One leg stronger?

[Eden]

Have you had a pro bike fit? One thing I found out when I had mine done is that I have a fairly big leg length difference. Uncorrected that definitely has an effect of the power output of each leg - depending on which leg your seat height is set up for you'll totally see a power difference between the legs and one will seem weaker. I got some shims under my cleat and and extra insole in that shoe and it made a big difference.

[firenze11]

Ah you could be onto something! I was having some hip troubles this summer and some TEers suggested leg length discrepancy. I still haven't been to the PT but maybe this makes sense. I should really go.

I haven't had a pro bike fit yet but I think you're right, I should get one when I get a chance.

I wasn't sure if this was just a normal thing, like everyone has one leg that's bigger kind of thing, or if I was maybe imbalanced somehow.

Thanks.

[Jiffer]

I had a pro bike fit and later that same day a sports massage. I found out two things that day. The bike fit guy told me I have more power output from my left leg, which is surprising since I'm right handed .... and my massage therapist told me I pull more with the left and push down more with the right (based on how my muscles felt, I guess).

My bike fit guy told me my legs were the same length, so that was not an issue for me. I do wonder if I could get my shoes fitting better, if it might help. Just lately, when I have tried to focus on even force on the full rotation of each foot, I find my foot moving in my shoes, unlike when I don't really think about it. So, I'm wondering if I'm compensating somehow for how my shoes fit. If only my feet weren't so dang narrow AND long. I have Men's Sidi's in narrow (because they don't make a women's in my length, which is Women's 10 in the normal shoe world). I think they fit me as close as any non-custom cycling shoe will ever fit me, but proper inserts might help. I do have Sole inserts, that I heated in the oven and shaped to my foot & shoe, but I think I need to look into something other options that might work better.

If you have a pro-trainer, you can work on cycling with one leg at a time, to focus on what exactly that leg is doing and strengthen the weaker leg. My bike fit guy actually recommended cycling with one leg at a time to improve technique, which you could technically do on a regular bike, just not as easily as a trainer. But if you were to keep both feet clipped in, and then let the stronger leg just 'go along for the ride' and tell yourself to focus for a specific length of time on just the weaker leg, and then maybe do that in intervals, that might help.

I do highly recommend a pro bike fit. I learned so much that day in addition to the changes he made to my actual fit.

[suz]

If you still can't resolve your imbalances after trying all these other great suggestions offered here, you may also want to check out a Chiro trained in Active Release Technique (ART), a form of muscle and soft tissue manipulation that helps break up scar tissue and relieve tightness caused by overuse and/or injury.

Our bike club had a Chiro speak about this at our last meeting. After struggling for over five years with SI Joint issues (hips/glutes/back pain and feeling like I was riding with only one leg), and trying everything from bike fits, phys. therapy, stretching, one-legged drills, etc., I finally experienced a noticeable improvement in leg strength after only a couple sessions of ART. The stiffness I had been experiencing in my hip flexor was gone after only one visit and the pain in my lower back is vastly reduced. I also had uneven muscle development in my glutes and back as the stronger side tried to pick up the slack.

I was, like a lot of people, somewhat wary of Chiropractors (after all, they're not REAL doctors ), but when it got to the point I was thinking of chucking the bike for bingo, I had to give it a shot. I'm very happy I did.

Good luck!

Suzanne