting away on my trainer as I watched this video. I could pretty much swear that trainer rides are much harder, but now that I haven’t been to any group rides in over 6 months I can finally see that outdoors is just as hard as the trainer. Possibly even harder now that I don’t have anyone blocking the wind for me. 🤣🤣
hopfully you have a decent fan. I have known a few people who go crazy and didnt have a fan for indoor rides tht defintely would make them feel alot harder
They are same difficulty. The research he uses uses no Fan i.e. ventilation at all in the lab test. Read the paper. this dylan is charlatan
@@888899999888 I feel the zero coasting aspect for the trainer also can give the illusion of it being harder. but its just diffrenet vs higher power outside but coasting here and there.
@@Demon09-_- dude it's not about coasting. It's that they did not use any body ventilation in the lab. Like you know those fans, wahoo headwind, anything pops when you hear it?
@@888899999888 I think its never so cut and dry as its only ventilation making people feel like indoor is harder. But if you have zero ventilation its defintely a huge factor. And the wahoo headwind is quite the overpriced unit for what it is. But it has some nifty features
the stretching take is mindblowing, thanks for the research
Many people has small cramps on feet or hands in certain movement patterns, which none of are based on mineral deficiency, rather on biomechanics of the whole hand/foot and the muscle strength, path and of course pattern. People who only swim at their holidays experience this on bigger muscles in the water, quite often. Great video! Cheers!
I think stretching is good for feeling comfortable on the bike and to help counterbalance bad posture caused by your riding position
I LOVE these "debunking" videos! Very useful info that allows me to unclench 😉
I just discovered you and SO appreciate your in depth info.... AND the sense of humor. I LOVE it when I get a good out loud laugh!
Nicely done! WAY too many people rely on anecdotal "evidence" when it comes to making "scientific" decisions!
I wasn't incredibly surprised until you mentioned the stretching. I stretch after every ride but on my ride tomorrow I'm not going to stretch afterwards since it looks like it's just a placebo. Loving the vids btw.
Definitely agree on that indoor /outdoor thing. Although the turbo is in the office, 5mins prep 1hr or so, quick shower working. Turbo FTP 3.8wpkg out side Wpkg 4.1
Once again great information. Regarding stretching, I think that, just like cadence, there is probably an individual component. I have found repeatedly that when I don't stretch religiously I develop knee, ankle, or hip pain. When I am stretching every day I have little problem. As you said at the end of your segment, these are not muscle injuries and I doubt there is a recovery component of my stretching, but I have learned through repeated experience that if I slack off on my stretching I'm going to regret it in a couple of weeks as one of these joints starts to bother me. To be fair, I'm also a runner and a triathlete and so I'm doing more than just getting on the bike each day.
Dylan. Everyone of your videos is AWESOME
Calling some of these myths using the evidence provided in some cases seems a little bit of a stretch. The reasoning I am sure is solid, but it would be good to see more in-depth trials of these hypotheses repeated across different labs with a larger sample size.
13:39 the referenced paper was a sample size of 23. In the paper excerpt used it also doesn't mention any indication of fitness, the exercise undertaken or the normal exercise load of the individuals. When measuring days to recover I would expect those would all factor in?
Not sure what others think.
Thanks for linking your sources also!
I do agree that a lot of studies are very small sample sizes and the fitness of the participants may be a lot lower that most whom watch this channel.
I do feel that Dylan does do a good job of not cherry picking and does try and find the best studies for the topic at hand. He also doesn’t state that these studies are gospel either, he is presenting what is out their so you can research further.
Where I feel he adds value is being near the top in his sport and obviously knows a lot about cycling and endurance sports.
This video is kind of an "executive summary" of these issues, Dylan has more detailed videos on these topics.
Regarding sample size, unfortunately most studies in this area have relatively low funding and limited sample sizes.
Of course we have to trust Dylan on not cherry-picking studies with a preferred outcome and ignoring studies supporting the opposite outcome.
The studies you've looked at regarding stretching seem to all be related to pre and/or post ride and I'm surprised with the findings myself but can't argue. I would have thought the opposite was true. However, do you think yoga is beneficial for cycling? Not necessarily pre/post ride but in general. Surely being more flexible with a stronger core would increase comfort on the bike and reduce injury rates, this could in turn result in slight performance gainzz. The footage of Sagan's stretching/yoga routine is very impressive although it makes me wince.
I agree, after riding hard for 40 years, and now 52, my hip-flexors and ham-strings especially need attention and stretching. Without maintaining flexibility in those areas they tend to tighten and start causing imbalances and/or even cramping. I could get away with ignoring that stuff when young even with poor core strength, then it all bit me in the ass when core strength was too lacking to handle the high-intensities. Weight training, core strength focus/emphasis and routine stretching away from riding made worlds of improvement.
@@ernie12man Tight muscles and reduced mobility are often the result of a muscle imbalance, which has less to do with flexibility and more to do with strength. If you want to prevent tightening and muscle imbalances, the solution is to strength train, with an emphasis on the muscles that get used less in cycling or that correspond to/are the antagonist muscle group of where tightness is occurring. Once tightness/an imbalance/an injury has occurred, then stretching -might- be used in conjunction with other methods to correct the problem. But in terms of prevention, stretching is not necessary. I would say stretching is necessary if your sport requires or benefits from increased mobility. ie: gymnastics, dance, climbing, etc.
@@jacethekingslayer Yep, you basically filled in the backstory I left out :) . I've been an avid weight-trainer for cycling for about 25 of those years starting back in '94-'97 in my racing days, and it's when i turned the corner away from those issues I was highlighting which lead to serious back spasms and body mechanics issues, way too weak in the core was the problem. Sustained work on core strength saved me. The last 8 years or so I re-energized on cycling and took the core strength up another notch, ab-roller, planks, side-planks. Massively stronger to go with the sprinter legs I always had. Now I have to still make efforts to keep those hip flexors limber as well as hamstrings. I'm 52, blew off Strava for years, and this year was the perfect year to give it a shot as I was dabbling with GPS and navigation. Wracked up 22 KOMs and most good quality ones, long-range TT/power segments, punchy sprints, and short climbs. I wish I knew then what I know now, my racing would've been more successful. But it's been a blast chasing KOMs and loving that motivation. Entered first event in years last summer (200 mile SwiftSummit NW) and of course cancelled. Strava to the rescue, and weight training too! :)
Outdoor vs Indoor debate. I agree to a point. Indoor and Outdoor would be similar in building base i.e Z1 and Z2. However, when targeting threshold and above, the Indoor trainer becomes more effective for intervals due to the lack of freewheel, backing off etc. In practise, a 10 min interval of Vo2Max can be achieved in 10 mins on the trainer. However, in reality when on the road outside of a controlled environment, it is highly unlikely that the ride will get 10 mins of Vo2Max without dropping power, slowing, freewheeling etc at some point due to traffic, obstacles, road surface changes. Therefore indoor trainer will spend less time on the bike than the outdoor ride. However, in a controlled flat track environment, the outdoor ride could in theory spend the same time on the bike as the indoor trainer. This is unrealistic for most unless pro.
I would love to be proven wrong with some power meter data from an outdoor ride vs indoor ride.
hahahaha 'cured my cancer' you're awesome, dude. That was hilarious and your flow is good.
I get sever cramps after an intense ride. The only thing i found that works is a warm down after the ride. Or even go for a short walk. Helps but not always.
Thanks, I'll use your evidence to support my theory :-)
The point of stretching afterwards is to improve mobility; i.e. to improve your power through the entire range of motion of a moment and maintain muscle balance through your kinetic chain. People with perfect biomechanics likely don’t need mobility work, but many of us develop imbalances from sitting all day, imperfect cycling, etc. and mobility work can help course correct. Just a week and a half ago my right glute med stopped firing, causing my knee to cave in on my trainer and painful tendon clicking at the knee. A few days of mobility work fixed the issue. Another example: I frequently have tight quads because my pedal strokes don’t use as much of my glutes as they should.
Backwards hat Dylan is hilarious this episode, 1 word lol
What about the obstacle and hand/eye training factor in riding outdoors? That has to have some effect on overall fitness in terms of training on a real ride versus an indoor trainer.
My record for cramping was a 7 mile (24 minutes, uphill finish) time trial. I found my cramp (calf) was caused by having the toe clips make my feet too far back and thus tip-toed on the pedals. The longer lever on the calves tires them out. Possibly the seat was also a bit high but most likely the cleats too far forward if you ride clipless.
I don't always consume carbs after my rides, but when I do, I go for the gusto! Helps with the pain too!
I love your videos!!! One of the best, if not the best youtuber on cycling and coaching. Easily.
I love your videos! I’m not performance oriented but the information you give helps me to not hurt myself (im past 40). I just wanted to add my experience about stretching. I ride approx 10h per week and I spent lot of time working on a computer. Stretching is helping me to reduce stiffness of my back and legs, without doing it I have trouble changing positions(seating, standing).
I would mention one item after many years of cycling and yoga as my primary forms of exercise. Most people stretch using "static" stretching, but that is not what the current trend in stretching is. Natural movement, such as athletics uses "dynamic" stretching and motion. Dynamic stretching provides a more realistic form of exercise, and I believe from experience is highly beneficial for overall health and fitness. I also find that cycling is good for my hip, leg (especially calf), and surprisingly rear shoulder flexibility (if proper form is maintained while cycling). Cycling also benefits cardio and strength. Anything that benefits fitness will benefit cycling, and the strength and conditioning of cycling benefits my yoga. Just do it, and keep it natural. And don't overstretch, it is long known that to overstretch the muscles tightens them, try it by stretching your arm out, it tightens the muscles, instead they gently reach through the body to lengthen the cartilage and tendons not the muscles. The current trends are for more lifelike athletic dynamic stretching that incorporates creative natural movements and flexibility. Be gentle on your body.
I used to get cramps whenever I run longer distances and it's not for the lack of training. I later realised that it was my high blood pressure medication that caused my body to not retain magnesium. I then started taking magnesium supplements and that solved the cramping issue.
I don't cramp on the bike, but after hard rides I sometimes get them after a ride.
Like you, I find a magnesium supplement does seem to help.
for the bit about Carbs and proteins, I think part of the confusion is related to different sports, strength-based sports does benefit from protein intake, but this does not apply to cycling or running in the same way, muscles are just not used in the same form, so the main goal is to replenish glycogen and the timing becomes less important. Although I think some benefits can be had in terms of assimilation, the body can absorb carbs very quickly post-workout, and once the athlete has stabilized it becomes more efficient at absorbing other nutrients
I do not stretch for every ride. Some people do. I would recommend stretching after every ride before I would recommend it to start every ride. For me, stretching after rides does work to limit the amount of soreness I feel. But with a sport that does not require a lot of jerking movements and is quite repetitive, I don't know if pre-stretching offers great benefit. I actually got hip bursitis from riding due to the repetitive motions. I found that the stretching after my rides limited my pain in my hip better than stretching before the ride. But one has to cater to their routines to things that benefit them the most.
Great call out on how important it is to question our beliefs
Great appreciate the research you share in your videos!
Great video. As usual...Stretching is part of physical therapy to restore range of motion, so it does have a place somewhere for someone. If your normal activity doesn't put you in a full range of motion and then the cycling does...maybe this is where the older crowd "needs" to stretch prior to riding if that is their only physical activity.
For the bit about indoor training, I think it applies to low inertia trainers, but trainers with higher inertia mitigate differences due to inertia, (that's why we saw many endurance indoor rides as of late only on new trainers with large flywheels or assisted ones). A typical indoor trainer has low inertia and should require different muscle activation (similar to the one experienced on steep climbs, but on level ground and a rigid frame) and this activity in my opinion is fundamentally different to outdoor cycling, isolating certain muscle groups and making it more inefficient, so for a given load, the body is being taxed more, in short, indoor and outdoor can´t be directly compared, in my mind is like comparing power output on a TT position and a normal position, both are fundamentally different.
I derive much information and enjoyment from viewing your content. Always super informative as well as entertaining. Thanks
4:1, carb:protein ratio is what I was always given by my coaches. But they always emphasized food vs supplements as a source.
How about in the case of senior athletes who might be more prone to sarcopenia?
Not an indoor rider. But living here in the hilly NZ I could imagine you may see an increase in workout quality indoors. For example keeping yourself in Z2 when you’re gradient is shuffling underneath you causes you fall into Z1 and Z3 more often than flat. Or do you just get good over time keeping a Z2 on hills?
Loving your content man, big love from NZ.
Indoor wattage vs outdoor is down to cooling and ventilation. Match those and it'll be pretty bang on the same.
I notice a big power difference between riding in my unheated garage vs living room
I found your vids in the past month and really enjoy them. I'm one of those guys that does the most riding indoors. The weekend is the only time I get outside. I have a 6 hour race on 2/25/23 and here is what I'm doing. M-off T-3 hours mid to low effort W-1 hour intervale high effort T-4 hours low to mid effort F-off Sat and Sun trail rides 2-4 hours. Am I on the right track?
I think like in any sport if you break your muscle fibres by the workout you need the protein to fix them. Carbohydrates by itself will not do the job, you might recover you energy levels but your muscles will suffer. A general rule of thumb is to eat a well balanced meal that contains protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals :)
I also found on myself that mixing a higher cadence with a bit lower cadence during the same ride works better for me! Especially during longer workouts it seems that I am activating different areas of my muscles which helps me to stay strong for longer (whenever the high cadence muscles are tired I switch to the lower cadence). I also noted on my heart rate monitor that my lower cadence reduces my heart rate by 3-4 beats while on the same power.
What about the quality of the intervals in indoor riding? I mean, you hit the watts and get the desired intensity much easier. I sometimes do the interval part of a session inside (cutting down on warmup if I have a long "warmup"), and then do the easy riding outside, just to get the right amount of hours :) Anyway, I've never heard, or considered indoor training to count more than outdoor, just that you can do the intervals more accurate :)
It's more accurate on the trainer but you will find it harder to hit the overall numbers compared to outside. It's all relative though by perceived exertion. You might have a 300 watt ftp outside but you won't be able to do it on the trainer,more like 280-290.
Good Stuff as always! It’s amazing how often what we think is true isn’t.
Thanks Dylan for a great video with a lot of useful information.
Wahhh. Science, science, science. Backwards hat Dylan is MY hero! I even would pay for a subscription to his revolutionary an EASY training method. All we hear from you is science! All we have to do is read graphs, that no one understands, have to follow advice that is completely unsexy and train and suffer.
In BHD's superb online shop I just ordered a wheelset, that is 7 gramms lighter - PER MILE!
Still want to talk about science??
Hey so firstly thank you for taking the time to look into these topics.
I was curious about your research of stretching. I also have done research into this subject and would be curious to here your results on DYNAMIC stretching which has shown to reduce injury during exercise. Also, I was curious to hear your findings on effects of stretching on muscle recovery as opposed to external factors like soreness etc.
Again thanks for driving in on this. Keep up the great work
I definitely prefer the outside experience, its infinitely richer. Having said that being able to jump on zwift for 20mins before the school run has its benefits.
The most important thing stretching does is it increases your range of motion. Making you able to ride in a more aero and efficient posture.
Thank you for an excellent video. I think you sell it short with myth busting. They are actually valuable tips for all cyclists. I have been riding sportives for 10 years and found the evidence based approach really valuable. Would be good if you gave some suggestions - ie. what can I do about cramps. I will defiantly watch some more of your videos - hopefully all of the same high quality.
Thanks for doing the research on these topics. As far as stretching, I have a hip flexor that hurts after every ride, its very tight. It seems that it helps when I stretch it. But, it may be placebo effect like you said. And to re-enforce your point, we are the only species, that stretches before or after exercise. I don't see the jockeys warming up horses and I don't see them making horses stretch after the race?...How would you make a horse stretch? You also don't see it in wildlife; you don't see cheetahs or gazelles stretching after a chase.
Great stuff, Dylan. Thanks for continuing to put it out.
Road/Gravel/terrain impact on your spine, legs and arms is another factor. When I do gravel with my areo carbon seatpost equiped raod bike with my skinny 26mm tyres, the 25km/h "cosy" ride becomes a harder impact on my whole body, especially my joints than any indoor ride I can ever think of. Also light and temperature fluctuations, Wind strength and direction changes, traffic and crossing animals (like a Hare yesterday I almost cvrashed to), all cost far higher neuro-currency for both periferal and the central nervous system.
Medical studies which have investigated hemodialysis associated cramping have found that volume contraction and hyponatremia are contributing factors. This is supported by clinical findings of fewer cramps when using high concentrations of sodium in the dialysate. It’s more complex than this, but serum sodium is indeed tightly regulated. Look for medical studies and clinical biochemistry ones. The evidence is all there.
Really good video. Conclusion, placebo is the best ... I believe
Very good conclusion. So often dogma in medicine gets over turned with better evidence
I think stretching in cycling is more about being able to get in a more aero position (from my own experinece). In running stretching can prevent oder help treat injuries. Most running related injuries around the knee have to do with the tendons and as mentioned in the video stretching has an impact on those kind of injuries.
As usual: helpful information, well presented. However, this video didn't contain much that wasn't already covered in previous videos from you.
What a great video! I think a lot of these myths were based on some truths, but over time ballooned to include too many general situations.
Great information. Learn new things again. Science doesn’t lie. Thanks for sharing.👍🏼