Bent is Better
Since we stopped crawling on all fours and started making mad dashes from one piece of furniture to another, trying to walk, people have been telling us to keep our shoulders back and stand up straight. Don’t slouch!
Like so many other things, what’s right for everyday life doesn’t apply to serious cycling. Take skinsuits — perfectly appropriate for cycling, practically obscene in everyday life. Or cycling shoes with hard soles and cleats on the ball of the foot. Great for cycling, ridiculous for everyday life.
The same thing goes for posture. Hunching your back and shoulders is a beginner’s mistake in everyday life, but it’s exactly what you need to do on a bike. If you don’t, you’re going to be in pain on a longer ride.
A lot of the aches and pains that riders experience on road bikes or racers are caused by an improper fit of the bike. Adjustments should be calculated carefully by a professional any time you get a new bike, then tweaked to perfection after you try it on the road.
But how you hold your body makes a difference too. If you unconsciously tense your shoulders, for instance, or keep one of your ankles stiff, your longer rides will make you painfully aware of your mistake.
Inexperienced cyclists aren’t always aware of their posture on a bike. It’s the long hours on the road that teach you, like nothing else can.
Your ideal posture on a bike puts the pressure on your muscles, not your bone structure. Stiff arms on the drop bars drive the bumps and vibrations of the road right up your wrists to your shoulder joints and your spine. Every jolt hits harder than it would if you were catching the blow in the musculature of your arm.
Check your posture at these key points next time you ride:
1. Your back.
Is it arched or straight? Do you start off holding it stiff, then relax your lower back down into a sway as you ride? Where does it hurt?
Your back should be hunched, as you lean forward. A nice, round curve holds your back ready for the next bump, which will make it arch up even more. This is what’s supposed to happen.
Keeping your back straight and stiff or even swayed makes you vulnerable to back problems in the long run. Practice an arched back, even if it feels weird at first. Even before you really get used to it, you’ll appreciate the lack of back pain after a long ride.
2. Your shoulders.
Are they pushed forward, so you’re carrying your weight on your collar bones? Do you feel like you do when you’re standing with both of your arms stiff, pressing down on a high counter?
That’s not how it’s supposed to feel. Your weight should be carried by the muscles in your upper body at the front of your chest. Completely different experience. There should be no specific pressure on your shoulders at all. It’s got to be diffused by those muscles. Otherwise, you’re putting your bones, your joints and even your neck at risk.
3. Your elbows.
Are they locked? Ever? Because they should never be locked. Always keep a slight bend in your elbows, so your muscles will pick up the slack. Your joints can take much of a beating. You know your arm muscles can.
The whole ride is harder when you don’t let your muscles do the work. The jolt of every little bump on the road is magnified, if you take it through your bones.
But any new posture takes awhile to get used to. Switching to a racer with drop bars from a road bike is an adjustment. So is going clipless or staying in the saddle when you climb a hill. It’s all about training your body. This is no different. Learn it. Get it right. Before long, you won’t even have to think about it.