No Upper Body Movement?

[Dogmama]

My instructor does some things that I cannot follow, like standing & running on the bike. It makes my leg go numb (I have spine "issues"). I often do my own thing (intervals) anyway and use the music for tempo. I notice that several others do their own thing too.

[equus123]

I have a few things to add to this topic about the drill that this instructor is *trying* to accomplish. For time trialing and intense efforts outside, we're taught to pull our legs towards the top tube to help reduce wind resistance. This feels kinda weird at first but its easy to get used to. It forces your upper body to stay as still as possible while enabling your legs to pound around the pedals harder without extraneous lateral movement with your knees. Perhaps these drills are meant to simulate those types of efforts in terms of body movement. Any extra swinging or movement with your upper body will only create more drag and waste energy out on the road.

Is your saddle height and fore/aft in the correct positioning? Is your handlebar at the right height and fore/aft?

If the drill is uncomfortable for you, is you're gearing too easy or too hard for the given purpose of this drill?

Are your legs are swinging around too much at the knee instead of staying on one plane?

I don't necessarily tend to think that this instructor would be doing a totally off the cuff type of exercise. I'm also not blaming the problem you're having on you. Just throwing some things into the mix that haven't been brought up on here.

[equus123]

Our spinning instructor calls for "no upper body movement" several times during the class, and the leg movement is quite fast. Isn't this dangerous?

i think as long as the saddle is in the right positioning for you and you are physically fit enough to do the drill, you shouldn't be compromising your knees or other joints at all. it seems perfectly fine to me. are you comfortable spinning at high cadences? as long as you're not flaling your legs around to keep your leg speed high, there shouldn't be a problem. i'm a road racer and have never experienced problems either on my trainer or spin bike.

i dunno, that's my $0.02.

[annabelle]

it was actually this thread that prompted me to register - i am super new to road biking (one week!) but i have been spinning for a few years.

whenever i have a spin teacher tell us to take the bounce out when standing up, it never hurts my knees. my legs aren't going side to side, and my butt is still (for lack of a better term) wagging (though mostly up and down. it's really attractive.)

also, it's only ever been on a hill or a steep jog - never with a fast leg speed or at low tension. i can't tell if this is the same "bad" thing? it's never bothered me, or my knees, so the whole if-it-hurts-then-stop rule, while a great one, doesn't really apply.

if anyone knows the answer, i'd love it. these boards are great!

[equus123]

i apologize but i can't tell what your asking

[annabelle]

sorry! i am all over today.

i was mostly wondering if this kind of exercise - brief spells of hill work with no side-to-side movement, with relatively low cadence and light-hill-level tension - are the same kind of isolations mentioned above as being very bad for knees? since my hips still move, and my legs are not going side to side, and my knees don't hurt, i dont know if i am causing damage to them that i just can't feel yet.

[equus123]

at least to me, nothing is bad for your knees. if you have the right form then nothing should be a problem. am I wrong for thinking this way?

to clear one thing up, your legs are NOT supposed to go side to side. that is absolutely incorrect form. yes, if you want to get technical with it, your knees actually move in figure eights at the very minute level. i know that this isn't what you're talking about.

if your knees don't hurt, you more than likely aren't doing anything wrong then. its okay for your hips to move a bit during a climbing or low cadence drill, they have to. its like asking someone to stay completely still when standing climbing - its impossible.

i mean anyone, please tell me if i'm wrong but doing high cadence drills on spin bikes seems like there's nothing wrong with them as long as you have a proper bike fit and you know how to spin high. if you're having problems then i think it's gotta be one of the two variables that's off.

[logdiva32]

well 3rd class yesterday. Tried the isolation just 1 more time with all of your suggestions, still hurts. Had to get DH to get my Advil 500's.
Note: I have really bad knees, very little cartilidge left from years of abusive and absured Army life.
Wanted to never go back. But I think I will just do my own thing when they call for these moves. Trying to get ready for the S T P, so I need the saddle time.
Thanks all...

[equus123]

well that explains the whole point of this thread then - you have bad knees

[Raindrop]

High cadence drills are not a bad thing in an indoor cycling class if you are using adequate resistance. The key issue here is the 38 - 42 pound flywheel on a fixed gear bike that pulls the legs around. All too often I see people bouncing all over the place during a seated flat or sprint due to the fact they don't have any resistance on and the flywheel is pulling their legs around. Sure, they can get their RPMs way up there but if you don't have control over the flywheel in this case, you are risking injury to your knees.

It's the flywheel that is the difference between working on and indoor cycling bike or on a bike on a trainer.

[logdiva32]

Yea, Sat instructor was flapping all around when we sprinted. This morning was real cool though, new guy, we cranked it up and down with no craziness and had a good workout still. Knees still hurt, reaching for advil now, literally.