Gym workouts to prepare for next season?

[Tammy]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for keeping the suggestions coming! Thought I'd give you an update.

I went to the doctor on Friday. To make a long story short, she asked me how often I bike to work (every day), and if my seat is high enough (nope b/c of my short legs). Next, she said that I'm likely making my kneecap track incorrectly by doing that and that I could get arthritis if I don't ride my bike with proper form.

In a nutshell, the doc recommended that I hike up my seat so that my legs are straight when pedaling and that I ride up hills every day. After a while of this, then I can get into doing squats and some of the other exercises recommended here. She also gave me some other gentle leg lifts to do with minimal weights which do not focus on the kneecaps.

Following her advice has been somewhat helpful in that my knees haven't been hurting me as much, but it's only been a couple of days.

Just like everyone's been saying so far, it's essential to do exercises with the correct form! Perhaps I'll be hiring a trainer to make sure I do that with the squats and such soon .

Cheers,

Tammy

 

[lynseyf]

Definitely make sure your seats right on your bike. Your legs shouldn't be completely straight when your pedalling with the ball of your foot. If you have your pedals at 12 and 6 o'clock, put the HEEL of your foot on the 6 o'clock pedal and your leg should be straight, this way it won't lock out when you are pedalling. Also when you have your pedals at 3 and 9'clock, put the ball of your foot on the 3 o'clock pedal and from your knee down to the ball of your foot should be a straight line, if its not move your seat backwards or forwards on the rails.

What strengthens your quads? I do a lot of cycling(~90 miles a week) and I think this makes my hamstrings really strong but doesn't do much for my quads??

 

[jessie.says.that]

If you are concerned with knee injuries - the one thing you should DEFINITELY do preventatively is strengthen your hamstrings. Women are prone to having their quads too strong in comparison to their hamstrings and that leads to injury. And I know that when I had my first knee injury years ago, I was definitely guilty of that. I did a lot of lifting, but definitely preferred working quads to hamstrings and even though my legs were insanely strong and muscular at the time, that was a recipe for a torn ACL.

Hamstrings that are too tight, I believe, are also the leading cause of lower back pain/ injury. This is a good tip, Alta.

 

[Ski-dreamer_Diva]

There's some good info in those clips. Thanks for the link.

 

[pb&jane]

This thread may get me back to the gym -- so many great ideas and advice.
Tho my favorite stay-get-in-shape activity is another terrific sport: squash. I know, you have to find a court, etc. but it's an amazing work-out that challenges your stamina, reflexes, mental acuity, and is chock full of lunges and core work. I bike/spin and do a strength-training class 1 or 2x a week, but squash keeps me in the best shape for skiing. And, most important, it's FUN!

 

[pleen]

Looks like TradyGirl has it all summed up, very similar to my routine. Also, biking is apparently the best thing you can do for your knees.