Hip Rocking, How to improve?

Triathlon Forum
1

I have this problem of my hips rocking up and down on the pedal stroke. The good news is that I was fitted by a pro bike fitter and my seat seems to be just right, if anything a bit on the low side so that rules out the ‘seat to high’ thing. I guess the bad news from this is that it is poor technique.

Anybody want to suggest drills, workouts I can do to improve on these fundamentals?.

S

2

10mm down and 10mm forward within each pedal stroke is normal. If motion capture markers are used on the head of the greater trochanter this can be magnified a lot (estimating 3x). Since you’ve been fitted I wouldn’t worry about it.

3

Tight Hip Flexors,could be a reason why you rock more.Do some specific stretching for your hip flexors.Common problem when cycling a lot.

4

thanks, so there are no specific cycling drills, etc… I can practice to improve my technique?

5

One legged pedaling drills will help strengthen your hip flexors and smooth out your pedal stroke. Start out with
30 seconds each leg light intensity (spin). This may be very sloppy to start with but once you smooth out your technique
then start increasing to harder gears and 60 sec. each leg. Make sure you stretch your hip flexors slowly and carefully
after your workout when your muscles are warm, not before training. Recent data has shown that stretching before activity
can lead to more injuries by destabilizing your joints. The best way to warm up for anything is by using your muscles very lightly in the same action you
will be using at higher intensity later, ie. pedal lightly first.

6

It’s not necessarily bad to rock your hips. It all depends on the degree. I’ve seen some female olympic team riders who rock their hips quite a bit.

However, if you want to improve try some pedaling drills: One-legged riding on a trainer and some higher cadence intervals are good for pedaling form. Also, make sure you’re not bouncing. Bouncing occurs when you keep pressing on the pedals after they are already at the bottom of the pedal strike, causing your body to lift off the saddle slightly. Same solution— Drills, but a different problem as it is never a good idea to bounce.

-Marc