Adductors get knackered first!

[VinceLedge]

My riding buddy and I are getting back out on the road and doing some turbo sessions , getting summer fit!
Why is it that the muscles that seem to get achy or cramping first on a long ride or hard session? We both seen to find the same!

[Jdsk]

Which adductors? At the hip?

Jonathan

[VinceLedge]

Probably Magnus or gracillis, about a third of the way up from the knee

[Paulatic]

Assuming saddle height is right take a look at your cleats. They might want moving back a bit as your calf muscles spend too much effort stabilising the foot and not enough time helping the quads straighten.
Be really adventurous and go for a long ride using flats and see if you get the same ache and cramping.

[Audax67]

The fun begins when both sides cramp at once.

[531colin]

Adductors...on the medial side of the thigh, not hamstrings on the back of the thigh?

[531colin]

.... your calf muscles spend too much effort stabilising the foot and not enough time helping the quads straighten. ...

Errr...... pardon? Quads straighten (extend) the knee.
Muscles can only contract (pull) they can't push....calf muscles would need to push to extend the knee.

[Paulatic]

.... your calf muscles spend too much effort stabilising the foot and not enough time helping the quads straighten. ...

Errr...... pardon? Quads straighten (extend) the knee.
Muscles can only contract (pull) they can't push....calf muscles would need to push to extend the knee.

Steve Hogg,,,the gastrocmenius , https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... -position/

[VinceLedge]

The fun begins when both sides cramp at once.

Exactly!

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

My riding buddy and I are getting back out on the road and doing some turbo sessions , getting summer fit!
Why is it that the muscles that seem to get achy or cramping first on a long ride or hard session? We both seen to find the same!

But it clears up soon like second or third road ride?
I once spent 5 months on the turbo and did a circumvent of Dartmoor, slight sore inner thigh but next ride it had gone.
Do you stand much on the turbo?
But even this might not be enough to counter the soreness.
Does it last or prevent you from cycling?

[VinceLedge]

It's just a normal muscle fatigue, wears off in a day or so, not a major problem, was just wondering why those muscles get fatigued first.
Had a chat with a physio pal who thought it might be that the adductors are worked harder when putting out high power and unlike quads and hamstrings aren't used as heavily in normal walking and running, so get fatigued quicker. Possible theory!

[531colin]

.... your calf muscles spend too much effort stabilising the foot and not enough time helping the quads straighten. ...

Errr...... pardon? Quads straighten (extend) the knee.
Muscles can only contract (pull) they can't push....calf muscles would need to push to extend the knee.

Steve Hogg,,,the gastrocmenius , https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... -position/

Yeah, I've read it. But when your knee extends, muscles which cross the back of the knee must lengthen.

IMG_5387 by 531colin, on Flickr

EDITED TO ADD... Its a bit of a worry that I forgot to add that I have actually done this, ie. moved my cleats back to "stabilise" my feet on the pedals. Now according to Steve Hogg, that should have taken some load off the quads, because the hamstrings and calves will help to extend the knee. I found that moving my cleats back loaded my quads more, leading to preferential fatigue of the quads.

[531colin]

It's just a normal muscle fatigue, wears off in a day or so, not a major problem, was just wondering why those muscles get fatigued first.
Had a chat with a physio pal who thought it might be that the adductors are worked harder when putting out high power and unlike quads and hamstrings aren't used as heavily in normal walking and running, so get fatigued quicker. Possible theory!

"Neil's bike fit" has a section on preferential fatigue https://neillsbikefit.com.au/?page_id=268
Read what people write, and make up your own mind. For example, towards the bottom of that page I linked, he says that there is only 15% of the stroke where hamstrings are not contributing. But on this page https://neillsbikefit.com.au/?page_id=364 (about halfway down) he reproduces that bloody Catherine-wheel thing that ignores the hamstrings as hip extensors and only has them working as knee flexors to lift the pedal on the way up (yellow). You only have to ride along resting your hand on your hamstrings to know thats wrong.

[VinceLedge]

I think this answers my own question!
https://www.premax.co/uk/blog/groin-pain-in-cycling