Powercranks.

Or forward lunges.

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Striving to have sex more than 66 times per year

I'm no expert, but some coaches more knowledgeable than I recommend one-leg drills. some lower rpm with higher resistance and some higher rpm, lower resistance. I do them in aero until I'm failing, then immediately up to my bullhorns and finally on the bars until I can't lift any more. I do the slower ones 2 sets each leg of 3-5 minutes each and the faster ones for less time but more sets. Frank Day would tell you to get PC's. One guy I rode with said his previous coach had them ride for miles with one leg, then miles with the other. I also try to do a lot of my climbing concentrating on lifting my knees.

I'm curious to see what some of the coached here recommend.

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

PCs.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

There's a free option, too.

There are some incredible isometric hip flexor exercises you can do on your own. I don't know of a link offhand, but there's a lot you can do with some free floorspace and just yourself.

Rotary hip machine is good. Theracrunch ab-bench is good.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I was thinking one-legged spins during my workout tonight, but I usually sit up for those, so I vetoed the idea--as the weakness is right at the highest point when the knees are to the chest. You do one-legged spins aero. God that sounds painful. I will try that tomorrow night.

Anti-aging clinic...you slay me.

I start in aero and do that until I HAVE to get up in the bullhorns ans stay there until I HAVE to go to the bars. At first I could only do 10-15 seconds in aero before going to the 'horns,' another 10 or so there and another 10 up on the base bar.

I can now do about 2 minutes in aero, 1-2 on the horns and 1-2 'up' at lower cadence (~50) (4-5 min total) at higher resistance; and 30-60 seconds aero, 30 more in the horns and 30 more (1 1/2-2 min total) at higher cadence (80-90). Less on the bad days.

If you can't do it in aero, start on the horns, until you are stronger.

OR, spring for the PC's.

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

If you are in the LA area; Sandra, at Bicycle John's (burbank) has a cycling class in the parking lot on most thursdays at 7pm. She does a lot of one leg stuff and high cadence work. Some classes are primarily tempo work and others, primarily climbing. All on trainers.

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Doc--Yes, I think this is the way to go. One-legged spins, and I will try your approach on them. Thanks.

Isn't it crazy how uncoordinated one-legged seems after about 30 seconds? Shes just how much ofyour right leg power goes into pushing your left leg up, even when you are sure you are unweighing the pedals with your "silky smooth" pedal stroke!

Is that a ghost in the upper left of the picture?

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Ain't it de trute.

Especially in aero.

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Seeing as it is your quads and glutes that supply the overwhelming portion of the power in the pedal stroke, and are thus the muscles that get your leg over the top dead spot, why do you think it is "weak hip flexors"?

Specificity.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

I could be wrong, of course, but I know I am not unweighing the pedals, and my power is being tapped to do push my legs around unless I very consciously pull up. I used to do almost 100% of all workouts in the aero position, now I struggle to get 10 minutes in before coming back to the tops. I guess it is just my sense of what my limiter is. Until now, working back into condition has been mostly done on the road bike. That, and my HF's have always been somewhat weak.

Hey Monk, you just have to keep after it and eventually those one-legged spins will be not so hard. I signed up for my first Ironman with a cast on my leg (broke it at karate), so I was on the trainer riding one-legged for a month. At first I could barely get the pedal to go around, but by the end of the month, I could spin and actually get my HR up and work up a pretty good sweat. I recently was on a Computrainer and the spin scan showed a pretty good pedal stroke.

Good luck!

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Is it just me or does kicking only (swimming) really hit the hip flexors?

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Searching for the bliss of ultimate exertion.

[reply]There's a free option, too.

There are some incredible isometric hip flexor exercises you can do on your own. I don't know of a link offhand, but there's a lot you can do with some free floorspace and just yourself.[/reply]

Yup, just do several situp/crunch/leg lift/leg extension sets while watching TV one night. I typically end up doing about 1000 total reps split between ~250 situps, ~500 crunches and ~100 prone leg lifts/~100 standing leg lifts. The ones that really do a lot for your hip flexors is the standing leg lift...just stand there and lift your knee to the front. If your hip flexors are in really bad shape you'll be dying at sets of 25 for each leg.

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If you insist on working the hip flexors, may I suggest doing situps such that you also do the horizontal version of the leg lift: 10 each leg without letting your leg touch the floor, switch to other leg, repeat. Shin stays parallel to the ground as you bring your knee to your chest when you sit up. I used to do this as part of triple jump training, where you actually use your hip flexor to raise your knee.

I'd also point out that isometric exercises are great for training your muscle to hold that single position; I gather that it doesn't carry over to the range of motion the muscle is suited for. Again, specificity.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

It's important to remember that strength imbalances in the hip area affect the body elsewhere - so you really ought to work your back, adductors and abductors as well.

The exercises all have clever names - "fire hydrants," "donkey kicks," "supermans," etc. [come to think of it those might be names various coaches gave to them, rather than something authoritative] but they're just as important.

Aside from supermans, which are done on your stomach and are lifts of your upper body and/or legs, most good hip exercises begin in a neutral position on your hands and knees with a flat back and 90deg angles at the hip, knee, and shoulder. Lift your bent leg, keeping it steady, to the side. 10-20 reps is all most people can take at first - but you can safely punish yourself with variations. Try tracing your knee in circles clockwise and counterclockwise, or for an extra challenge (and pain!) do the exercise with a straight leg. Concentrate on form rather than speed. Ideally you should be able to lift your leg to a position parallel to the floor with the 90deg angles of your start position intact.

While these aren't cycling-specific, the low back exercises should help your riding, and the other hip work will assist your swim and run, and keep you from doing damage with one overdeveloped set of hip flexors and underdeveloped muscles in other directions.

Ken wrote: I'd also point out that isometric exercises are great for training your muscle to hold that single position; I gather that it doesn't carry over to the range of motion the muscle is suited for. Again, specificity.


What Ken said...or, as Buckwheat may have said it, "Specimificity".

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

You know, we went thru this one time before. The true hip flexor muscles are not involve (and if they are, it is VERY MINIMA0)L. Please read what I previously posted on this subject. People keep insisting that they need to exercise their hip flexors and that's the cause of their poor cycling ability. Well I think you need to work on the major and minor muscles zctually involved in cycling. Please read my comments below:

Lets get really serious about the benefits/non-benefits of PC’s and all the bull floating out there.!! First of all, the muscles you THINK you use to bring the cranks around from 180 degrees to 360 ARE NOT the muscles really used by experienced cyclist. Don’t want to hear that do you? Let me show you what muscles are used in a full complete crank stroke. There is so much talk about pulling the cranks around by using the hip flexors and how it helps your cycling and even your running. The muscles used are certainly NOT the hip flexors. For your info, the hip flexors are actually the lliosoas muscles which consist of the lliacus and psoas major muscle group. So lets go thru a complete cycle of the crank and you will see for yourself, your way off base!!
1. Rectus femoris – used minor from 0-90degrees and major from 90-180degrees. If your saddle is low, this muscle is used a little more extensively.
2. Vastas lareralis & medialis - used minor from 285 degrees to around 178 degrees
3. Sartorius - used minor from 270 degrees to around 60 and major from 60 to 95 degrees and minor again from 95 to 178 degrees. Now if your saddle is high, this muscle is used a little more extensively.
4. Tensor fasciae latae - used minor from 270 degrees to 285 then major from 285 to 30 degrees and then minor from 30 degrees to 170 degrees
5. Biceps femoris – used minor from 10 degrees to 85, then major from 85 to 175 and then minor again from 175 to ariund 260 degrees
6. Gracilllis – major from around 135 degrees to around 190 and then minor from 190 to around 240 degrees
7. Tibialis anterior – minor from 190 to 275 and then major from 275 to around 85 degrees
8. Soleus – minor from around 5 degrees to around 185 degrees
9. Gastrocnemius – minor from 95 degrees to 175 and major from 175 to around 225 and then minor again from 225 to around 265
Now, nowhere do you see the lliopsoas (lliacus and psoas major) involved in the pedal stroke. If you want to exercise these muscles, there are certainly better ways of doing it then PC and there is no cost to you. Exercising these muscles for cycling is like me telling you I have a gadget that will exercise your big toe. By exercising your big toe, it will help you in swimming (wall push-off) and running (final toe push-off) and cycling (toeing effect). Now isn’t that ridiculous?? You miss out on all the major muscle groups for each sport and concentrate on something that has minimal if any effect. When cycling with PC’s you minimize the workout of the proper muscles by trying to concentrate on muscles (lliacus & psoas major are weak compared to your cycling muscles). Those two muscles are used when doing straight leg raises or bent leg sit-ups. Wrong action in the mechanics of cycling.
AND by the way, I got this 2nd hand, but I was told a top pro triathlete (who has won IM Hawaii, maybe more than once) has actually indicated it harmed his cycling stroke.

You are replying to me as if you think I think hip flexor strength work is important...

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"Go yell at an M&M"

I replied to you because I agree on your exercises to improve hip flexors. I'm assuming the original poster will read this thread.