HOW DOES YOUR POSTURE AFFECT YOUR CYCLING

Bespoke’s resident massage therapist and acupuncturist, Ade Robson, talks about the importance of posture and the relationship it has to your cycling performance.

Posture. How many of us pay real attention to what this means and the clear and marked impact it has on our musculoskeletal, physiological, mental and physical states?

Perfect posture is by default very difficult to get right. We are all perhaps a little out of kilter in some way but what's important is that we have a good range of motion, which is pain free.

We all have habits and patterns in our daily lives, which contribute to wear and tear on our body. So we need to think about getting into good habits or regular patterns of keeping check on our posture.

We all know how important subtle shifts and little tweaks are when trying to establish, maintain and improve optimal efficiency and comfort where you and your bike meet. There are of course parallels to the biomechanics of how we interact with our world on a daily basis and the biomechanics of how we interact with our bike.

This is all about realising your true potential and using your energy in the most efficient way. When we look at the biomechanics of cycling we are incorporating joints, muscles, point of contact, angles, equipment as well load factors. For example, saddle height can affect the body's use of air, which in turn affects the energy produced by muscular contractions, which affects the energy on the pedal.

Postural problems are a biggy before we get on our bike. For example, many of us typically sit at a desk all day. It's very difficult to maintain correct posture all day with work stress and gravity bearing down on us. Our shoulders can become rounded, hitched towards our ears, heads held or dropping forwards which manifests as weakness and poor posture,

These patterns sneak up on us, insidiously. Soon our chests become tight and contracted which affects our breathing and we don't even realise. Getting enough air in our lungs and using our lungs to their full capacity in everyday life is crucial.  Think about how crucial your lungs are in cycling and performing to your true potential.

Try and think about your body's own daily performance and routines or little patterns. Think about the little tweaks, adjustments and awareness we can bring to our body on a daily basis before we even jump on our bikes?

Therefore, in time, when it comes to getting on your bike your system and body structures will be better placed, more responsive and more attuned helping you get the most from what you enjoy doing the most!

Ade is available at Bespoke Cycling on Wednesdays 2.00-6.00pm. If you'd like further information or to book yourself a sports massage to sort out some tightness then please call 020 7837 0647