PILATES: GIVING THE EDGE TO THE UCI GRAN FONDO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Transcription

1 PILATES: GIVING THE EDGE TO THE UCI GRAN FONDO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Tanya Ratzer August 2018 Course Year 2018 London, UK 1

2 Abstract Cycling is one of the fastest growing activities in many areas of the world. Over the last 5 years regular cycling has increased by over 200,000 participants on average in the UK (British cycling 2017.) This increase in participation has led to a greater understanding of the both the benefits and the risks of cycling. Cyclists tend to ride with a lumbar flexion, which means losing the natural lumbar lordotic curve position of the lower back. This comes from being hunched forward over the handle bars and excessive repetitive pedaling which leads to overworking hip flexors, hamstrings and calf muscles causing misalignment in the pelvis and knee. Over time, poor movement patterns are developed which lead to poor posture and pain. Pilates can improve athletic performance by targeting particular areas such as tight hip flexors or weak gluteus. Pilates is a low impact form of supportive training that can bridge the gap between endurance cycling and everyday life. It therefore helps to correct postural instabilities caused by cycling returning the body to its natural state. Pilates focuses on quality of movement, not quantity, and dramatically reduces the chances of injury, something that makes it accessible to all levels of fitness. 2

3 Table of Contents Page 1 - Title Page 2 - Abstract Page 4 - Anatomical Overview Page 9 - Case Study Page 11 BASI Conditioning Programme Page 13 - Conclusion Page 14 - Bibliography 3

4 Anatomical Overview of a cyclist and areas of weakness 4

5 Areas of focus: The back and the core The back Given how hard a cyclist s legs work on the bike, it s natural to assume that when an overuse injury strikes, it is the knees that will be most vulnerable. Surprisingly however, it seems the biggest culprit is lower back pain. When cyclists pedal to exhaustion, their hamstrings and calf muscles become progressively more fatigued, this fatigue produces undesirable changes in muscle movement patterns, which then affect the back specifically, the degree to which cyclists are bent forward in the lumbar region and also how far their knees are splayed out. The more tired the cyclists become in their legs, the worse their spinal posture becomes. After prolonged periods of static flexion, the back extensor muscles became less effective at generating the forces required to maintain spinal stability and posture. Many cyclists who experience lower back pain tend to have excessive increased lower back flexion, which was associated with reduced activity in the multifidus. The multifidus and the quadratus lumborum are the main stabilisers of the spine when undergoing lateral and rotational movements, such as right leg entering the power phase whilst the left side of the spine stabilises and vice versa. The erector spinae muscles also play an important part in maintain a stable posture whilst on the bike. Abdominal muscles such as the rectus abdominus help to maintain stability as do the obliques. The obliques similarly to the back 5

6 muscles will help stabilise a contralateral limb movement. As we move up the spine toward the shoulders, the latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles enable the rider to fix their upper body onto the handlebars. The upper body has a role in stabilising, so as the right leg pushes down the left arm anchors to the handle bars and pulls up. 6

7 The core The core plays a particularly vital role for cyclists helping to prevent long term issues, especially back pain. The core is so often neglected, but it is such a huge part of rehabilitating injuries, preventing injuries and overall better performance on the bike. Effective strength training should be a part of every cyclist s training, but is still somewhat ignored, with most people instead, focusing primarily on aerobic fitness. A strong core is a fundamental part of bike riding, it is the core that keeps the body stable on the saddle. Over the course of a three to four- hour ride, the core more specifically the abdominals, obliques, latissimus dorsi and muscles around the spine such as thoracolumbar fascia are put under a great deal of pressure. It is these muscles that help keep the body upright, provide a stable platform for the hips, thighs and knees to work from, and help minimise discomfort and injury in the back. As mentioned previously back pain is one of the most common physical problems a cyclist will encounter, and a weak core will only exacerbate things. A strong core will also aid cycling efficiency. Without one, stability on the saddle and the lumbar/pelvic position on the bike will suffer, resulting in excessive side- to- side movement, or rocking. Power is then lost in the legs in order to combat the rocking; other muscles are then recruited to compensate the lack of core strength, which could cause further injury. 7

8 Pilates sessions that focus on the muscle imbalances associated with cycling can help ease pain, improve performance, and help correct postural deviations that come from hours of being in the cycling posture. 8

9 Case Study James is a 43 year old man who started out cycling in his late 30 s due to an Achilles injury, preventing him from continuing his passion for running. He has built up his cycling fitness over the years and has most recently been chosen to represent Great Britain in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championship Event in Italy this year. James spends several hours a week, training in the cycling position. When he is not cycling he spends up to 60 hours a week at his desk working in the Financial Services Industry. He exhibits all of the postural deviations and compensatory movement patterns that typically accompany a cyclist, as he does no other forms of exercise. The posture he presents include kyphotic deviations in the neck, rounded shoulders, lower back weakness, tight hip flexors, inflexible hamstrings, and knee pain. Whilst his body is strong due to hours of exercise, his core is weak. Extra core strength will also help his racing performance as well as protect the weaker back muscles he has due to the hours he sits with his posture in flexion. Programme We needed to start very cautiously due to James s weak back. We also found that due to his lack of abdominal strength many of the core exercises would lift his back off the ground into an arched position putting pressure on his lumbar spine. James found it difficult to isolate the pelvis in many of the exercises. Also due to his tight pectorals and kyphotic neck he could not put his head on the ground when lying prone and needed either a block for mat work or the headrest up on the reformer. I also noted his difficulties in articulating 9

10 his lumbar spine in the roll down and any spinal articulation work. James is also very tall which has not helped his posture over the years. Goals Very quickly we realised that we needed to strengthen James s transverse abdominus (TA) and internal and external obliques to help protect his lower back and support his spine with a better posture. Lengthening his body through stretching and strengthening the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids and lower trapezius to relax his neck muscles and take the pressure off his upper back. We also needed to work on neutralizing the pelvis during abdominals exercises. Going forward it would be very beneficial for James to continue with Pilates to help increase his range of motion and strength in the back as well as his strength in his lateral flexion/rotation exercises and increase his flexibility in his hamstrings in particular. Based on these goals I worked on a 10 week program to help strengthen James s back and core muscles to support his spine with a better posture. 10

11 BASI PILATES PLAN BASI BLOCK SYSTEM Warm up EQUIPMENT EXERCISES Mat Fundamental: Pelvic Curl, Spine Twist Supine, Chest Lift, Chest Lift with Rotation OBJECTIVES Fundamental exercises to warm up abdominals, back and hip extensors. Opening the chest, spinal articulation, rotation, flexion and deep abdominal strengthening. Foot Work Abdominal Work Hip Work Spinal Articulation Cadillac Cadillac Reformer Reformer Parallel heels/toes, V Position Toes, Open V heels/toes, Calf Raises, Prances, Single Leg Heel, Single Leg Toes Roll up with RU bar Mini Roll ups Roll up top loaded Frog, Circles Down and Up, Opening Bottom lift To warm- up the lower limbs, emphasizing on hamstring, quadriceps and ankle plantar flexion strength and stretching. I have chosen the Cadillac to get more of a hamstring stretch to help with hamstring flexibility. I have chosen the Cadillac for the abdominals due to James s weak back. The springs help the abdominal muscles, providing an extra boost in facilitating the correct muscles. The assistance of the springs also helps with the excess tension that may be hampering the proper execution, from the hip flexors and lower back. All these exercises have been chosen to strengthen the hip adductors and hip extensors as well as develop pelvic lumbar stabilisation and hip adductor flexibility. The bottom lift is to focus on the abdominals and the hamstrings with the objective of developing spinal articulation and hip extensor control. The range of motion is challenging due to the feet being placed up on the foot bar. 11

12 Stretches Full Body Integration F/I Arm Work Full Body Integration A/M Leg Work Lateral Flexion/Rotation Back Extension Reformer Standing Lunge Reformer Up Stretch Reformer Wunda Chair Wunda Chair Wunda Chair Arm Supine Series: Extension, Adduction, Up Circles/Down Circles, Triceps Hip Opener Side Stretch Swan Basic This is an excellent stretch for a cyclist as this is a stretch for the hip flexors and for the hamstrings. The bias towards a posterior tilt during the hip flexor stretch helps to alleviate pressure on the lower back. The standing lunge is challenging for anyone that has tight quadriceps and hip flexors, yet provides the body with enough stabilization to focus more on the stretch. Trunk stabilisation and core strength are the essence of this exercise. The objective of this exercise is to develop trunk and scapular stabilisation and improve hamstring and shoulder flexibility. Arm work is vital for a cyclist as so much energy goes into the legs. Performed in a supine position requires extensive core stability and keeps the spine in a neutral position. The muscle focus in this series is on the latisimus dorsi. The objectives are to strengthen the shoulder extensors and develop trunk and scapular stabilisation. This is for the hip external rotators which are underused. The objective is for hip extensor control, hip external rotator control as well as pelvic lumbar stabilization. This exercise has been chosen to work the oblique abdominals as well as to develop control of the lateral flexors and stretch the lateral flexors. Something the client never does in day to day activities. Due to the clients weak back we have worked with a slightly higher spring tension. This adjustability is invaluable when dealing with weaker backs because you can regulate how much muscle activation should be present as well as the range of motion of the trunk. The Roll down will be performed as a pre- warm up and post cool- down exercise and used for observational purpose. 12

13 Conclusions After 10 sessions James was amazed at how much stronger he felt. There were marked improvements in both his strength and flexibility. James had so much more movement in his back especially his lumbar spine, which was extremely hyperlordotic when we first started with the exercises. Due to his stronger back he also noticed some improvements in his racing as he felt an increase in core stabilization. Due to the number of hours James spends on his bike and in front of the computer I feel that we would need to do more than 1 hour per week together as his imbalances and postural deviations may never completely disappear due to spending hours in a rounded position. This Pilates program has at least given him a feeling of what it is like to help prevent long term injury, as well as moving his body in different positions against the sports induced postural deviations and give him a far greater degree of flexibility than he would otherwise have. 13

14 Bibliography Websites pedia.com/cycling_biomechanics Books Danielson, Tom Core Advantage: Core Strength for Cycling s Winning Edge Isacowitz, Rael, Body Arts and Science International, , Study Guide: Comprehensive Course Isacowitz, Rael, Body Arts and Science International, , Mat Movement Analysis Workbook Isacowitz, Rael, Body Arts and Science International, , Reformer Movement Analysis Workbook Isacowitz, Rael, Body Arts and Science International, , Wunda Chair Movement Analysis Workbook Isacowitz, Rael, Body Arts and Science International, , Cadillac Movement Analysis Workbook Rael Isacowitz and Karen Clippinger, 2011, Pilates Anatomy 14