TRAIN YOUR KNEES FOR SMOOTHER CYCLING
If your knees aren’t symmetrical as you ride, muscular inefficiency and injury could come next
No matter how fit you become, and however hard you train, if your knees don’t move in a symmetrical and fluent motion when you pedal, you will never achieve your optimal efficiency. “Muscle imbalances from cycling develop over time no matter how hard we try to avoid them,” explains Laurence Plant, specialist chiropractor and clinic manager at Henley Practice, and expert for physio suppliers Meglio (mymeglio. com). “If left to develop, they can increase your risk of injury and negatively impact your performance.”
Poor ‘knee tracking’ – when your knees don’t move in a fluid or evenly balanced motion as you pedal – is usually caused by an asymmetry between either your medial (hip and thigh) or lateral (outer lower leg) muscles. “This leads to the knee dropping in and out as you pedal and it can increase the risk of pain around the kneecap area,” explains Plant. If your knees wobble in and out of their optimal plane of motion as you pedal, this could cause injury, reduce your muscular efficiency and even mess up your aerodynamic silhouette.
The solution is to train your knees and supporting muscles so that when you bend and flex your knees as you pedal they follow a purer and straighter course. You can achieve this through squat sessions with a resistance loop around your knees. The resistance band will work your stabilising muscles to help keep your knees in sync. “Wrap a resistance loop around your knees or thighs, spread your feet shoulder-width apart and squat down by pushing your bum back and keeping your knees perfectly still above your feet,” explains Plant. “Aim for three sets of 12 reps and increase the resistance of your loop (switching to a heavier, thicker band) as you develop your strength.” Try to complete these drills two to three times per week.
“TRAIN YOUR KNEES SO THAT THEY FOLLOW A PURER, STRAIGHTER COURSE AS YOU PEDAL”