Saturday, June 12, 2010

The Philadelphia Sports Medicine Congress

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of teaching at the Philadelphia Sports Medicine Congress. This is a one-day event that covers a wide variety of sports medicine topics. The course organizers asked me to discuss bike fit, especially from the medical standpoint. One of the things about a proper bike fit that I have always maintained, is that it must be functional. In my seminar groups, I discussed the use of core strength and flexibility to dial in an individualized bike fit.
Almost everyone present readily identified the tightest muscles and the weakest muscles in most people. From there, it was a simple to demonstrate the proper core strength and flexibility tests needed to create a bike fit that allows for both comfort and maximum power transfer.
As bike geometry evolves from "standard" geometry to longer top tubes and compact frame designs, we can rely less upon a standard stem length and seat post type and need to find different ways to keep comfortable on the bike. The importance of core strength and flexibility on bike fit has been one of my interests in cycling, and is something that I have spoken and written about extensively.
It would have been a great seminar for triathletes or duathletes, especially since Ross Martinson of the Philadelphia Runner store was doing a shoe fit running seminar right next to me.

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