In the last year I’ve had two pro bike fits (one by a very experienced person that is well known in the region). First fit was on my older bike and then second was on a new SC. Both fitters made mention of leaving me in a bit higher position and then possibly working down as my flexibility improved. My question; what is that flexibility and how do I improve it? During the fittings we didn’t really do any flexibility testing per-say but more of a conversation on my flexibility. I kind of think of myself as not being very flexible but I have no problem touching my toes and beyond. My hip flexors tend to be a bit tight but not too bad.
Any insight on this “flexibility”. I’m not dying to get lower in my position but if there is something I can do with relative ease (specific stretches) and get a bit lower it might be nice.
it is not just flexibility but also your core strength to be ale to hold yourself in the position. There are lots of good books on improving flexibility and core strength. The best answer I can give you is that muscles work in antagonistic pairs, one stretches when the other contracts. When he contracting muscle has to work past the flexibility point of the antagonistic muscle it now has to use energy to pull the tight muscle to lengthen so there are many reasons to improve flexibility. To be able to be efficient and powerful you need flexibility. A good fitter should take the time to explain this to you so you understand what the problem is and provide you guidance how to fix it. A good book to look at is Tom Danielson’s Core advantage, Allison Westfahl knows her stuff.